Promise for Today - Setting the Guard

"Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way."
James 3:2 NLT

"And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 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!"
James 3:6-10 NLT

"Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips."
Psalm 141:3 NKJV

Has your mouth ever gotten you in trouble? Have you ever said something you wish you hadn't said? So the question is, if we didn't "mean" it, then why did we say it? The sad truth is we can't unsay it. We can't unspeak the words.

So, are we encouraged that King David - a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22) - asked God to set a guard over his mouth, or are we disheartened because all these centuries later, we still wrestle with the same issue?

Jesus tells us in Luke 6 that it's out of the abundance of our heart that we speak. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to, "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life."

Instead of telling God all about a problem, let's go to the Word of God, find out what HE has to say about that particular problem, then speak/pray HIS Truth over our lives.

Prayer:

Father,
             "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips." In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen

A Replay - Oh, that Tongue!

 Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.

James 3:2 NLT

And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 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!
James 3:6-10 NLT

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips.

Psalm 141:3 NKJV

So, are we encouraged that King David - a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22) - asked God to set a guard over his mouth, or are we disheartened because all these centuries later, we still wrestle with this same issue? 

Has your mouth ever gotten you in trouble? Have you ever said something you wish you hadn't said? And if we didn't "mean" it, then why do we say it? The sad truth is we can't un-say it. We can't un-speak the words. 

Jesus tells us in Luke 6 that it's out of the abundance of our heart that we speak.  Proverbs 4:23 tells us to, Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Instead of telling God all about a problem, let's go to the Word of God, find out what HE has to say about that particular problem, then speak and pray HIS Truth over our lives.

Prayer:

Father,

           Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen

Words to Remember

Your own soul is nourished when you are kind; it is destroyed when you are cruel.
Proverbs 11:17 TLB

Kind words are like honey - sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.
Proverbs 16:24 NLT

Words satisfy the mind as much as fruit does the stomach; good talk is as gratifying as a good harvest. Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.
Proverbs 18:20-21 The Message

My son's friend lost his mother recently and today, he had his first birthday without her. She and I had many conversations about boys when ours were in high school. And as I remembered those times today, I wondered what he was remembering about her. 

It got me thinking about the legacy of words we leave behind. Are there words that have been spoken that need to be forgiven? Words that should be held rather than hurled in anger? Ways of speaking that we need to change?  Tones to be softened? If death and life are in the power of the tongue - are we murderers or lifesavers?

Prayer:

Father,

           We pray as David prayed, Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. According to Your Word, let everything we say be good and helpful, so that our words will be an encouragement to those who hear them, and minister Grace. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Impossible?

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
Proverbs 16:32 NKJV

Who do you think of as the most powerful man or woman in the world?

People’s thoughts generally turn to world leaders or the wealthiest, and the responses are almost as varied as the number of people you ask. However, according to Scripture, it’s the one who in his weakness finds his strength in an unseen (by the world) God or the one who rules his own spirit or the one who controls his tongue.

Doesn’t that seem simple enough to do? The Truth is - apart from God, it's impossible.

Prayer:

Father,

          We submit our will to Yours. We want to live Your will for our lives. Help us, Lord. By Your Grace, cause us to be mighty for You. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen