Meditation and Mouth Connection

David prayed that God would guide and sanctify his mouth (words) and heart (thoughts/attitude) so that they would be acceptable and pleasing to Him. I, too, constantly need the Lord's help to keep my heart, mind, and words pure and right. That's why I include Psalm 19:14 in my daily prayer.

"The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress and my Deliverer; my God is my Rock, in whom I take refuge, my Shield and the Horn of my Salvation, my Stronghold." (Psalm 18:2) The Lord is my Rock on which I stand, build my life, and rely. He gives me strength to resist the Enemy and temptations. The Lord is my Redeemer Who delivers me from death, self/flesh, and the bondage of sin.

This prayer (Psalm 19:14) demonstrates the important connection between the words of our mouth and the meditation of our heart. Our thoughts influence our words, our actions, our character...our life. What fills our heart and mind will spill out in words through our mouth. To speak right, we must first think right (have the right kind of thought). We must choose wisely what we fill our mind with. With the Holy Spirit living inside us, guiding us, helping us, empowering us, we are able to take our thought captive & make it obedient to Christ, and choose to dwell on things which are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). 

Meditation in eastern religions is about emptying one's mind but meditation in the Bible is about filling one's mind with God's Word. It is profitable/nourishing to our soul to meditate on God's Word which helps us to know God more. His heart, attributes, and will are revealed in His Word. The more we meditate on God's Word, the more we think God's thoughts. God uses His Word to renew our mind and transform our hearts. Meditating on the Scriptures takes time. We don't read the Bible just so that we can check off a to-do item on our list. We need to saturate our mind with God's Word. Fill your mind with God's truths by studying and memorizing Bible verses. We must fix our eyes on God's ways so that we won't be wandering off the narrow path, be led astray, or be troubled by the worries of this world.

What we choose to dwell on will affect who we are, how we talk, what we say, what we do, how we respond, and how we react. "A man is what he thinks about all day long." (Ralph Waldo Emerson) Be aware that there is a battle going on in our mind. By choosing to occupy our mind with God's Word, we can prevent Satan from attacking our mind with lies, deception, anxious thoughts, destructive thoughts, sinful thoughts. Sin begins in the mind and so does godliness. The saying "garbage in, garbage out" is true. So many things can pollute our mind and in turn corrupt talk comes out of our mouth. May we choose God's Word in, God's Word out, instead!

Choose and use your words wisely! What we say matters! Words reveal the condition of our heart, mind, and character. Our words carry implications and profound effects. Words can ruin or strengthen marriages, careers, families, friendships, reputations, etc. We must strive to control our tongue. Avoid godless chatter and quarreling (2 Timothy 2:14, 16). Do not gossip. Do not lie. Do not boast. Do not use profanity. "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." (Ephesians 4:29) Speak the truth in love and with grace, respect, and gentleness. Let us examine whether our words honor and glorify our Lord!

"When I want to speak...let me think first:

-Is it true?
-Is it kind?
-Is it necessary?

If not, let it be left unsaid." (Babcock) 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word that renews my mind, encourages my heart, revives my soul, and transforms my life! Please help me meditate on Who You are and on Your truths each and every day. Please purify my heart and mind to be like Christ's. Please help my mind and my mouth to focus on what is pleasing and honoring to You. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.