March 31, 2021

Douse Your Mouth!

© 1999 AMKCH

The tongue is the very core of life itself. It literally brings into existence everything the speaker believes in his heart.

Matthew 12:34-37 Jesus told the Pharisees: 0h generation of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart (what you believe) the mouth speaks. A good man, out of the good treasure of the heart, brings forth good things; and an evil man, out of the evil treasure, brings forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned.

As I sat studying and listening to different words being spoken by people, now and in the past, I was plagued with this thought of being judged for every word we speak. Why would we be judged for one simple word?

Because: Words can bring forth life. Words can devastate a person’s soul. Words can lift a person to a high height of self-esteem or ruin him or her with fear. Words can cause illnesses. Words can even cause death. Words cause richness. Words can cause poverty. Words can cause peace. Words cause wars. Words are the very core of our existence. Without words there would be very little, if any at all, communication. There would be very little celebration. Without words, there would be no friendship. Words are in our thoughts and in our speech. Without words there would be nothing – no existence anywhere. God spoke the worlds into existence with words.

Genesis 1:3 And God SAID, let there be light and there was light.

vs. 6. And God SAID … and the outer limits of space (the firmament) separated the waters.

Vs. 9. and God SAID … He spoke words which separated the heavens and the earth.

vs. 11. and God SAID … and vegetation burst forth from the ground.

vs. 14. and God SAID… and the fish, animals and birds etc. came into existence.

Then God spoke the Spirit of man into existence.

vs. 26. And God said let us make man in our image after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. So God created man in his own image (Spirit. see John 4:24), in the image of God created he him; male and female created He them.

Vs. 31. And God saw everything that He had made, and behold it was Very Good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

God spoke words and they became life. He knew we would need a means of communication with each other so He gave us this muscle called the tongue. But it is up to us how we use it.

In Genesis 2:15 God took Adam to the Garden of Eden and SAID: Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it. For in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die.

God gave them everything they could ever want for food. They didn’t need anything. God also gave them the ability to choose.. He brought to Adam all the animals to see what kinds of names he would give them (Gen 2:19b-20). With Adam’s tongue, he named animals. Have you ever wondered at the kinds of names these animals have? Say these words aloud and listen to the sounds: monkey, elephant, giraffe, spider, horse, puppy dog, hippopotamus. They sound funny, when you think about it… don’t they?… well… to me they do. Even as they are translated from the original language of Adam.

Words.

Eve was entranced by the beauty of the serpent, and his enticing words.

Gen 3:1-3 The serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, yea, has God said you shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (note that he omitted the rest of it). And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said ‘you shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it lest you die’

Excuse me? Am I missing something here? There is something not quite right here! The woman willingly LIED with her tongue. She chose the words to speak. She had changed what God had really said. She added that God told them that they couldn’t even touch the tree! God had only said they could not eat of the tree. He did not say they could not look at. He did not say they could not touch it. Words. Her words are what changed the future of life, as she and Adam knew it. With words. Uttered by the tongue. Words we choose to speak.

God gave commandments ruling the tongue to the people of Israel.

Exodus 20:5 regarding graven images or false gods: You shall not bow down yourself to them or serve them (with your knees or your mouth); for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.

VS 7 You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain (whether in action or with your mouth); for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes His name in vain. Excuse me for saying this but, Contrary to popular worldly opinion, God’s last name is NOT “Damn”.

vs. 14 You shall not commit adultery.

This sin begins with the “sweet talk” of the tongue. “Hey baby, can I go home with you?” “You sure look good tonight”. The tongue. It is a choice – how we use it. It is a choice – the words we speak.

Vs. 16. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Gossiping. Done with the tongue. We are influenced by the enemies of God to use our tongues to get what the enemy thinks we want. He really doesn’t want us to be happy, nor to have the things we really do want and need. He says, “after all, why should the human be happy?” It is a choice whether we speak these words or not.

Vs. 17. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house (or anything in it, which begins with the words like “oh, that is so beautiful! May I borrow [or have] this?”) You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.

The people of Israel must have realized the power of the tongue, because in verse 19, they told Moses to speak to them instead of God, because they were afraid of God and what His words might do to them.

And they said unto Moses, you speak with us, and we will listen: but let not God speak with us, or we will die. (Ex 20:19)

God had spoken everything into existence. God can kill and God will make alive.

Deuteronomy 32:39 See not that I, even I am he, and there is no God with me; I kill, and I make a live; I wound, and I heal; neither is there any that can deliver of my hand.

Even now, God will either bless you or carry on the covenant of the curse for those who choose to ignore His commandments (Deuteronomy 28 all). He commands us over and over and over again to mind what we say with our tongue: because what we speak with our tongues is what we are in our hearts.

