James 3:2-6
KJV—For in many things we offend all.
If any man offend not in word, the same
is a perfect man, and able also to bridle
the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the
horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and
we turn about their whole body. Behold
also the ships, which though they be so
great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are
they turned about with a very small helm,
whithersoever the governor listeth.

Even so the tongue is a little member, and
boasteth great things. Behold, how great a
matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue
is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue
among our members, that it defileth the
whole body, and setteth on fire the course
of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

Amp—For we all often stumble and fall
and offend in many things. And if any one
does not offend in speech—never says the
wrong things—he is a fully developed character
and a perfect man, able to control his
whole body and to curb his entire nature. If
we set bits in the horses’ mouths to make
them obey us, we can turn their whole bodies
about. Likewise look at the ships, though
they are so great and are driven by rough
winds, they are steered by a very small rudder
wherever the impulse of the helmsman
determines. Even so the tongue is a little
member, and it can boast of great things.
See how much wood or how great a forest
a tiny spark can set ablaze! And the
tongue [is] a fire. [The tongue is a] world of
wickedness set among our members, contaminating
and depraving the whole body
and setting on fire the wheel of birth—the
cycle of man’s nature—being itself ignited by
hell (Gehenna).

Moffatt—We all make many a slip, but whoever
avoids slips of speech is a perfect
man; he can bridle the whole of the body
as well as the tongue. We put bridles into
the mouths of horses to make them obey
us, and so, you see, we can move the whole
of their bodies. Look at ships too; for all
their size and speed under stiff winds, they
are turned by a tiny rudder wherever the
mind of the steersman chooses. So the
tongue is a small member of the body, but
it can boast of great exploits. What a forest
is set ablaze by a little spark of fire! And
the tongue is a fire, the tongue proves a
very world of mischief among our members,
staining the whole of the body and setting
fire to the round circle of existence with a
flame fed by hell.

NEB—All of us often go wrong; the man
who never says a wrong thing is a perfect
character, able to bridle his whole being.
If we put bits into horses’ mouths to
make them obey our will, we can direct their
whole body. Or think of ships: large they
may be, yet even when driven by strong
gales they can be directed by a tiny rudder
on whatever course the helmsman chooses.
So with the tongue. It is a small member but
it can make huge claims. What an immense
stack of timber can be set ablaze by the tiniest
spark! And the tongue is in effect a fire.
It represents among our members the world
with all its wickedness; it pollutes our whole
being; it keeps the wheel of our existence
red-hot, and its flames are fed by hell.

Gloria Copeland

Proverbs 28:7
KJV—Whoso keepeth the law is a wise
son: but he that is a companion of riotous
men shameth his father.

NKJV—Whoever keeps the law is a discerning
son, but a companion of gluttons
shames his father.

NIV—He who keeps the law is a discerning
son, but a companion of gluttons
disgraces his father.

Amp—Whoever keeps the law [of God and
man] is a wise son, but he who is a companion
of gluttons and the carousing, self-indulgent
and extravagant shames his father.

Matthew 18:10
KJV—Take heed that ye despise not one
of these little ones; for I say unto you, that
in heaven their angels do always behold
the face of my Father which is in heaven.

NIV—See that you do not look down on
one of these little ones. For I tell you that
their angels in heaven always see the face
of my Father in heaven.

Amp—Beware that you do not despise
or feel scornful toward or think little of
one of these little ones, for I tell you that
in heaven their angels always are in the
presence of and look upon the face of My
Father Who is in heaven.

Luke 2:40
NKJV—And the Child grew and became
strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and
the grace of God was upon Him.

NIV—And the child grew and became
strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the
grace of God was upon him.

Amp—And the Child grew and became
strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and
the grace (favor and spiritual blessing) of
God was upon Him.

Ephesians 6:1-3
KJV—Children, obey your parents in the
Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father
and mother; which is the first commandment
with promise; that it may be well
with thee, and thou mayest live long on
the earth.

NIV—Children, obey your parents in the
Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father
and mother”—which is the first commandment
with a promise—“that it may go well
with you and that you may enjoy long life
on the earth.”

Weymouth—Children, be obedient to
your parents as a Christian duty, for this
is right. “Honor your father and your
mother”—this is the first commandment
which has a promise added to it—“so that
it may be well with you, and that you may
live long on the earth.”

Gloria Copeland

Proverbs 4:1
KJV—Hear, ye children, the instruction of
a father, and attend to know understanding.

NKJV—Hear, my children, the instruction
of a father, and give attention to know
understanding.

NIV—Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction;
pay attention and gain understanding.

