The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking; the mouth of the wicked overflows with evil words.
Our words are powerful. I have heard since I was a kid that we need to "think before we speak", but I haven't always lived by that policy. Therefore, my mouth has gotten me in trouble. If this is confession, I need to say that my mouth has gotten me in trouble many times.
The last couple of days I have been watching my words since God brought to my attention some truth of Scripture as well as how often my words don't follow what God says and how He leads. His words build up and add good things to life and bring healing. My words too often cut and hurt people. I desire that my words be His words.
Think with me.
for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what needs to be said.
When you don't know what to say, let the Holy Spirit give you the words. That is a promise from the Bible. How do we do that? Watch our words. Let our words be few and ask God to guard our mouths and what comes out of them. When you are afraid, let God speak.
So, the first thing we need to learn is to let God tell us what to say before we open our mouths.
And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.
Those were words that Jesus shared. Often Jesus said that He did nothing and said nothing unless the Father told Him what to say and what to do. There is a great example for us. No, we will not be perfect. But we can follow Jesus' example. The closer we get to God, the more time we spend with God, the more of the Bible we think about and ingest, the more our words will be His words.
Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. "What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?" it asked Balaam.
Balaam is a good case study for us. Have you ever read where God used a donkey to speak some sense into his owner. Here is the story. You have to step back and laugh, but it is incredible. Often we don't listen to God, but we might listen if our dog or the frog in yard was to speak to us. God is constantly speaking, and we must be constantly listening and following.
And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!
Our words can bring healing or hurt. They can cause division or bring peace. They can offer grace or they can be gross. The power of what we say is big. Maybe we need to step back and record what we say. Listen to yourself. Are you or am I using my words carelessly? Am I like the "little boy who cried wolf" all the time?
Lets use our words and our lives to let God be seen and to help others follow God. The power of what we say goes far beyond what we really understand.
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