Good Mouth; Bad Mouth


Genesis 3:6     When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.  She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

Exodus 20:7     You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

Proverbs 23:2     And put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.

Proverbs 4:23     Above all else, guard your heart because everything you do flows from it.

Proverbs 11:13     A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.

Proverbs 29:11     Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.

Matt 12:36,37       But I tell you that everyone will have to give an account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.  For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.

Luke 6:45     A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.  For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of

John 8:34     Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.

Romans 7:14-25      This is a long paragraph of verses, which I feel are very important to me, but suggest reading for yourself if you find yourself wanting to not sin and yet are being pulled and led to do so “just this once.  Just give it a try.”

1 Corinthians 10:31     Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Ephesians 4:29     Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Philippians 3:19     Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame.  Their mind is set on earthly things.

Hebrews 10:26     If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left.

James 1:26     Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.

James 3:9-10     With the tongue we praise our LORD and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.  My brothers and sisters, this should not be.

1 Peter 3:10     For, whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech

 

Do you have good control over your mouth?  I do not.  I love food, but especially desserts, baked sugary enticements, and chocolate, although now I have skipped the grocery store chocolates and tend to head to Burry’s chocolates and indulge in the almond milk chocolate bark.   Hmm-hmm!  If I’m going to fulfill that sweet tooth desire, I should at least indulge in something rich, and can then be satisfied with a smaller indulgence, and have it last for a couple of weeks. 

I also love good food and can be satisfied and impressed even at some meals I’ve thrown together.  It’s been a privilege to go to different countries and experience their meals and cooking.  Occasionally, there are some I would try again, but for the most part, I love the experimenting, and it’s rare for me to totally be disdainful of a meal or a part of one.  I know I have been blessed to live in different areas and experience all that that area might have to offer whether with foods, bakeries, and the people and cultures. 

But my mouth fails me, through my heart and sinful nature still—and I feel this should NO longer be an issue I am still dealing with.  What comes out of my mouth aloud sometimes is so horrifically harsh, earthly, and in fact cursing and nasty.  I do NOT want to continue repeating the same sin from my mouth/heart that I have been doing for years.  Am I not enough of an “adult” Christian and follower to have this 100% corrected?  UGH!  But I occasionally still find myself gossiping, and still with some vile language when frustrated.  Yes, I know my periods of gossiping and coarse language spurts are far less often, but they still occur.  And, I do the same thing when I hear myself spewing awful words that I do when hearing something I don’t like on tv—I cringe and decide to turn it off.  When it comes out of my mouth, I cringe, and apologize and seek forgiveness, but feel decidedly discouraged.  How can I continue to do the same things repeatedly when I do not want to commit these sins?     (Romans 7:14-25)

Wow!  Our mouths can bring such pleasure in the tasting of foods, not over-indulging but tasting, enjoying each flavor and trying to determine the seasonings, being thankful, and appreciating the way God has designed our bodies to stay healthy and receive nutrients.  If done wisely, and not selfishly, taking in more than required, food and drink can be a pleasure.  But it is easy to abuse.  I am one who overeats—which is part of being selfish and a glutton.  As can be seen with the many verses above, that is a sin.

But then our mouths can spew gossip, brag about accomplishments, tear others down, spit out anger and frustration and use the Lord’s name disrespectfully.  Hatefulness and destruction can be uttered so quickly leaving a large and debilitating inward scar to the recipient.  The old adage of ‘sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me’ is one of the LARGEST LIES ever.  Unthinking angry, frustrated, hateful words can destroy a person, allowing him/her to walk around, take in nourishment, but they are crushed within their self-esteem, their own thoughts, and their confidence.

We need to put a mental clamp on our mouths.  There needs to be a hesitation period before responding, especially when angry, frustrated, and wanting to strike out.  You may not even want to show your anger, and it comes spewing out to someone who should not have to receive it at all, perhaps a child, spouse, someone who has nothing to do with your anger—your anger has nothing to do with them—yet your words, actions have caused an inner wound that probably lasts their lifetime.  Even if an explanation and apology is given, the remembrance of those words will allow doubts to eek forth.

But then there are the folks who just complain about anything negative and seem unable to look for the positive points in life, in a day, and their comments tend to pull those around them into a more negative frame of mind.  So much can be seen in the frame of the mouth—lips tightening in, jaw clenched, and it is apparent how they feel.  Mouths can cause pleasure—smiles, congratulations, encouragement and so forth, and also make apparent negative emotions–with or without words.

Lord, I am so very sorry for the times I was not thinking and empty, sarcastic, or caustic, hurtful words spewed forth hurting others or you, and I am sorry I have been a glutton time and again.  I have imprinted many of these verses so when the devil again comes to entice, I can shove him aside with disdain, and not submit.   Thank You for encouraging me to write on this subject today.

Thank You for your grace and forgiveness and having the Holy Spirit show me the areas I still need to improve and make new.   Thank You, my Lord, for all You do for me and ’mybellaviews.’

Some cute quips: 

 Best advice to a dieter–no thyself;   

The trouble with what melts in your mouth is the way it bulges in front of the mirror. 

You never realize what a poor loser you are until you try dieting.

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