Before You Speak

This past week I was preparing for our mid-week Bible study and the Lord placed on my heart a couple of hard concepts and a perplexing question:

1. You will speak what is in your heart (Matthew 12:34)
2. Your heart is deceitful and cannot be trusted (Jeremiah 17:9)
3. Well then, how do I control my speech?!

There must be a way! Can we tame it, teach it to be better? James 3 says that no person can do this...well that is a bit discouraging, and yet we are called to, as believers in Christ, have speech that honors Him and encourages one another (Colossian 4:6, Ephesians 4:29).

Gossip

I know from personal experience that one thing all humans struggle with is gossip, speaking about other people when they are not present. It is often passing comments but even small words hold weighty thoughts and emotions. Do we ever question the impact of our words not just on the subject but also on the person we are speaking to? Have you ever wondered if your speech about others effects how the person you're speaking to sees you? How often are we found to be hypocrites by silly, thoughtless speech? During the study another convicting passage came up...

Careless Words

"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." (Jesus) 
~Matthew 12:36-37

Uhhh...YIKES! Can anyone say ouch?! EVERY CARLESS WORD...I don't know about you but I would be in a lot of trouble if it were not for Jesus' saving grace. However, that does not exempt me from being responsible for my speech on this side of my salvation story! We do not have a free pass as believers to say what we want, we are called to a higher standard, called to be a witness and example of Christ in this world.

You may have heard the old phrases "preach the Gospel and if you have to, say something" or "actions speak louder than words." Both have valid points, but don't miss the fact that in order for the Gospel to be heard it must first be spoken AND words can quickly damage any witness you have made with someone who doesn't know the grace and mercy of Christ. Your speech, your tongue, is powerful and can be amazingly destructive and, unfortunately, untamable on our own.

So again I ask, what can we do?!

The Tongue and The Heart

How do we solve this problem of "the tongue?" If our speech comes from the overflow of our heart and our heart is untrustworthy, can we get a new heart? Can it be replaced? Made new?

YES!!!!

"And I will give them a new heart to know Me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart." ~Jeremiah 24:7
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." ~2 Corinthians 5:17

Praise God for His provision, He has made a way for us! Let us receive as those IN CHRIST the gift of a new heart, a new creation. He has also given us tools to fill ourselves with His thoughts, focus on higher and better things, to crowd out the "old self" so there is no room for it to control speech any more. He also will also help us in guarding our mouths if we ask Him (I suggest really praying over Psalm 141 if you struggle with speech as I do).

I'll end with a useful acronym that hopefully will applicable for you...

Before you speak:

• T - is this true? (Philippians 4:8)
• H - is this helpful? (Ephesians 4:29)
• I - is this inspiring? (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
• N - is this necessary? (Proverbs 17:27)
• K - is this kind? (Colossians 4:6)

I hope this encourages you to know that even though it seems so hopeless to try to restrain your tongue on your own, the Lord has the power to change you and sanctify you to be more like Himself each day! Keep going and don't be discouraged when you stumble, get back up and finish the race He has prepared for you.

-Katey Hight

Check out Sneakers & Phylacteries for more from Katey!