James 3:5 & 6 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. At the end of September 2019 I shared the following with you regarding the Jewish New Year 5780: "September 30 and October 1 2019 mark the celebration of Rosh Hashanah or the head of the Jewish New Year. The coming New Year on the Jewish calendar is 5780. In Hebrew the numerical system is deeply entwined in the function of the Hebrew alphabet; with each number being linked to a letter. Hence, if we look at the number 5780, from a Hebrew perspective, this is the meaning we see: right hand power (of God) to reveal the covenant of consuming fire, breathing, speaking, bringing into reality words of life. What we have been experiencing increasingly over recent years is the escalation of the "war of words". Media and especially social media have perpetuated this "war of words" which we now accept as the norm. So, what does the year 5780 mean in the context of this ever increasing "war of words"? In this year, nothing will be of greater importance than the words spoken by the Body of Christ here on earth. This year offers the opportunity for the words of life to take the ascendancy and ultimately the victory in this "war of words". However, for this to occur our words must be an accurate, uncompromising reflection of He who is the right hand power of God: Yeshua. Our words must be an accurate, uncompromising reflection of the covenantal nature of our LORD." Since that time Australia has been ravaged by unprecedented bushfires. "The 2019–20 Australian bushfire season has burned an estimated 6,300,000 hectares (16,000,000 acres; 63,000 km2; 24,000 sq mi), destroyed over 2,500 buildings (including over 1,300 houses) and killed 24 people as of 4 January 2020, with a further six missing in the state of Victoria." This situation has prompted me to reflect afresh upon the words of James with a renewed understanding of what he meant by: "how great a forest a little fire kindles!" One of the major challenges of our firefighters has been the "ember storms", where the embers from the main fire are blown kilometers ahead of the main fire to ignite new catastrophic blazes. Is what we are seeing in the natural, here in Australia, actually a true demonstration of the impact the "war of words" has had on our global community mentally, spiritually and socially? My continued prayer is that this year will see the words of life take ascendancy and ultimately the victory over this "war of words".
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