Diseases of the Tongue

“If a sudden jar can cause me to speak an impatient, unloving word, then I know nothing of Calvary’s love, for a cup brimful of sweet water cannot spill even one drop of bitter water, however suddenly jolted.” by Amy Carmichael


In the world of medicine there are many problems connected to diseases of the tongue. Unfortunately spiritually the issues with the tongue are no different. If left unchecked it can cause many diseases inside our own lives and out. James long ago addressed this very as he said, “But no man can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My breathren these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?” James 3:8-11.

Before making that statement he had already talked about the fact that, “If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man able to bridle the whole body.” He warned his reading audience and those around him that the tongue had the ability to defile the whole body and could even set on fire the course of nature. James knew then what we know now that any animal can be tamed but no man can tame the tongue.

“No man” can tame the tongue well that pretty much ends that argument doesn’t it? After all why should we even bother to try if no one is able to tame the tongue? Isn’t that our excuse to continue to say what we want to say in whatever manner we choose to say it in? Wrong! Our Bible buddy Paul addressed that issue back in Romans when he talked about God’s love and grace wasn’t a license to go on sinning.

There’s no doubt about it, we are going to stumble and perhaps even fall in the task of taming our tongue. Try as we might we are a long ways away from that “perfect” man or woman mark we need to be aiming for. Downfalls in this area don’t mean we don’t know anything about Calvary’s love rather it taps us on the shoulder to tell us it’s time to return to it. Frequent trips to the foot of the cross to sit and meditate on what God’s love is all about is needed to refuel us for the next journey or situation down life’s roads.

We need to stop playing trivial pursuit and start to claim the wonderful victory won at Calvary on our behalf. Instead of doing what they call “majoring in the minors (spilled milk, traffic jams, broken nails) we need to major in the major things in life that truly count such as our walk with Christ.

The choice is ours on whether we are going to use our tongue to praise the Lord or curse man. Cuss at the world or thank God for the world. Yell at others or encourage those around us. Cry out negatively or sing joyfully unto the Lord. Use it to express ingratitude or verbalize our thankfulness unto God.

For such a small orifice big things can come from it. It’s up to us to decide what we want it to be. We can’t have it both ways no matter how hard we try. The choice starts in our hearts and the end results will be demonstrated in our mouths. We shouldn’t have to be tongue tied in order to control it if we would only connect it with our heart that’s associated with Calvary’s love. Indeed God’s cure for diseases of the tongue. Amen? Amen!!

Instead of opening our mouth to insert our foot let’s open our heart and insert God.

© 2009 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

The One in Charge

“We need to get to the point where we are tired of God just being a resident of our life and make Him President of our life, the Commander and Chief, the One in charge.” David Jeremiah

Working where I am now for over 10 years I have seen several CEO’s that have come and gone. Some left by their own choice. Others were simply asked to leave, while others were voted out with a “no confidence” ruling. No matter what the end result of their term, their beginning is always the same.

The owners bring them in to do wonders for the business. First thing that happens is all control is relinquished to them to operate as they see fit for all involved. They are not given partial control, or control here and there, or “at our convenience” kind of control. No, it’s all or nothing. After gaining control over the business they begin their job. How long they stay depends on how well they do. Some succeed, some fall short. Others can’t seem to get past the “confidence” category of those they are working for.

It’s a given fact that not everyone is going to agree with what they do and the decisions they make but just the same a good commander and chief can do wonders for a company. We have a Commander and Chief given to us in our spiritual lives and it’s up to us to bring Him into our hearts with every intention to relinquish all control over to Him.

Ever since the beginning of time it seems like we have been holding back that “all or nothing” clause that allows us to keep a bit for ourselves. Adam and Eve held back a piece for themselves. The Israelites thought they could handle hanging on to a bit of the control. Even Jonah tried to prove he knew better than the commander and chief himself. All situations lead to a dead end when they could have been avoided if they had just allowed God to have the control He expects us to turn over when we ask Him into our lives.

For some odd reason the thought of someone else running our lives just really gets to us. The graduating class of 2009 along with the many other graduating classes before them is thinking that right now. They are free as birds to do as they see fit with no one in control but themselves. Unfortunately that is a short lived dream just before reality sets in rather harshly. Soon we learn that we’re not all that great at being in control.

It’s when we come to these crossroads in our lives that we have to make that decision to make God more than just a resident in our life. No, He needs to be made President, the Commander and Chief, the One in charge. We are the ones that hold the hiring and firing power within our hearts, in our actions, and behavior.



Surprisingly enough by giving up control we are gaining control over ourselves through Jesus Christ. We may not always understand why He does what He does. Or allows what He allows but we can rest assure that we can always have confidence in Him if we would only trust Him to do what He was designed to do and we weren’t, and that is to run our lives.

We are the residence. He is the one in charge. The establishment of that authority as well as priority sets the stage for further accomplishments and greater gains yet to come. Praise the Lord.


© 2009 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing

Karen's Crossing: "Another catchy saying"

"It’s not what happens sometimes that’s important it’s what we do after it happens"

In spite of my attitude in between my moments of selfishness I always knew in my heart that God didn’t allow me to have epilepsy as if He had some quota to fill of a certain number of epileptics in the world. No, I got what I had because of kids goofing around on a school bus. One incident had led to another and there I was on a darken road that appeared to have no light at the end.

Truth be known I knew what God was watching for. He was looking at how I was handling this new found disease in my life, which in the beginning was not well. The initial news of having epilepsy didn’t affect me it was when I was fired from my job due to seizures and later told by a doctor I was to never get pregnant because of the medication I was taking. It was then that I felt like I was a victim of an all-out-assault on my life. Every lightning bolt from the sky seemed to be aimed right at me and dead on target every time. Little did I know I was the one holding up the lightning rod attracting these attacks from Satan because of my “pity me” attitude packed firmly around bitterness and anger.

Praise the Lord this saying fell into my life at the right moment to knock a little sense in to me sending the “pity me” mode out. I had epilepsy and there wasn’t enough pity and anger and bitterness I could create to change that. The important thing was what I was going to do with my situation. Let it rule me or me rule over it by having the right attitude and hanging on to Jesus for guidance.

It doesn’t matter if we have a health condition, financial problem, marital issues, or anything else the important factor is how we handle the situations we find ourselves in. A lot of these things come upon us in life uninvited, out of our control, but the one thing we do have control over is how we react to them and what we do with them after they show up on our doorstep.

The focus on the problem creates pity parties. The focus Jesus creates a closer walk with Him and a better journey with a stronger outcome. Walking with Jesus didn’t take away my epilepsy. It took away a bigger more deadly disease of self pity.

We need to pray to Jesus daily to get rid of the excess baggage we like to pack such as our bad attitudes, impatience, and pity modes in order to journey with Jesus through trust, faith, and looking forward to a better future with Him. He’s there to listen, He does care.

Jesus. Don’t leave home without Him!