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

When we were young, our parents (should have) taught us how to speak politely to others, and most of us learned. They taught us to say “thank you”, “no, thank you”, “please”, etc. But we also learned by their example. How did they act? How did they use their tongue? Were they always spouting off at the mouth, using their tongues profanely? Or did they speak kindly to others? You know how people get when they are angry. They say the first thing that comes into their minds… I should say, out of their heart. If our child is messed with by another, we run off at the mouth, screaming at them or their parents, using profanity and threats… and even violence.

Words spoke with the tongue.

Matthew 12:34 … For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

Let’s take a closer look at these verses:

Matthew 12:31-37 Wherefore (This is why) I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy (spoken with the tongue) shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy spoken against the Holy Spirit (again, spoken with the tongue) shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt; and his fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by his fruit. O Generation of vipers how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things; and an evil man out of the evil treasures brings forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned. In other words, as the saying goes, “if you can’t say nothin’ nice about (or to) a person, then don’t say nothin’ at all”.

We are, every single day of our lives, influenced and tempted by the enemy of God. Hasatan (the evil one) wants nothing more than to steal our joy, steal our peace, and steal our salvation. He wants nothing more than to kill our bodies and our spirit. He wants nothing more than to destroy our lives and our chance for eternal life with Christ. Jesus Christ came just so that we could have life, and have it more abundantly. He spoke these words in:

John 10:9-10: The thief comes but for to steal, and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.

When I say “influenced by the enemies of God”, I am saying that the enemy puts thoughts into our heads about what someone else has said or done (but he cannot read our thoughts, thank God). One example is: say someone cuts you off while you are driving. The first thing that comes out of your mouth is cursing at them. You holler “where did you learn to drive?” Or you might call them a profane name, like “idiot”, which in actuality is telling them that their self-confidence is too high. Which is what “id” is, in this word “idiot”.

All throughout the Bible, God tells us to watch what we say, when we say it, where we say it, to whom we are saying it. Words can get you a job or get you fired from a position you have held for over 30 years. Words can get you into God’s fellowship, or only for the final judgment and some serious punishment before God.

Let’s look at:

Proverbs 18:4 The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.

Vs 6 A fools lips enter into contention (always picking an argument), and his mouth calls for strokes (he’s asking for a physical fight).

Vs 7 A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.

Vs 8 Those words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. (they really hurt–like a knife being stabbed into your heart)

You have heard the old saying, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me”. Bad name calling does hurt. Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise. It can affect them for their entire life. I know. All during my childhood, my name was “stupid”. I was told, “you’re too stupid to learn anything, you’ll never amount to anything”. These words hurt very, very deeply. Of course, I proved them all wrong. I had to, for my sanity’s sake. I grew up to be valedictorian, and graduated Summa Cum Laude, with a 5.735 grade point average. There is nothing that I could not learn, if I put my mind to it. I bought a book or went to the library and learned how to do what ever it is I wanted to learn that was not taught in schools somewhere close by – if I could not afford to take the course. I’ve proven their words, spoken in cruelty, wrong. I renewed my mind to what God says I have, not what they (by way of the enemy) did not want me to have. Now, we have the internet! What joy that was when I discovered Youtube!!! lol I learned NEW things! but I also saw more evil on there than ever.

But I digress; sorry.

Vs. 13. He that answer a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame unto him.

This verse is talking about not listening to all sides of the matter. In the courtrooms, both the plaintiff and the defendant subpoena all the witnesses involved in the case, and the jury hears each and every one of them. Then, after all sides have been heard, the jury makes their decision, whether the defendant is innocent or guilty and the judge gives the (hopefully) “just reward”. Well, that’s the way it’s supposed to go. Unfortunately, sometimes, they are very wrong and convict innocent people. But all sides of every matter are supposed to be listened to and heard, before anything else is said. There is not to be even a shadow of doubt.

If one of my children’s teachers requested me to come for a conference, I would not go without that child coming with me. I will first listen to the teacher, then I will listen to the child’s response. Most of the time the teachers were complimenting the child, so I really didn’t have much to worry about. But when one of them was talking too much in class (as they did a lot) I would speak to both teacher and child, right in front of the other, so that neither of them could say that they had, or not said, something else. I prove them both by doing this. Sometimes, I would catch the teacher at fault, and sometimes I would catch the child. I did the same with students I taught. I would insist that both child and parent be there.

Vs 14. The Spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?

Words hurt. Words kill. Words destroy life. Some people just cannot forget things that were said to or about them even through time. Words stay with you throughout your entire life. You remember much of that which you were taught in school. Those words were spoken by a teacher, some of which we remember to this very day, right? Everyone remembers things that people say to them whether positive or negative.

I’d like to skip down to first 19 now then go back to verse 15.

Vs 19 A brother offended is harder to be won then a strong city; and their contentions are like the bar of a castle.

