Do you have a tendency to criticize or have a sharp tongue? I don't know about you, but I do, so I ask God to bridle my thoughts and bridle my tongue every morning. This is something that I have found I need a lot of help with. Especially with the people closest to me.
You see, I tend to be a perfectionist, and that can make me difficult to live with. Most people who know me think I'm a super nice, easy going person, but my family knows the real me. I am a nice person, it's not that I'm not, but I tend to be hardest on those that I love. My poor husband says that I have a certain view of the world and that I expect those whom I love to live up to that view. I am probably not very reasonable at times, and short on patience when I think that I am doing it all. I'm sure that some of you are like that also, you know who you are. We clean, cook, work, take care of the kids, do the laundry, even pack all of the suitcases and try to do it without complaining, until we feel like we are being taken advantage of. We haven't asked for help, so how can those around us, know that we needed it to take advantage of us. Maybe just by watching all that we are doing? Come on that's not fair to them! They can't read our minds even though we think that they should. We walk around with a laundry list in our heads of what needs to be done, but they don't have the same list, so how are they supposed to know.
Then Satan rears his ugly head! (I have now reached my limit, but how would my family know what needed to be done if I didn't tell them.) I lash out in anger and frustration! Not fair right! No, not fair at all. Do you recognize this person, are you like me? I need to learn how to talk, ask for help. So each morning I ask God to bridle my thoughts and bridle my tongue, so that I don't say something mean to those that I love. They are the ones I should have the most patience with, not the least.
Each morning I pray, "God, bridle my thoughts and bridle my tongue today, in the name of Jesus Christ. Don't let me say anything mean, angry, or unkind to anyone today. Thank you Lord." I know that when I am praying in the name of Jesus that it is done. It is such a simple prayer, but so powerful. It has helped me to so very much. I want my thoughts and tongue to be in agreement with God's will, not mine. The Lord's prayer says "Thy will be done." Let it be.
I like this verse in Psalms, and I'm giving you several different versions. I think it is helpful to see different transliterations.
Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the doors of my lips.
Psalms 141:3 (NKJV)
Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips (to keep me from speaking thoughtlessly).
Psalms 141:3 (amplified)
Guard my mouth, O Eternal One;
control what I say.
Keep a careful watch on every word I speak.
Psalm 141:3 (The VOICE)
I especially liked The VOICE's version, "Guard my mouth..., control what I say, Keep careful watch on every word I speak".
If this speaks to you, I hope it helps. Have a blessed week.
Each morning I pray, "God, bridle my thoughts and bridle my tongue today, in the name of Jesus Christ. Don't let me say anything mean, angry, or unkind to anyone today. Thank you Lord." I know that when I am praying in the name of Jesus that it is done. It is such a simple prayer, but so powerful. It has helped me to so very much. I want my thoughts and tongue to be in agreement with God's will, not mine. The Lord's prayer says "Thy will be done." Let it be.
I like this verse in Psalms, and I'm giving you several different versions. I think it is helpful to see different transliterations.
Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the doors of my lips.
Psalms 141:3 (NKJV)
Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips (to keep me from speaking thoughtlessly).
Psalms 141:3 (amplified)
Guard my mouth, O Eternal One;
control what I say.
Keep a careful watch on every word I speak.
Psalm 141:3 (The VOICE)
I especially liked The VOICE's version, "Guard my mouth..., control what I say, Keep careful watch on every word I speak".
If this speaks to you, I hope it helps. Have a blessed week.
Yes! I have been known to be like that and I don't like myself when I do. My pastor did such a great object lesson this past Sunday. He used the story of the woman caught in adultery that the Pharisee's brought before Jesus to be stoned. We had all received a stone at the beginning and at the end of the service he wanted us to put it on the altar and leave it there. He said that stone represented all of our bad thoughts and judgement on others that we "stone" others with. He said the next morning he was going to throw all the stones in the woods behind the church!
ReplyDeleteHi Ann Marie,
DeleteIt sounds like your pastor did a great job teaching this lesson. In Judaism, at Rosh Hoshannah, you take broken pieces of bread to moving water and through the bread into the water. The pieces of bread represent your sins and when you through them in the water you are washing away your sins. They are being taken away in the water. We have Jesus to do that for us, but with no Jesus that is the closest they can come to having their sins being washed away.
Have a blessed week.
Debi
I enjoyed AnnMarie's comment above. What a beautiful demonstration! Debi, I'm raising my hand in agreement over feeling taken advantage of and eventually throwing words around to vent. I always regret it, too. Also, in my early Christian days, I realized when I opened my mouth for the Lord, I was doing Him more harm than good. I was such a baby Christian probably things were stated in a wrong way (?). So, I trained myself to NOT talk. Even still, my husband says I don't speak up when I should. Over the past month, I started being more vocal with him and telling him the bare bones truth of how I feel about things. I wonder if he regrets telling me to speak up more often. Ha!
ReplyDeleteHi Kim,
DeleteI liked AnnMarie's story also. Not talking has not been an issue for me (ha ha). Less talking would be much better. I'm happy that you are speaking up, because we also end up with resentment if we feel we are never heard. It always works out best when I ask God what I am supposed to say. I find, more and more often, that I ask Him first, and then speak. It seems as though He then gives me the words to speak in a different way, a kinder, gentler voice. My message is also heard then.
Thanks so much for coming by.
Have a blessed week.
Debi