How many times have you let something slip out of your mouth and then instantly regretted it? It happens more often than I’d like it to and I have been praying a lot about it.

I’m not just talking about profanity but sometimes hurtful things or not-so-nice comments. Sometimes we can get a little carried away with gossip and say a little too much or sometimes we can get a little smart in the mouth… it might seem funny in the moment but it really isn’t always the best way we could’ve handled a situation.

Our tongues can cause more damage than we can possibly imagine. They can damage hearts so deeply that it may take years to mend. We need to make sure that we are using our tongues for good as they can quickly help to build relationships, self-esteem, and encourage others.

I have to search my heart on a continual basis as whatever comes out of my mouth is probably something that was hidden in my heart… sometimes I didn’t even realize it was there. I know that I have so many little people watching me and listening to my words. They are learning how to communicate with others and I want to make sure that they learn how to convey their feelings and ideas thoughtfully and respectfully.

We need to keep a careful check on our tongues and not let the Devil get control of them. Once he gets ahold of our tongues he can wreak all kinds of havoc. Some may find it to be charming, may think that we are super witty, or they may just not want to be around us. They may fear what we may say to them or what we might say about them. The Devil loves to use others to complete his missions and if we aren’t careful then he will be using us without us even seeing it.

Just take a minute and think about what you have been saying lately. Has it been encouraging to others? Has it been something that really needed to be said? (Sometimes we DO have to say hard things but we don’t have to be mean about it. Have we been encouraging others with our words? Have we been gossiping or slandering others? Have we only used our words to express our anger or hurt?

We also need to check our social media habits… they might not be spoken words but they can hurt just as bad. I know that I often read posts to myself so the words have become spoken and they can hurt just as bad as if the person had said them to me personally.

Let’s put out those fires of chaos and set our tongues on fire with the HOLY SPIRIT! Take the reins back from the Devil and hand them over to GOD! ASK HIM to guard our hearts and our mouths. ASK HIM to guide us as we communicate with others so that we are showing others HIS LOVE with EVERYTHING we do or say.

We aren’t PERFECT so we just need to ask for FORGIVENESS for the things we have done and we need to try to do better starting right NOW. We need to ask GOD to filter our words and thoughts. We need to know that we don’t have to comment on everything we see or hear, we don’t always have to add our 2 cents in, and we definitely don’t need to always have the last word.

We also need to make sure that we are correcting these behaviors in our children so they don’t become habits. Don’t let them say anything that could be corrupting to themselves or others. We all need to learn to build others up with their words.

This world has enough EVIL in it and we don’t need to add to it so let’s think of things that are GOOD and PURE, things that are ENCOURAGING and UPLIFTING, things that are LOVING and KIND. If we have bad thoughts that we feel need to be expressed we can take them to God.

Just a few thoughts that have been on my mind today… God Bless!