SHIMIRAS HALOSHON....Guarding The Tongue

Tevet 14, 5770....Fifth Day....Yom Khah'mee'shee

Hello my friends..it is a cold day here in my little part of the world...19° Snow is on the ground and from the weather reports it will be staying with us for a while. I pray that where ever you are you are nice and warm and hopefully having good thoughts about the beauty of the snow.

That's kind of what is on my mind..thoughts and words. In this journey with YHVH it has taken me from the world I knew to a very different world. In the world I once lived in, you could be a 'Christian' but still live and be a part of the world. You could even still do this among the most pious of Christians. But in the world of YHVH, you must put aside the secular world for the Way of Elohim. You live in it but you are not a part of it,

In the past few weeks I and my fellow Believers have come out boldly against the pagan ways of the church and its holidays. It is good to speak truth and be bold but we must also watch our tongues and the words we say. I posted a quote from John Calvin about Christmas and a friend took it in a very bad way and now we are no longer friends.
My daughter and I had a falling out because of Christmas and now we are no longer speaking. And while I do believe these things are going to happen because of our faith and our being obedient to YHVH and Yeshua in being set apart people, we still have the obligation to watch what we say and bridle our tongues.

In studying about this, I came across this blog and it is truly wonderful and gets right to the heart of the problem. This particular blog is talking about how christians are but it also says alot to how we, who have now become Israelites, act sometimes to the christian, who is not observant. It says a lot as to how we are to let torah give us the instruction we need to be always shimires haloshion....guarding our tongue.

I send this out in love through Yeshua our Savior and soon coming King.....His Amma gloria



Proper Speech
Written By: Ahava © 2000

Romans chapter 2: 28 & 29:
He is not a Jew who is one outwardly, neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. He is a Jew who is one inwardly and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the spirit, not by the letter and his praise is not from men, but from God.

Matthew chapter 12: 35-37:
The mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good and the evil man out of his treasure brings forth what is evil. Every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified and by your words you shall be condemned.

A Jewish child is trained up in the proper way in the reality of the purity of Torah. Every parent teaches their child to speak and takes great joy in hearing the words being formed on the lips of their babies.

In the christian world the greatest contrast I've experienced in the two cultures between Jewish and Christian is their language. Both cultures study Torah/Bible. Both cultures teach Torah/Bible. Both proclaim allegiance to God. What is the difference in the two cultures and which culture is living the reality of Torah/Bible?

There are christians who condemn the Jewish people for denying Jesus as Messiah. The only example of Jesus that the Jewish people have experienced is the example revealed to them through the Christian's lifestyle.

Christians proclaim with their mouth but their very words testify against them and cause the Israelite to turn away out of reverence for God and the holiness of His Torah.

Children are taught by their parents to speak. The difference between the Israelite children and what I've observed in the Christian children is the Israelite children are taught to speak in correctness of speech ordained by God through the Torah.

How do I know a Christian child is not taught in the same manner? It reflects through their conversations.

An Israelite child is taught to speak with Godly instruction. There are two forms of speech. One is correct, allowed and acceptable to God. This other is incorrect, forbidden and unacceptable to God.

The latter will never proceed out of the mouth of an Israelite parent knowing they are training up the child in the way they should live as adults. The Israelite child is taught Shmiras Haloshon, meaning “guarding the tongue”. The quality of exercising caution in matters of speech. Loshon Hara means “evil talk, speech which is derogatory or harmful”.

Proper speech is so vital to life that it contains the course of life within itself on behalf of all the days ahead for this child. Torah/Bible constitutes God's plan for how people should live with one another. Scripture are the tools given to us to remove anger, bitterness and jealousy from our hearts and to eliminate strife, hurt and divisiveness from among the people.

When we examine the workings of our words, we come to see our words define us. What we say and how we say it is who we are. Consider the unique nature of the tongue. It is partly hidden and partly revealed. It is usually not seen, but it is definitely heard.

God designed the tongue to reflect its function, which is to reveal the hidden self of one's thoughts, ideas and personality. The tongue takes these hidden elements from within the person and through words, brings that person into the open.

Obedience to Torah/Bible teaches us how to look at people, speak to people and speak about people. Torah/Bible reflects Gods wisdom. God knows the impact and ripple effect of every negative interaction. Torah/Bible teaches us that at the core of virtually every broken friendship, shattered career and relationship is a seed of hatred, a seed usually planted by a hurtful word.

