Taming the Tongue

While taking my morning walk I usually listen to various podcasts.  Yesterday and today, I've been listening to recent programs from Grace to You called"Taming the Tongue".  During the program, Pastor John MacArthur read a list of descriptions from the Bible about the tongue:

"Scriptures refer to the disaster of the mouth.  The Bible refers directly or indirectly to:

a wicked tongue,

a deceitful tongue,

a lying tongue,

a perverse tongue,

a filthy tongue,

a corrupt tongue,

a bitter tongue,

an angry tongue,

a crafty tongue,

a flattering tongue,

a slanderous tongue,

a gossiping tongue,

a back-biting tongue,

a blaspheming tongue,

a foolish tongue,

a boasting tongue,

a murmuring tongue,

a complaining tongue,

a cursing tongue,

a contentious tongue,

a sensual tongue,

a vile tongue,

a tale-bearing tongue,

a whispering tongue,

an exaggerating tongue, etc.

Did you see yourself anywhere in there?  No wonder God put your tongue in a cage behind your teeth, walled in by your mouth."

I'd like to say, none of those descriptions fit me, but if I said that I would have a lying tongue.  

Thank You Lord for Your Word which encourages, corrects and convicts.  Lord...help me to have a repentant heart in areas that I have sinned against You.  May even the thoughts and intentions of my heart be good and pleasing to You. 

Charismatic Chaos Enters the Mainstream

A friend had recently shared how powerful Pastor John MacArthur’s sermons are on the Charismatic movement.  Truth filled sermons and exposing the lack of biblical doctrine, errors and documenting blasphemous, heretical teaching of many Charismatic leaders. 

I am so thankful for Pastor John MacArthur and Grace to You ministries who have made available for free the download of thousands of sermons he has preached for over 40 years.  I went online and downloaded Pastor MacArthur’s series “Charismatic Chaos”. 

My eyes were opened to the subtly of Charismatic teaching that has made its way into mainstream churches, pastors and Bible studies.  Teaching that is based on personal experience that’s put on par with or elevate over the Bible.  Feelings take precedence over Biblical truth.  People claim that they’ve received messages from God, however those messages don’t always line up with scripture. 

The problem comes if God is still speaking to us outside of scripture, then the Biblical canon is not closed. Who do you believe?  Do you believe the Bible or do you believe the person who is claiming to have a word from God?

Because the Bible is whole, perfect, complete and the plumb line by which everything should be measured, if someone’s teaching doesn’t line up with the Bible then they are in error. 

At first I found myself saddened when I recognized some of the errors in one of my favorite Bible study teachers.  But I realized that I should be grateful that we have been given the inerrant and inspired word of God by which we can discern error.  Am I going to love God and His word above all things and people?  Am I going to love Him with all my heart, mind, soul and strength?  Am I going to guard the truth?

I believe that all too often people, especially women, have a hard time confronting error and standing for the truth.  We are so easily led by our hearts instead of reason.  But when I see erroneous teaching, it’s an opportunity to reach out and do so with love and humility and covered in prayer. 

From the beginning Satan has been mixing the truth with lies.  He still does that today.  The enemy’s lies touch our feelings and emotions and it’s hard to see the truth from the lie.  But if we have an unchanging standard of truth, the Bible, we can measure what we are hearing against the truth in the word of God.

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.  As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.  For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. – Galatians 1:6-10


To listen to Pastor John MacArthur's sermons on the Charismatic movement click on the links below:

The Charismatic Movement

Charismatic Chaos