Think Right, Speak Right

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. Think God's thoughts. We need to saturate our mind with God's Word. Fill your mind with God's truths (memorize Bible verses). "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14). This prayer demonstrates the important connection between the words of our mouth and the meditation of our heart (reflection/thought). I include Psalm 19:14 in my prayer before I get out of bed everyday.

What we choose to dwell on will affect who we are, how talk, 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 godly thoughts, 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 spiritual battle, the loss or the victory, is always in the thought-world." (Francis Schaeffer) 
"If the heart be full of sinful thoughts, there is no room for holy and heavenly thoughts. If the heart be full of holy and heavenly thoughts by meditation, there is no room for evil and sinful thoughts." (William Bridge)
"Good thoughts bear good fruit, bad thoughts bear bad fruit--and man is his own gardener." (James Allen)
"One who accustoms himself to think of pure and holy things, who sets his affections on things above, and strives to reach for things which are true, things which are honorable, things which are lovely--will grow heavenward toward the things which he loves and thinks upon. 
But one who lets his mind turn habitually . . .
  to debasing things,
  to unholy things,
  to impure things, 
  to earthly things--will find his whole soul bending downward, and growing sinful, corrupt, and evil." (J.R. Miller) 

Philippians 4:8 is a great guideline to help us decide what to read, what to watch, and what to listen to. We must be vigilant about what we allow to enter our mind and our children's mind. 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!

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.

Be Mindful of What Come Out of Your Mouth

The dictionary defines "unwholesome" as unhealthy, harmful to physical health, mental health, or moral well-being. "Unwholesome" comes from the Greek word "sapros" which means rotten, corrupt, foul, putrid, useless, and worthless. Unwholesome words that come out of our mouths can cause so much damage and discredit our testimony. Therefore, profanity, obscenity, lies, gossips, insults, slander, mockery, careless words, and hurtful words must not come out of a Christian's mouth. Instead, we are to speak only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs so that it may benefit those who listen. Are you prone to grumble, complain, criticize, argue, and/or blame others? These are not helpful. Our words should be edifying, encouraging, truthful, loving, kind, respectful, and gracious. Be sensitive to the needs of others. What does your listener need? Words of comfort, of hope, of appreciation, of loving correction,...? Choose what is appropriate. Ephesians 4:29 is a verse that would benefit in all relationships if we would apply it consistently. We cannot achieve this by our own strength. Our heart and mind must be filled with the Holy Spirit and with God's Word. "Remember what comes out is related to what goes in -- G.I.G.O.: garbage in, garbage out OR God's word IN, God's word OUT." (Charles Spurgeon)

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the gift of words for communication! Please fill my heart with Your Holy Spirit and help me keep filling my mind with Your Word everyday. Please empower me to think before I speak, to discern what others' needs are, and please give me the right words to meet those needs. May my words bless others and honor You always! In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.
"Lord, set a watch upon my lips,
My tongue control today;
Help me evaluate each thought
And guard each word I say."
(Hess)

"Use words of kindness, filled with love,
That heal and nourish life
Instead of hurling angry words
That wound and stir up strife." (Sper)

"A careless word may kindle strife.
A cruel word may wreck a life.
A bitter word may hate instill;
A brutal word may smite and kill.
A gracious word may smooth the way;
A joyous word may light the day.
A timely word may lessen stress;
A loving word may heal and bless."
(Unknown)

A young lady once said to John Wesley, “I think I know what my talent is. It’s to speak my mind.” Wesley quipped, “I don’t think God would mind if you bury that talent.” :)

Blessing vs. Cursing

"With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so." (James 3:9-10 NKJV)


When you curse human beings who have been made in God's likeness, you dishonor God, their Creator. Christians ought not to allow cursing (swearing, profanity, words that express great hatred or anger) come out of the same mouth that gives praises to God. We cannot pretend that our life is on the right track if we continue to praise and curse with the same tongue. The inconsistency of our tongue will discredit/hinder our testimony. Words matter; they reveal what's in our hearts. Though small, the tongue can cause great damage. Our words can be used either constructively or destructively. Sadly, there are so many ways we sin with our tongue; therefore, it's very important to constantly guard our tongue. We must bring our tongue under the control of the Holy Spirit and ask Him to make it an instrument of praise, worship, thanksgiving, and blessing. Choose to bless, heal, inspire, instruct, encourage, build others up with your words. You may have devotions everyday, lead a Bible study, go to church every week, but how do you speak to your family, coworkers, neighbors, and enemies? How do you react (exclaim) when people cut you off on the road?

Prayer: Abba Father, please forgive me for the sins I have committed with my tongue. Please fill my heart with Your Holy Spirit and may the fruit of the Spirit overflow into my words and actions. Please empower me to speak grace, wisdom, life, and blessings into the lives of others. May my tongue be used only for good and for Your glory! In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.

Control Your Tongue

People can tame all kinds of wild animals yet cannot tame their tongue. The tongue is out-of-control, unruly, wild, evil, full of deadly poison! All sorts of evil such as envy, pride, greed, deceit, hatred, idolatry, blasphemy, etc. find their expression through the tongue. The tongue is a primary cause of difficulties and failures as we walk through our daily life. It's definitely a struggle for all of us (more so in some people like me :)). We can't tame our tongue but God can! We need to pray for God's help and we must think before we speak ("slow to speak"). With God's help, we must strive to control our tongue.

