Prepare My Tongue

Day 11

Day 11

Prepare my mouth, well that's a loaded sentence!

One day when I was in high school, I was walking home with some friends. We were laughing, joking around and trashing another girl. All of a sudden I noticed off to my right side that this  very girl, the one that I had been talking about was walking next to me! 

At that moment in all honesty, I wanted to crawl in a hole. My witness as a Christian had been compromised, basically it was killed off and I was the perpetrator. It is still painful to admit this, to say the least I was humbled. The Lord was quick to remind me that my tongue was a fire!

Thankfully, He turned it into an opportunity for me to apologize and to confess to this person that I was saying unkind things about her. Praise God that he can turn a bad situation into one that can glorify himself if we are just available and willing to own up to the sin that so easily entangles us.

The Bible tells us that our words can be
healing and convicting
encouraging and comforting
they can sing praises to the Lord and they can also curse.

So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. James 3:5-10

We are also told to be quick to listen and slow to speak, (James 1:19) that we are not to praise God and curse men with the same tongue. Our tongues can get us into a lot of trouble and we will not be prepared for what the Lord has for us until that area is controlled.

On a scale of runaway horse or caged and controlled-Where is your tongue today? Are you a runaway horse or is your tongue caged up and under control? I wish that I could say I have conquered this, but sadly I still continue to struggle with my out of control mouth. It is definitely the thorn in my side!

I challenge you before you speak,
to stop and to listen,
to wait
listen
to listen some more
and then when the time is right
to speak.

Prayer
Holy father we thank you that you know us so well that you know our frailties that you know the destruction that our tongues can cause and you know that we have a hard time controlling them. Remind us to use our mouths for you glory and for your purposes.

May you be blessed and encouraged as you watch God work through your reigned in tongue.

To see all of the posts in this series