just ask HIM…

so many times i don’t think before i speak and that get’s me in trouble.  i’m sure that is true about you too.  rick warren says the key to handling this is to engage your mind before you put your mouth in gear. james puts it this way in chapter 1 verse 19 (msg), lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear.

you first, lead with your ears.  stop and listen to what they are saying.  if you do that then you will follow up with your tongue.  then what follows is you will let anger straggle along in the rear.  that really works.  lead with your ears + follow up with your tongue and if you do it in that order then you will minimize the potential for you to get angry or you let anger straggle along in the rear.

so what does your mouth say about you?   if you had some way to record what you say, you would see yourself in a whole different way.  you really would.  it would tell you a whole lot about the direction that your words are taking you.

maybe you would hear yourself say, “i’m sick all the time” or “i can never do anything”, “things are just getting tougher and tougher.”  where do you think that kind of talk is taking you?

let me ask you, what would happen if you would go to your kids and say, “i’m sorry.  i know you are so confused because of the way i talk to you.  sometimes i say something loving and then sometimes i say something harsh.  i’m human.”

or to your spouse.  what if you would apologize to him or her and say, “i don’t always talk lovingly to you as i ought to.  i sometimes tend to be uncaring, cold, indifferent and i can be bossy and harsh.  i can be so inconsistent and inconsiderate.  please forgive me.”  ezekiel gives the answer to the hurtful way we talk.  he says get rid of all your offenses you’ve committed and get a new heart and a new spirit.

james 3.4 (msg) says, a small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds.  we need a strong skilled hand to deal with this problem of our tongue.  what you and i need is JESUS CHRIST in control of our heart.  HE is the one who will give you that new heart and new spirit.  let HIM control your life.  let HIM control your tongue.  HE is the key.  just ask HIM.

just a thought from the front porch…