Lord
let my words be seasoned
with grace
mercy
love
not of hate
bitterness
strife
Lord
let my words be Yours
of truth
joy
peace
not of envy
jealousy
gossip
Lord
let my words be slow
full o f wisdom
guidance
understanding
not of quickness
judgement
defilement
Lord
let my words be swift
to forgiveness
kindness
blessing
not full of rebuke
cruelty
curses
Lord
let my words be seasoned
with the fruits
of Your Spirit
in all
love, joy, peace
patience, kindness, goodness
faithfulness, gentleness,
self-control
that others will not see me
but only
You.
~Marcell Warner Bridges
©1 July 2014, All Rights Reserved
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Oh what a mess our tongues and words can do when we don’t use caution! Over the past few weeks this idea of our words being acceptable to God has been brought up from several different people and things I’ve read on the Internet and definitely through God’s own Word. A friend of mine pointed out the verse in Psalms 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my strength and my redeemer” and I got to thinking about what that verse really says. It does NOT say to just let what we think and feel be acceptable to God, but also our words. This concept is reiterated in Colossians 4:6, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”
Did you catch that? Seasoned with grace, seasoned with salt! James 1:19
warns us to be “swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath”. Take a
moment before you say something to think about what you are saying and
ask yourself, “How will what I’m about to say affect this person and our
relationship?” Be slow to speak words of discouragement, cursing,
gossip, bitterness or strife.
The Psalms and Proverbs also give us the wisdom of keeping a guard over our tongues because by guarding what we say, or thinking before speaking, we keep ourselves from evil!
Psalm 34:13-14 “Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.”
And finally, use the fruit of the Spirit
to help you with your attitudes, actions and words: Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”
*All Scripture from the NKJV
© Heart Thoughts, Marcie Bridges, 2014
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