I hear parents telling their kids, “Watch your mouth!” all the time!
But I wonder how often we adults stop and think about watching our own mouths.
It certainly isn’t wise to talk too much or have a “smart mouth”—no matter how old you are! But there’s another reason we need to watch our mouths.
Our words often reveal what is happening in our hearts.
Sometimes we go through things that are much more challenging than others. Those are the very times we need to be especially aware of what we are saying.
Because no doubt—we will be saying something!
When life gets hard, we need to speak words of faith—God’s Word—more than ever.
We need to make sure we are talking more about how big our God is than about how big our problems are.
“I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.”
Psalm 130:5
We need to hold on to our hope all day, every day. Sometimes we’re guilty of starting the day full of faith and losing our hope before the day is even over!
And guess what?
Our words tell on us.
Our hope should be in God—not merely in what we can do to fix the problem, but in what He can do in the middle of it.
So speak life. Guard your lips. Watch your mouth!
We can’t speak faith one minute and then spend the next hour, day, week, month, or year speaking words filled with fear, doubt, and worry.
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.”
Psalm 19:14
But here’s one word of caution.
If you realize you’ve been speaking negatively about your life or your problems, you might decide, Fine! I’ll just keep my mouth shut!
But you could be missing the point.
Yes, sometimes it’s better to be quiet than to continually rehearse your problems. But there’s something even better:
Find out what God says—and speak that instead!
How?
Study God’s Word.
Believe God’s Word.
Speak God’s Word.
When fear says, “There’s no way,” remind yourself that God can make a way.
When worry says, “What am I going to do?” remind yourself that God is your help.
When your circumstances seem bigger than your faith, remember who your faith is in.
So today, before you speak about that problem one more time—
Watch your mouth!
And make sure your mouth is reminding your heart just how big your God really is.
Prayer
Dear Jesus,
Sometimes my mouth speaks before I stop to think or pray, and I realize my words can get me into trouble. I need Your help guarding my mouth, especially when fear, doubt, and worry begin to overtake my thoughts.
Holy Spirit, bring God’s promises to my mind when I am faced with overwhelming thoughts and circumstances. Help me not to continually speak about how big my problems are, but to speak about how big and faithful my God is.
I confess that I need Your help with what I say, what I think, and what I do every single day.
Thank You, Holy Spirit, for being my Helper. I am so blessed to know You and to have You living within me.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
