KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT

 

KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT

Prov. 21:23 If you keep your mouth shut, you will stay out of trouble. NLT

All of us can relate to this truth. All of us have been plagued with the “put foot in mouth disease.” We say things impulsively that get us into trouble. We say mean and hurtful things that we come to regret later. We say things that devastate and discourage others that cause some to lose focus and settle for mediocre lives instead of the life God intended for them to have. We boast about things that we should give credit to the Lord for. We disrespect others with our words instead of building them up. We open up our mouths and let all kind of damaging things come out of them.

It is far better to think before we speak. If we pause to recognize the harm that may come from what we say, we can then shut up our mouths and not say anything. If you know the Lord, you will not want to purposely say things that tear down instead of build up. You will take the high road and be quiet instead of impulsively speaking. It is not easy to do, but we all can gain better control of our tongues. We do it by first keeping our hearts right with God. It is from the heart that the mouth speaks, and if the heart is right, then we are less likely to say things that we will regret.

If you have trouble keeping your mouth shut when you should, I encourage you to first fall on bended knee before Christ until you can get whatever is wrong with your heart fixed. I urge you to let the Spirit have control of your tongue and then empower you to shut up and stay out of trouble. It is good for you and for the sake of the cause of Christ if you do.