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Article #13

WATCH YOUR MOUTH!

by Anthony B. Campbell

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue…"

Proverbs 18:21

Child of God, you have one of the most powerful weapons at your disposal. It is more powerful than a nuclear bomb and can definitely be considered a weapon of mass destruction. With this weapon, you can destroy without moving a finger. With this weapon, you can kill without pulling a trigger. With this weapon, you can give life in the midst of death and hope in the midst of despair. How you use this weapon is entirely up to you; but, be warned, you will be held accountable for how you use it.

There is no greater indicator as to the spiritual maturity of a believer than what you and I allow to come out of our mouths. For a "weapon" that can be used to accomplish so much good, it is amazing to hear some of the bad or negative things that some of us use our tongues to speak forth. The wise man Solomon said that death and life are in the power of the tongue. In other words, with your tongue, you have the power to kill or give life to yourself, others or even situations. Child of God, what you say is POWERFUL. If you want to live a successful and rewarding Christian life, child of God, you must learn how to control your tongue.

It is so easy for us to speak something negative because that is a part of our old nature before Christ. However, now that we are children of God and people of faith, we must learn to use our tongues in a more positive and productive way. This is not always easy to do. Even David had to pray, "let the WORDS of my MOUTH and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord". This prayer of David shows us that what comes out of our mouth is ultimately connected to the condition of our heart. Jesus further confirms this in Matthew 12:35. So, in order to start using your tongue to speak positive things, you must first get your heart to meditate or think on positive things (Philippians 4:8).

If you do not think that what you say is important, maybe our savior Jesus Christ can help you understand - "But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." That is a pretty stern warning from our Lord that we better watch our mouths. I want to encourage you today to start using your tongue to speak life, hope, joy, love, peace, health and success into your own life and into the life of others (Ephesians 4:29). When you are tempted to say something negative about yourself, someone else or something, watch your mouth and hold your tongue. Use that breath to say something positive or constructive instead.