1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Using the acrostic DEATH we talked about Deceit and Envy; today I want to mention A -Anger and the T-Tongue. 

A- Anger,   Malice includes anger, it includes all evil that seeks to do wrong against another, harboring feelings of negativism. hatred, malice, Who do you hate? Can you take that person and pray for him or her regularly? Can you pray for the saints in Christ that cause you angry feelings? Can you let God love them through you, even if it means you must forgive them of their sins, or worse yet let God work on them rather than you? Anger is one letter away from Danger.

Putting a stop to anger starts with knowing what causes it. Anger is a by-product of certain ways of thinking. Dale O'Shields said "We get angry when: Our expectations are unmet. Our pride is offended. The pursuit of our goals is blocked. Our feelings are hurt." People who stuff their anger find over time its poison seeps into their soul, shuts down their emotions and cripples their relationships. Usually they are not even aware of their anger or the impact it is having on them or the people around them. These folks are agitated, irritated and frustrated.

Others spew forth their anger in explosive and unchristian like ways. Make a conscious decision that you are going to give up or control your anger by prayer.  Accept disappointments and delays patiently, trusting God’s plan and timing. Don’t stiffen yourself with pride. Be humble. Simply let it go!

T-Tongue

In regards to the tongue, put to death the talk that escalates to saying things you shouldn't. The Bible says control your tongue. James warns against sins of the tongue. Beware of slander, lies, putting down about others, rumors about former members, pastors, and people we do not like. Someone said, “Nobody likes gossip, but everyone loves to listen to it.” Slander is seldom spoken in front of someone.   

God convicts us of the sins of the tongue because as James says it is so hard to control. When we envy someone, it is easy to let slip out a little negative comment to the right person in the right circumstance and it sounds so innocent. Someone upsets us and we like to say with a half sneer to another, “Well consider the source.” Interpreted, that person is really a bozo and you can't take anything they say seriously. We degrade some brothers and sisters in front of others and if others agree we feel vindicated instead of making things right for the others.

Watch what your tongue. Words matter to God. He keeps a record of our words. Jesus said, "I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak." Matt 12:36 Jesus tells us, "for every careless word" there will be an accounting in the day of judgment. We expect Jesus to condemn profane and vile uses of the tongue, We say some words carelessly, without concern for their impact on others. We assume that the sins of our tongue are minor sins, sins that God will overlook. Jesus was fully aware of the devastating nature of our words.

Application:  Guarding your tongue includes refraining from gossip, cursing, lies, hurtful speech. I like the acrostic - THINK- Is it True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, Kind?

Prayer:   Oh Jesus, forgive me for every careless word I have spoken.   Let me only speak what is helpful for building others up.  Give me the strength to not just refrain from gossip, but be able to walk away from conversations that carry gossip.