Daughters of Sarah

Jane Phinney

By Jane Phinney

One of the most common, everyday hurts we inflict on others is through our speech…the words we use…our communication style/delivery. Even as a young child, it didn’t take me long to figure out that the old adage, “sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me”, was about the biggest lie on planet earth! How many of us can still remember the one incident, the one phrase seared on our hearts, that marked the way we see ourselves…to this very day? Wisdom would say that since we know that kind of pain, we should have the common sense not to pass it along. Unfortunately, our flesh can be our worst enemy. When all of our desires and responses are not yielded to the control of the Holy Spirit, in the moment, our tongue can become a weapon of mass destruction. The all-encompassing fallout can cause someone to doubt God’s love for them, to doubt their unique personal design, and to doubt their value. In short, an attack with words is almost always a stumbling block spiritually.



The tongue is referenced repetitively in the Bible. Two of my favorite verses are in Proverbs and James. “Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death, so is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, ‘Was I not joking?’ “(Prov. 26: 18 & 19) Righteous anger quickens in my soul when I observe the cruel practice of taunting/mocking a vulnerable area in someone’s life. My heart breaks when these barbs are excused as humor, leaving the recipient feeling doubly wounded. Seriously, does Christ ever, ever take liberties with our hearts like that? NO! James 3: 8-10 should be especially meaningful to you if you are a disciple of Jesus Christ. “But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father; and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.”

Unfortunately, in our depraved world, the things that ought not to be, more often are! But it is even more disheartening to see these sinful liberties abounding in the Church. In the moments I feel or observe hurt, God reminds me to “grace” the offender and pray for the situation to be reconciled. This stops a root of bitterness from springing up in my heart. I am humbled by God’s faithfulness to me in my own refining process. He reminds me that my own words should pass the triple test: Is what I say TRUE? Is it KIND? Is it NECESSARY?   


Shredded


We entertained the devil
He came right through the door
Tongues of fire unleashed his death
Our flesh just fought for more


Defilement flowed like poison
The battling raised his bar
Our hearts were stabbed and wounded
While he taunted from afar


I am a battle casualty
Left on the field to die
Beaten, shredded, numb & bleeding,
A victim of his lies


I cannot think, I cannot feel
Oh, Lord! Deliver me!
My soul is locked in prison
Redemption is my plea

Put back all the pieces
Revive the broken hearts
Take back the land the locusts ate
Give us a brand new start.

~ Jane Phinney~
(4/20/09)

God gave me this poem, quite unexpectedly, when my soul was troubled by observing the power of words “gone south”, in what started out as a normal conversation. If we are honest, we can all identify a time when we were a “battle casualty” or, a time when we caused the “shredding” because our tongue went wild. It would behoove us to recognize that the enemy of our souls desires to steal, kill and destroy whenever possible. His ultimate goal is to ruin our testimony so Christ’s reputation will be defiled. It’s not about us. Life is all about HIM. (Prov. 15; I Cor 10:3-5; 11:3; James 3; I Peter 5:8; Eph 6:10-18; John 3:30)

“When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.”  (Prov.10:19)

“He who guards his mouth and his tongue, guards his soul from trouble.” (Prov. 21:23)

Thanks for taking the time to read this. We deeply appreciate your encouragement in ministry.