30 DAYS TO TAMING YOUR TONGUE DAY 4

DAY 4  THE HASTY TONGUE

Do you sometimes offend others because you do not engage your brain before shifting you tongue into drive? Have you ever made a commitment to God or man without giving it much consideration and later reneged on it?

Words said in haste can ruin relationships at every level of human interaction: professionally, socially and personally. When we give little or no real thought to our assertions, promises or proclamations, we set ourselves up for failure, heartache and regret. Since words can NEVER be recovered, we must take great care in releasing them.

No matter how holy we are, we will eventually offend somebody because of hasty speech. James 3:2 says “For in many things we offend all. IF any mad offend not in word, the same is a perfect man and able also to bridle his body”, We can never be aware of all of the sensitivities of others, so we must depend on the Holy Spirit to direct our speech in a way that does not tap into their pain, distress or others negative experiences. We all have seen people innocently offend others in an attempt to interject humor in a situation.

The Bible cautions “He who answers before listening- that is his folly and his shame”. So people answer without even hearing the question or statement.

When it comes to making commitments, God expects us to keep our promises. In Ecclesiastes Solomon warns us against making a hasty ill-considered vows to the Lord and he also explains that we should not try to wiggle out of our commitments by saying that it was a mistake.

Jephthah vowed that if God would give him the victory in battles, he would sacrifice to the Lord the first thing that came out of his house upon his return. Little did he know that “first thing” would be his only daughter. We need to STOP, THINK, and PRAY before you speak. especially when making a commitment to God.

A good pause would serve us well in the long run. Time and words are two things that once gone cane never be recovered. We must take time to weigh our words before we release them

REFLECTIONS AND READINGS

JAMES 1:19-20                                  ECCLESIATES 5:2                     JUDGES 11:30-40                             PROVERBS 29:20                  PROVERBS 18:13

1)   Recall the last time you spoke words you wish you could recall. What negative consequence(s) did you have to face?

2)  Just for today, try to resist being anxious to make your point. Implement a five-second “response delay” rule for responding to anything.