TONGUE
Psalm 34:13
Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech.
James 1:26
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless.
1 Peter 3:10
For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech."
Psalm 39:1
I said, "I will watch my ways so that I will not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle as long as the wicked are present."
Psalm 141:3
Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips.
Evil -- bad; to cause misery, to cause unhappiness; malignant, disagreeable, deadly, unclean
Deceitful -- treachery, deception, dishonesty, false, crafty
When it comes to food and drink, our tongue discerns what is good and what is bad. But it does not have the power to discern whether or not we speak bad words or good words. That decision lies within the power of our thinking and our believing.
The thoughts we think, when thought upon at length, affect the heart, the decision maker of our lives. It is the heart that determines which words roll across our tongues. Therefore, in order to maintain healthy speech, we must maintain a healthy heart. Can't do it on our own, though. We need Jesus. We need the Holy Spirit.
We need Jesus to wash away the sins that are growing in our heart. We need to acknowledge our sins before God and ask Him sincerely to forgive us. We need to repent, to turn away from these sins. We need God to forgive us, to apply the blood of Christ to our hearts as only He can. Then, and only then, do we ask for to be baptized with His Holy Spirit. Do you not know that the Holy Spirit is for every believer?
We need the Holy Spirit to guide us in God's Word to find the attitudes, behaviors, we must grab hold of and apply to our hearts that our hearts would be a reflection of God's Word. Then our tongues will speak of Him and His Truth, His grace, His love, His mercy, HIM.
Any words not spoken with grace, mercy or lovingkindness will harm another person's heart and affect them adversely. The old saying, Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me, is not always true. Words hurt. And the wounds these unsavory words cause take longer to heal than many physical wounds do.
So, Lord, please keep near to me. Guide me, Holy Spirit, through God's Living Word and speak it to my understanding. Help me to retain the knowledge I am learning that I might be a deep, deep well and not an empty cistern. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
