Allison Long

Living in the Fog

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The Fog

Do you ever feel like you are walking through a fog in life?  You just are not living clearly day to day and things just seem blurry.  This has been the week that I have just walked through.  After the the struggles over the past two weeks, this week was to be the beginning of normal again, but then again that is not always how God works in our lives.  One moment of happiness and a sigh of relief and in the next moment chaos and the unknown.  Yet, God was there.

Blessed Struggles

Working through the good and the bad and finding the moments to stop and cherish have been important over the past few weeks in my life.  Although, God knows my struggles he continues to bless me because I know that others are struggling with more than I could bare at this moment and for that I thankful for his grace and mercy.

Searching for Answers

As I walk through the fog, I stop to wonder what I am to learn from this moment from God.  What is he teaching me in this moment?  So I search scripture for answers and once again I am driven back to a favorite reliable verse.  Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”  God is in the fog, knows the fog, and will use the fog for good.  Now, I feel the fog lifting and know that God is here and working through all the struggles.

Closing Verse:  Romans 12:9  “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.”

Challenge:  Seek His Word when you find yourself in the Fog.

DARE

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“Dare to live without answers because God gives His hand.” – Author Unknown

I ran across this quote in our camper the other day.  A magnet that I am not sure I had really noticed or read closely before.  Honestly, I am not even sure where it came from, but sudden there it was before me with all its impact and strength.

Faith

Although I try to live by Faith as I shared in my last post,  something moved me when I read this quote.  Something about the word DARE.  Do I DARE to live without answers yet as God would have me live. 2 Corinthians 5:7 reads, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.’  Is my life an example to others around me?  Do others seek what they see in me that is different?  “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” reads   1 Timothy 4:12.    So many questions come to mind when I read this and so many verse prick my heart and cause me to stop and evaluate who I am and what my life and heart says to others.

Prayer

Where do I turn first, to prayer.  God has always called us into relationship with him through prayer. I pray for his guidance in my life, I pray for his hand in my life, and I pray that he shows me the path and life he has prepared for me.  I pray that evil does not interfere with that plan.  Matthew 21:22 reminds me to pray, “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith”.  I must dare to pray and have faith in God’s love for me to answer prayer by his will and not mine.

God’s Will

Living by God’s will and not my own is even harder,  Do I live for God or myself?  Do others see God or do I just show work for my own glory?  I know that I must seek God and His plan.  I know that only God can shine if I push myself back away and let His glory be what others see.  I know that I have to live by faith in order to live out his plan for my life.  Hebrews 11:6 promises this to me, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

God’s Likeness

I go and seek God and pray for his hand to direct my life in his will.  I pray that he will show me how to live my life to glorify him and not myself before others.  I pray for him to teach me to serve and not boast.  I pray for him to guard my tongue so it guides others and does not gossip about them. I pray to live for God and live by Christ’s example to me.  1 Peter 2:21, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.”

Closing Verse:  Ephesians 4:24 “And to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Challenge:  Dare to live by God’s Will through Faith and not your own.

 

Faith

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God’s Gift

I woke up this morning to this verse from 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we live by faith, not by sight.”  When I read verses like this, I wonder how some can choose not to believe there is a God because I tend to see his purposeful movements in my life.  Just when I need him near to guide or protect me, he shows himself to me with a verse like this.

Leaning on Faith

I get in the car and drive the hour plus for my father’s surgery.  A surgery where I have to have faith in the doctors and surgical team to preform the tedious operation he needs.  Without my watchful eye to know that all is well, I have been given the gift of this verse.  This verse was what I needed to start my day.  This was his gentle reminder to me that he is in control and I must be strong in faith.

God is in Control

As I sit and wait and wait, my faith is tested.  As my mind wonders to what is happening and what is going on when I should have gotten an update and hour ago.  I have to take a deep breath and realize that my faith is being tested.  God is here and in control and that is what I need when things begin feeling out of control.  Proverbs 16:9, is just one verse that reminds us of how much control God has, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”  No matter my plans or my thoughts, God is establishing the future and I must trust no matter what that he knows best.  As Romans 8: 28 firmly reads, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Good News

Jesus Christ brought the Good News into our lives so many years ago with his teachings and sacrifice for our sins.  John 1:14 reminds us that God sent his Son to walk among us and save us from ourselves, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”    The doctors have brought the good news that all is well and another step in a long journey has been taken toward healing and strength and God is good. Sometimes simple steps can be hard to take, but with God’s strength and guidance these necessary steps are easier with faith.

