From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Dear Rev. Graham: I am a life coach and enjoy my job because I can help people be better than what they think they can be. Are there certain points a Christian counselor can use in helping rebellious people who have opinions that are self-destructive? — L.C.

Dear L.C.: One of the ironies of human nature is that it often has a way of rejecting the best and accepting the worst. We must acknowledge that there is a great defect that runs through the human race, a built-in waywardness that comes from man’s rebellion against God. It is called sin.
An opinion is often a personal judgment without fact or knowledge to back it up. A sharp tongue means to say something unkind, with the intent of hurting someone. It is important to guard our tongues and to use our speech for good instead of evil. How many relationships have been destroyed because of criticism that spiraled out of control? How many friendships have broken down because of a word spoken thoughtlessly or in anger? A harsh word cannot be taken back; no apology can fully repair its damage. People are rebels and are in conflict with every other rebel.
The deepest problems of the human race are spiritual in nature and the Bible declares that the “whole world is a prisoner of sin” (Galatians 3:22, 1984 NIV). They are rooted in man’s refusal to seek God’s way. The problem is sin in the human heart, which God alone can change. Sin is the great “clogger,” and the blood of Christ is the great cleanser. “The blood of Jesus Christ [God’s] Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). There is no need to be crippled any longer by sin — because God has provided the cure.
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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)