Latest / Coaching For Life / Episode 21: The Power of the Tongue

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Episode 21: The Power of the Tongue · Coaching For Life

• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: The Coaching for Life Podcast with Monty Williams and Will Davis.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_03: Welcome to the Coaching for Life Podcast with Monty Williams and Will Davis, a conversation that we pray encourages you to pursue the Christ center life.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_03: And it's always a blessing to spend some time with my good friend and co-host, Monty Williams.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_03: And today, Monty, we are talking about the power of the tongue and the power of our words.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_03: We read in Proverbs 18, 21: Death and life are in the power of the tongue.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_03: And today we're going to look at a few examples in Scripture where we see how our words have this kind of influence.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_03: And I know you're going to first take us to the life of King David.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_01: And when you look at um this story with David along with Nabal and Abigail, um in 1 Samuel 25, we see the way words can get you in trouble and the way words can calm a situation down.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_01: The Bible says in Proverbs 15:1, a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_01: And in 1 Samuel 24, as we set the table, David is going through a lot of stuff.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_01: He spares uh Saul's life.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um he honors the Lord uh in that.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um and it's at this place called the Rocks of the Mountain Ghost.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: And it this takes place in 1 Samuel 24, but then Samuel dies.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: And so David's, if you put yourself in his shoes, like he's he's been through a lot.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um he's plucked from uh the side of a mountain taking care of sheep, and all of a sudden he's picked to be the king of the nation, and then all these things happen to him that um for me it allowed me to look at my own life and see the importance of prayer and study and wise counsel when you're going through the issues of life, because the emotions of life can take you off course.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_01: And I can just imagine uh the emotional um roller coaster that David was dealing with.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_01: But then um the two characters that we're gonna talk about, or two people, uh Nabal and Abigail, uh, they enter the scene.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_01: And the Bible says in 1 Samuel 25, uh verses 2 and 3, now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: The Bible says he was rich.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um this time was this festive time when the sheep were being sheared, and um Nabal is introduced as a man who was harsh and evil in his dealings.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_01: Abigail um is introduced as an intelligent and beautiful in appearance.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_01: And as we learn more about her, she reminds me of the Proverbs 31 uh woman, really wise, uh beautiful in more than just um her looks, and she plays a huge part um in this story with her words and her position or posture of humility.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: David, as a leader, needed to provide for his men during this time, so he hears about the abundance of Nabal.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_01: And Nabal um had the ability to give to David.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: And um so David sends his guys to request provisions for his his warriors.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_01: And Nabal hears of David's request, but his words are not the words of a man who understands the power of words and how they can trigger a response.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um 1 Samuel 25, 10 through 12, it says, But Nabal answered David's servants and said, Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse?
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_01: So not only does he disrespect David, he disrespects his family.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_01: He says, There are many servants today who are each breaking away from his master.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_01: Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shears, and give it to men whose origin I do not know?
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_01: These are costly words.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: And we see that in verses ten through twelve.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_01: David's response.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: David says, Um, in 1 Samuel uh 25, verse 13, it says, Then David said to his men, Each of you strap on his sword, and about 400 men went up behind David.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um where I come from in PG County, um, that's code for let's take it to the streets.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: And it was it was about to be some bloodshed.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um but thankfully, by the providence of God, there was a young man who told Abigail what was going on and how Nabal had insulted David.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_01: And so she used food and and other um accoutrements to calm the situation.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_01: And the Bible says in 1 Samuel 25, 18 through 25, and I won't read it all, but it says, then Abigail Abigail hurried, took 200 loaves of bread, wine, five uh sheep already prepared, five measured uh measures of roasted grain, hundreds of cakes, and then when she saw David, she hurried and dismounted her donkey and fell on her face.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_01: So we see this posture of humility.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_01: But then it says, On me alone, this is Abigail, my lord, be the blame.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_01: And please let your slave speak to you and listen to the words of your slave.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_01: Please do not let my lord pay attention to this worthless man.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_01: And in that moment, this humility in action, there's also this humility in her speech, and it calms the situation, and she actually keeps David from sinning, which is something that I didn't see the many times I've read this story.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: I just didn't see it.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_01: And we see David's response in verses 32 and 33.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_01: Uh then David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord, which is awesome because David doesn't give credit to Abigail, he gives credit to the Lord.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_01: And I didn't see that.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I I thought like this was Abigail's doing.