Much pain and anguish of life can be averted by restraining ourselves from sowing these seeds. If one removes the negativity, gossip, slander and divisiveness from one's vocabulary, one automatically and dramatically improves one's own life and the lives of everyone in one's environment.

A few careless words between people can be all that is needed to forever alter the tenor of their relationship. One derogatory word which labels another person can create a false perception to appear true in the minds of all who hear it.

Words are the sole medium through which we fulfill our purpose for which we are created, which is to communicate God's salvation, greatness and presence to this world. Words of encouragement can dispel despair, even for someone in a terribly difficult situation. Words have the power to take what is ordinary and make it holy. Words can turn water into wine, a loaf of bread into an offering and a man and woman into one united in marriage. These all take effect through the powerful words of prayer.

The words we choose will determine what we experience in our life. By taking hold of our power of speech, we take hold of life itself. The mouth expresses the contents of the heart. In every interaction one should be focused on not causing pain. The mouth can attain the status of holiness.

Unfortunately when one uses his mouth to speak harmful words of Loshon Hora, (evil talk) that mouth becomes defiled. That is why Loshon Hora incapacitates the person, rendering him unable to effectively produce the words of prayer.

Speech has the power to literally redefine reality. Thoughts exist in a separate, private sphere. Once articulated, the thought is no longer a private matter. It becomes an item on the worlds' agenda, something to be agreed with or argued, proven or disproved, attended to or ignored.

A thought has no power to affect anything or anyone beyond the person thinking it. Once the person enters into conversation, offering his assessments, in that instant the thought is released into the world and sets out on a path of destruction. This will be shared with others, thereby altering their perception as well. It seeps into the subconscious and colors their future assessments of the person, pushing him out from among them.

Words are the seal. The victim will suffer from the voicing of that one word. No word is lost, all is recorded. Our words have a profound impact in Heaven.

Words spoken on earth are tools through which an accusation is lodged before the heavenly court. Satan is always ready with his accusations but he needs a second witness to set the judicial process in motion.

Loshon Hora has the drastic effect of turning oneself into satan's corroborating witness. The very words satan uses in making his accusation are the very words one has spoken against another.

Speaking Loshon Hora (evil talk) not only creates falsehood against a person but literally puts accusatory words into satan's mouth. What the speaker of Loson Hora has caused for another person comes back to him in equal measure.

Loshon Hora is a weapon manufactured solely from words, yet scripture teaches the harm those words create to be massive. So sharp a wedge does Loshon Hora drive between people that restoration at times is impossible.

Each word of such conversation is a sin of its own. Each carries the full weight of the transgression of Loshon Hora, setting into motion all of its destructive power. Thus, just one conversation can produce hundreds of sins. Loshon Hora diminishes its victim in the eyes of others. Once spoken, the words carve their own path, destroying in ways the speaker can never imagine.

Loshon Hora reaches back to its victim. The harm it does is extremely severe. For the disparaging words to reach back to the victim, it isn't necessary that there be a direct report of what was said and who said it. It can be obvious in an indirect way, by the changed manner in which others treat them. Each person's treatment of him essentially reaches inside the victim and robs him of his true standing with Christ.

Words penetrate the deepest levels of man. In the most seemingly meaningless
chatter, the words that pass between people work powerful changes on them and within them. What a person says, what a person hears and what others say about him can surely change the course of his life and even alter his substance.

Shmiras HaLoshon (guarded speech) is an expression of unity. Seeing the good in others. Being sensitive to the feelings of others. As one guards his speech and engages others in conversations that are positive and constructive by exercising restraint in speech, one draws himself closer to God and builds unity among brethren.

The person who guards his speech builds power within his spirit. This is the power of self-discipline, control over his impulses, producing an inner strength to restrain him, measure his words and living in accordance with Torah/Bible.

What we speak produces immediately in the spirit, bursting into the natural. When we stand before God what will we say when He asks us to account for the blood of another person we have murdered? We will look at Him and say, “I've never murdered. When did I shed innocent blood? My hands are clean”.

God will reply, I'm not speaking about your hands or self defense or weapons of warfare, I'm speaking about your mouth. Your own words testify against you. Your words were your weapons of murder. That one that I shed my blood for and died for came to emotional harm and mental anguish by the wound inflicted by the weapon of your tongue through your spoken words.