Did you hear about the woman who was arrested for causing an accident while talking on her cell phone? She was given a ticket for DWI—driving while intalksicated! OK, I’ll admit it, that’s corny! But, here’s something else that’s not so funny–we often cause a lot of problems and hurt a lot of people by the words we speak. Remember the old saying,”Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me!”? Well, that’s a lie. Words can hurt us deeply. Far too often we say things that hurt others, and ultimately hurts us. And, God holds us accountable for our thoughts, words and actions. We best be careful.

That being the case, we need to think before we speak. We need to consider the truthfulness of what we say, the thought that prompted it, the tone of our voice, and the trouble it might cause. Our Christian testimony is at stake.

The Bible says,”Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”(Col. 4:6). It would do you good to spend several hours studying this verse and others directly related to it, wringing out every drop of truth possible, considering the meaning of every word, and prayerfully examining your life in its light. Notice the word “alway”–it means exactly what it says, whether in private or public, whether at work or at play, whether with friend or foe. It speaks of our manner of life regardless of circumstances.

O what a difference it would make in our lives, and that of others, if we would just practice this one simple command. Sadly too many of us get out of control and say things we shouldn’t, doing irreparable damage. We hurt others, lose their respect, destroy our testimony, and invite God to take corrective measures. Solomon said,”A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.”(Proverbs 25:11). In other words it is something beautiful, as opposed to the ugliness of improper speech. If you want to make a lasting good impression,”Let your speech be always with grace–“. You will be remembered for the right reason.

This is another way of saying, “Don’t give the devil a foothold, or a toe-hold”, don’t give him an opportunity. And, believe me, Satan is always on the look out for an opportunity to do us harm.Not to merely frighten us or hurt us, but to destroy us and all that we hold dear.

Notice where this command is located. It is between temper (vs. 26) and theft (vs. 28). It is located there for a reason, not just to fill up space. Thomas Manton wrote: ” Nothing makes room for Satan more than wrath.” You might question that assertion, but there is no room for argument about the fact that the Bible warns us repeatedly about anger. We best listen.

Charles Spurgeon said,”Anger is temporary insanity—I have no more right as a Christian to allow a bad temper to dwell in me than I have to allow the devil himself to dwell there”.

Some foolish folks seem to think that if they give God a place in their life that there isn’t anything wrong in giving the devil a little place. The fact of the matter is, if you give God first place in your life there isn’t any place for the devil. Why should there be?(see Romans 6:13-21).

When you give any place to the devil he will take over the whole place–just like the old saying about getting the “foot in the door”. Remember this–when you give the devil an opportunity he never passes it up. He takes advantage of every opportunity to defeat and destroy us. Don’t give an inch or he’ll take a mile.

You can’t gain ground if you’re giving ground, and you can’t keep from giving up ground unless you are guarding ground. To do that we must, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”(Ephesians 6:11) Your survival depends on it.

My friend, I know not what your trouble may be

If I were you–“I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause.” Job 5:8

This is sound advice. It is much better than . . .
seeking unto men, or
poring over troubles, or
indulging a gloomy imagination, or
giving way to fears.

My friend, I know not what your trouble may be–but If I were you–“I would seek unto God!“

If I was in perplexity–I would seek unto God for wisdom.

If I was in sorrow–I would seek unto God for comfort.

If I was in weakness–I would seek unto God for strength.

If I was under guilt–I would seek unto God for pardon.

If I was in a severe conflict–I would seek unto God for victory.

If I was in doubt and fear–I would seek unto God for confidence and a sense of His favor.

If I was harassed by Satan–I would seek unto almighty God for protection.

If I was afraid of falling–I would seek unto God to uphold me with His omnipotent arm.

If I was alarmed at death–I would seek for His presence to comfort me.

Whatever you need–seek it from God!

Whatever you fear–carry it to God!

Whatever troubles you–lay it before God!

You cannot seek unto Him in vain, or without profit!

If I were you–“I would seek unto God! I would lay my cause before Him!”

By James Smith,(1802-1862) Predecessor of Charles Spurgeon at New Park Street Chapel in London

Immaturity causes problems–lots of problems! If you don’t believe me just watch the toddlers. They kick, cry, pull hair, scream, and do whatever they must to get attention or some item they want. We ought to be thankful that they aren’t 6′ tall and 200 pounds–someone would get hurt bad! O wait— there are some babes that large. They are babes in Christ (1 Cor.3:1-3) and they will tear a church to pieces. Spiritual immaturity is to be expected from new Christians, but they ought to grow out of it. Sadly some never do (Heb.5:12-14). They want to be seen and heard. They insist on getting their way and they throw a fit when they don’t. They pose a great threat to the church.

One of the marks of a mature believer is his recognition of the fact that he needs to keep growing. The apostle Paul is a good example of that (Phil.3:12-14). Unlike a lot of folks he knew he had a lot of room for growth. Commenting on Paul’s statement in Phil. 3:12-14, Pastor Greg Laurie makes these observations:

Are you satisfied with your spiritual life right now? I am not satisfied with mine. I feel there is a lot of growing I still need to do. I feel there are a lot of things I still need to learn and a lot of changes that still need to happen in my life. And guess what? The same is true for you.

The enemy to growth is contentment. There is a place for being content as a Christian, but never be content with where you are spiritually. You should always be wanting more—wanting to learn more and wanting to grow more.

This is where people often have a breakdown when it comes to keeping their resolutions. They just give up. They think, I can never do it. I am just going to accept who I am and where I am. I will just accept things the way they are. But that is not good enough. We need to commit ourselves to get past the barriers and meet the goals we have set, whether it is growing spiritually or getting in better shape so we can live productive lives for God’s glory. We need to keep raising the bar for ourselves.

The apostle Paul, after years of walking with God, said, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after , if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12). To loosely paraphrase, Paul was saying, “I am not satisfied with where I am. I want to keep growing and progressing spiritually.”

So don’t settle with where you are spiritually. Be thankful for how far God has brought you, but at the same time, keep moving forward to what is still ahead.