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_01: Abigail was an instrument of the Lord to keep David from doing something that would have been costly.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, blessed be the Lord God of Israel who sent you this day to meet me, and blessed be your discernment.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: Blessed be you.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_01: You have kept me this day from bloodshed and from avenging myself from my own hand.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_01: And the end of this episode doesn't end well for Nabal.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um in verses 36 through 38, Nabal um, he's he's back home and he's having a feast like he's a king.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_01: And he got drunk, and and so Abigail waits until he gets over his hangover to tell him what just happened.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_01: And his wife, the Bible says his wife told him these things.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_01: She told him everything that had happened.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_01: And she probably was like, Boy, you almost got your head clocked last night, and all of us would have been in a lot of trouble.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: And when she shared this with him, the Bible says in this particular version, and I'm reading from the Berean uh Standard Bible, it says, His heart died within him so that he became like a stone.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_01: And in the end, the Bible says, in ten days the Lord struck Nabal and he died.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: And so we see this particular example from Abigail, yeah, uh, humility in her actions, but also humility in her words and how it can calm um a situation.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: I I was watching, like many of us sports guys, I've been watching the documentary with Coach Saban from Alabama, and um it's been good.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_01: He's the best.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, there's there's some words on there that we can't say, but his intention and the way that he talks to people and the way he can encourage and inspire not just athletes, but a nation.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_01: Uh everybody reveres that man.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_01: Now, um being a coach and watching it from my perspective, I also saw moments where he was he was pretty rough on guys.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_01: And I say that to my own shame because I I remember when I got fired in New Orleans, I remember having a player tell me.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: He's the player uh as Graves Vasquez, and he said, Coach, you never cussed at us, you never demeaned us.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_01: He said, But there were times, coach, when you said things to me and it made me feel real small.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_01: And it broke my heart because I know that I can be pretty black and white and direct.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_01: And I know that I didn't want to coach like that, but I allowed winning uh the the construct of NBA coaching and trying to get another contract to get in the way of how I know I'm supposed to operate.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_01: And it was when Gravis told me that I knew I had to change.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_01: And I think when I got to Phoenix, I was a little bit better.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_01: But I'll never forget that conversation with him.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_01: He said it.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_01: He said, Coach, you never cussed at us, you never tried to embarrass us, you know, that kind of thing.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: You never demeaned us, but he said, But there were times, coach, when you said things to me and I felt real small.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: So it doesn't matter what I said, yeah, it's how he took it.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, I don't want a coach like that.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_01: And so you talk about the power of words.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um her gentle answer, Abigail, saved her husband that night and probably some servants and other people, because David was coming for he was coming for it.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_01: But he all she also saved David from a sin that he didn't need to commit.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_03: No, I it's amazing how God can use people like that to to speak words of wisdom.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, obviously David was was hot.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, he he probably was hungry and tired, and and one little slight just set him off.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_03: And and then we see Abigail, I mean, her words were just like this soothing balm and and that that w were so refreshing to David.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_03: And and it it not only saved Nabal's life, this this guy whose name means fool, but it it rescued David.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_03: It saved him from future further sin.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_03: You know, and David was trying to right a wrong with another wrong uh by seeking bloodshed, but but Han Abigail steps in in just in just an amazing way.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_03: And and we also see in the New Testament, in James 3, starting in verse 3, another passage that deals with the power of the tongue.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_03: And James uses three images to illustrate that something small like the tongue can have a great impact.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_03: And we see the images of the bit in a horse's mouth, the rudder of a ship, and a small spark of a fire.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_03: And James writes, Now, if we put the bits into the horse's mouth so that they will obey us, we direct their whole body as well.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_03: Then look at the ships, too.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_03: Though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are nevertheless directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot determines.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_03: So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_03: See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_03: And then in verse 7 for every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea is tamed and has been tamed by the human race.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_03: But no one among mankind can tame the tongue.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_03: It is a restless evil full of deadly poison.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_03: With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who have been made in the likeness of God.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_03: From the same mouth come both blessing and cursing.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_03: My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_03: Does a spring send out from the same opening, both fresh and bitter water?
