Let Us Use Our Tongue Well.

Radio Voice of Life, dear listeners, you are listening to our voice from Radio Voice of Life, which broadcasts every morning on the shortwave frequency of 41 metres. Greetings to you, dear and cherished listeners of the programme "With You". How are you? I am happy that we are once again at your service through the programme Azar.

Dear listeners, you are listening to the programme "With You" from Radio Voice of Life. Well, dear friends, we once again have Vijan with us in the studio. Vijan, welcome to the programme "With You". Greetings to you, dear brother Shahid, and greetings to all the dear listeners who are hearing our voice at this moment.

Well, Vijan, could you share with us and our listeners, who are listening to you directly from the studio, what questions our listeners had during the past week when they called in? When listeners hear the programme, they often have questions or may want to share their opinions.

Tell us, during the past week, what questions did our friends who called in have, and what were your responses to them? Thank you, dear brother Shahid, at this moment we are grateful that we are at the service of the listeners, and I thank all our compatriots and all the listeners of Radio Voice of Life who tune in to our programmes, benefiting from the Word of God and becoming acquainted with the truth and reality of the Word.

I thank all our listeners wholeheartedly. Indeed, dear brother Shahid, we thank God that the listeners are numerous, and they are growing in number. I thank God; it is truly a reason for gratitude. Yes, because there are not many other programmes available in Afghanistan, more people are turning to the radio.

Whether they are in villages, provinces, or cities, they ask us various questions whenever we connect with them. They have questions about the Bible, questions about Jesus Christ, understanding the Holy Spirit, and they ask a variety of questions in different ways.

I would like to read a few questions that we received from listeners during our calls. One listener said, "We listen to Radio Voice of Life. Your programmes are very good and enjoyable." He mentioned that he is currently in school and cannot talk much, but he is eager to ask many questions that are on his mind and heart.

Another listener we spoke with said, "I have the Bible in Dari. I study it not only myself but also with my wife. We find many beneficial things in the Word of God." He expressed how great it would be to understand how our faith can be strengthened and how we can deepen our understanding of this truth.

I thank this listener; their words are indeed an encouragement for all of us. We hope that all our listeners can access the Holy Gospel, read it for themselves, and the questions they have will be answered by the Bible itself.

Yes, yes, dear brother Shahid. Unfortunately, one of the listeners who called in said, "We are five families, and we listen to Radio Voice of Life as we were told. We listen from the day we were informed that we are five families, and we want to become Christians."

And this brother said that we cannot trade with God for money, as God is so great that we cannot compare Him with material things like money. God deals with your heart, not with money. God says, "Give me your heart." And you can enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

When you believe in the true God, Jesus Christ, with all your heart, He saves you, and salvation is free. There are many questions, dear brother Shahid, but time is limited to read them all. There are many interesting things, but we are grateful that people are listening and searching.

As you mentioned, the theme of our lesson today, dear brother Shahid, reminds me of the early morning walks I often take. I have a habit of going for an early morning walk, praying and communing with God. When I walk, I truly remember our dear people of Afghanistan and think about how far they are from many things in this age and time.

I wish that every compatriot could find peace and serenity, even if we have food or do not have it, even if we are in poverty and unemployment. However, every day that God gives us, the early morning brings a sense of peace and a very pleasant atmosphere for anyone who thinks of God and reflects on their life, showing gratitude even for the creation of God around them.

Poverty, wealth, and hardship do not matter; unfortunately, in our country, there is so much noise, poverty, and despair. People’s minds are not at peace, and there are many who feel how to have peace or how to talk to God when they think they have no time or resources.

In summary, we wish for our dear compatriots to have peace of mind, heart, and soul. But the only thing that brings peace to man is God Himself, the Spirit of God, which gives us a fresh mind and heart and transforms all our circumstances.

As you mentioned earlier, one of our listeners spoke very harshly and used a sharp tongue when we contacted them. Their behaviour was not fitting for a human being; they were shouting insults, even against what they hold sacred. When they realised that we are followers of Jesus Christ, they insulted us and said that we are causing conflict.

However, dear brother Shahid, we cannot blame them because decades of war, misfortune, and poverty have deeply affected the feelings, lives, and thoughts of our compatriots. They vent their anger and frustrations in this way, while in reality, everyone is under immense psychological and economic pressure.

The current situation in Afghanistan is a heavy burden on people. For five years, there has been no change. Girls who were supposed to go to school now have their schools closed. Girls who were waiting to go to university and study and serve their communities still have the doors of universities closed to them.

The lessons currently available for children are not truly beneficial, and they cannot serve their communities. Overall, this has created a collective pressure that weighs heavily on the people.

