1 - Introduction - Living like a real Christian Cleansing Coal week 1 | Page 4

Monday
Isaiah 58 v 9 & 13
James 3 v 1 – 10
The first aspect that I would like to cover in our “True Fast” is the aspect of THE TONGUE.
Proverbs 18 v 21 tells us that the tongue has the power of both life and death. I believe it
true, what Scripture says, that he who has control over his tongue, has truly mastered
himself.
We all know the power that words have in the lives of people around us. We know too, that
the way we use these words is critical to the wellbeing of those around us and also to our
own self-awareness. We can use our words either to build people up or we can use our
words to break people down. One of the supposed truths that we choose to teach our
children is based upon the little statement: “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but
words will never hurt me.” This may sound like a great life-skills lesson, but the problem
with it is that it is just not true. More damage has been done in people’s lives through foolish
words and malicious talk than probably through anything else.
The Bible is clear that there are certain aspects of speech that are forbidden by God. Let’s
look at them individually.
The first one I want to discuss is that ofBLASPHEMY. Blasphemy is defined as the use of
God’s name in vain. A great Biblical analogy would come in the form of Goliath who, we
read, stood before the children of Israel and blasphemed the name of Jehovah. When David
stood before Goliath, he stood angry at the fact that Goliath had taken the name of the God
that he loved and served, in vain. When Goliath asked by whose authority he [David] stood
before him, David unapologetically said, “You come to me with a sword and a spear, but I
come to you in the Name of Jehovah, the God that you have blasphemed.” Goliath paid the
price for his blasphemy against a Holy God.
I wonder sometimes why we, as followers of Christ, do not, like David, get angrier when we
hear God’s name being blasphemed in our businesses, on the TV, on the movie screens. I
don’t know about you, but whenever I hear them use the name of the God that I