"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)

The tongue is truly powerful. It can be used for good or for evil. Relationships are built up or destroyed by what we say. Mean words, careless words, and/or untrue words have wrecked many families, divided the Body of Christ, and led many people to shame and despair. We should look for opportunities to encourage, edify, and bless one another with our words. Speak the truth in love with grace, respect, kindness, and gentleness. Quit complaining, criticizing, cursing, cussing, boasting, lying, exaggerating, insulting, yelling (in anger), nagging, manipulating, gossiping, slandering, and hurting others with words. In our families, let's speak loving words of encouragement, appreciation, and affection to our husband and children. Words are powerful tools that can be used to build people up or tear people down. Let's use them wisely and for God's glory! May we implore the Holy Spirit to be our "Tongue Tamer" and may we be obedient and cooperate!

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, You know how much I struggle with my tongue/words. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I can speak kind and loving words to all. Please give me patience, grace, humility, gentleness, and thoughtfulness to bless others and show Your love with my words even when the kindness is not appreciated and/or not returned. Please grant me wisdom to know when to speak and when to keep silent. When I'm upset or frustrated, please enable me to hold my tongue and not say anything that I will regret later. Please help me speak only words that edify and encourage others, bring hope and healing, promote peace and unity, and glorify Your Name. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.
"When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who hold his tongue is wise." (Proverbs 10:19)
"He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin." (Proverbs 13:3)
"The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly." (Proverbs 15:2)
"He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity." (Proverbs 21:23)
"One of the first things which a physician says to his patient is, 'Let me see your tongue.' A spiritual advisor might do the same." (N. Adams)
"When anger spreads through the breast, guard your tongue from barking idly." (Sappho)
"Sometimes you can make a more effective statement by holding your tongue." (Unknown)
"Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment." (Benjamin Franklin)

I made up an acrostic to help myself remember how my speech should be... 
Gentle and gracious  (Philippians 4:5, Proverbs 22:11)
Respectful                (1 Peter 2:17)
Encouraging             (Hebrews 3:13)
Appropriate              (Ephesians 4:29)
Truthful                    (Ephesians 4:15, 4:25)
Have a "G.R.E.A.T." talk today and everyday :)!

The Mouth Speaks What the Heart is Full of

"The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart--and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart, his mouth speaks!" (Luke 6:45)

Our words (and actions) reveal the condition of our heart and our character. What comes out of our mouth is, in fact, a heart issue. A kind heart produces kind words. A loving heart produces gracious words. A critical heart produces critical words. An ungrateful heart produces grumbling words.  Angry, harsh words come out of a heart that is full of anger but lacks self-control. Mean, rude, & disrespectful words, lies, gossips, blasphemy, slanders, cursing, cussing are all issues of the heart.

"The heart is the fountain, words are the streams." (Matthew Henry)
A pure fountain will produce pleasant streams while a polluted fountain will produce unpleasant streams. 

"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) 

"Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place--but rather thanksgiving." (Ephesians 5:4)

Prayer: Lord, please purify my heart and mind. Please get rid of anything that is evil and selfish. Please fill my heart with Your truths and love by the power of Your Holy Spirit and make my words reflect grace, mercy, goodness, kindness, gentleness, wisdom, faith, hope, and love.

Tongue's Power

"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." (Proverbs 18:21)

Never underestimate the power of our tongue (our spoken words)! The tongue has the power of life and death spiritually, physically, and emotionally.

Spiritually-- "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:33-37) We are held accountable to our words. This is a great reminder for us to think before we speak. Words of the Gospel bring life spiritually. We are commanded to spread the gospel and "teach them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:20a). Words of false teaching and lies from Satan can cause death spiritually. I'm saddened to see so many people, including some "Christians", fall prey to lies and deception that turn them away from Biblical truths. The enemy is often at work through people's conversation to cause others to doubt God, to twist God's Word, and/or to stumble away from God's will. Even Peter was rebuked by Jesus when his words were influenced by Satan (see Matthew 16:23).

Physically-- Words lead to action, good and bad. A judge's words can cause a person to live or to be executed. A doctor's advice and instruction can save lives. A counselor's words can spare the life of a suicidal person. On the other hand, words of argument, insult, and/or hatred can lead to retaliation, violence, and murders.

Emotionally-- Words can heal or hurt. Words can encourage or discourage. Words can promote peace or stir up conflict. Words can mend or destroy relationships.

The tongue is an instrument that can be used for good or evil. Choose and use your words wisely! What we say matters! 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. Those who love to speak/talk must bear in mind that they shall reap its fruit, whether good or bad, sweet or bitter, life or death. May we choose words that bear good & sweet fruit of life!

"The lips of the righteous nourish many." (Proverbs 10:21)

Prayer: Abba Father, please forgive me when my words are not kind, gracious, appropriate, considerate, or respectful. Please give me the right words at just the right time so that they can meet the needs of others and build others up. Please help my conversation be always full of grace. Please help words that come out of my mouth be loving, edifying, encouraging, and bring glory & honor to You. "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14) In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.