Closing Verse: “…faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Romans 10:17

Challenge: Find Christ and Find Your Faith.

 

Life’s Failures

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Moment In Time

That moment in time when I know something is wrong, something in my gut.   I can’t control what I feel, why am I feeling it.   I don’t feel like jealousy but is it jealousy.  I find myself on my knees begging for God to open my eyes and teach me.

Jealousy is an ugly beast that can raise its head every once in a while.   Why are we jealous of what other have, the lives others lead, the “things” that they have, the things that they do.  I am soul searching for whether it is jealousy or something deeper.  What am I missing from God?

Maybe it’s not…

Maybe it is not jealousy at all. Maybe at that moment I see something missing in myself.  Maybe I really am identifying my own shortcomings, but it is easier to thrust that painful knowledge somewhere else.  Maybe what appears as jealousy is really just looking closer at what I have failed to be or who I have failed to love.  I yearn for the words in Psalms 73:26, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”  In a split moment I realize the pain of not caring for relationships.  Maybe the pain needs to be somewhere else all of a sudden to save me from the realization of my deeper failure as a person..

Failure and Pain

Maybe there is just too much pain.  Everything in life seems to be full of pain all of sudden.  It is overwhelming and the little things become areas to redirect and place this pain.  Maybe it is not jealousy at all maybe it is just a place for the pain because all of a sudden the pain of life and those people I have failed to love fully just all collide in one moment and what seems like jealousy that I  know should not be there is really just my failure to love, failure to hold, failure to be the person I  know I should be for those I love.

Maybe it is not an incident, person, or things but just that it represents so much failure in my life.  I believe that failure can be a learning moment, a challenge to move forward and even though at this moment it does not feel like I will move forward, I know that God will bless in this moment.  I know that he will bring the good from this moment.  He will make it better because I believe.

Learning From Failure

Learning from failure means realizing the pain that I have brought to others, the responsibility I have given others in my own suffering.  Suffering and loss that is not theirs to own or bear, but where I placed it because I could not carry it myself. Placing this on others is not where it should be placed but in the hands of my Father who wants to carry the burdens for me.  Matthew 11:28-30 lightens my heart, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”Give him the burden and the pain and just love those fully that he has given as a gift.

Closing Verse:   “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

Challenge:  Give your failures to the Lord and you will be forgiven.  Only he can truly wipe the tears away.

When God is Quiet

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Why is He Quiet?

Walking through this week, I God has been quiet.  I have struggled to listen for him, hear him, but he has remained silent.  I pray Psalm 37:7, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!”  I know that he is near, but just now speaking to me right now.  I stop to pray and ask for his guidance, his blessing, for him to be near my family and I know that he is, but yet the question still remains – Why is he quiet?

Scripture Says…

Searching scripture not just for the Why but hear what he trying to tell me this week has left me curious and wondering.  Many times when God has been silent in scripture, he is allowing those he love to wallow in their sin of not putting him first.  Just as Isaiah 57: 11 reads, “Of whom were you worried and fearful When you lied, and did not remember Me Nor give Me a thought? Was I not silent even for a long time So you do not fear Me?”  Should I be concerned?  Maybe he is just silently holding me through this week.  Quietly showing me the way to walk this week.  Allowing me to find him in the “little things” where it has seemed so much pain might actually be.  Maybe he is loving me a different way this week.

Feeling His Quiet Love

That must be it!  In the midst of pain and darkness came a small victory.  Even though, I was seeking him – I know now that he was near.  He was allowing me to feel the pain, but preparing me for the small victories.  The little things that brought tears with more joy than sadness.   Zephaniah 3:17, “The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” is a verse that I celebrate this week.  I know his love was quiet but his quietness has brought rejoicing to my life.  

Closing Verse:  ” O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God!” Psalm 83:1

Challenge:  God we know that you will sometimes be quiet, but may we constantly seek you to know even at those times you are working in our lives.  My prayer is that God is not silent or still in your life.  

 

God’s Path

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God’s Path

As I move through the week, I can not help but stop and wonder about how my life ebbs and flows.  Looking back it is obvious to see God’s plan  and how it has worked in my life, yet even looking back, when I look forward, I continue ponder what God has planned for me.  I hear the words from scripture and know that God is in control, yet sometimes it is hard to relinquish the reins to my Father.  “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” from Proverbs 19:21, is a reminder that I might have abundant plans but only God’s plan will prevail. This reminder from scripture to focus and stay tuned to God and realize the path he is paving for me.

Looking Back

The past is full of both good and bad, but always when I look back I see the good that has been in my life and how God has brought that goodness to my life.  In the moment sometimes it is impossible to see God working, but it never fails when I stop and reflect on life that is when I can see all of his handiwork.   I know that he is walking with me by looking back at the footsteps behind me.  When I read the poem Footsteps in the Sand,  (Searching for the Truth) I think first think of how God walks with me, but for me I really don’t see the footsteps until I look back at them in the sand.  I know that the hustle and bustle of life gets in the way sometimes of me feeling God’s presence next to me.  My prayer is that I can find the calm in my life to know he is next to me and make the decisions that are in his plan for me.  May I pick up the lamp and shine my light forward as Psalms 119:105 states, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

God’s Path

As I move through the week and through life, I can not help but stop sometimes and wonder about how my life ebbs and flows.  Looking back it is obvious to see God’s plan  and how it has worked in my life, yet even looking back, when I look forward, I continue ponder what God has planned for me.  I hear the words from scripture and know that God is in control, yet sometimes it is hard to relinquish the reins to my Father.  Proverbs 19:21, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”  is a reminder that my plans maybe be many but only God’s plan will prevail.  I certainly do not want to work hard for naught, so this reminder to stay tuned to God and realize the path is paving for me.

Looking Back

The past is full of both good and bad, but always when I look back I see mostly the good that has been in my life and how God has brought that goodness to my life.  In the midst of life it is always impossible to see God working, but it never fails when I stop and reflect on life that is when I can see all of his handiwork in my life.   I know that he is walking with me by looking back at the footsteps behind me.  When I read the poem Footsteps in the Sand,  I remember that God walks with me, but for me I really don’t see the footsteps until I look back at them in the sand.  I know that the hustle and bustle of life gets in the way sometimes of me feeling God’s presence with me.  My prayer is that I will seek the calm in my life to know he is next to me and make the decisions that are in his plan for me.  May I pick up the lamp and shine my light forward as Psalms 119:105 states, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Future Path

As I look back at his footsteps and then turned look forward at the undisturbed sand, I again stop and wonder what is the path that God is planning for my life going forward. How will I glorify him?  How will I honor him?  How will I love him?  I will walk down the path he has laid for me because scripture makes me this promise in Jeremiah 29: 11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  As I shine my lamp forward, I long for the future and hope that he is promising me.

Closing Verse:  Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Challenge:   Seek God through scripture and prayer that you might find peace in the path he is paving for you.

 

Do Something…

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Morning Drive

Every morning I spend my ride to work listening to Christian radio.  Starting my day with songs of worship helps me to get started in the right frame of mind!  Many mornings I hear a song that I just have to know who the title and artist is performing the song.  Maybe I should add here that music trivia would not be my speciality, so I don’t always recognize music.  I stop to check who the artist is and the song title so I can share it with my husband, The Music Man, later to add to his collection. Occasionally, I am so touched by a song that I write about it.  Recently, this happened while listening to the song, “Do Something” by Matthew West.  The chaos in our country and world today seems out of control and hard to understand.  As I try to figure out how our country came to this point where we don’t seem to really care about each other, and everyone wants someone else or the government to take care of everyone, I hear this song which reminds of what God’s plan really is for Christian here on earth.

