Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. – Psalm 141:3 NKJV
Say as you hear
At a certain point, toddlers begin to say exactly what they hear or what they are told to say. The funny thing is, most of the time they don’t understand the words they say. Nevertheless, they are often excited, with amused curiosity, about their new vocabulary.
Watch your words
As adults, despite being fully aware of what we say, our words are sometimes hurtful or discouraging to the hearers. It’s easy for us to hurt others possibly inflicting lifelong pain on them, with mere words.
Today’s scripture talks about setting a guard and keeping watch. A guard is a control measure, but even with that, there’s still a need to keep watch.
We all make mistakes (James 3:2). Our children can push us to the point of us having a ‘slip of the tongue’. We know it’s wrong, but may find ourselves struggling in the heat of the moment.
Nevertheless, we must remember that our words can shape the future of our children (Proverbs 18:21). Only the Holy Spirit can help us effectively guard and keep watch over our mouths.
What next?
When speaking with our children and people around us, we must be intentional with our words; they must build and not destroy.
Next time our children misbehave, we must speak the positive words we desire them to live out.
Prayer Points
1. Father God, thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit, who is able to help me set a guard and keep watch over my lips
2. Holy Spirit, please help my relationship with you to grow stronger, that I may daily exhibit the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)
3. Holy Spirit help me to live by example, that my words may be gracious and encouraging to my children and others (Colossians 4:6; Ephesians 4:29)