These are the verses I am currently praying:
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. -Psalm 19:14
A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction. -Proverbs 16:23
Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. -Proverbs 16:24
For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. -Matthew 12:34b-36
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. -Ephesians 4:29
Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. -Psalm 141:3
I desire to have a mind that thinks beyond any particular moment of irritation and turns to GOD, and chooses His ways. I want to allow the Holy Spirit to guide my words; to make them pleasant, gentle, encouraging and life-giving. I want to actually think before I speak, yet I am so quick to rush into my sinful reaction and not give any pause, and spill out harshness or criticism. Ugh. I am thankful that He does not leave me to myself.
Here's another verse:
May my lips overflow with praise, for you teach me your decrees. -Psalm 119:171
What might it be like to have my lips overflow with praise? And- do you see here that God teaches us His law and THUS we are able to have our lips overflow with praise? May I have lips that overflow with praise; may I be diligent to take in His Word and out of that good-- stored up-- my lips can do so.
Show me your ways, O LORD.
Teach me your paths;
guide me in your truths and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long. -Psalm 25:4-5
Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. -Psalm 86:11
I am so with you here. I don't know how many times I've sat down and made a project of copying down every verse in the Bible regarding the tongue. (And never ever made it through because there are so darn many.) But yes. With you.
ReplyDelete(Your comments are back on! Clearly they've been on for a while and I just hadn't checked. My phone will not let me comment on your site. I've written numerous comments only to find they won't publish. Boo. I'm just not on my big computer much these days.)