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Controlling Our Tongue
Ephesians 4:25 KJV "Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another." Remember the old riddle, “If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?” That has been a riddle, I do not know the amount of years, I do know it has been around all of my life ! People laugh and giggle as they make their argument for the answer to this riddle. Well, I have a definite and correct answer to the riddle. The answer to that question is simple. There is always someone there to hear it, because God hears it. In fact, there is always someone who hears every word you say and that is the Holy Spirit of God. There is no where in which He, the Holy Spirit is not ! We have looked at Controlling Your Thoughts, Controlling Your Temper and today Controlling Your Tongue ! One of the ways that you can grieve the Holy Spirit is with the words that you speak. It grieves God’s Spirit when we lie. In John 16:13 Jesus called the Holy Spirit, “The Spirit of truth.” The Holy Spirit only deals in truth and will only lead you to speak the truth. We should always speak the truth in love, and love enough to speak the truth. Perhaps the thing that grieves the Holy Spirit the most within the Church is not lying, but gossip. The Spirit of God expects us to exercise control over what comes out of our mouths. This includes not only what we say, but also when we say it, and also, how it comes out of our mouths, then to whom we say it to. There is a certain kind of talk that grieves God’s Spirit. Ephesians 4:29 calls it, “Unwholesome talk.” (29) “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” The word “Corrupt Communication” means “unwholesome” is a strong word that refers to rotten wood, rancid fish, or withered flowers. It is the kind of talk that is so repulsive to the Holy Spirit it is like a stench in His nostrils. The Holy Spirit only has one desire for us – to build us up. If God’s Spirit is living and working in us, that should be our desire for one another – to build each other up. Lying and gossip do not edify. They tear down and destroy. If we can put one solid truth into our mind and exercise that as learned behavior, then practice that behavior, I refer to this, "That God hears everything we say." That then learned behavior, would be in our minds and we would be careful knowing that not controlling our tongues, actually breaks the heart of the Holy Spirit. Dear Lord, thank you for giving me the ability to encourage others with my words. Help me to refrain from using my mouth for any unwholesome talk, and help me to keep control over what I say. Amen. Looking Forward Titus 2:14 |
