“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart 
Be acceptable in Your sight,
Oh LORD, my strength and my redeemer.”  Psalm 19:14
 
‘Let the words of my mouth’
How often to we say things that we regret as soon as they are spoken?  Once a word is out, it can never be pulled back in.  Scripture has much to say about our mouth, tongue and lips! 
 
First let us look at some exhortations concerning our mouth:
Proverbs 10:19 tells us,
“When there are many words transgression is unavoidable,
But he who restrains his lips is wise.”
 
Proverbs 4:24 tells us,
“Put away from you a deceitful mouth,
And put perverse lips far from you.”
 
Paul tells us to put on the new man in Ephesians 4 and in verse 29 says,
“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”
 
Also, Paul tells us in Colossians 3:8-9,
“But now you must also put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.  Do not lie to one another, since  you have put off the old man with his deeds.”
 
James 3:2-12 speaks of an uncontrolled tongue.  Though the passage is long, it is important to write it out here:
2 “For we all stumble in many things.  If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.  
3 Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.  
4 Look also at ships; although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. 
5  Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.  See how great a forest a little fire kindles! 
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity.  The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the curse of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.
7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind.
8 But no man can tame the tongue.  It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 
9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been  made in the similitude of God.
10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing.  My brethren these things ought not to be so.
11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?
12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?  Thus no spring can yield both salt water and fresh.”  Vs. 12
 
Only a renewed heart can produce pure speech.  So let us each take to heart the message in James and commit this tiny member of our body to the Holy Spirit’s control.   
 
The Psalmist has said in Psalm 39:1,
“I said, ‘I will guard my ways,
Lest I sin with my tongue;
I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle,
While the wicked are before me.’”
 
The Psalmist was well aware of the need to guard the mouth, so asks of the LORD,
“Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; 
Keep watch over the door of my lips.”  Psalm 141:3
(Shouldn’t this also be a part of our own daily prayers???)
 
We have looked at some of the admonitions concerning the mouth, but as our opening verse tells us:
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart 
Be acceptable in Your sight,
Oh LORD, my strength and my redeemer.”  
 
Next time we will see what Scripture tells us of the mouth that speaks wholesome, wise and righteous words.
 
Thank you Lord that all things are made new in Christ Jesus.  Thank you Holy Spirit, for Your mighty transforming power that is at work in each of us.  Amen