Tongue of Fire
My prayer journal entry from February 5th, 2021
I couldn’t even begin to tell you what event happened that caused me to pause and write this, but whatever it was, I’m grateful for it.
I went to the office in the middle of the afternoon and repented…
[Added notes and elaboration are italicized…]
Friday, February 5th, 2021 at 2:32p NS4L Office
Jesus - what am I doing? Forgive me. I’m a sinner and often have sinful desires and sinful characteristics. “I’m human” is just an excuse. I need to be better. I need to be a better representation of who you are so people see you in me.
[None of us could ever live up to the perfection of Jesus Christ, but I think we should strive to and then let His grace be enough in our imperfection.]
Cursing. Gloating. What is that? Who am I trying to impress? Forgive these sins and my many others. I know what I’m doing when I’m doing it. I’m sorry.
[A lot of people curse. A lot of Christians curse. Many think it’s perfectly fine. Personally, as I’ve grown in my relationship with Jesus, I’m convinced that it’s not the best representation of him, thus I strive to eliminate such words from my vocabulary. It’s a task, admittedly, that is way easier said than done, especially considering my daily environment… a business (and repair shop) that is surrounded by college students.
I work to control my tongue in general. My instinct is to react to situations (which often involves a curse word or two (or few)) and let my tongue spew what it wants when I should be biting my tongue, collecting information (specifically facts), and responding with intent. This is something that I work on regularly.
Thank you, Jesus, for your grace.]
Collin
Today’s final thoughts…
You become the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. I’ve heard this from many leaders throughout my entrepreneurial career and I can attest that it is true. For that reason, I’m constantly auditing my circle and those I spend time with. Today, I seek to be surrounded by strong-valued people whose lives are centered around Christ.
My words often link to the environment I am in. This ties in closely with #1 above, since specific people are usually in specific environments. I’ve noticed that I’m more likely to curse, for example, at work than I am at home around my wife and kids. In what ways could you adapt your environment to influence more of the behavior you want to have? At work, I now have post-its and little reminders on my desk to help trigger the right responses to situations.
Create a daily habit (accountability) chart on your phone’s notepad. See the picture below of what part of mine looks like. I’ve created a list of habits that I keep on my desktop / phone (I love that they sync) and check throughout the day. For example, I have one to help me stop cursing. If I curse, I have to remove an X. Three strikes and I lose for the day. For clarity’s sake, I don’t curse like a sailor or anything, lol, but I do need 3 strikes in a day. This is one of several “daily habits” I have listed. All I’m trying to do is create habits for the things that are important to me. Getting to check these things off provides that little sense of accomplishment as I head in the right direction.
James 3:3-6 NIV 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
Thank you for reading, friends! I pray that you all have a blessed Christmas season! One month to go in 2023!
Best always,
Collin
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