1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:17,759 Speaker 2: You're listening to every Day Prayers with Million Praying Moms, 3 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,000 Speaker 2: helping you pray God's word for your family in the 4 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:23,919 Speaker 2: areas you need it most. I'm your host, Nicolette Bell. Here, 5 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:27,160 Speaker 2: we believe prayer isn't a last resort. It's our first 6 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:30,080 Speaker 2: and best response in parenting, and every day we come 7 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 2: together to partner with God for the hearts of our children. 8 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:35,080 Speaker 2: In the month of April, we are hosting the Everyday 9 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 2: Prayers for Gentleness book Club on the podcast to celebrate 10 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 2: our newest release, We're So Glad You're here today. The 11 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:43,919 Speaker 2: author of our new book and mom of three, Christy Thomas, 12 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 2: will lead our devotion in prayer to challenge us and 13 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:50,280 Speaker 2: encourage us on our journey to grow in gentleness. To 14 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:53,200 Speaker 2: learn more about Christy, our new book, and the Million 15 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:57,600 Speaker 2: Praying Mom's ministry, visit Millionprayingmoms dot com. You can find 16 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 2: a link in our show notes. After a brief word 17 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 2: from our sponsors, will pray together for our children. 18 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:09,320 Speaker 3: Epheesians four twenty nine says no foul language should come 19 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 3: from your mouth, but only what is good for building 20 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:13,720 Speaker 3: up someone in need, so that it gives grace to 21 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:17,920 Speaker 3: those who hear. Three other desks stood with mine, making 22 00:01:17,959 --> 00:01:20,000 Speaker 3: a nice neat rectangle near the edge of the third 23 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:23,319 Speaker 3: grade classroom. The teacher assigned us a task to do. 24 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:26,120 Speaker 3: As a group, I took charge of the project until 25 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 3: one boy decided he did not like my leadership. His 26 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 3: words still ring deep in my heart. 27 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:32,840 Speaker 1: Stop being so bossy. 28 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:35,720 Speaker 3: The names didn't end there. When I was in sixth grade, 29 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:38,240 Speaker 3: teachers called me quiet. When I was in junior high, 30 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:41,480 Speaker 3: boys called me ugly, and girls called me shy. When 31 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:44,240 Speaker 3: I was in high school, a parent called me critical. 32 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 3: These are all names that have been put on me 33 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 3: at some point in my life. What words or names 34 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:52,680 Speaker 3: have people thrown at you. Maybe the name calling mostly 35 00:01:52,720 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 3: happens inside your own head because your worst critic is yourself, 36 00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:58,880 Speaker 3: Or perhaps you have cruel words from a parent on 37 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 3: replay inside your mind. Those words and names change us, 38 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 3: even define us. Years after the bossy incident, I realized 39 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:08,919 Speaker 3: that at that moment, I stopped being bossy. Maybe you 40 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:11,120 Speaker 3: could see that as a good thing, but in doing so, 41 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:14,920 Speaker 3: I squelched my leadership skills. For many years. Had I 42 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:17,600 Speaker 3: known that my third grade bossiness was actually a gift 43 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:20,440 Speaker 3: from God In disguise, I might be so much further 44 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:22,920 Speaker 3: along in becoming who God created me to be. It 45 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:26,040 Speaker 3: took me years to get over those names and identities 46 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:30,200 Speaker 3: others gave to me. One by one. God is washing 47 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 3: me clean of all those words and labels, giving me 48 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:36,200 Speaker 3: a new identity based on Him. But what happens when 49 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:39,600 Speaker 3: we're the ones pegging the labels on others? If you've 50 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:42,480 Speaker 3: never labeled somebody in a fit of frustration or called 51 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 3: them a name you would later regret, I'd like to 52 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 3: meet you, because you're likely the most gentle person ever. 53 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 3: James wrote about how incredibly hard it is to be 54 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:52,280 Speaker 3: gentle with our words in James three five to ten. 55 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:56,040 Speaker 3: So too. Though the tongue is a small part of 56 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:59,360 Speaker 3: the body, it boasts great things. Consider how a small 57 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:02,519 Speaker 3: fire sets up blaze a large forest, and the tongue 58 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:05,880 Speaker 3: is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is 59 00:03:05,919 --> 00:03:09,400 Speaker 3: placed among our members. It stains the whole body, sets 60 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:12,239 Speaker 3: the course of life on fire, and is itself set 61 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:16,000 Speaker 3: on fire by health. Every kind of animal, bird, reptile, 62 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:18,600 Speaker 3: on fish is tames and has been tamed by humankind. 