Peter’s Instructions: Part Three

Everyone wants to love life and see good days—but people have very different ideas about how to get there. Some chase comfort. Some chase control. Some chase affirmation. Others have grown so frustrated by life that they assume good days are rare or reserved for someone else.

Peter tells us otherwise.

According to Scripture, loving life and seeing good days is not accidental. It is connected directly to how we use our tongues and our lips. It is absolutely possible to see good days—even in a broken world—but not if our speech is fueled by the flesh.

Peter did not write this from a place of ignorance. He spoke from experience. He had watched careless words do real damage—denials, outbursts, rash promises. Somewhere along the way, he learned that bitter speech, railing, and half-truths can sabotage a blessed and peaceful life.

The root problem is sinful pride. When our flesh feels offended or threatened, it demands expression. That pressure vents through words. A small irritation, a favorite pet peeve, or an enemy’s action can stoke a furnace inside us—and once it reaches our lips, the damage is done.

That’s why Peter includes deceit, or guile. Not just obvious lies, but twisted words, sarcasm meant to wound, exaggerations that paint us as victims, and selective truth designed to win sympathy or control a narrative. Deceptive speech may feel justified, but it poisons joy and fractures peace.

Peter’s instruction is clear: refrain. Arrest the tongue. Guard and even “zip the lips”. Better to say nothing and be counted a fool than to open the mouth and remove all doubt.

Even better—redirect your speech. Open your lips to God instead of railing against people who don’t care anyway. Politicians aren’t moved by your bitterness. Neither are slow drivers, bosses, lawn weeds, drafty houses, or power outages. They may stoke the furnace, but you don’t have to feed it. It’s YOUR furnace, YOU control what feeds your emotions.

Throw water on it before it reaches your lips.

Pray instead. Pause instead.

I promise—you’ll see better days.
And you’ll love life a whole lot more.