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Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. -Ephesians 4:29

Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble. -Proverbs 21:23

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! -Psalm 141:3

This one is a tough one: when you’re in a conversation…or disagreement…or argument…and the other person says something to you, and you just can’t let it go. You have to respond to what they said. You have to make sure you get your point across.

It may not be that you have to be right, but you just can’t hold your tongue in the face of accusations, slander, or falsehoods. Maybe you’re so irritated or upset or angry that you have to let the other person have a piece of your mind.

Can you let go?

This is one of the hardest lessons I’ve been learning: to let it go when faced with words thrown at me, and words I want to volley in response.

Some lessons I can feel the Lord wants me to learn:

  • Patience and perseverance in the face of verbal fire
  • Grace to not judge or hold the other person in contempt
  • Understanding and discernment to decode what the person is really upset about
  • Humility and restraint to not fuel the fire with more words
  • Know that He is present for the conversation, hears every word uttered to and from me, and that we will ultimately answer to Him for our words and actions

I can feel it when God is dealing with me, and in this regard, He definitely is.

The blessing here is to know that God wants to refine you in your daily walk toward Christlikeness…but you’ll never get there if you keep tripping yourself up!