Striving for Spiritual Growth Through Tongue Control

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"Let us press on to perfection and in connection with that i you know we can't concentrate on we heard of so many things today all of which are we agree with a hundred percent but where do we start that's the question so i want to recommend to you a place where we start turn with me to james in chapter 3." [00:02:42]

"If anyone does not stumble in what he says he's a perfect man what a word that is the holy spirit says if a man does not stumble in his speech he is a perfect man when you read a word like that and you couple it with let us press on to perfection where should we be pressing on in our speech." [00:04:01]

"We use our tongue more than any other part of our body and certainly we need to press on to perfection there and it says he's a perfect man and if you can listen to this we have trouble controlling our eyes and other passions in our body but he says start with the tongue and you'll be able to bridle the whole body." [00:04:33]

"People who have a trouble with gluttony they're not able to control the lust to eat and eat and eat well start with the control of the tongue because it says here i believe god's word if a man does not stumble in what he says in his speech he is able to control the whole body." [00:04:54]

"I was sure i was saved i had no doubt about it that christ had accepted me and forgiven but my life was like the life of many christians you know the children's you know go to a children's park you see a merry-go-round hour after hour after hour and the children are in the same spot there's no progress." [00:05:48]

"That's how my life was in the life of many christians a lot of activity a lot of listening to preaching going to meetings in europe a year after year and yet defeated by the same sins after so many years that is not god's will that's not pressing on to perfection there's movement but no progress." [00:06:08]

"Movement without progress that's a merry-go-round and a lot of christians are in that merry-go-round you go and listen to their conversation in their home ten years after they've accepted the lord it's the same merry-go-round they're in the same place the same arguing in quarreling and fighting and like it was not much progress." [00:06:29]

"Not even much progress in the tone of voice now the question is i'm not trying to condemn anybody my question is does this convict us i believe it should you know the holy spirit here compares the tongue to unbridled horse these wild horses when they're captured unless they are taught to be controlled." [00:06:50]

"These horses that win races in the horse racing competitions they're not just wild horses they're wild horses with tremendous energy but we have learned to submit to the authority of a jockey who sits on top of them with a bridle in the mouth and pulls it and that's the picture used here." [00:07:12]

"We put brides bridal bits into the horse's mouths so that they'll obey us and we direct their entire body with that bit in the mouth and it says here that's what the holy spirit wants to do with our tongue then he can control the whole body and the other illustration he uses is a ship with a rudder." [00:07:36]

"Now i've been on ships for many many years and i've seen the tremendous advantage of having a rudder i mean even if you're in a boat you know that a rudder is a very very small piece of metal at the bottom of a ship but without it the ship will go crashing into the land or into rocks or anything." [00:07:59]

"There's only one thing that protects that ship is the rudder because you turn the rudder even slightly the ship immediately turns in that direction if you turn the rudder to the left the ship goes to the left because the waves are coming and hitting it making the ship turn to the left so the tongue is like that." [00:08:20]

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