Be Intentional With Your Words

You're listening to Life Path, Biblical instruction with practical application. I'm Brandon Ware and I want to welcome you to my podcast.

Today is Wednesday, January 20th, 2021. And today's devotional thought comes from Psalm 17 verse 3 which says, I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress. In other words, David is saying here that he made it the intentional pursuit of his life not to sin against God with his mouth or with the words of his tongue. And this entire Psalm is really a prayer that David prayed to God. He had evidently been dealing with some critics. His enemies had surrounded him and with their mouths they spoke arrogantly against him.

They were looking to entrap David in some way but he wasn't going to give them any ammunition. Instead of speaking rashly with his own lips, David determined to look to God. And he says in verse 15, As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness.

When I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness. You know, sins of speech are probably the easiest and most frequent sins we commit. And the Bible has a lot to say in order to warn us about the destructive power of the tongue. The power of speech is one of the greatest powers that God has given us. With your tongue, you can praise God. You can pray like David does here. You can share the gospel with a friend.

You can even encourage someone through a crisis. But with that very same tongue, you can spread lies about a person that can ruin their reputation. In the New Testament, it's James who says, From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.

My brethren, these things ought not be so. Jesus said in Matthew 12 34 that it's out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Our words reveal the condition of our heart. And one day, we're going to stand before God and give an account for every idol, every unnecessary, every unhelpful and untrue word that we have ever spoken. And no wonder that David says here that he has purposed that his mouth will not transgress. Now, none of us are perfect in the area of speech. But the more we submit to God and rely upon his strength, the more restraint we will have in what we say. And so today, purpose in your heart that by God's grace, you want sin against him with your mouth. Well, that's today's devotional thought. If we can minister to you in any way, please get in touch with us. Send us an email at connect at greenstreet.org. Thanks for listening.