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Proverbs 13:3, "He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction."

Have you ever noticed how quick we are to broadcast our ignorance? There is a reason that James says that we should be "swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath."

I love the book of Proverbs. I can just imagine an elderly man sharing these wise words with a son or grandson. Of all the life lessons that could be shared, Solomon believed that his son needed to hear these words. If we were sharing these words today we might say something like: "Sometimes the best thing you could do is keep your mouth shut. If you don't - someone might shut it for you!"

Ever said something that you wanted to take back? Ever spoken out of turn? Ever wished that your brain moved faster than your lips? For some people this discipline of guarding the mouth is very difficult. They are quick to give their opinion or say what they are thinking. Too often we don't even take the time to process what is getting ready to come out.

I have heard people say, "Well, I was thinking it so I might as well say it." Who taught us that garbage? Trust me when I say that it's one thing to think something but quite another thing to speak it! Feelings normally don't get hurt when we just think something. Relationships are rarely severed due to what one person was thinking. But when we allow those thoughts to be formed into words - we can become very destructive.

How many people have been discouraged from following after God's leadership due to the words of someone they respected? How many missionaries have stayed home, ministries never started, or dreams never pursued? Don't get me wrong...I understand that there are times that we need to speak the truth (in love) but there are also times when we need to just keep our mouths shut. My grandmother used to say, "If you can't say nothing good - don't say anything at all."

This life lesson is something that I am continually learning. And it's a hard lesson to learn. I was always the mouthy one! If it wasn't for the work of the Holy Spirit in me who knows what kind of destruction I would have caused in life. That is why I do my best to remember Psalm 19:14: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight..." This is the key! If we can apply the Lordship of Christ to what is happening in our hearts and the words that our coming out of our mouths, we can overcome.

Trust me: You are going to find yourself in a situation (probably today) where you are going to be tested in this area. It could happen at work, with your spouse or children, or it could be in another relationship. Are you going to pause and ask for wisdom or are you going to release the megaphone between your ears? I'm not going to tell you that you have to keep quiet BUT I am going to say that if you need to speak the truth be sure that it's in LOVE.