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

How many times have you wished that you could take back something you said? Maybe you said something to a loved one out of anger or frustration? Maybe you snapped at your children out of anxiety over something at work. Maybe you just said something; trying to be funny, but it turned out to hurt the person. So many times I wish I could just reach out and grab those words and hope no one really heard them.

And how about written forms of communication: text messages, emails and social media interactions? We need a filter and to beware of the words and thoughts we put out there for people to read. People may forget something you said over time, but once you put something out there on the Internet it is there forever. The Internet does not forget. A text message or and email can be saved and read over and over again.

We need a mouth guard.

Ask God to set up a guard for your tongue. Seek wisdom for our words. Think twice before you speak and re-read what you write before you hit “send”. Do your words build people up? Do they glorify God?

“Holy God, make me mindful of my words that I may not cause harm to anyone. May my words serve to glorify you.”

Praise be to God!

The pastor -|—