Proverbs 21:23

"Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue, keepeth his soul from troubles." Proverbs 21:23

People will say the most amazing things to you. Some of the things that come out of people's mouth just never ceases to amaze me. I know just how this works, because I used to say some crazy and downright vicious things. My mouth and wit were used in tandem. If someone got on my badside, I knew exactly what to say to cut them to the bone. The flesh consumed me and I wallowed around in it. The gifts of wit, the God gave me, were used to the detriment of friends, family, and others. I could be a constant source of discouragement. Thankfully, God got a hold of my heart.

It has taken me a while, but I figured out a gift of mine. Encouragement. The funny thing is the Enemy knows your blessings. He will take your spiritual gifts and use them with destructive force against the souls of this world. It is nothing that I am proud of. Satan used me as a willing(at the time) pillager and sacker of peaceful hearts. The rage, that got enflamed by the Enemy, was snuffed out by the Living Water that has come to reside in my heart. My gifts are beginning to be used for their original purpose! My intent is to encourage people. Help to mend hearts instead of rend them. Cover those cuts with band-aids. Minister to hearts instead of massacre them. Will people still try to get our goat? Oh yes indeed!

The image I have is of the old Acme cartoons. Foghorn Leghorn running up, smacking the dog on the bottom, and running off. The dog chases until the chain drops him short. This happens to us, day in and out. The Enemy uses people in our lives to do this to us. Their words run into our chest, smack our hearts on the bottom, then run off and wait for retaliation. People just try to stir us up. Our tongue takes off to chase them down, but unfortunately there is no chain on our tongues. They have the ability to run rampant. It is often too late to rein them in. The tongue says it's piece, and the damage is done. We must rein in and chain in our tongues. We cannot let the world get the best of us! The tongue must be kept in check. Damage is done threefold. Their hearts(which are already hurting) are cut again. Our hearts feel and suffer the backlash. And Jesus, who cares about both our hearts, gets the double whammy. It is a massacre all over again.

Our tongues must be held in check. The repercussions are not worth it. The damage done is not worth the wee bit of satisfaction that is gotten to jibe someone back. Do not inflict pain and trauma to their soul, your soul, and to Jesus. The degradation, of one of the most beautiful things that God created, is a tragedy. Shakespeare could not put it into words(tragedy wise!!). Next time those words try to come marching in to smack your soul around, instead of a BEWARE OF DOG sign that used to be there, there is a BEWARE OF LOVE sign. Respond properly. Instead of lashing words, give loving words. Heal and fill with love, instead of killing and stealing their chance to know God!

kenny