Morning Hope – April 15, 2011

Was reading today and came across this verse…..
It’s one of my favorites, and it never fails to stop me in my tracks.

Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. (NKJV)

And shortly thereafter came this one…

Proverbs 15:4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit. (NKJV)

How you speak to someone matters. It can change their day for good or bad. It can bless or curse them.

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. (NKJV)

This power is in the tongue. Some days it’s a real choice and takes real effort, but it’s worth it, for you and for them. It stops strife in its tracks. Strife is a spirit that wants to destroy you. It’s rampant in most folks lives and they don’t even realize it.

James 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

Every evil work..
I definitely do not want to give every evil work access to my life.
Or give it access to someone elses because of my words and have to be accountable for it when I stand before the throne of God some day.

I can’t emphasis enough the importance of staying out of strife.
Your flesh won’t like it. I promise you this.
You don’t get to be right all the time, even when you are right.
You don’t get to win all the time, even when you should.
You don’t get to have the last word all the time.
You don’t even get to think about how much you are “owed”.
You don’t have rights.
You have a commandment. Love.

It won’t seem “right” to the world.
It won’t seem “right” to your friends.
But in the eyes of God, it’s right and it is the way to everything good in life.
It is the way to turning around every situation in your life that isn’t going well.
Start today…
Use soft words and draw a line in the sand that tells every evil work that you are done letting them stomping on your ground. Do it with a joyful attitude and watch the world around you change!

Be blessed!
-Kath

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.