WHO'S GOT A BIG MOUTH?

Well, me, for one! ARGH!!

Doesn't our mouth get us in SO much trouble?? From putting too much food in to letting the wrong words out, our mouth can sometimes be our biggest nemesis.

Do you ever say something before you've let the thought pass through the filter of God's truth? Sadly, most of us do. And even more sadly, when we do, our words may wound another . . . that's never pleasing to God. Sometimes, I think, we in the body of Christ are the worst people on the planet about inflicting pain on one another through our words. I've had the following quote on one of my famous post-it-notes in my prayer notebook for YEARS . . ."Wounds in the body of Christ are always grievous and put us in the dust at the feet of Him who died to make us one." Oh, how our thoughtless words must grieve God's heart.

Gossip and slander don't please Him either. Yet, isn't it easy to share a juicy tidbit about someone or pass along some interesting news disguised as a "prayer request"?

Jesus said that what comes out of our mouth originates in our heart. "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." Matthew 12:34

Wanna know what's really in your heart? Listen to the words coming out of your mouth. And while you're at it, listen to the silent conversations that are playing in your mind.

How long has it been since you've said, "That makes me so mad!" Guess what, girlfriends - angry words come from an angry heart.

How long has it been since you've said, "I'm so blue today I don't feel like moving off the couch." Guess what, girlfriend - despairing words come from a desperate heart.

Whatever negative, destructive words seem to flow out of our mouths freely and regularly, reveal the condition of our hearts. Thankfully, the opposite is also true. Kind words flow from a kind heart. Lovely words flow from a loving heart.

Our words are a by-product of our thoughts. Where do our thoughts come from? They come from our beliefs. If we want our hearts to be pure and have gracious words that flow naturally from our mouths, we must change our thinking. If we can identify our negative emotions and words, we can begin the process of transformation that occurs as we replace the thoughts that tear down with thoughts that build up.

It's the same process I wrote about here and here.

• Recognize the incorrect belief (the lie, the negative thought)
• Replace it with the truth
• Rehearse the truth until it's firmly in place in your beliefs
• Renewal begins

Oh, girlfriends, this isn't a matter of self-control. How many times have we gotten a case of the "do-betters" and tried to control our tongues? Did it work for you? It never did for me! It's not a matter of our self-effort. It's a matter of surrender to your Creator and allowing Him to transform you.

Transformation doesn't happen overnight. It took time for our faulty beliefs (lies) to become embedded in our minds, and it will take some time to dislodge them. As our hearts and minds become purified, so do our thoughts and our words. Transformation doesn't happen overnight. But it does happen! In our walk with God, we are always moving on - from faith to faith, from glory to glory.

Here's the good news for those of us whose "big mouth" problem also involves the amount of food we put in them (as well as the words that come out of them). Our transformed hearts may also produce changed appetites for food and other things because our "mouth" no longer needs to fill the gaps of a damaged heart.

Lord, help us recognize the lies we believe and replace them with Your transforming truth. Help us become more aware of the words we speak and the condition of our heart. May the words of our mouth and the thoughts of our heart be acceptable in Your sight.