Be careful little tongue what you say!

Psalm 59 (New International Version, ©2011)

¹² For the sins of their mouths,
   for the words of their lips,
   let them be caught in their pride.
For the curses and lies they utter,
 ¹³ consume them in your wrath,
   consume them till they are no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
   that God rules over Jacob.

The tongue is a powerful tool or a powerful weapon. I guess it depends on the user. The Bible agrees:

Proverbs 18:21 (New International Version, ©2011)

 ²¹ The tongue has the power of life and death,
   and those who love it will eat its fruit.


It may seem odd that we can sin just by what we say. The obvious is a lie, or as the ten commandments state, bearing false witness. The other is also obvious, using the name of the Lord in vain. But, these verses talk about other sins of the mouth. Don't forget about curses and words of pride in ourselves.

I have to admit I can curse when I really get mad and I like it when I am recognized for my accomplishments. When is that we cross the line between inappropriate language and stating our accomplishments, to sins of pride and cursing?

Our lies, our pride, and our cursing can be damaging to others and even damaging to God. When we cross over the line with our tongue to hurt others, we will suffer the wrath of God. Those sins will not be forgotten. We, myself included, need to guard our tongue. It can do more to damage our witness and damage the kingdom than nearly any other sin we commit. We cut other down, build ourselves up to the expense of others. We lie for many reasons. We curse!

Lord, Forgive our sins. Out sins are many. We ask your help in controlling what we say. We ask your strength and grace in our sinfulness. We love you and thank you for sacrificing your son for our sins. Praise God you loved us that much! Amen!

If you don't have anything good to say.................

Psalm 39 (New International Version, ©2010)

 ¹ I said, “I will watch my ways
   and keep my tongue from sin;
I will put a muzzle on my mouth
   while in the presence of the wicked.” ² So I remained utterly silent,
   not even saying anything good.



I am sure everyone has heard, "If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all!" Well, I didn't know it was Biblical. I sometimes need a muzzle. I don't think I'm the only one. As Christians we (meaning me) sometimes think we have an obligation to point out others sins. I would say that more often than not, when we point out others faults, it's not taken well. That's true even when we're right.

We can make more of an impact if we keep our mouth shut and just let our actions do the talking. I'm not sure why I think my actions aren't enough. Maybe it's because my actions don't always match my words. Or better yet, maybe my actions don't match GOD's WORD.

Dear Lord, Keep me from sinning, especially sinning with my tongue. I know my words can do more to hurt you than any actions I could possibly take. Forgive me when my words and actions don't match. I love you Lord and don't want to keep people from knowing you! You are an awesome God and I beg your forgiveness. Amen!