What would you say is the deadliest weapon? The weapon that can do the most damage? There is a whole list of weapons that inflict physical harm and bring about much destruction, but the tongue has the power to do the most damage of all. Why? Because people can recover from physical wounds, but they tend to never forget the harmful words spoken to them or about them. The memory of hurtful words cause a wound that will always bleed. The old adage, "Stick and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me" is just plain dumb. Some of the biggest hurts of my life were inflicted by a person's words. And I'm quite certain that I have caused some lasting scars by words that I have spoken. The knowledge of the hurt that I have caused has made me want to live out Ephesians 4:29.
"Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them."
I have a confession to make. Are you ready? I used to love to gossip or listen to gossip or just be in the know. And then it morphed into the Christian variety...you know what I'm talking about. Ever had a conversation that goes like this, "We really to pray for {insert name of friend or church member} because...." "Oh, but I heard {insert something else someone told you about the situation}" And the conversation continues until it is no longer a prayer request but gossip. And you never even realized that you were gossiping. I've struggled with this. I've been convicted by this. This conviction caseAnd we have talked about this in my Bible study group several times. These days, when someone asks me to pray for a person or situation, I try my best to not ask any questions. I just add that to my prayer list. Besides, it really is not any of my business what the situation is that I am praying for, unless I have been asked to lift up a specific request. God knows the request before I ever lift it up to him. He knows the need and that's all that matters. But just to make sure that I don't lose site of the lesson, my devotion this morning was from James 3:6, which says, "The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one's life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell."
Hmmm, hello Lord, thank you for the not so subtle reminder. Apparently, he wants to make sure that I am learning my lesson. I absolutely love when he speaks to me so clearly and continues to send messages about the same topic just to make sure that I don't start slipping back to my old ways.
I want to be a woman of integrity, a woman that can be trusted, a woman that keeps the confidences of her friends and family close to her heart. I pray that no unwholesome words exits my lips. I pray that the words that I speak lifts others up and not cause them pain. I pray that my friends and family hold me accountable for the things I say. Will you pray for me?
"Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips." Psalm 141:3
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