Good Morning Girls Devotional: Week 5 Our Friendships

Read: Ephesians 4: 29-32
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. 

S: Ephesians 4:29,31-32
 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

O: We need to be vigilant in what comes out of our mouths. Words can lift up, but they can also break down. And once a negative word comes out of your mouth you can't take it back. In today's society no one seems to give a second thought to what comes out of our mouths. And I'm just as guilty. As I was typing this up, my hacker came back. Oh how I wanted to just let loose a string of expletives! And, unfortunately, the "F bomb" flew out. I looked down at my open bible. Had I not just read the words that said "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouth"? In my bible, which is The New Living Translation, verse 29 says "Do not use foul or abusive language..." Whoops! 

We're all guilty of it. How many times have we lost our temper and let words fly that we wouldn't normally say? I got irritated with my husband the last couple of days. He can be trying at best. We all have someone or someones in this life that get to us. Even our children can try our patience.

Verse 31 in my bible says "Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words and slander as well as all types of malicious behavior." MMmm hhmm... We're human. Easier said than done. But in order to follow Jesus' will, we HAVE to do these things. If we don't, doesn't that make us hypocrites? You may go to church every Sunday, listen to nothing but worship music, do your bible studies, but you still gossip, swear, say things you don't mean. We can talk the talk, but not walk the walk. 

It's so easy in the heat of the moment to not think. Just go with the moment. But, would you act that way in front of Jesus? Would those words come out of your mouth? I bet not. I know it's not easy, but stop and think. Is what you are saying and what you are doing pleasing to God? 

A: I need to really work on this one. I have a short fuse. My mouth just runs. I'm guilty as charged. I need to reign in both my temper and my mouth. Anyone who knows me knows this will be no easy feat for me. But I need to try. I'm trying to make positive changes in my life. I want to please Jesus. I want to be the woman He designed me to be. It was never promised that it would be easy. My friend Remesh posted this on my wall today "Suffer for God my sister!" No truer words were ever written.

P: Jesus, I know I try Your patience. I know I am a work in progress. Help me to remain strong as You do Your work in me. Help me to not want to give in to the physical world. Help me to guard my tongue whenever I speak. Let my words build up, not tear down. Let any words I hear that are not of You and Your love to not settle into my soul. Help me to forgive and be the better person. I know it is what You desire of me, Your child.  I ask this in Your Holy Name. Amen.

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." 
~~Psalm 19:14 (KJV)