Can you edit your tongue?

TODAY’S PROVERB: Put away perversity from your mouth, and keep devious lips far from you. Proverbs 4:24

One of the first lessons I learned from Proverbs — and I’m still learning — is the self-editing of my tongue. It’s bad enough I react to a situation with inappropriate or even sinful thoughts, it’s a whole other thing to let those words escape through my mouth and into the atmosphere.

It’s important to remember that what we think — what comes from our heart — can defile us as much as any sinful act we commit. It’s serious enough that we need to keep our hearts in a state of vigilance and repentance.

But the things that proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and those things make the man unholy. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, and slander. These are the things that make the man unholy… Matthew 15:18-20a

Nevertheless, as long as those words remain in my heart and don’t go anywhere else, then my Heavenly Father and I can deal with them privately. The damage control is limited to me.

Once those toxic thoughts become words for others to hear, more damage is caused. It means the damage control expands to include others — more work for us to clean up.

When those words pass our lips and others are harmed, they now how to deal with rejection or anger or confusion or whatever in their hearts. Which means we’ve actually given GOD more work. Yikes!

If we could see our foul or hurtful words as weapons — see the damage they cause — maybe we would be more careful how we use them. And that would be a good thing.

May those inappropriate and sinful thoughts never see the light of day, my friends.

Proverbs 4:24 Tree of Life Bible Society, Tree of Life Version – TLV, #tlvbible, #tlvproverbs