When someone is hurt by words, there is very little you can say to change his mind when he has heard it from someone else. They may put up walls, emotionally and mentally, around themselves to prevent it from happening again.

Vs 15-18 The heart of the prudent gets knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men. He that is first in his own cause seems just; but his neighbor comes and searches him. The lot causes contentions to cease, and parts between the mighty.

When we check out all sides of the situation, then we must stop and think about it before any action is taken, or words spoken. In other words, think before you act.

When you are having a problem dealing with a situation caused by what someone had said, get help. Don’t try to deal with it yourself. It may be that we think we are right; but after we learn all the facts, we may find that we were actually in the wrong. We have to accept that fact. It’s OK to be wrong when we have not taken any action against someone. When you go and talk to the person that “started the whole thing”, do it calmly. Then go to God for forgiveness… and renew a right fellowship with Him AND the person.

Proverbs 15:1-2 A soft word turns away wrath; but grievous words stir up anger. The tongue of the wise use his knowledge of right; but the mouths of fools pours out foolishness.

vs 18 a wrathful man stirs up strife; but he that is slow to anger appeases strife.

Gentle words, thoughtful words, keeps a person from “blowing their cool”.

“Well, that person really hurt me by the words they spoke those many years ago. What do I do about that?” The answer is simple: forgive them. Because if you do not forgive them, how can you possibly expect God to forgive you for the things you have said that may have hurt others?

Matt 6:12-15 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Please turn with me to Ephesians chapter 4

1- 3 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation (your ministry of love and the godly life) wherewith you are called, with all lowliness and meekness (strength under control) with longsuffering (patience—putting up with whatever comes your way) forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep (working at) the unity of Spirit (especially among Christians) in the bond of peace.

7-8 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. This is why he said, when he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

13-16 … till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God. Unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: that we henceforth (from this moment on) be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine (denominations and educations), by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive (to set up a strategy of error); but speaking the truth in love, may grow up unto Him (in His anointing) in all things, which is the head, Christ; from whom the whole body fitly join together and compacted by that which every joint supplies and, according to The effectual work in the measure of every part, making increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

17-21 And this I say therefore, and testified in the Lord, that he henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walked, in the vanity of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being passed feeling, have given themselves over into lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness (to indulge the flesh; doing what ever pleases the flesh). But you have not so learned Christ. If so be that you have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

Here is what we are to do:

22-25 That you put off (renewing your mind away from) concerning the former conversation the old man (body and soul man – the way you were), which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts (thought, word, deed); And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that you put on the new man (God’s Holy Spirit living in you), which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, (untruths spoken with the tongue) speaking every man truth with his neighbor for we are members one of another. (We are all part of God’s family, when we accept Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior).

26-27 Be angry, and sin not (don’t say with your tongue anything offensive against another): Do not let the sun go down upon your anger (don’t hold it in). Neither give place to the devil (hasatan – the evil one)

We need to learn how to manage and handle ours, and the other person’s anger against us in a way that will cause it to totally subside. When we allow things to simmer over night, we are, in essence, allowing the enemy, Satan and his minions, to tempt us into arguments against the other person. When you take care of something as it is happening, right then and there, with soft words, you are resisting the devil and giving place to God. Resist the devil and He will flee James 4:7)

29 Let no corrupt communication (cursing and swearing profanities) proceeds out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying (causing to give understanding), that it may minister grace unto the hearer.

30-32 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God (reject by continually doing wrong), whereby you are sealed (consider how a can of soup is sealed up tight) unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath, and a dagger, and clamor (unholy emotions) and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice (A desire to harm others or to see others suffer; extreme ill will or spite.): and be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you (realize what God has forgiven and done for you).

I would like to continue in chapter 6 of Ephesians. Our learning to use this muscle that can be so dangerous, begins in childhood and is taught to us by our parents (and the people we live around). Their words and actions can be detrimental or wholesome when teaching us how to live a Godly life.

Verses 1-4 Children obey your parents (who are in) the Lord; for this is right. Honor your father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth. (see my message Deserving Of Honour)

The question that should be asked here is, Parents, are you deserving of the honor that is commanded by God for our children to give you? Are you teaching them from God’s Word, and by your own actions and words, what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God? Or are we fussing at them for every little thing they do wrong, if we expect them to willingly obey and honor of us? We cannot exasperate them to the point where they will lose heart and go with the temptations of the world.

And You fathers (and mothers) do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the love, nurture and admonition of the LORD.

We teach our children by our actions as well as by our words; how they are to handle every situation that arises in their lives, even after you are dead and buried 6 ft. under. How are you teaching your children to use their muscle called the tongue?

