Thursday 23 Aug 2018

August 23: Psalm 39:1-7

Key Verse: Psalm 38:7
But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.

Devotion:
How many times have you caught yourself thinking an evil thought or even blurting out an evil sentence? We like to think we have a control on our tongues, but if truth be told, they do tend to talk a whole lot quicker than we tend to think; most times getting ourselves into trouble before we know it! But where do those words come from? Why do we let them out?

If we look at ourselves with all honesty, we will see where those words come from. We do tend to think those words a whole lot more than we let them go. If we are constantly thinking about them, is it any wonder then they come out? One day we should be at the stage we can spot when we are thinking about them and try to suppress them before they come out; when we get into that habit, we will think of them less and it will be less likely they come out in the first place! The more we think about evil things, the more we get into the habit of those thoughts; and as with any habit, it does tend to let itself come to the surface without you realising just how much.

If we cannot control our mouths, then a good exercise would be to be totally silent. Just stop saying anything. Give your mouth a rest and allow your brain to catch up... If we did do that regularly, we may well find we can start to control our mouths because we are allowing our minds to realise what is going on before our mouths let loose. Above all, don’t be impatient. For as long as you are impatient, your mind is not able to catch up with your feelings and your mouth!

We don’t know how long we do have to live. We don’t know how soon our time is going to be up. So why do we insist on letting things ride? Why do we insist on allowing our mouths to get the better of us when we know that if we took a few seconds to think, we could end the day on a good note rather than in a strop with someone! What eats at you more than being annoyed with someone overnight? What would cause you to think more bad thoughts than being annoyed at the time when you cannot make amends? Life is too short to get caught up in vain words!

Points to Ponder:
How often do you let loose with your mouth?

Have you tried calling on God to calm your thoughts before speaking?