March Word of the Month Study: Watch Your Mouth

Who thought something so small could be so strong?

The Lord did.

If He didn't know the power behind our mouths and our tongues, He would not have committed so much Scripture to it. There are many Scriptures in the Bible that speak on this topic. Let us dissect a few of them.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. (Proverbs 18:21)

This verse is about as serious as they come. This is both an empowering and a warning verse. If we stop for a minute and really think it through, we realize that we can pray and thank God for something, but in the very next moment, speak death to it. Here's an example many of us may relate to.

We might pray for financial resources: Father bless me so that I can pay this bill or that bill. I believe Lord God that You provide all my needs. Amen. But in the next stressful moment, we declare with that same mouth: There's always more month left than money! I'll never have enough!

And just like that we've spoken death to God's promise that because we love Him, we lack no good thing. We've come against our own promise! Lord help us all! It is so important that we watch our mouths and make sure that EVERY word that comes out of it lines up with the Word of God. If they don't, we are doing the enemy's job for him and speaking death to our situation!

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29)

It is often overlooked how critical our words are to our witness. The world today has normalized people being able to say what they want when they want with no consequences. I like to call it "keyboard courage."

But for us as believers, it is important to remember that we do not have the freedom to say what we want when we want. The Bible compels us to discipline our tongues to speak only that which is encouraging and edifying. Our words are meant to bring life, not death. When we express opinions or emotions over things, we either encourage or diminish others. Do people see Jesus in how you use your words? Do your words line up with what you say you believe? This verse should encourage all of us to put our mouths in check. How are we representing God with what we say? That should be the priority over anything and everything else.

I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. (Matthew 12:36-37)

If this doesn't put the fear of the Lord in you about how you use your mouth, I don't know what will. Gossiping, whispering, slandering, lying, or anything that can be considered "careless" by the Lord's standards will have to be held to account. Whew! That's enough to make me want to do a lifelong silent fast! The temptation to use our mouths to engage in conversations or to make statements that contradict the Word can be reined in by remembering that those words will cost you time in line on that fearsome day! That being said...let us all agree to watch our mouths! Measure EVERY word by the Word. 

The ONLY way that we can be sure to use our mouths for good and not for evil is to submit them to the Holy Spirit. Period.

James 3:6 tells us the following: "The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell."

The tongue is LITERALLY poised and ready to run off and do its own thing, with the rest of our body attached. We have to do what the Word compels us to do: Take it captive and force it to obey.

Here are some biblical tools for keeping our mouths and our words in line with what God says versus the lies of the enemy:

Just be quiet. You know the saying: If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all? Well the same rings true here, except we can tweak it a little bit to say: If you don't know if it honors God, don't say it at all.

Proverbs 21:23 says: Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble. Keeping your mouth quiet, particularly when you aren't sure if what will come out honors God, is the safest thing that you can do.

Watch your focus. Generally, what we are thinking comes out of our mouths. This is where Philippians 4:8-9 is very helpful: 

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

It is difficult to have a mindset that only thinks about things that are true and just and pure but at the same time have a mouth that speaks. on things that are false and slanderous and nasty. Keep your mind trained on things that honor God! Even when situations around us are not so good, we can frame them with our words by speaking the Word of God over them instead of complaining or grumbling. Changing our perspective can change our words. 

Pray constantly. Psalm 141:3 says: Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! Let's face it, words tumble out from between our lips before we have a chance to even think about it sometimes. We have to be in a state of constant prayer in order to avoid it! I challenge you with this...if you are always in a state of prayer, worship, meditating on Scripture, or thinking on things such as were mentioned before, that could be just the guard you need! 

A mouth that is busy giving praise to God will find itself to occupied for anything else. 

This week, take time to explore more ways that the Bible advises us to reel in our tongues and our words. This may involve asking God to show you patterns of behavior, relationships, or even things you have been taking in that influence you to use your mouth for evil. Be open to what Holy Spirit shows you. God is faith to make you new. 

This is the simplest week, but also the most engaging week. 

This week, assuming you have done all of the work of identifying how you've been using your mouth against God's purposes, we are going to work on replacing those words with God's Word. 

The assignment is clear: 
Take what you have identified as your most commonly misused words and replace them with the Word of God. 

For example: If you are aware that you use the word "my" in front of things that are not of God, I want you to search the Bible for what GOD says is true of you and write that down. It will look something like this: 

This week I repent of confessing "my anxiety" over myself. I renounce any agreement I have made with fear and anxiety and I repent of speaking this over myself. In its place, I declare that I walk in the peace of God that surpasses all understanding and that God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of love, sound mind, and self-discipline. I will no longer agree or partner with fear by declaring it to be my own. The peace of God is my portion. Amen. 

See that? How does that feel? Empowering? Strengthening? It feels GOOD. 

Important to note: 

We have not spoken about the impact our words have on others. If you are a leader, parent, friend, spouse, or someone who interacts with anyone at all, your words have the power to build up and tear down. 

This is important. 

Utilize this exercise and ask the Holy Spirit to examine your heart in the following areas: 

- How you use your words to speak over yourself. Do they align with what God is saying or are they feeding your flesh? 

- How the words you use are impacting those around you, including your spouse, children, and those in your sphere of influence. 

- How the words you use shape the view of Jesus for the people around you. Do your words cause unity or division? Do your words point them to Jesus or to yourself? 

- Finally, ask God to show you how much of your word usage is struggling simply because you do not know the Word for yourself. If we are going to be able to distinguish between the lies of the enemy and the truth of God's Word, we must first know the Word itself. 

It's a heavy week this week! It will take putting your big girl faith pants on. 

But God is faithful. 

Let us submit our tongues and our words to the Lord together to be used for HIS glory. He is faithful.