63 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:21,680 Speaker 3: But no one can tame the tongue. It is a 64 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 3: restless evil full of deadly poison. With the tongue we 65 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 3: bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse 66 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:31,440 Speaker 3: people who are made in God's likeness. Blessing and cursing 67 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 3: come out of the same mouth, my brothers and sisters. 68 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:37,839 Speaker 3: These things should not be this way. Do you ever 69 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:39,880 Speaker 3: feel like your own tongue is setting fire to the 70 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:43,640 Speaker 3: relationships and people around you, or maybe to your own identity. 71 00:03:44,560 --> 00:03:46,960 Speaker 3: If so, it's time to invite the Spirit to work 72 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:50,680 Speaker 3: gentleness into your words. Because, as James says about blessing 73 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:53,800 Speaker 3: and cursing coming from the same mouth, does a spring 74 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:56,240 Speaker 3: pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening. 75 00:03:56,480 --> 00:03:59,720 Speaker 3: Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, 76 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:01,840 Speaker 3: or a grapevine produce figs? 77 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:03,040 Speaker 1: Neither can a. 78 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:06,200 Speaker 3: Salt water spring yield fresh water. If you are filled 79 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:09,080 Speaker 3: with the spirit of Christ, your tongue should be morphing 80 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:12,320 Speaker 3: from a place of bitterness and fire into a place 81 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 3: where sweet, fresh words can flow, producing the kind of 82 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:18,360 Speaker 3: words that build up others and give grace to those 83 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:22,040 Speaker 3: who hear. Using gentle words doesn't mean we need to lie, 84 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 3: be fake, or sugarcoat the truth. It does mean that 85 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 3: our language needs to be humble and compassionate. Colossians four 86 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:32,960 Speaker 3: to six tells us, let your speech always be gracious, 87 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:35,040 Speaker 3: seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you 88 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 3: should answer each person. When the spirit helps us grow 89 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:41,160 Speaker 3: in gracious speech, will become the kind of people who 90 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:44,600 Speaker 3: build others up instead of labeling them or tearing them down. 91 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:48,120 Speaker 3: Our tongues will become like the one described in Proverbs fifteen, 92 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:51,840 Speaker 3: verse four. A gentle tongue is a tree of life. 93 00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 3: May we become known as the people with life giving tongues. 94 00:04:57,960 --> 00:04:58,800 Speaker 1: Let's pray. 95 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:02,359 Speaker 3: Jesus, I'm sorry for the time when my words have 96 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:07,120 Speaker 3: been foul, hurtful, bitter, or harsh toward others and toward myself. 97 00:05:07,839 --> 00:05:11,880 Speaker 3: Thank you for your incredible, unmerited forgiveness. Please help me 98 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:14,720 Speaker 3: to speak gracious words that build others up and give 99 00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:17,880 Speaker 3: grace to those who hear, instead of words that only 100 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:19,440 Speaker 3: make me feel better for the moment. 101 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:21,640 Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, Amen. 102 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:23,640 Speaker 2: As part of our book called This Month, we are 103 00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:26,599 Speaker 2: making all of the wonderful perks of our paid Patreon 104 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:30,640 Speaker 2: members available at the free tier. That's right, the daily 105 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:35,120 Speaker 2: devotionals in written form, bonus materials, special previews and more 106 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:38,720 Speaker 2: free to you this month only. See the link in 107 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:40,919 Speaker 2: our show notes are on our website to get connected. 108 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:44,320 Speaker 2: Until next time, friends, the Lord bless you and keep you. 109 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:48,120 Speaker 2: Make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you. 110 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:50,880 Speaker 2: May the Lord look with favor upon you and give 111 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:51,680 Speaker 2: you peace.