Our Words

"Lord, I know You hear every word that comes out of my mouth.  Please help me to always think before I speak."

It is sad to think of some of the things that come from our mouths.  We all have a desire to express ourselves through words, but what words are we using?  Try an experiment.  Start your day and make a conscious effort to not say anything that "isn't positive" about another person.  As you are doing this, listen and see how many times you hear others saying things that if it were about you, it would hurt.  Are our words encouraging or critical, truthful or fabricated, gossipy or good?  The bad things about words is they slip off our tongues and then it is too late.  We aren't able to take them back.  Let's stop and reflect on our words!

"I said, I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth while in the presence of the wicked."  Psalm 15:1-3  How many of us need a muzzle?  We all have enough challenges in our day to day to have to also fight cruelty from another's tongue.  Why do you think people feel the need to say hurtful things about others?  First of all we all have a sin nature - it just is our first reaction.  We have to actually make a serious effort to not do it.  Also, most of us grew up hearing people in our families talking about others so we think it is OK.  We mimic our families.  Try today to break the cycle.  Then there's the idea of knowing something others might not know.  We want to be the first to share it - even if it is bad.  "Kind words heal and help; cutting words wound and maim."  Proverbs 15:4  A trap I have a tendency to fall in is when someone else starts the gossip, it feels more natural to jump in than to sit in silence.  Then we have gossip as a result of trying to elevate ourselves.  There's nothing that makes you feel better about yourself than pointing out another person's faults.  Instead of attacking one another's faults, God calls us to build others up.  "The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary."  Isaiah 50:4  It has been said fighting is essentially a masculine idea and a woman's weapon is her tongue.  Are we using ours to hurt others?    

The Bible gives us great guidance when it comes to our words.  "He who guards his mouth and his tongue, guards his soul from troubles."  Proverbs 21:23  "The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing."  Proverbs 12:18  "If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless."  James 1:26 "The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.  It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one's life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell."  James 3:6  "No one can tame the tongue.  It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison.  Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God.  And so blessings and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth.  Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!  James 3: 8-10 (You can always count on James' words to give a good spanking)  "Lord, who may enter your Holy Tent?  Who may live on your holy mountain?  Only those who are innocent and who do what is right.  Such people speak the truth from their hearts and do not tell lies about others.  They do no wrong to their neighbors and do not gossip."  Psalm 15:1-3