When I was younger and fireworks where not fully illegal. My brother and I spent all the money we had saved selling plants on weekends buying crackers and storing them up till we had the biggest stock pile ever. Getting ready for battle against the world with our crackers we built ourselves a little fort and barricaded ourselves in. We had little windows to throw crackers out. I am not sure but am almost certain we got dressed up for the occasion. We had big dreams for our fort and the joy that was going to come out of it. So here we are in our little fort waiting for some unsuspecting victim to come around the corner so we can attack and release the full force of our army. So around the corner comes my dad, we threw a cracker or five in his general direction, he quickly disappeared and came back with him own selection of crackers. He lit his little jumping jack (those where the little crackers that shot some flames and spun round), It was small in comparison to our army of fireworks we had spent weeks building up and counting. So my dad threw his cracker threw our window and into the bucket of supplies. Needless to say the bucket burst into flames and explosions like popcorn in a pot. It was a fantastic site, although when the smoke cleared and the excitement had passed. I was left with no crackers and crying.
Such a small cracker had destroyed my stock pile, it had taken my dreams of world domination and reduced it too sulpher. That is the power of the tongue. It might be said in jest, or done as a response to something else. But we need to know it has the power to destroy and penetrate strong holds and break down stockpiles. To ruin dreams. It has the power to take down walls we have built up against attack. The tongue as powerful as it is, is even smaller in its attack, is as small as an ant, it can get in anywhere. And sometimes only comes out weeks later, or even years and has a continual effect on us.
How are we using our tongues, are we using it too break down people, to get ahead in our own lives. To break others down so we can feel better about ourselves instead of seeking God and finding ourselves in him.
Let us never underestimate the power of a single small word.
