Negative Mouths

Do you ever get "fed up" with people who insist on being negative? I've found that some of the worst ones are "serving" in ministry. It amazes me that someone could be like that in ministry. They are serving with people who actually know Christ and love serving Him! Don't they ever learn?

Negativity is not from God.

Direction, guidance, and help IS. Job gives truthful insight on the mouth...


"Your sin prompts your mouth; you adopt the tongue of the crafty." (vs 15:5) Even in ministry, we have negative thoughts. They come from getting our feelings hurt...or being offended because something didn't go our way. But we must combat those feelings with the truth of God! Otherwise, the heart turns sinful by the thoughts and it comes pouring out of our mouths!!! In fact, over time, we become unaware of how bad our mouth really is! That can ONLY lead to death and destruction... of ministries... and relationships. And what winds up happening, if you don't grab on to God's truth, is that you wind up running your mouth like the crafty people do. What is crafty? Websters defines it this way: skillful, clever, adept in the use of subtlety and cunning...sly.
Now there are some who would take it as a compliment to be described this way. I assure you, the word "SLY" should remove any pride over being known this way. Let me throw out a couple of other meanings for you...

Sly: clever in concealing one's aims or ends...furtive...lacking in straightforwardness and candor.
Cunning: characterized by wiliness and trickery

Are you getting my drift?

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Every time we open our mouths and say something, it's either positive or negative...it's either building up or tearing down...it's either pleasing to God or it's not. And when you are negative about someone or you tear down God's ministry, I assure you that it DOES NOT please Him. And when you participate in such, you're hurting the cause of Christ. 12 Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash,

¹³ so that you vent your rage against God and pour out such words from your mouth? Job 15:12-13

Job understood and was concerned about his own mouth. And the Bible describes Job in the first chapter & verse this way:

"In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil."

Job was a righteous man. He sets the example on doing your best to love God...serve God...and learn humility. And yet, when the sky fell in on his life (so to speak), he questioned his own mouth...his own actions...and his own intentions! He didn't blame everybody else!!!

Are you living a life that speaks God's truth, or are you pretending to be "holy", yet slaughtering others behind their back? That's a heart problem...and God is NOT honored by that...

The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." Isaiah 29:13
We become so concerned about "holding the worm" (first to "know & share" the juicy bits) in our mouth, that we don't realize that we're compromising God's truth...standing on the line between His light and the world's darkness. I realize that at some point and time, we all must hold ourselves in check concerning our mouth. Nobody has ever been exempt from having to do so, including me. But there IS a difference in running your mouth about something that isn't your business, and using your mouth to express how great someone is...or expressing positive signs you see in a ministry.

How do we do that? Just a few ways...

*Share your opinion all you want to...but do it in a positive way that doesn't tear down someone else, and misrepresent the name of Christ.

*CHOOSE to not be a whirlwind of negativity...and choose to stand up for Christ when you're in a group of people and the conversation begins to drift towards negative gossip or negative "truth"!

*Just because what you're saying may be fact, doesn't give you the right to open your mouth and say it!!!

*The golden nuggest of truth?...I said, "I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence." Psalm 39:1

*Instead of dwelling on things you don't like concerning ANY situation, choose to be part of the solution...keep your mouth shut and move forward...

Now, let me say this: I know there are times when we need to vent, and God has provided a specific person or persons in our lives in which to do so. It may be your husband...your Mom...or a close friend. BUT, you need to realize that whomever that person or persons is...they will be mature enough to confirm your feelings, and will point you in the direction of keeping your mouth shut and moving forward. Anyone not willing to do that, is not someone whom God wants you confiding in. The person to whom you vent should not be one who "feeds" the bad behavior of you running your mouth to others.

Wouldn't YOU like to be the one whose heart is full of positive truth?

“I have become like a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge. My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.” Psalm 71:7-8

"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 .

Have you ever wondered why you're not as close to a friend as you once were? They may have moved out of state...they may have joined a different church...God may have called you into a different direction...or maybe...just maybe...YOUR WORDS DESTROYED YOUR FRIENDSHIP.
Start praying today that God will convict you of every word that you utter.

"Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips." Psalm 141:3




Guess what will happen when you do that...?

"He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy." Job 8:21

Happy Easter!

We went to the 8:00am worship service at our church today. There was no Sunday School...only the 3 worship service times that were offered in celebration of Easter.

I'm not ashamed to say that I don't get real excited about Easter, because at our church, it's like we're having a celebration for Christ every Sunday...not just on Easter Sunday morning. In fact, I normally am not hyped up about our celebration of Easter because it's usually a drama depicting the days that Christ was in the flesh on this Earth, complete with His resurrection from the grave. I don't know why, but dramas like that don't touch my heart the way they did when I was younger. What touches my heart now is different...it's life...and the truth of how utterly shameful we are and how God sent Jesus to redeem us from that. To save us and redeem us from ourselves.
Grace chose to "Face the Cross" this year instead of doing a drama. And for the first time in years on Easter Sunday morning...I cried. It's amazing to be reminded of how sinful I am and how full of grace and mercy my Lord is...that despite all my negative choices from the past (and even some I make today)...He has saved me and redeemed me...He has restored me!

Our wonderful pastor reminded us that it didn't take Easter for God to accept Christ' sacrifice as payment for the sins of all mankind. Jesus died on what we know as "Good Friday". And when Jesus died, His very words said it all..."It is finished". At that point in time, we were forgiven. The penalty of sin was forever paid. The bonus was when Jesus rolled the tomb away and gave us victory over death! Every negative mouth had to close THEN!!! Jesus not only satisfied God, but He defeated the ultimate consequence of sin...DEATH. So amazing!

Easter means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. What it means to me is this:

God loved me so much that He made sure I would have the choice to belong to Him...to be forgiven...redeemed...and restored...by sending Jesus to pay the price for my sin. God said no sin would ever separate me from Him, unless I rejected the One who paid that price. And when He called my heart to Him, I made the choice to repent from my sin, accept Christ, and live for Him. I now have an inheritance that is so glorious, I can't wrap my mind around it. Though it will try...death and sin will not destroy me, because I belong to the One who has power over all things.

That is Easter, and it's more amazing than I could ever fully explain.