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Verse:A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calls for blows. —Proverbs 18:6
How many times has your mouth landed you in trouble? Not what you put into your mouth, but what comes out of your mouth.
The words you use. It is easy to speak without thinking, to vent your frustrations, and to say exactly what you’re thinking in a given moment, but doing so frequently ends in regret.
A few small words can create major problems.
The Bible speaks a lot about the potential the tongue has to create strife. Your tongue can get you into a lot of trouble. James wrote, Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.
Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.
Even so, the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity (James 3:3–6). It takes only a moment of time to say something critical, cutting, angry, or condemning, and once words are spoken, they can’t be unsaid.
God was gracious in giving each person the capacity to remember, but after you’ve said something you regret, you might wish the person you spoke to would forget your ill-chosen words. Many people can easily remember cruel or hurtful words that were spoken to them years, even decades, ago. When you’re tempted to say something harsh or unkind, it’s often better not to say anything at all.
Of course, that can be a real challenge.
But remember that if Jesus has your heart, He’ll also have your tongue. Cultivate the habit of asking God to guide your words, to touch your heart in such a way that what comes out of your mouth will be representative of Jesus.
When God’s Word gets into your mind, His words will come out of your mouth.