Be Slow To Speak

Father God, we humble ourselves before your mighty throne and honor your holy name. We thank you for your presence in our life. Lord, we know our tongue can enslave our minds and damage our hearts if we allow it. We repent from thoughtless actions that may harm others. We regret words spoken in anger and gossip. Please help us hold our tongue when we are about to speak without thinking. Lord, help us be slow to speak. May the words from our mouths speak with love, patience, kindness, and self-control. In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen.

There is one member of our body that can get us in a whole lot of trouble. We must be careful with words that roll off our tongues without being filtered by our hearts and censored by the brain. Most of the time, our thoughts are good thoughts for those who God calls, but it only takes a few uncensored words to cause conflict. So, we need to be innovative and feed our minds with gracious words so that what rolls off our tongue will be pleasing to the Lord. God is my witness that "death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Prov. 18:21, ESV). Do not deceive yourself, where words flow without restrictions; discord will eventually find a way into the conversation.

There is a reason the Prophet James says be quick to listen and slow to speak. The Word of God is very firm on this issue, so it is beneficial to our spirit to obey what the Word of God says. Believe me when I tell you, "When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise" (Prov. 10:19, NASB). The more we talk, the more we open the door for words to walk out and offend someone. Too many people like to think, and some often say that if the listener gets offended, it is their problem. Well, that is not what the bible teaches. The Speaker must take some responsibility for what they say. That is why the bible says things like: be slow to speak, he who restrains his lips is wise, and you must accept the consequences of your words. Do not be deceived; the words that come out of your mouth are your responsibility. Be careful not to spit out offensive words because you cannot take them back. A tongue out of control can quickly turn on the owner and become the instrument of their destruction. There is scrutiny on everyone in our society, and people get upset about a minor little thing.

Practice being gracious! "What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so, you must accept the consequences of your words" (Prov. 18:21, GNT). The righteous person thinks before the tongue lashes out because they want to speak what is acceptable and appropriate to God and does no harm to their fellow human beings. However, the ungodly blurt out anything that comes to mind, not caring who they hurt because the main goal is to take control of the conversation and be the center of attention. A foolish person lays a trap for himself with the words he continuously fails to rebuke before they leave his mouth. "Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin" (Prov. 13:3, NIV). We all have two ears and one mouth, so one would think that common sense would tell us to take the opportunity to listen more than we talk. We find that this is not true! So, understand that a person who gains knowledge and turns it into wisdom can filter the words from the mouth. We have witnesses who know that the brain can think frivolous thoughts, so they advise us not to say everything that comes to mind. Add self-control to your faith. Do not believe that false doctrine that you cannot control your tongue.

The Truth is, we can control what comes out of our mouths. If we were unable to control our tongue, the Word of God would not say it is possible. It takes discipline, so read the Word. "It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age" (Titus 2:12, NIV). Follow God's Word. Even the world sees the advantage of few words. Take the Nike commercial that says, "Just say, NO"! How hard is that for someone walking with the Way and in the Truth to say "NO" or, better yet, say "YES" to what is righteous!

• No, I will not listen to obscenities, foolish talk, or crude jokes

• Yes, I will make every effort to ensure my words are helpful

• No, I will not use foul or abusive language