Fuel, Heat, and Oxygen

I was talking with a classmate recently, and he said something that struck me. Fire needs three things in order to thrive: fuel, heat, and oxygen. 

Coupled with James 3:6, which reads,  "And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness," I wonder what kinds of fuel, heat, and oxygen we have that keep our fiery tongues burning healthily.
 

Fuel

Fuel for a campfire is firewood. Sometimes people use coal, but no matter what substance you use, they all have one thing in common: without the fuel, the fire can't exist. 

For the fire of the tongue, fuel is a sinful heart. All our words stem from our heart. Matthew 15:18 reads, "what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person." 

What we say shows us what we believe. Especially when we don't have very much control over what we're saying, and aren't trying to put on a front. So, if our heart is bad, our words will be bad—and if our heart is good, our words will reflect that. 

A sinful heart fuels an angry word. When you're angry, you say what you think. Most of the time, you say things that you've thought for a while, but haven't spoken before. 

In other words, the fuel for sin is thoughts. 

It can be difficult to stop yourself from thinking something wrong. We have a whole lot less control over our minds than we think we should; sometimes, you can't stop your brain from going to a place that you don't want it to go. A bitter thought pops up in your mind, and though you didn't want it there, it is.

But more often than not, we feed those thoughts. We give them fuel, until they come out of us with a vengeance and hurt the ones we love. 

Fire needs fuel, and too often, we give it. 

 

Heat

Heat is an obvious requirement for a fire to burn. After all, who heard of wildfires rampaging through Antarctica, even though it's so dry? 

The heat of an angry word comes from the anger itself. When you're angry, you stop thinking. It physically feels like you get hot. And even though you'd ordinarily be quite calm and self-possessed, you let the heat of the moment set your fuel ablaze. 

This is difficult to combat. Again, you don't think when you're angry. You only feel, and your feelings are strong. 

If you let yourself be run by your emotions, you will be dragged into all sorts of sin. Our emotions are powerful. Sometimes too powerful, I think. They blind us to the truth, and they prevent us from always seeking to glorify God, as we all should do. 

Focusing on the present moment is the easiest thing for us to do. But if we catch ourselves about to say something angry, it can be a sign that we need to remove ourselves from the heat. Take a break from the conversation if possible, or pray to God that he'll pour water on your flames—try to be calm. In the heat of the moment, you want to hurt someone, but afterwards you see your words for what they are: sin.
 

Oxygen

This one is a little bit tricky, since air is pretty much all around us. Unless you're reading this from outer space, in which case you are dead, you're surrounded by liters and liters of oxygen in the literal air you breathe. 

What's the oxygen for our anger? I'd say that it's habits. You don't conquer sin in the moment—you conquer sin with practice, over a long period of time. 

If you practice anger, you will speak words of anger. 

But if you practice love, you will speak words of love. 

Practicing anger? What does that look like? Well, I'd bet that it's something nearly all of us do without realizing it. When you see something that you don't like, you automatically react against it. Saying "I hate that song," and groaning every time you hear it. Or, raging against a video game. Anger when your favorite sports team loses. Unflattering comments about the opposing political party, or nursing a complaint against your parents for weeks and weeks while feeling righteous because you're "covering it in love." 

These are all things that our culture deems acceptable. More than acceptable: funny. There are thousands of videos on YouTube of anger, all intended to be humorous; and since this is the example we're given, this is who we imitate. 

Is this good for us? Is it healthy to react to the slightest setback with fury, all so you can make the people around you laugh? 

Not at all. We need to practice the opposite: self control. When something happens that frustrates you, take the opportunity to remind yourself to be calm. Show love to your enemy. Speak words of kindness, not hurt. Imitate Jesus, who covered insults in love but always sought to glorify his Father with everything he did. 

Practicing in the small things will help put out our fire in the larger things. If your habit is to bless and not curse, you'll be able to control yourself when you're tempted to curse and not bless. 

By doing this, along with a lot of prayer on every step of the way, we can heed James's warning that the tongue is a fire and a world of unrighteousness, and use our words to glorify our Maker instead of bringing shame to him.