“Be sure to taste your words before you spit them out.” – Anonymous
A group of frogs travelled through a forest on one sunny day. Two of the frogs fell into a deep pit along the way. All other frogs gathered around the pit and told those two frogs that they were as good as dead because they could not get their way out of the pit. Both frogs ignored their comments and tried to jump out of the pit with all their strength. All this time, other frogs were telling them to stop trying as it was of no use.
After several attempts to jump out of the pit, one of the two frogs listened to the words of other frogs, gave up, fell down and died. But the other frog kept trying to jump out of the deep pit. Each time he attempted to jump higher, the other frogs yelled at him to stop trying and die as the other frog. This frog finally jumped out of the pit after trying harder explaining to other frogs that he was deaf and thought they were encouraging him to get out of the pit.
Like the frog that finally jumped out of the pit, we need to pay deaf ears to words that are negative, rash and discouraging. This story also teaches us that we should be careful of what we say and that destructive words to someone who is not feeling well can kill them. There are words that are not acceptable because they fall short of the characteristics of God’s Word – perfect, sure, right, pure and true (See Psalm 19: 7-11). So, these words are not acceptable to God and man. For this reason, King David of old prayed that God should accept his words and his thoughts.
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14)
Every now and then, we speak words to God, ourselves, others and situations. It is important to weigh these words before speaking as the weight of consequences may be hard to bear. So many hearts have been broken, dreams shattered, relationships destroyed and lives lost because of one statement.
“Be careful what you say. You can say something hurtful in ten seconds, but ten years later, the wounds are still there.” – Joel Osteen
We need to speak words that are in line with God’s will, methods, principles, prophecies and promises. Next time you want to speak to God, yourself or someone, ask yourself, “Are my words soul-lifting, gracious, full of life, true, right, wise or gentle?” Some people speak rash, harsh, filthy, rotten, foolish and corrupt words thereby offending God and man. We need to let the Word of God dwell in us richly to shape the way we talk.
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” – Mother Teresa
However, if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you will hardly speak words that are acceptable to God. By accepting Jesus Christ into your heart, the Spirit of God dwells in your spirit and He begins to transform the way you speak as you read, study and meditate on His Word – the Bible. Say this prayer of Salvation: Dear Jesus Christ, come into my heart and forgive my sins. I believe that You came, died and rose again to save me. I confess that You are my personal Lord and Savior and I declare that I am born again. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord. Amen!
By Sunday Omori
HEM Int'l 