To continue with how and what not to do with your tongue please turn with me to:

Colossians 3:18-27: But now, you (sons and daughters of God) also put off all these; anger, wrath (desire to harm another, ill will, violent anger), malice (planned destruction of and others person or possessions), blasphemy (speaking evil of sacred things, i.e. saying the Holy Spirit has no power or God cannot do anything good, or God is evil; that sort of thing), filthy communication of out of your mouth (profanity). Lie not one to another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him: where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another (encouraging and exhorting), and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also you do. And above all these things put on charity (the love of God in the renewed mind in action) which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your heart, to the which also you are called in one body: and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom: teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord. And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Romans 12:2-3 And be not conformed to this (the ways of the) world (age – time of existence), but be transformed by the renewing (remodeling) of your mind, that you might prove (test and approve) what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say through the grace (undeserved favor, office or calling of God) given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith (the faith of Christ Jesus).

9-21 Let love be without dissimulation (division). Abhor that which is evil; cleave (hold fast) to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned (continuously loving) one to another with brotherly love (familiar friendship, kindness and humility) in honor, preferring one another (be devoted) not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope (of the abundant and eternal life); patient in tribulation (troubles that come your way–hard times) continuing instant(diligent) in prayer; distributing to the necessity of the Saints, given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high thanks (don’t pay attention to — nor set your mind on) but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits (don’t think you are better than anyone else just because you have more or have a better job which pays more). Recompense no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lies in you, live peaceably with all. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourself, but give place to wrath: for it is written, the vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord. Therefore if your enemy hungers, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink: for in so doing you shall reap coals of fire on his head (warm him by turning his heart to the love of God in you by your action). Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

“Ye shall reap coals of fire on his head” is an orientalism. You may have seen pictures of people carrying large baskets on their heads. The explanation is this: Early in the morning, the servant would go to the village firepit which was set in the center of the village, and gather up hot coals into the basket. He would carry the basket to his master’s home and put them into the firepit there. On the way to the home, the heat from the coals would keep his body warm from the chill in the air. Like putting a hat on in winter, it keeps the heat from your body from escaping. Have you ever noticed that when you remove your hat, your whole body gets cold? The heat escapes from your head.

Rom 13:1-5 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers (government officials: i.e. police, etc.). For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resists the power, resists the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works (not supposed to be), but to the evil. Will you then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and you shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to you for good. But if you do that which is evil, be afraid; for he bears not the sword (badge and/or gun) in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that does evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

When there is disquietude in neighborhoods, it is mostly because of the damage that the tongue has cost. All throughout the Bible we see all kinds of wars and happenings. All started because of the muscle we called the tongue.

Douse Your mouth.

James 1:26 if any man among you seems to be religious, and bridles not his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion (service to God) is in vain.

3:2-3 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.

4- 12 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever (wherever) the governor lists (wants it to go). Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God (created in His image Gen 1:27). Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Does a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation (spoken with the tongue) his works with meekness of wisdom.

14 But if you had bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descends not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy (saying one thing, but doing something totally opposite). And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

Douse Your Mouth.

Beloved, We must learn to bridal these uncontrolled muscles called tongues; ask forgiveness of all we have offended with it and ask forgiveness of God, renew our minds to caring about each other’s feelings and duties. Let us not consider ourselves better than anybody because of the position we hold at our jobs or places in “society”. We are all created, made and formed alike in God’s own image. And we should walk the way we tell others they should walk.

In the name of Christ Jesus our precious Lord Savior, Douse Your Mouth.

Other scriptures to help you learn how to control your tongue:

Ephesians 4:22; 1 Peter 1:15; 2:12; 3:1-2; 2 Peter 3:11; Hebrews 13:5; Philippians 1:27

Psalms 12:1-5; 14:1-2; 149:4 6

Proverbs 1:7; 4:24; 6:2,12; 8:8,13; 10:6,11,14,31,32;11:9,11; 12:6,14; 13:2-3; 14:2-3; 15:2,14,23,28,26-33;. 16:all; 17:3-5,7,9,11,13,14; 18:4, 6, 7, 20; 19:24,28; 20:17,23; 21:23; 22:14; 24:7; 26:7,9,15,28; 27:2; 31:8-9

Ecclesiastes 5:2,6; 6:7; 10:12-13

Matthew 4:4;12:34; 15:11,17-20

Luke 6:39-45; 8:4-16

Romans 1:all; 3:10-31; 6:23; 8:all; 10:8-15,17; 12:3-21; 14:1; 15:5-7,14b

Ephesians 4:21-32; 5:1-21; 6:10-18

Philippians 2:1-15; 3:15: 4:4-9,11,13,19-20

Colossians 3: all; 1 Timothy 6:20; 2 Timothy 2:16; James 1:22-27;3:all

1 Peter 2:1-2, 21-24; 3:8-17

Titus 1:10-16; 2:1,11-15; 3:1-11