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_03: And I think there's a couple of observations that we can make from this passage as it relates to the tongue.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_03: Number one, although the tongue is a small part of the body, it has great power.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_03: And it can direct uh important decisions, it can influence others, it has the potential to build someone up or to tear them down.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_03: And then point number two, our words can either minister peace and the Lord's presence, or they can also be words of poison that can make relationships toxic.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_03: And even the smallest of words can be a spark that sets off a destructive fire in the lives of others.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_03: And then number three, we will never be perfect in this area.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_03: So let's make sure that we pray and we ask God to use our tongues as his instruments to speak words of life and blessing and love into others.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_03: And I I remember having a speech impediment in elementary school, and I had this great speech teacher that would pull me out of class once a week for three years.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_03: And and Mrs.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_03: Flores is her name.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_03: And she worked with me, she encouraged me, she uh uh uh built confidence into this area of weakness in my life.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_03: And it it reminds me of uh uh Chuck Swindahl's uh new memoir that that we're both reading called Awakened by Grace.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_03: And Dr.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_03: Swindahl speaks of a similar story of how he had a stuttering issue in in junior high and into high school, but then this uh speech and drama uh this debate teacher came up to him one time at his locker and said, I want you on the debate team and I'm going to teach you how to speak.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_03: And the rest is history as God has done so many amazing things through Chuck's voice and his radio ministry.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_03: You talked about last time how a teacher pulled you aside.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_03: Miss Vinny and said that you were uh a good writer, you know, and that boosted you and that that gave you confidence.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, we see that just as a coach, you know, in in the huddle, in the you know, in the middle of a timeout, even you know, around the dinner table, our words have such impact, and and you know, probably our kids and and former athletes, you know, remember those things and it's and it sticks with them.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_01: It's amazing because you talk about Ms.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_01: Flores.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_01: And before I I get to my next uh story about David, um I I can just recall uh Brett Metter from Athey Creek Christian Fellowship, and he he would say, It's never right to do wrong to do right.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, the first time I heard it, I was like, Yeah, you write it down and you look and you're like, ah, okay, I got that.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Rick Godwin over here at Summit Christian.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, he would he would talk about being unique and being who God called you to be, and he would say, if two of us are alike, one of us is not necessary.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: And that just stuck with me for the the rest of my life.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: And then my childhood with my granddad, you know, I could I was a mischievous kid and I'd I'd be doing something, and my granddad would call me over after I did something that wasn't that smart, and he would say, Boy, you go to school nine days and you come home ten days dumber.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_01: And I would just look at him like I have no idea what you're talking about.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_01: And then when I had kids, I was like, that's what he was talking about.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_01: He was just like, You're not doing what you should do, you're making dumb decisions.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_01: And if you don't cut it out, I'm gonna go get that hickory tree and tear your tail up.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_01: Like that's what it was, you know, back in the 70s and early 80s.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_01: And those words stick with you.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_01: They're encouragement, they're powerful.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I want to take a look at um David, um, a familiar story that we've all heard, uh, a really cool time for the nation, a battle uh between David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's one of those stories that inspires us and encourages us, especially when we're dealing with something that's much bigger in appearance than us, but not bigger than the Lord.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_01: And long story short, Israel's in trouble.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um the Philistines gather to attack.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_01: Saul, um, the king is a bad leader at this point.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, he's already disobeyed God and disappointed Samuel.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_01: Samuel, um, a pillar in that particular uh time of the Bible, and Saul has not done well under the leadership of the Lord and Samuel, and the nation really has no plan.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_01: By God's sovereign grace and plan, David is plucked from tending the sheep, and he's picked to be king.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_01: But I wanted to take a look at David's words in this particular scenario, uh, as David had an uncommon confidence that God gave him.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, in 1 Samuel 17, 32, the Bible says, and David said to Saul, May no one's heart fail on account of him, speaking of Goliath.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_01: Your servant will go and fight this Philistine.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_01: And this is an interesting deal because, you know, it to this point David had, no one knew David as a fighter.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_01: They just knew him as a shepherd.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_01: But David had a history with God.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_01: Uh the Bible says in 1 Samuel 17, verses 34 through 36, but David said to Saul, your servant was tending his father's sheep.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_01: When a lion or bear came and took a sheep from the flock, I went out after it and attacked it, and rescued the sheep from its mouth.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_01: And when it rose up against me, I grabbed it by its mane and struck it and killed it.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_01: Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_01: And this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_01: And so David, by his words, is recalling the history he has with the Lord.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_01: David knew who the source of his confidence was and who had been his defense as a shepherd.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_01: We see this in verse 37.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_01: David said, The Lord who saved me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, he will save me from the hand of this Philistine.