Watch what you say.

Matt. 12:36-37  “And I tell you this, that you must give an account on judgment day of every idle word you speak.  The words  you say now reflect your fate then, either you will be justified by them or you will be condemned.”

I pray that today’s verses will grab your attention.  I know how easy it is to say things you later regret.  I have often spoken words in haste or under duress that I should not have said.  I have spoken words against others that I should not have done.  I have said things to others that I should not have.  It is hard to guard the tongue!  Does that justify us?  No.  Jesus said what He meant and meant what He said.  Therefore, we must pay attention and deal with ourselves in this area of our lives.  So, what can we do?

First of all, we must admit we have a problem.  It will do us no good if we deny the fact that we fail to always speak in love and kindness.  It is what it is and we must own up to it.  We sin in this area of our lives.  Next, we must understand our helplessness.  We can’t control our tongues by sheer willpower.

We must take our problem to the Lord.  Only Jesus can forgive us for having loose tongues and only Jesus can give us renewed hope that we can gain victory over our sin.  We must stay in close touch with our Lord.  Every time we sin, we must flee to Him.  We must not give up the battle.  If we want victory, we have to fight the good fight and win as many battles as we can.  We will not gain total victory in the flesh, but we can make progress.

Gaining victory over our loose tongues is not a hopeless endeavor.  What comes out of our mouths is rooted in our hearts.  When our hearts are right with God, we will be able to produce better and more productive fruit from our lips. 

Don’t skip over this issue.  Jesus said that how we speak and what we say will carry great weight on Judgment Day.  Keep your soul right with God and your words will be right before God.