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"WARRING WITH WORDS" "Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out:" (Proverbs 26:20a)How do we take criticism? Do we defend ourselves, return tit for tat, and release all the mean thoughts we have ever thought of about the other person? Or do we softly and calmly say, “Brother, I’m glad you don’t know me better, because if you did, you’d have a lot more to criticize.” A reply like this has put out many fires.Let's say that two men are quarreling. One delivers an angry blast and the other answers with a sharp reply. One charges heatedly and the other counters with equal vehemence. Neither is willing to stop because their silence may be counted as weakness or defeat. And so, the words increase in intensity and remarks of hate flow back and forth.Now, let's change the picture. A man yells at his opponent but receives no fire in return. He tries to aggravate, irritate, slander, and shame, but the other man refuses to join the Battle Royal. Finally, the first man realizes he's wasting his time, so he walks off mumbling and grumbling. The fire went out because the second fella refused to add the fuel of words to it.I would imagine that most of us have received a private message or two at some point in an attempt to blast us off the face of the earth. The natural reaction for us at that moment would have been to rev up our minds in revenge and deliver a stinging reply. This fuels the fire in a war of words and pretty soon poison private messages are being sent back and forth on our computers. How much better to write back and simply reply, “Dear friend, if you want to fight someone, please fight the devil.”Folks, life is too short to be spent in quarreling, or in heated words. These things get us off track from doing the will of God, lower our spiritual relationship, and ruin our testimony. Others may carry the torch with which to deliberately start a fire, but we can control the fuel.Friends, when we refuse to add fuel to the fire, the fire goes out. Likewise, when we refuse to add angry words to a conversation, the war ceases. Deep down, we know this to be true, don't we? For we have read them before on a thread concerning someone's post.