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_01: I like that because David doesn't say, because of my strength, or because of my brain, because of my ingenuity, or because of my attributes.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_01: He says, Because the Lord saved me.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_01: And we get to see this faith in words and action.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_01: You know, in basketball, it's one thing to be confident and practice and shoot around.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_01: It's a totally different thing to have the same confidence in the game.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_01: And in 1 Samuel 17, 46 through 47, we see the confidence in the game.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_01: We see the confidence in the fight, but we see it in David's words, which are powerful.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: It says, This day the Lord will hand you over to me.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_01: He's talking to Goliath.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_01: I will strike you and remove your head from you.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_01: Then I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_01: He didn't say so that all the earth would know that David is the man.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_01: He didn't say that I'm the guy that's been lifting weights and shooting a thousand shots or studying or whatever.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_01: He said, so that all of the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that his entire assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword or by spear, for the Lord, for the battle is the Lord's, and he will hand you over to us.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's a pretty profound deal because I think when I was growing up as a kid, I I know and more than likely in my adulthood, I gave way too much credit to David.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_01: And as when you study the life of David, you see his flaws, which is which is awesome because we can relate to the flaws of David.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_01: And we we All know the end of this story.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_01: David prevails, Israel is saved, a new leader is brought to center stage.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_01: It makes me think about how I have to respond when things come up.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_01: And you and I have talked a number of times about the power of God's word, especially when we're going through it.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_01: And I, you know, I have these anchor verses in my life that I wish I could remember them all of the time, especially when I'm going through it.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_01: But I when I do calm down from a situation or I do have some quiet time, I recall Proverbs 3, 5, and 6.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_01: I recall Psalm 46, 10, Matthew 6.33, Colossians 3.23, James 1.17.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_01: Like those are anchors in my life.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_01: Whenever somebody questions God's love for us, when we start talking about the things in this world, I recall Romans 5.8.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_01: You know, those are things that I can recall.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_01: And those are powerful words led by the Spirit that gives us strength when we're weak, when we're struggling, when we're being attacked, the power of words, and we see it here with David.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_01: You know, David is not only using the power of words before the battle, but he's using the power of the word of words in the battle.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_01: But the coolest thing about his words is he continues to give God the glory.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_01: He doesn't take credit for himself.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's something for us to remember because it's so easy in our social construct today, with all of the self-help books, um life coaches, rarely do those books and people give credit and glory to the Lord.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_01: It's usually, especially outside of faith-based ideas, it's usually to make money.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_01: And they typically take a biblical construct, a biblical concept, twist it, and make it their own.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_01: When it's just it's it's it's God's stuff.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_01: And I I I love the fact that David uh uses the words to not only encourage himself, um tell Saul, like, I got this, but I don't have it.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_01: I have it because God is with me and he's going to go before me.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_01: But even in the middle of the battle, David is still giving credit to the Lord.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_01: That's pretty cool.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you're right.
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_03: He he's not speaking out of his own self-confidence or his own strength.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_03: He he's saying, you know, the Lord has proven himself faithful in in my past.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_03: And you know, he's currently uh at work still today, and and God will keep his promises in the future.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_03: And so, I mean, as we wrap up this conversation, you know, we need to remind the listener that by no means have we tamed the tongue.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_03: Um we still fall short each and every day.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_03: We slip up, we say things that we wish we could take back and have a do over.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_03: But thank the Lord that we do serve a God of second and and third chances.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_03: And he is a God who forgives, he restores, he redeems all things, and we pray that God would continue to sanctify us each and every day in this area of the tongue, and that his words would become our words.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_03: So as we uh wrap up, I mean I love that emphasis that we have tried to make today is that you know, let our words be God's word.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_03: Uh we all are lacking, you know, we all fall short, and and on our own strength and our own uh limited uh use of the language, you know, we we need God to be the one who's speaking through us.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_03: So any any kind of final word.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, uh the thing that's so interesting about words, the Bible says from the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_01: I've I've been on my kids for years, and I know it comes off in a rigid religious um way, but I've talked to them, and I I don't think they'll mind me sharing this, about what you listen to, what you read, what you watch, it fills your heart.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I don't care who you are, it's just the way we're built.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_01: We have to be so careful because I I know this from my own personal trash.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_01: I I think I told the story how I used to listen to secular rap, and I used to listen to a ton of secular music.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_01: Uh the secular rap was just bad.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_01: The secular uh RB stuff wasn't bad because it was bad, but I I thought it was okay because there wasn't a lot of cussing in it.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it justifies it.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_01: It justifies it, right?