Proverbs 6:20-22
KJV—My son, keep thy father’s commandment,
and forsake not the law of thy
mother: Bind them continually upon thine
heart, and tie them about thy neck. When
thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou
sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when
thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

NIV—My son, keep your father’s commands
and do not forsake your mother’s
teaching. Bind them upon your heart forever;
fasten them around your neck. When
you walk, they will guide you; when you
sleep, they will watch over you; when you
awake, they will speak to you.

Amp—My son, keep your father’s [Godgiven]
commandment, and forsake not
the law of [God] your mother [taught you].
Bind them continually upon your heart,
and tie them about your neck. When you
go, [the Word of your parents’ God] it
shall lead you; when you sleep, it shall
keep you, and when you waken, it shall
talk with you.

Proverbs 13:1
KJV—A wise son heareth his father’s
instruction.

NKJV—A wise son heeds his father’s
instruction.

Proverbs 15:5
KJV—A fool despiseth his father’s instruction:
but he that regardeth reproof is prudent.

NKJV—A fool despises his father’s instruction,
but he who receives correction is prudent.

NIV—A fool spurns his father’s discipline,
but whoever heeds correction shows
prudence.

Proverbs 20:11
KJV—Even a child is known by his doings,
whether his work be pure, and
whether it be right.

NIV—Even a child is known by his actions,
by whether his conduct is pure and right.

Amp—Even a child is known by his acts,
whether or not what he does is pure and right.

Proverbs 23:22
KJV—Hearken unto thy father that begat
thee, and despise not thy mother when
she is old.

NKJV—Listen to your father who begot
you, and do not despise your mother
when she is old.

NIV—Listen to your father, who gave you
life, and do not despise your mother when
she is old.

Gloria Copeland

God has made a way for us to live successful, holy
lives. If we’ll learn to walk in the spirit, we’ll win the
war between the flesh and the spirit. There will still
be opportunities to enter into temptation, but we
will not yield to them.

Romans 6:20-22, 7:5-6 says:

For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free
from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those
things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of
those things is death. But now being made free from
sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit
unto holiness, and the end everlasting life….

For when we were in the flesh, the motions
[or passions] of sins, which were by the law, did
work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
But now we are delivered from the law, that being
dead wherein we were held; that we should serve
in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the
letter.

Sin brings forth fruit unto death. If we serve God
with the same diligence we once served sin, the
result will be holiness. We cannot serve God and
sin at the same time.

As believers, we’re not in the same condition as
when we served sin. We have been made free from
sin and can now serve God. We serve Him by
obeying the promptings of our spirits by the Holy
Spirit inside us (Romans 7:6, amp). We are no
longer to serve the lusts of the flesh and the ways
of this natural world. We are born again and are
spirit, just as God is Spirit. So, we ought to walk
after this new man inside and not after our bodies.

That ye put off concerning the former conversation
the old man, which is corrupt according to the
deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your
mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after
God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man
truth with his neighbour: for we are members one
of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the
sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place
to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more:
but rather let him labour, working with his hands
the thing which is good, that he may have to give
to him that needeth. 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.

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye
are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all
bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and
evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake
hath forgiven you (Ephesians 4:22-32).

The Apostle Paul stated the dilemma of the believer
in Romans 7:14-23. Paul made reference to a born-
again man, a spirit in the likeness of God, living in a
natural body. His body wanted to live after the
ways of the world; yet, his inward man delighted in
God’s ways. He said, “Oh, what a condition I am in!
I want to do good, but how to perform it or walk in
it, I don’t know!”

Doesn’t that describe us to some degree? Before
we were born again, we habitually followed the course
of this world. This world is following Satan. He is the
god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). The world is
following him straight to death and hell. When we
are born again, our bodies don’t change. They still
want to practice old habits.

The reason I didn’t faithfully get up to pray every
morning was not because I didn’t want to. My heart
wants to do anything that pleases God. It was my
body that wanted to stay in bed and sleep. It has
never wanted to get up at 5:30 in the morning and
pray! But the more I did it, the easier it became.
Here’s why. Paul said:

O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me
from the body of this death? I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself
serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them
which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit.

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath
made me free from the law of sin and death. For
what the law could not do, in that it was weak
through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin
in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might
be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but
after the Spirit (Romans 7:24-25, 8:1-4).

I recognized I was a spiritual being in a natural body.
There is no judgment against me when I walk in the
spirit. When I’m walking in the spirit, I’m a spiritual
being in a natural body that is trained to follow the
Lord!

Gloria Copeland