Friday, July 22, 2005

our tongue and gossip

A few weeks back, I had the opportunity to speak to a women’s group wrapping up their season of ministry. I have spoken several times for this group and have always enjoyed it. When the organizer contacted me to speak, I asked her the topic and she didn’t hesitate to respond, ‘the one you did on our tongue and gossip.’

I’m a talker. About 2 years ago, the Lord started to really convict me about how I use my mouth. Through a Paul Tripp study, War of Words, the Lord showed me that my mouth and my words belong to Him. Romans 6:13, “And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.” According to this verse, I only see two options: we are either instruments of unrighteousness or instruments of righteousness. I think we kid ourselves into thinking there is a huge neutral area in which we are neither an instrument of righteousness nor an instrument of unrighteousness. According to this verse, we are either one or the other. If we consider our mouth as the member we are offering, then we are either going to be accomplishing God’s agenda with our words or Satan’s. There is no middle ground. It’s one or the other. Who will you serve with your mouth today?

Psalm 17:3, “I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.”
Psalm 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.”

Diane

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