Angry at God

The song begins with a man angry at God for allowing our world to become the way it is and not doing something about it.  He questions God on what he is doing in the world.

I woke up this morning
Saw a world full of trouble now, thought
How’d we ever get so far down, and
How’s it ever gonna turn around
So I turned my eyes to Heaven
I thought, “God, why don’t You do something?”
Well, I just couldn’t bear the thought of
People living in poverty
Children sold into slavery
The thought disgusted me
So, I shook my fist at Heaven
Said, “God, why don’t You do something?”

Unexpectedly, God answers with, “He said, “I did, yeah, I created you”.  Hearing this line shocked me at first because I should have known that is what God would say but it was unexpected for me to even hear.  But God did make us to serve others.  Jesus is our role model and Matthew 20:28 reads, “Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  He gave his life, so what should Christians be giving to God’s world?

Let Someone Else Do The Work

The second line of the song is a typical reaction to any event in our lives or around us.  Many of us just say someone else will do it and become apathetic to the needs of others and how we can truly serve.

I’m so tired of talking about
How we are God’s hands and feet
But it’s easier to say than to be
Live like angels of apathy who tell ourselves
It’s alright, “somebody else will do something

I know that I can turn from such events, but this song is just one reminder that God made me to serve others not for my glory or for others to see, but just to serve and Glorify God as he called me to serve. The ending of the second line echoes this belief.

Well, I don’t know about you
But I’m sick and tired of life with no desire
I don’t want a flame, I want a fire and
I wanna be the one who stands up and says
“I’m gonna do something

We all as Christian have to see Christ as our role model and just “Do Something”.  Sometimes I get stuck in what should I be doing, but am reminded of the verse in 1 Peter 4:10, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” This verse reminds me to focus on the gifts God has given me to go forth and “Do Something”.

Using Our Gifts

The chorus of the song brings some closure to any Christian still stuck in the waiting game of letting others take care of what God has called each of us to do.

If not us, then who
If not me and you
Right now, it’s time for us to do something, yes it is, come on
If not now, then when
Will we see an end
To all this pain
Oh oh, it’s not enough to do nothing
It’s time for us to do something

As you bow on your knees in prayer today, remember to ask the Lord who gave his Son to serve us what gifts do I have that I should be carrying forth into the world to “Do Something”.   God’s word has always taught us that it is better to give than to receive and Acts 20:35 reads, “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”  We are to work hard to help the weak and give to those who are in need.  If Christians stop and remember these words and turn to the gifts God has provided, he will be faithful and bless our work for his Glory and not ours.

Closing Verse: Matthew 25:35-40, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ …”

Challenge: Today I pray that each of us will find the gifts from God and use them as we are called to serve this world that is in need of knowing our Father.

Devastation

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God is your float

Peace in the Ripples

Not long ago, I shared about finding Peace in the Ripples of Water.  My post shared how water was a peaceful and serene place that I long for in my life.  The slower life that one finds around the ripples of water. Bodies of water are full of beauty and a peaceful stillness that brings the message that God is real and our creator.  Isaiah 12:3, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”shares that water is a symbol of our salvation.  Water is a beautiful thing…. most of the time.

Devastation of Harvey

Over the last week, everyone around the country has watched the horrors of water in Texas.  This is not the peaceful stillness, but the water that left devastation and loss of life behind.  My eyes fill with tears, my heart aches for the people impacted, and I pray for God’s guidance in helping those who are hurting from this disaster from water.   Watching Texas rally together and fold their arms around each other for survival has been the good God has given from this devastation.  Ephesians 4:32 reads, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”  Texans have proven this verse true.  They have treated each other tenderhearted and God will save.  

