Get Healthy Week 2

Tame Your Tongue,

Transform Your Life

GetHealthyWeek2TameYourTongue,TransformYourLife

Thetongue.Oh,howwelongtotameit!Ourwordscanbelikecancerthatkillsorlikehoneythatheals.I’mfairlycertainthere’snotapersonalivewhodoesn’tneedtogethealthyintheircommunication.Thisweekwe’lllearnGod’sremedytohealourheartsandtameourtongues.

KickStarterQuestion:

Whatwordsofencouragementdidyoureceiveasachild,teenoryoungadultthatyouremembertothisday?Howdidthewordsofencouragementmakeyoufeel?Didtheyaffectyouractionsinanyway?

1. Proverbs18:21says,“thepoweroflifeanddeathareinthetongue”.Whatdoyouthinkthismeans?Howhaveyouseenthistobetrue?

a. Sincewordshavethepowertobringlifeordeathintoarelationship,intoafamily,intoafriendshiporintoachurch,whydoyouthinkwearen’tmorecarefulabouthowweuseourwords?

b. Inwhatrelationshipsdoyourwordsbringlife?(Behonest)Inwhatrelationshipsdoyourwordsbringdeath?(Behonestaboutthis,too)

Whenitcomestotamingourtonguesmostofusstartwiththesymptoms:I’llbemorepositiveandencouraging;I’llstopgossiping;I’llbitemytongueandcounttotenbeforeresponding.Youknowthedrill.

Thoughthesestrategiescanbehelpful,theyactmorelikeBand-AidsratherthanBactine(forthoseofyouunder35,Bactineistheoriginalfirst-aidliquid).Strategiesaresurfacesolutionstodeepdysfunction.Ifwewanttogethealthyinourcommunicationwemustgototheroot.

2. ReadLuke6:43-45.Wheredoourwordsoriginate?

3. Becauseofhisawarenessthatwhatcomesoutofourmouthisintricatelytiedtowhatisinourmind,whatdidthePsalmistprayinPsalm19:14?

a. IntheoriginalHebrew,theword“meditation”usedinPsalm19:14literallymeans“resoundingmusic”;likewhenthelyricsofasonggetstuckinyour head.Justwhenyouthinkyourthoughtshavemovedon—thereitisagain—thesonggoingroundandroundinyourbrain.Howhaveyouseenthe“meditationsofyourheart”affectthewordsofyourmouthrecently?

(Forexample,dwellingonsomethingthatirritatesyouandthen,bam!—criticalwordsspilloutfasterthanyoucanstopthem.)

b. Whatstep(s)canyoumaketochangethemediationsofyourheartsothewordsofyourmouthwillbepleasingtoGod(andothers!)?

c. ThePsalmistprayedanotherprayertohelphimtamehistongue—oneyou’regoingtolove!LookupPsalm141:3.How/Whencanyoupraythisprayer?

Ourwordshavethepowertobuilduporteardown;tobringlifetoarelationshipordeathtoit.Thisiswhyyourwordsaresoimportant.JustasGodusedHisWordtocreate(...andGodsaid“Lettheirbelight”...),yourwordscreate,too.Thewordsyouspeakcancreateahappyhome,ahealthymarriage,aflourishingfriendship,awell-adjustedchild.

Ornot.

Italldependsonthewordsyouchoosetospeak.

Ourwordshavepower.Let’sneverforgetit.

4. Godgivesspecificinstructionsforhealthyuseofourwords.LookupthefollowingversesandnotewhatweshouldNOTdowithourwords.

• Proverbs12:22• Proverbs16:28• Philippians2:14• Colossians3:7-9• James3:9-12

5. LookupthefollowingpassagesandnotewhatourwordsSHOULDdo.

• Ephesians4:15• Ephesians4:29• Proverbs31:8-9• Proverbs31:26

6. Sometimesthebestcommunicationhappenswhenweusenowordsoruseourwordssparingly.Whatpracticalapplicationcanyoudrawfromthepassagesbelow?

• James1:19• Proverbs17:27• Proverbs29:20

a. Istherearelationshipwherespeakinglesscouldmeanmoreeffectivecommunication?Ifso,withwhomandwhy?

Sometimesweneedtospeakup.Sometimesweneedtoshutup.Atalltimesourwordsshouldbuildup.

7. Answerthefollowingquestions(eitherwithyourgrouporprivately).

• InwhatareasorrelationshipsdoIneedtospeakup?

• InwhatareasorrelationshipsdoIneedtoshutup?

• InwhatareasorrelationshipsdoIneedtobuildup?8.Knowingmywordshavethepoweroflifeanddeath,thisweekIwill____________________________________________________________.Shareyourcommitmentwiththegroup.