Be Careful Little Mouth What You Say....And Think

Psalm 141:3-5 - 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, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies.  Let a righteous man strike me--it is a kindness; let him rebuke me--it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it. Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers.

 

David wrote this wonderful Psalm that reminds us to control strictly the words that come from our mouths.  He also reminds us to guard our hearts from the lustful thoughts that sometimes sneak into our mind.  Then he reminds us to count it a kindness when a Christian brother or sister rebukes us if we fall.

 

The mouth is a powerful tool of God…if it constantly speaks kindness and encouraging words to the ones God has placed around us.  Jesus spoke life into the people around him.  Any criticism he ever had of the Sadducees …Pharisees….and money changers…was paired with the words of God from the scriptures.  They were timed perfectly ….and I am sure he bathed the decisions to speak with prayer.

 

Satan can turn the positive power pf prayer into poisonous darts of hate.  He uses the unkind words we pour from our heart and mouth to tear down and destroy what God meant to be built up and encouraged.  We are warned of this again in James 3:5-6…. “ Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!  And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.

 

Jesus reminds us in Matthew 26:62-64 that there is also a time to be completely silent.  Jesus was completely silent to the charges against him…until he was placed under oath to tell whether he was the son of God.  He only spoke what was required.  I am sure that his cries of forgiveness on the cross started as silent whispers in his heart as he bore the stripes on his back.  Perhaps that is what gave him such supernatural strength to complete the task that gave all of us an opportunity to know eternal life.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder to be very careful what words and thoughts I allow in mind. Guard my thoughts of lustful things…and help me to be open to those you send to rebuke me of my wrongs.  Help me to be so positive in my thoughts that my actions become positive as well. Help me spend more time with you in prayer…especially when I am tempted to rant and vent about something that bothered me. Amen.