Fire can be a great thing or a horrible thing! I remember well going to the state of Washington for vacation and everything was beautiful on the coastal side of the mountain. The foliage was lush, the sky was blue, and on this day, sunshine was flooding the earth with its brilliance. As we traveled to the other side of the mountain we were shocked to see such a difference. The fire changed the lush vegetation to burnt ashes, the blue sky was filled with smoke and it smelled of a burnt stench. The sun was shining, but it did not penetrate the dark clouds of smoke that hung in the air. Men were sitting under trees in safe areas trying to get their breath so the fight could continue.
In the book of James, he compares our tongue to a fire. He explains how destructive it can be.
James 3:5-6 “Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.”
Just as one match brought great destruction in the state of Washington. However, our tongue controlled by the flesh destroys much more. Words hurt, and once out of the mouth they can do damage that will leave scars for life. When a fire is put out there is always evidence for many years after. Even though you can apologize, seek forgiveness, and truly repent, the relationship with those you hurt will never be the same. Just like the forest that suffered from the fire, the fire of the tongue leaves scars. Another aspect of the fire is the flammable material. Without the material, there will be no fire. We may not be the ones saying the damaging words, but if we are a listener we have the power to diffuse the fire. We don’t have to be the flammable material!
Proverbs 26:20-21 “Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife.”
James also uses a snake in verse eight to prove his point. All creatures can be tamed, except the snake. You can milk the venom from a poisonous snake, and reduce its effectiveness to kill, but the only way to eliminate the poison is to kill the snake! God can take our venomous tongue, and change our words to words of life, not death, but this can only be done by Him. He and he alone can get to the source of the poison, the heart. It is out of the heart that we see the key ingredient of this kind of tongue. The heart that is filled with envy, hatred, bitterness, and jealousy that can be the fuel for a great fire, and the poison of the snake that leads to death.
James 3:7-8 “For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”
The key to putting out the fire, and destroying the snake is the one who is in control. With God in control, all things are possible. He can take a “stony heart” and make it like flesh, soft and easy to penetrate. A tender heart will not want to hurt others. A soft heart will be controlled by the Spirit, and the Spirit is the author of all that’s opposite of destruction. Satan will try to light the fire in all of us, but if the heart is filled with a love to please God, God can extinguish the fire and kill the snake.
Ezekiel 11:19 “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh:”