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and Ingrid called me up on it.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_01: She told me straight up, she said, You are different when you listen to that music.
• 27:30
  SPEAKER_01: And I I went back at her and I was like, I'm I'm you know, I can handle it.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_01: I found myself like slipping in my language.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_01: A cuss word here, there.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_01: And so as I got older and God gave me these different options of music, because I just thought to myself, I was like, what am I gonna listen to?
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_01: Like, Christian music is boring.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_01: It really was.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, especially Christian rap back then.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_01: And he gave me all these different options.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_01: And then I at that time I'd loved the Christian rap model, and then God showed me all this music, like Hillsong and Darlene Check, and I was just like, man, I had no idea.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_01: Because I grew up on, you know, James Cleveland and different, you know, that for me, I was just like, I don't want to listen to that all day, even though it was good music.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_01: But I found that even the stuff that I don't really like, but it's faith-based, God-centered, and led by people who love him, it is the best thing for my heart.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_01: And what flows from that is a different dude.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_01: And I I just encourage the listeners to fill up on God's word, to fill up on God's music.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's so easy to justify listening to a nice song because there's no cuss words in it.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_01: That ain't it.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's okay to drink juice, but we all know juice has a lot of sugar, and over time it ain't good for you.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_01: It's best to drink water.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_01: That's just the way it is.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_01: And I find it um that when we fill up on God's music, we fill up on good uh stuff to watch on TV, it does have an effect on us.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_01: And again, from the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_01: And so that that would be my encouragement.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_01: I I am a great example of what not to do in that area.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_01: And I was called up by my first wife, and this was 30 plus years ago when she did that.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um actually about 25 years ago, and I never forgot it.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_01: And it didn't happen overnight.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_01: I I had this call, I had this pull on me to go, you know, back then we had CDs, you know, and I would want to put in a Nas CD, or I'd want to put in some rap CD that I would, you know, I'd want to put in the the new RB song that was catchy.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_01: And I found myself not being okay with it internally.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_01: And and I'm so grateful that the Lord has delivered me from that.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_01: It's taken a long time, and he's still doing it.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_01: But my favorite, favorite artist today, Mercy Me.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I never thought I would like a group like Mercy Me, casting crowns, like Hope Darst, Cece Winens.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like they they're just on my deal like all day.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_01: And it's had a huge impact on me.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_01: And like I told you, I've I've been on my kids and they do a really good job, but the culture is telling them that it's okay to listen to this because there's no vulgarity in it or there's no cuss words in it.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, it's still not honoring the Lord, and you've got to be careful what you put in your heart.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_03: For sure.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_03: And and we know our hearts.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_03: You know, we I think about that lyric from that hymn all the time.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_03: You know, prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_03: And and I know that if I'm exposing my eyes and my heart and my mind to these things over time, I'm gonna compromise in some areas.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_03: And so it's so important that we saturate our hearts and and our lives with the word of God and things that are of Christ and that which is honoring to Him.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_03: And we all need growth in this area, and we all need prayer.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_03: And let me pray right now for the listener.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_03: Lord, in this life, uh, we know that we will never fully tame the tongue, but we ask that you would help each one of us to grow in this area of our speech.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_03: Lord, sanctify our words and and fill us with the scripture and fill us with your holiness so that what overflows out of our hearts and our minds and through our lips comes from you.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_03: And uh, we thank you for the beautiful example of Abigail who lived that out and exemplified that grace through her speech.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_03: And Lord, we ask that you would magnify yourself in this very important area of our lives.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_03: Would you help us to grow in in Christ's likeness?
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_03: And would our words be words of life, words that seek to always build up and and never to tear down or or humiliate or make others small?
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_03: And forgive us, Lord, when we have fallen short in in this area.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_03: And would you place someone in our path today that we can encourage and minister to through our words?
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_03: We ask this in the name of Jesus.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_03: Amen.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_03: Well, thank you for spending time with us today.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_03: And remember, wherever you find yourself, know that God loves you, He's for you, He's got a good plan for you, and we'll see you next time.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you for joining us at Coaching for Life.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_02: And please subscribe wherever you receive this content.