DO NOT LET YOUR MOUTH PUT YOU IN TROUBLE

I wanted to travel for the holidays. I had already told Mum for a while. By her body language, I decoded that she probably did not want me to travel, but she did not say that expressly. 

I knew my grand-uncle would visit at a particular season. My plan was to return with him. I put up my “very good boy mode”. I did all that I was told. A day before that visit, Mum kept piling up different chores for me to handle. I did them with strong motivation.  I wanted to travel. 

Then something happened, I asked about the trip, and she told me that I could travel when I was done with the chores she gave me. I responded by saying, “That’s a fallacy”. 

All hell broke loose. My mum said, “Ah! You think I don’t know the meaning of fallacy. You are calling me a liar. You are using me to test your grammatical strength”. I received some mental resetting flogging that day. 

One thing that can easily put you in trouble is your mouth. Apostle James warned us about the tongue and its fiery ability: 

James 3:5-6 NLT

[5] In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. [6] And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

He spoke about how we can tame animals but very hard to tame the tongue: 

James 3:7-8 NLT

[7] People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, [8] but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 

But he said the secret to perfection is mastering the tongue. 

James 3:2 NLT

[2] Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.

There are men who have activated the spirit of death with their own mouth. Beloved, life and death are in the power of the tongue. 

A minister of God was praying for a man who was critically ill. He was led to ask his siblings what he said regularly.  They told him he kept saying, “I am not sure I would live up to 40”. He was already bedridden by 39. 

A woman lost her husband and kept telling the children in consolation, “I will be here to see the last of you get married”. She repeated it to them several times. She died on the day that her last child got married. 

Refuse your mouth to put your life in trouble. 

How will you achieve this? 

Be committed to studying the Word. Let the word of God dwell in you richly. 

Be committed to scriptural speaking. Let the word of God direct your words. 

Disconnect from stupid jokes. The realm of the spirit is governed by words. Do not joke about what you do not want to see in your life. 

Keep quiet till you find the right words. Do not be a vain speaker or a careless speaker. 

Do not stay around people who constantly gossip, slander or malign others. 

Do not let your mouth put you in trouble.