Think Before Speaking

“Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.” ‭‭James‬ ‭3:9-12‬ ‭NLT‬‬
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We cannot praise God with our lips one moment and turn around the next and curse our fellow man. We cannot curse like a sailor one moment and say "Praise the Lord" the next. We must recognize the connection between our heart and tongue. Jesus said it like this: "You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭12:34‬ ‭NLT‬‬ He also quoted Isaiah 29:13 when He said: "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭15:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬ How can we proclaim to know and love Jesus and use our tongue to gossip, tell dirty jokes, lie, say foul language, etc.? As believers, we must allow the Holy Spirit to arrest our tongue and put a bridle on it. We must think before speaking and ask the Holy Spirit to help us say the right things. Are we not representatives of our Lord Jesus Christ? How would He talk? What would He say? We cannot profess one thing and live another? We must strive to please our Lord in everything we do, even our words. This includes our attitude. I have known some people that grumble and complain habitually. Frankly, these people got under my skin. I love them, but their whole attitude created an atmosphere and environment that bred negativity and darkness. Are you one of those people? When you walk into a room, are others lifted by your presence or are they stressed and cast down? We must harness our tongues for the glory of God and the good of our fellow brothers and sisters. Pray this prayer today: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭19:14‬ ‭NLT‬‬