When you speak of the pressures they are under, it affects their ability to express themselves or control their tongues. It is all a result of the ongoing wars, and people need to find a way to regain their peace and be able to enjoy the life that God has given them.

Amen, amen, dear brother Shahid. You shared many wise thoughts at this moment, and our listeners are hearing you. Indeed, not all our listeners react with hostility and harsh words. However, there are some who cannot tolerate hearing the truth.

When we contacted these listeners who were shouting insults, we remained silent, and I told them, "Say whatever you want." In the end, the sister said, "How calm this man is," and she reprimanded him before I could.

So, dear listeners, fighting and shouting insults is undoubtedly a sin, and the Bible speaks about it. In the book of Ephesians, chapter 4, verse 29, it says, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."

Dear listeners, the Word of God reformats us. Personally, before I came to faith in Jesus Christ, I truly had no control over my tongue. I would say whatever came to my mind, but when a person studies the Word of God, they begin to pay attention to God's instructions, which guide us like a father.

We must not focus on other people but rather pay attention to the Word of God. The Word says that corrupt communication should not come out of our mouths, but our words should be good and edifying. They should be so beneficial that others receive blessings from them, rather than leading to arguments and strife.

If a child grows up in an environment where adults use harsh language in the home, in the streets, or among adults, they learn from it. When they grow up, they repeat what they have heard. We should not be dual-speaking; this has a negative impact on our families, our children, and others.

By speaking harshly, we do not reach any positive outcome that enlightens our path. Just as God says, fighting and insulting is indeed a sin. In the book of 1 Peter, chapter 3, verse 10, it is written, "For whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech."

So, dear listeners, if you want to have a long life, if you want to live a good and desirable life, we must control our tongues. Before we speak, we must reflect on what is flowing from our lips, as it is all from the evil one. Even though the tongue is a small member of our body, it can act like a bomb, leading us towards destruction and death.

You may have seen that in a gathering, whether joyful or serious, when one person says something, it can disrupt the entire atmosphere. Yet, in other situations, a single good word from one person can transform the mood, and everyone agrees.

So today, we must control our tongues and our speech. Brother Shahid, our listener who spoke harshly, we should look at it this way: Psalm 34, verse 14 says, "Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it." We must strive to speak with kindness and peace.

If we allow our tongues to become accustomed to evil and insults, not only do we harm ourselves, but we also drive others away from us. What we express through our tongues reflects what is in our hearts and minds. We introduce ourselves to others through our speech, and no one wants to associate or be friends with someone whose tongue is uncontrollable.

Those who have negative things in their hearts often suffer because they do not have friends, and they create a toxic atmosphere for themselves.

Yes, indeed, dear brother Shahid, we see many people, including our elders, fathers, or those in positions of authority, using their power to speak harshly to others. They want to dominate others with their bad language and harsh tones.

You can believe that the local representative in our area was so foul-mouthed that when he passed by, everyone would avoid him. What do you learn from such a person? And dear listener, if you insult us, you are indeed insulting the God who created us.

We do not want to take this small, evil tongue to the world. We wish for our tongues to be healed, for our hearts to be healed, and for our spirits to be free from the toxic things that surround us, so that we can speak words of kindness and respect to others.

In the book of James, dear listeners, chapter 3, verses 9 to 12 summarises this well. It says, "With the tongue, we praise our Lord and Father, and with it, we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be."

Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My dear friends, do figs come from olive trees or grapes from figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Dear listeners, perhaps it is not right for you to blend your beliefs with your actions. You cannot say that you praise God with your tongue and then curse others. This is contradictory and shows your hypocrisy.

God has given us our tongues so that we can express what He desires from us. We must use our tongues for good and not allow the things that come from the devil to emerge from our mouths. We must always strive to keep our tongues in check and ask God to help us.

When we turn our speech towards goodness, we do so for the glory of His name, so that when people hear our voices, they are blessed and not driven away from God.

Amen. I would like to highlight one last point, dear brother Shahid, that the Word of God in 1 Peter 3:9 instructs us not to repay evil for evil, or insult for insult, but to repay with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

Dear listeners, as followers of Jesus Christ, it is not just allowed for us to insult others; God commands us to respond to insults with patience, and we wish for you to receive more blessings from the Word of God.

I hope that you have been blessed by this programme, and I hope our friends who are listening at this moment pay attention. When speaking with someone over the phone or face-to-face, strive to use words that bring joy to yourself and blessings to others.

In this way, we can establish good relationships and achieve positive and comprehensive results. I truly hope that our friends have understood this matter.

Well, dear friends, that was our programme for this time, which we presented to you. We will be back in the same hour for the next two programmes. We commend you all to the gracious Lord.