Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires

Proverbs 26:20
Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out:
so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.

Did you know the quickest way to put out a fire? Stop putting the wood to it. Years ago there used to be a commercial about fire safety. Smokey the bear would tell you to pour water on the fire and make sure you stir it up before you left it. He would always end by saying, "Only you can prevent forest fires."

Our scripture speaks of these fires from the mouth. If the talebearer would stop carrying the story then it would die. If our mouths would cease to tote the tales then the strife would cease. God uses the analogy and simple truth of where there is no wood, you can have no fire. Simple. Direct and straight to the point.

Some love to chop wood and stoke the fires of gossip. It's as almost if their existence depends on it. Feeding from the lies and drama fuels them to keep on sharing the lies. With every breath they exhale another log to put on the fire.

The answer? It is real easy. Stop toting the tale. Remove the wood from the fire and ask God to put it out. Cause old Smokey the bear was and is right, "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires!"