A Little Instrument - The Christian Online Magazine

The Christian Online Magazine -

Have you ever opened your mouth and said something and wished with all your heart you could take it back. Maybe it was something that was unintentional but it came out of your mouth, just the same. I know I have and realized there was no way to take it back. Many times it has meant an apology and other times I have wished I could apologiz

James 3: 1-12 tell us how to manage our mouth if we would but read and listen.

We can make a large horse go where we want him to go by a small bit in his mouth and a tiny rudder turns a huge ship wherever the captain wants it to go, even though the winds are strong. So, also the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark of fire can set a great forest on fire, so a small tongue is like a fire. It can turn an entire life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

People can tame birds, animals, reptiles and fish, but no one can tame a tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil, full of poison. Did you know the average American has 30 conversations per day and you’ll spend 1/5 of your life talking? In one year your conversation will fill 66 books of 800 pages a book.

A man speaks an average of 20,000 words a day. A woman speaks an average of 30,000 words a day. One man was asked the question “do you resent that your wife has the last word?” He replied no I am just glad when she gets to it!

Nothing is opened more wrongly at the wrong time, than our mouths. Like the stock boy at the grocery store. A lady asked him, Can I buy half a head of lettuce? He walked back to the manager to ask, not realizing she was walking right behind him. He said you are not going to believe what this lady asked for. Too late, he was caught. We must learn to think before we speak, engage our minds before we put our mouths in gear.

Our tongues is meant to sing praises to our God and when we have filled our mind with good things from the Bible, that which we have planted in our minds will come out when we speak, for the Word of God teaches us that “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks”. Praise God we can take that unruly tongue and cause it to work for the glory of God as well as people make it work for the enemy.

Lord helps us to know that our tongue can destroy all we have. We could lose it all in a few careless words, like a cigarette dropped can destroy an entire park. God help us and show us what direction our tongues are leading us, where each of us are headed in our lives, show us where we will be ten years from now. My tongue can destroy what I have.

Ezekiel says, get rid of your offenses you’ve committed and get a new heart and a new spirit. Those are wise words.

Psalm 141:3 Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. That is a great verse to memorize and quote quite often. God put a muzzle on my mouth, guard my lips, don’t let me be critical today, don’t let me be judgmental, don’t let me say things that I will later regret.

Ask yourself this question “What does my tongue reveal about me”? What is my confession? Is it one of negative thoughts or is it full of faith? The enemy can tell a lot about us by what we confess with our tongues. Many times we tell him just where and how to attack us. We must be careful not to let down our guard. We need the Spirit of God to lead us and guide our speech as well as the rest of our being. He can only do that as we turn that one little member of the body over to God.

Dear God, melt our hard hearts and give us a caring, loving heart. Jesus Christ take control of the rudder of our lives and guide us in the direction you want us to go. By your Spirit we can have victory, not only over our tongues but every other portion of our lives. Help us to make our tongues to bless people. Help us to use our tongue to give light and warmth rather than destruction.

Thank you God for the revelation today that we have of your mighty power and of your mighty word. Keep us as the apple of your eye. Help us to be slow to speak, that we might speak the mind of Christ. Help us to realize we can never be sure when we might be passing a chance to witness to a lost person by something we say with our tongue. Lord, make me an instrument of worship and praise.