Speak Life

...in all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct thy path.  Proverbs 3:6

While I have gotten better about asking God about the major decisions in my life, there is one area that He is still working on...my mouth.  The words that I speak in the heat of the moment sometimes do not reflect that of a child of God.  I make a lot of excuses for the things that I say.  The main one is that I am defending myself against someone that has hurt me.  Regardless of the reason for what I say, I know in my heart that I should not have said it.  It amazes me how quickly the Holy Spirit helps point that out to me. 

Proverbs 13:3 says, 'He who guards his mouth preserves if life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction'. 

A new idea popped into my head...what if I decided not to say the very first thing that popped into my head.  What if instead I prayed and asked God what would He have me to say.  I can only imagine how different my life would be.  I can only imagine the burden that would be lifted off my shoulders knowing that the words that I say speak life and not death.  The words that I speak have the power to heal and not hurt.  How quickly arguments would be diffused.  How much easier it would be to forgive.  Truth of the matter is that words hurt.  It doesn't matter if they are said in the heat of the moment.  Words hurt sometimes more than physical pain. Why?  Because it's hard to forget what someone says to you.  Words infect your mind and damage your heart.  How many times have you sat at work or at home and repeated an argument over and over in your head. We are not sitting there asking God to help us to forgive the person who might have said those things.  Instead we are sitting there thinking about what we are going to say that is even more hateful when we get home.   I am not even going to go into the negative things we say about other people.  But I will say this...we are going to have to give an account for every word. 

Now I would have to admit that I am not one of those people who believes that you can just speak it and it will come to pass.  But I do believe that if you hear more positive than negative things, you will believe more positive things about yourself than negative things.  I also try my best to instill the same principles in my children.  No matter how much my son frustrates me when he doesn't work up to his potential, I don't call him stupid.  Instead I tell him how intelligent he is and how he has it in him to become anything he wants to become.  I believe that if I call him stupid then he will start behaving that way.  What reason would he have to do any better?  That is why it is important to feel our mind with truth.  What does God have to say about me?  Yet another reason to stay in the Word.  As much as I would like to think that everyone I come in contact with is going to be nice to me, however I am a realist and I know that is not the case.  So I must search the scriptures and see what the Bible has to say about me.  The verse that stuck out the most to me was that II Corinthians 5:17, 'I am a new creature in Christ Jesus'.  For me that said it all.  Whatever label you may try to put on me doesn't matter.  The things I might have done in the past don't matter.  I've been washed in the blood of the lamb. Old things are passed away, behold all things have become new.  And because God has done this for me, who am I to say negative things about my brother or my sister.  Who am I to repay evil for evil?  I must begin today to acknowledge Him in all my ways, including the words I speak.  I need Him to direct my path. 

Most Gracious Heavenly Father, 

Creator of all things new, I give You praise.  Lord I come to You asking You to bridle my tongue. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight.  Help me to speak life and not death, to build up and not to tear down.  Forgive me for the hurtful things that I have said in anger.  Help me to see myself the way You see me.  I want to speak words inspired by you.  In Jesus' Wonderful Name I pray Amen.