Put Out the Fire - Proverbs 26-27

 Proverbs 26:20-22 (NASBStr)

For lack of wood the fire goes out,

And where there is no whisperer, contention quiets down.

 Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,

So is a contentious man to kindle strife.

 The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels,

And they go down into the innermost parts of the body.

I am not much of a woodsmen.  I don't think I could start a good fire with gas and a match.   But, I do know what Solomon is talking about in the above set of proverbs.  The fire he is talking about does not keep you warm and make you feel good.  The fire he is talking about is the friction that is caused by people using words in the wrong way to stir-up strife.  When we use words and speech we have an opportunity to bring peace or create havoc.   We can, and should, use our words to bring healing and to move the gospel forward.   In Romans 10 we read about the beauty of those who bring good tidings of the gospel through their speech.   In the above proverb we see what happens when the opposite is true.  When we use our tongue to gossip, kindle strife and whisper about others, we cause contention.   James says our words can be the little match that causes a great fire.   

James 3:5-6 (ESV)

So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.

Only Christ can enable us to control our speech.  That is what the Spirit does when He gives us "self-control" (see the fruit of the Spirit).   Not only does He give us self-control, He gives us:

Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

When people use their words in the wrong way they don't always sound "wrong."  In fact, according to Solomon in the above, they go down like "dainty morsels."   Yet, they cause destruction in the body.   We can use words for good or for evil.