🕊️ PRAY HERE Devotion 🕊️ How Many Murders Has Your Tongue Committed? 🥺

Scripture: James 4:11 KJV

“Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.”

Proverbs 11:9 KJV

“With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors,

    but through knowledge the righteous escape.”

Devotion :

You cannot effectively “submit to God” or “resist the devil” while allowing your tongue to be used as a weapon to destroy other people.

Whewww! 😮‍💨🥺

Some people’s hearts are so full of hurt, hate, unforgiveness, bitterness, jealousy, resentment, and offense that they can’t help but talk negatively about other people.

Remember, in a previous devotion we learned that what’s in the heart will eventually come out through our lips.

So sometimes the problem isn’t really your mouth.

YOUR MOUTH IS JUST REPORTING WHAT’S IN YOUR HEART.

WHEWWW! 😮‍💨🙏🏽

Somebody needs to hear this:

STOP TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE AND BE HEALED.

There are people right now who simply need to let go of the past, genuinely forgive, and give it to God.

Because when you constantly find yourself talking badly about someone to other people…

Trying to make people dislike them…

Trying to hinder their opportunities…

Hoping they’ll fail…

Making sure everybody hears what they did…

Bringing up their past every chance you get…

YOUR HEART NEEDS GOD’S ATTENTION.

And the crazy part is that the devil can make you feel completely JUSTIFIED.

“But what I’m saying is TRUE!”

Okay…

But WHY are you telling it? 👀

Is it to help?

Protect?

Correct?

Resolve something?

Or are you telling it because you want the listener to think differently about that person?

MOTIVE MATTERS.

Smh. Let’s read what the Bible says about this.

James 4:11 plainly tells believers:

“Speak not evil one of another, brethren.”

In modern language:

STOP SLANDERING EACH OTHER.

How many times have we witnessed this?

It can happen right inside the church.

A person starts serving, singing, preaching, leading, or being given opportunities.

Somebody doesn’t like it.

So they start whispering:

“Well…you know I heard…”

👀

Then they sprinkle in a little:

“I’m not gossiping. I’m just telling you so you can pray.”

😂🤦🏽‍♀️

Now five people know something they didn’t need to know, somebody’s reputation has been damaged, and we’re calling it a prayer request.

Come on, church! 🥺

And sometimes the person hasn’t done ANYTHING to you.

You’re just jealous.

You don’t like the attention they’re receiving.

You don’t like their success.

You don’t like their relationship.

You don’t like that doors are opening for them.

So instead of dealing with what’s happening in YOUR HEART, you start trying to change how everybody else sees them.

And this isn’t just church people.

It happens everywhere.

A coworker gets promoted.

Somebody says:

“I don’t know why they picked her. Let me tell you how she REALLY is.”

A relationship ends.

Now one person makes it their mission to tell everybody everything wrong with the other person.

A friendship falls apart.

Now private conversations become public information.

Or somebody actually DID hurt you.

They lied on you.

Betrayed you.

Cheated you.

Embarrassed you.

And because what they did was wrong, you begin believing that everything you say about them afterward is justified.

But hear me:

SOMEBODY ELSE’S SIN DOESN’T GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO SIN TOO.

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

They may need to repent for what they did.

And YOU may need to repent for what you’ve been saying.

Whewww! 😮‍💨

James says when we speak evil against our brother or sister, we’re not merely attacking that person. We’re putting ourselves in the position of judging the law instead of obeying it.

And what law?

James has already called it the “royal law” in James 2:8:

“Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

LOVE DOESN’T USE SOMEBODY’S REPUTATION FOR TARGET PRACTICE.

🥺

Slander can kill a person’s reputation.

It can destroy relationships.

It can cost someone opportunities.

It can damage their credibility.

It can turn people against them before they’ve even had an opportunity to speak for themselves.

And here’s the frightening part:

YOU CAN KILL SOMETHING WITH YOUR MOUTH THAT YOU DON’T HAVE THE POWER TO RESURRECT.

WHEWWWW! 🥺🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

You can apologize…

but everybody you told may never hear the apology.

You can admit you exaggerated…

but the story has already traveled.

You can discover you were wrong…

but somebody’s name has already been damaged.

That’s why we need to be careful with our mouths.

And Proverbs 11:9 says:

“An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour…”

Other translations render the underlying idea as a godless person destroying a neighbor with the mouth.

Let that sink in.

DESTROYING PEOPLE WITH OUR MOUTHS IS NOT GODLY BEHAVIOR.

The world does it constantly.

But what’s especially troubling is how many self-proclaimed Christians participate in it too.

We can call ourselves children of God.

Post Scriptures.

Quote Scriptures.

Praise the Lord.

Shout in church.

Speak in tongues.

Post:

“GOD IS GOOD!” 🙌🏽

And then use the same mouth to TEAR SOMEBODY APART.

Whewwww! 🥺🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

Something is wrong with that picture.

And before we start thinking about somebody else who needs this devotion…

CHECK YOUR OWN MOUTH.

👀

Because gossip always sounds worse when somebody else is doing it.

What have YOU been saying?

Who do YOU keep bringing up?

Whose failures do YOU enjoy discussing?

Whose business have YOU been spreading?

Who do YOU secretly want other people to dislike?

And here’s the deeper question:

WHAT IS IN YOUR HEART THAT KEEPS COMING OUT OF YOUR MOUTH?

Maybe it’s jealousy.

Maybe it’s unresolved hurt.

Maybe it’s bitterness.

Maybe it’s rejection.

Maybe it’s unforgiveness.

Maybe you’re still angry about something that happened years ago.

Then don’t just ask God to fix your tongue.

ASK GOD TO HEAL YOUR HEART.

Because when the heart changes, the conversation should start changing too.

You don’t have to destroy somebody because they hurt you.

You don’t have to announce everything you know.

You don’t have to participate when somebody else starts gossiping.

And you certainly don’t have to recruit other people into your offense.

STOP TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE AND BE HEALED.

Give the hurt to God.

Forgive.

Pray.

Set boundaries where they’re needed.

Handle legitimate problems appropriately.

But don’t turn your tongue into a weapon.

Because God didn’t save our mouths just so we could use them to murder somebody else’s name.

🥺🙏🏽

Reflect & Respond

Before you talk about somebody today, ask yourself:

Is it true?

Is it necessary?

Why am I telling this person?

Am I trying to help; or am I trying to change how they see somebody?

And here’s the hard one:

“WOULD I SAY THIS IF THE PERSON I WAS TALKING ABOUT WAS STANDING RIGHT HERE?”

If God brings someone to your mind whose reputation you’ve been tearing down, don’t justify it.

REPENT.

And if the talking is coming from an old wound…

STOP TALKING ABOUT THEM AND LET GOD HEAL YOU.

🙏🏽💙

Prayer :

Father God, search my heart and clean out anything that causes me to speak against other people. Heal my hurt, jealousy, bitterness, anger, and unforgiveness. Forgive me for every time I’ve used my words to tear someone down. Lord, tame my tongue. Teach me when to speak and when to be quiet, and let my words reflect a heart that belongs to You.

In Jesus’ name, Amen. 🙏🏽💙

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