Year of Exposure Day 40: Don’t trip over your own tongue.

Year “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭141‬:‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

To this point in our discussion of Psalm 141 (as a template for successfully navigating 2025), we have seen that David cries out to the Lord for help and lifts his hands to Him in an expression of helplessness (submission), praise, and adoration.

In our opening scripture, we see that the psalmist then turns to asking the Lord to help him restrain his words.

In another place, David offers this before the Lord:

“I said, “I will guard my ways, Lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, While the wicked are before me.” I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good; And my sorrow was stirred up. My heart was hot within me; While I was musing, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue: “Lord, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭39‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

David knew—as we all should know—if you are in a bad situation, in the midst of provocation, you definitely don’t want to make things worse by digging the hole you’re in, deeper, with your own tongue.

In the above example, we see that when David did speak, he wisely asks the Lord to show him how/when all of his struggling would end. He wisely asks the Lord to give him understanding concerning his situation.

You see, when we find ourselves in a tight place of some sort, there is the human tendency to want to “vent” through our mouth. But the problem is, the venting we often do, involves speaking things God has not spoken: speaking from our emotions, speaking from our confusion.

We do well to consider the example of Jesus, the Son of God: After having fasted in the wilderness for 40 days, he was weary and hungry. As we know, the enemy took this time to tempt him, but you should note, every time the enemy offered a temptation, Jesus offered what God had said. Jesus did not try to argue with the devil. He did not even express His exasperation with what the devil was trying to do. He only spoke what God had said.

Indeed, the word of God has the power, the creative power, to help. Whereas, words spoken from an uncontrolled tongue, often speak words of destruction.

Peter warns, saying this:

“For “He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit.”

‭‭I Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

James explains the potential destructive power of the tongue:

“Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.”

‭‭James‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Note, James presents the scenario of blessing and cursing, evil and good, coming out of the same mouth. Friend, you can’t get a faster track to deeper trouble than doing the devil‘s work with your mouth. As such, the power of God’s word is negated with the words of the enemy!

Over the coming days, we will see a lot of dramatic things happening, perhaps things we don’t understand. There will be opportunities to perhaps gloat when things seem to be going our way, or to curse when we feel attacked or confused.

Child of God, we should always seek out what the Lord has to say, particularly when some frenzy of emotion is stirring our hearts and minds. We definitely will not make things worse by speaking what God has said. Quite the contrary, His words take back control, even in the midst of life‘s many storms. But make no mistake, speaking out of emotion, speaking impulsively, thoughtlessly, will only lead to trouble.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!