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Shut and Lock the Front Door

Through the years, I have tried hard to make strides in avoiding my natural tendency to engage my mouth before I engage my brain.  The age old adage of "Think before you speak" comes easier for some than others.  I know people who can't seem to get one foot out of their mouth before their other foot is making its entrance!

As hard as I've worked on watching what I say, I still have momentary lapses in judgement.  There are times when I speak harshly to my kids or husband, or pass on that juicy bit of gossip to a friend (in the form of a prayer concern, of course!), or even let a word slip out that I'd never utter within the four walls of the church house!

The book of James uses some beautiful word pictures to describe this feat of taming this tiny part of our body.  In chapter three, he likens our tongue to a spark that can cause an enormous fire and vast amounts of damage.  We've all seen that, haven't we? 
  • Words spoken in anger that can never be forgotten
  • Secrets divulged and confidentiality betrayed
  • Lies that deeply hurt your loved ones once the truth is revealed
Those sparks that fly out of our mouths can be downright destructive.  As bad as the guilt might hurt when you are the one who has produced the sparks, the biggest hurt is felt by the victims of the blazing fire that was caused by our untamed tongue.

So, what can we do to deny our tongue the right to cause such widespread damage?

David gives us some proactive advice and paints another clear picture of how serious of a matter this is.  In his hundred and forty-first psalm, we see him crying out to God in a desire to avoid being ensnared by the evils of the world.  Essentially, he's asking God to help him make good choices in his words and his deeds. 

Listen to his heart:

O Lord, I call to you; come quickly to me.
Hear my voice when I call to you.
May my prayer be set before you like incense;
may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. 
Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil,
Take no part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers;
let me not eat of their delicacies. 
Psalm 141:1-4

Notice how he describes our lips like doors.  If we'll all be honest, there have been many times that the doors have flown opened and evil has come out.  David wants to avoid this behavior so badly that he requests God to place a guard over his mouth.

What do guards do? 

They only allow that which is approved to pass through the doors.

How many times have unapproved words passed through the doors of our mouths -- words that we didn't let process in our brains, let alone our hearts?

There are times when the doors to our mouths need to not only remain shut, but we might need to even lock them up for a while.

Friends, do you need to make David's prayer your own prayer?  Take some time right now to re-read the scripture passage above, but read it in light of your own personal need for God to place a guard over your the doors of your own mouth.  Then strive for all of the words that pass through those doors to be pleasing and acceptable in His sight and to the ears that hear them.

You're not alone.  I'm praying this prayer right this moment.

Comments

  1. Thank you for today. Our words are powerful. We should only use them to bless and encourage. I pray thay God will be glorified in my life and I pray that I will guard my tongue. I am also praying this prayer right now. Help me and search me oh God that you will guard my mouth from hurting others.

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