Irma’s Fear

As Texas continues to rally and the country supports their efforts all eyes turn to the Atlantic and the biggest storm on record as it roars toward Florida.  Once again we are watching people prepare, flee, and with fear in their eyes and tears on their cheek prepare for one of the possible worst events in Florida’s history.  My heart is hurting as I watch that storm move across the Caribbean and devastate these beautiful islands.  I pray for God to tame the storm and wind as I know he can, but I also know he may choose not calm the storm.  I know that either way he will walk through the pain and heal the wounds as Psalm 147: 3 promises, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”  

God’s Promise

God made a promise to Noah a long time ago that he would never destroy the way he did in the Great Flood.  This is the peace that I take into the storm even as it may approach my home so many miles away from the coast. Genesis 8:20-22 shares this promise, “Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” 

This promise will comfort me through the next week as Irma makes landfall and brings her wrath on Florida and beyond.  I will look to Jeremiah 33:6 as we move past all this devastation and the angry waters recede where it reads, “Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security.”  God will heal and provide abundance this is the comfort I have in knowing that God is in control.

Closing Verse:  Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Challenge:  Pray for God’s control as Irma comes on shore.  Pray for God’s healing and provision.  Pray for God’s blessings amidst the turmoil, devastation, and pain.  Above all Pray.

Out of the Box

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Smiling Faces

This past week students came back to school.  Seeing their smiling faces and the attitude of a new year gets me excited about not just what the year holds but their future.  I have been in education long enough to know that many are coming to school seeking a safe haven.  I have always felt blessed that God called me to love all children, and there is nothing like building relationships with young people that last a life time.  I pray that God gives me the wisdom each year to plant seeds that will grow and flourish in the young students that he has brought across my path.   As I meet and greet all these smiling faces I am reminded of the verse in Mark 10:16, “And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.”

Out of the Box

This week also gives me pause when I think of all the teachers who have opened their classroom doors across this country to love all of  God’s children.  I am always amazed when I meet teachers across this country at the passion they have for their students.  It is contagious. Teaching is truly a calling for so many who want to love, inspire, and challenge our children to find the best inside of each of them.  These are the innovators thinking outside of the box to challenge our students to reach deep inside themselves and dream big.  Educators across the country are opening their arms and hearts to these children.  Watching educators love children is an example of Christ calling the children to him in Mark 10:14, “But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”

God’s Blessings

Beginning a new year is exciting and like a rebirth.  The innocence of children and the exciting of a change to start over is a perk to educating children.  2 Corinthians 5:17 reads, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”  The old has passed and the new school year has come and may God bring blessings to those passionately educating our future and the children who walk through their doors each and every day.  Jesus spoke in Matthew 18: 1-5, “At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,” to remind us that we should also be like children as we search for the kingdom of heaven.  Watch a child learn, Have you Forgotten?

Closing Verse:  Psalm 127:3, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.”

Challenge:  Thank an Educator that has blessed your life or your child’s life.

Stopping to Rewind

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Overcoming Hurt

I need to push rewind again, Lord.  One of my first blog post was about how people hurt each other, and I wrote that if we could push rewind and hear what we had said, how would we feel about the words we spoke.  No matter how many times I pray for guidance with my tongue it is for naught when I open my mouth and speak without thinking about those who are impacted by my words.   Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” is beating through me right now.  I am eating the fruits of my tongue.  I did not stop before I allowed my tongue to bear it’s sour fruit, so now I must partake of the fruit.  Yet, even in this moment when I know that God is the only one who can control my tongue.  James 3:8, “But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” These words are a reminder that I alone can not tame my tongue.

God’s Guidance and Healing

As I pray for God’s guidance for reconciliation for the words I have uttered, I find myself seeking God’s guidance from Proverbs.  Reading these words, I see that God is showing me both my wrongs and bringing peace to my heart.  I know that I can not heal the wounds that I have opened, but I pray that God will, as I learn from His words and seek his guidance.  My heart remembers God’s promise in Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”  This verse gives me hope that God will heal and bring good from my tongue.

Proverb’s Lessons

Proverbs is full of painful verses at this time for me, but lessons that I need at this time. God’s word is special that way in knowing just what you need to read or hear whether for comfort or to teach.  Here are my lessons:

Proverbs 12:18, “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

Proverbs 13:3, “Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.”

Proverbs 17:27, “Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.”

Proverbs 21:23, “Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.”

I pray God is speaking before you speak.

Closing Verse: Ecclesiastes 3:7, “A time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;”

Challenge:  May God give you more wisdom when using your tongue so it brings knowledge and understanding instead of poison that stabs at those you love.