Think Then Speak

The one who guards his mouth protects his life; the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin. Proverbs 13:3

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. Matthew 15:18

Controlling the tongue, a phrase uses for the ability to control what we say, is difficult. More problems are created with our mouths than with our actions. What is the possible root of our reckless words?  Two things: (1) We speak before we think (Proverbs 13:3),  (2) Our thoughts are a reflection of a spiteful heart (Matthew 15:18).  

Why does God want us to keep our tongues in check? When we are quick to speak, we often do not honor Him with our speech. God prefers us not to say anything than to speak too quickly. In the Bible, a great illustration of keeping silent is when Christ was wrongly accused of blasphemy and brought before Roman governor Pontius Pilate. Although God could have sent a thousand Angels to defend Jesus, Jesus never opened His mouth to defend Himself against the false accusations. Jesus thought before he spoke; and in this example, He did not speak knowing anything He said would not be helpful or useful.

The simple answer to controlling our tongue is this: THINK before you speak. The acrostic below is a good guide:

T  - is it True?

H  - is it Helpful?

I   - is it Inspiring?

N - is it Necessary?

K  - is it Kind?

Honestly, thinking before we speak is hard to do because our human nature wants to be heard. But, even in the most challenging situations, with God’s Spirit living in us, we can learn to be diligent in thinking before we speak. Though the Bible states the tongue will never be tamed, it obviously helps to guard our thoughts!

Evaluate the state of your tongue by asking yourself these questions:

1.      Is your tongue out of control?

2.      When was the last time your tongue got you in trouble?

3.      Today, what can you do to start THINKing before you speak? 

 

Source: www.fcaresources.com