What I think and what I speak
What I think and what I speak must be acceptable to the Lord
The mind is often a battlefield. It is here where thoughts are born that are mostly not to our benefit, that of others, or acceptable to God. When these thoughts turn into spoken words, the sin that was born in the mind is made public. Once spoken, these words cannot be undone. Our teaching for the week comes from Psalm 19:
19Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. – Psalm 19:14
The psalmist was very accurate in his assessment of the power of the mind and the mouth. Many years later James elaborated on this:
5Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! 6And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. 7For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: 8But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. 10Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. 11Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? 12Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. – James 3:5-12
James could have had the psalm in mind when he wrote his epistle. The focus is very clearly then on the things we think – the thoughts that come up in our hearts, translated into the things we say – the words that exit our mouths. Luke puts it this way, quoting Jesus:
45A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. – Luke 6:45
The good and the bad man both have things stored in their minds. The difference between them becomes evident once they speak. The problem then is the things that are in our hearts and in our minds. Why am I elaborating about this? Because in my own life I must constantly guard against negative thoughts. These are thoughts that are born from situations that directly or indirectly influence me. Sometimes these situations have no relevance to me but still they upset me. It is in times like these that we must be careful that we do not allow the thought to be entertained. Once this happens, we nourish the thought. I sometimes use this example. It is not very nice, but it gets the message across: Rather keep quiet and let people wonder about your stupidity, than open your mouth and everyone hears the truth. This really hurts, and there have been times when I did not pay heed to my own advice, and it landed me in really big trouble.
When we turn back to David’s words, we see that he asks the Lord to find what he says and thinks, to be acceptable:
19Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. – Psalm 19:14
He is asking that what he thinks and says be acceptable in the presence of the Lord. God knows and sees everything. Even before we think, He already knows our thoughts. We cannot hide anything from him. What is going on in your mind today? Do you often carry negative thoughts? Do you have grudges against others? Are you upset because of situations where you feel you have been badly treated, or compromised because of the actions of others? Let them go. Set them free. You most probably cannot do anything about the situation, or the people involved. All you are accomplishing is to cause yourself emotional and spiritual harm. Eventually, the resentment you have for those situations or people will overpower your thought processes.
Importantly, the writer of the psalm recognises the Lord as his strength – the One who helps him to overcome whatever is going on in his heart, and his redeemer – the One who has set him free from the negative influences that threaten to take over his thought processes.
Do the things you think and speak define you? For those who hear your thoughts verbalised, it certainly does. For you, you may deny it at first, but these negative thoughts really do affect you and you become what goes on in your mind. This is obviously dangerous, and it needs to be stopped before it results in something bad:
4If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences. – Ecclesiastes 10:4
Let us look at the verse. You may already be upset about something. When you are confronted (the spirit of the ruler rises up against thee), do and say nothing (do not leave thy place) because not giving in to the attack (yielding) prevents (pacifieth) big mistakes (great offences), where the reaction is worse than the original cause.
These situations often grow worse because in the heat of the moment we forget that the very same Spirit we claim to have inside as and Who guides us, is the One we unfortunately forget to consult and ask to keep us calm in the storm. What do we do then to get around this? Take the situation to the Lord in prayer. Those who have offended you, pray for them, and set them free in the name of Jesus Christ. The situations that have driven you up the wall are simply part of life’s everyday problems. Often when we look back, we realise that the situation was not nearly as bad as we made it out to be. If the situation could not help you grow spiritually, then it was not worth the mental anguish you attacked it with.
Conclusion
This coming week, take another look at Psalm 23: if the Lord is really your shepherd, you will not need anything. He leads you to quiet places, away from conflict, and while He blesses you with His presence, your enemies must look on as He anoints you with blessings and gives you more than you can imagine. If you allow Him to be your shepherd, goodness will follow you and more than this, you will reside in the presence of the Lord forever. Surely, this is worth much more than worrying about the little frustration life throws at you.