30-Day TRUE WOMAN Make-Over Day 22

YEEHAW... what a wonderful way to start a day. We had a ladies' breakfast at our church with Evangelist ANITA PEARCE (for more info on her and her ministry click INSPIRATION MINISTRIES) She challenged us and reminded us, that God is the potter and we are the clay. To fully become the ME that He desires me to be, I have to yield to him and allow Him to remake me. Thankfully I can say I am on that road, and on that journey, and the book "The ME I Want to Be" (by John Ortberg), and this 30-Day True Woman Make-over is helping out with that. So THANKS JOHN, NANCY (& others)! (Coincidentally John's wife is also named Nancy, but they are not the same.) Of course I give ALL glory to God, as He is bringing me through these changes, and recreating processes, and I am excited to move forward in my newfound 'ME' (Maximum Effectiveness)!

Today's topic is - HOW TO CONTROL YOUR TONGUE

Today's verse is Proverbs 31:22 - "She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple."

Phew... controlling the tongue... if only we could lose weight and calories from all the work it takes to do this... there would be way more thinner and quieter people around.

We ALONE cannot control our tongues... we need the help of the Father. We can try in our own strength, yet the temptations and fleshly thoughts get the better of us, and we choose to 'put our foot in our mouth' once again.

Too often we find ourselves stuck in the middle of 'loose tongue syndrome'... whether we are doing it ourselves, or someone is sharing the news with us. Anytime slander, or gossip takes the place of things that edify and encourage, we should know there is a problem. Yesterday's devotional (Nancy's here, mine here) dwelled on slander and sound doctrine. So today, as Nancy stated, we are not going to focus on slander itself, but how to be a woman who does not slander.

She quotes seven steps to becoming a woman who does not sin with her tongue;
1. Humble yourself

2. Put off all slander and evil speaking

3. Put on words of kindness, love, forgiveness & grace

4. Bring your thought-life under the control of the Spirit

5. Talk less
6. Think before you speak

7. Refuse to listen to slander or gossip about

These seven steps are all difficult to undertake, yet with the Lord's help (as I said at the beginning) it can and will be accomplished in our lives. Basically the old saying is rather fitting still, "If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all". We need to be women who do not slander. Although I know it's easy to get caught up in juicy gossip or even slanderous gossip...

We need to yield ourselves over to God, so that He can use us and change us into the ones he designed us to be. (Again confirmed in the message this morning with Anita.)

When we exhibit the symptoms of 'loose tongue syndrome' (L.T.S.), we should be able to quickly repent to the Father (first) and then to the others around us (if necessary). But instead, if we continue in LTS, then it is very contagious, and it spreads to others around us. Sometimes we even add on or subtract details to our speech as well. Our speech, clothing and actions require us to show and exemplify modesty so that others around will learn from and walk in the same. Our 'loose tongue' also hurts our family. When we 'gossip' or 'slander' someone, we need to think of how it would be for us, if we heard someone talking like that about us. Our family can get caught in the 'cross-fire', as we are humans who think 'an eye for an eye' and want to think revenging rather than repenting. When we have a mind full of kindness, love, forgiveness & grace (step #3 above), our mouths and tongues will reflect the same (IE. GIGO - garbage in, garbage out). We can rest easily at night knowing that we lived the best that we could without taking another down to advance.

This leads us into today's verse... our 'virtuous woman' "makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple." We learned already that this woman is modest in her dress, speech and actions, yet she is now also showing that she is modest in home design as well. Now, when one thinks of modest sometimes, they don't think positively at first. I have mentioned the word 'prude', yet I will also add 'frumpy or dowdy' and 'plain'. This however is not the actual picture we get from the 'virtuous woman'... her apparel and her home are clothed in that which may be modest, yet is still beautiful and rich in quality. Her bedroom and her home are her 'castle' as the old saying goes for me usually. She takes time to design and implement a quality in her home that is also reflected on her own dress, and therefore also reflects her love for her family and for God. She again is using her own hands to create this comfort for her and her family. The verse says 'she is clothed in fine linen and purple.' Fine linens and purple are used alot in royalty, to show off the richness of the colour and the designs. Purple in colour, signifies royalty, and this woman, and we, are covered with the annointing of the King. He also calls us His royal priesthood. We are daughters of the King... therefore we are REAL PRINCESSES!

We need to take that role in our lives, we are worthy, we are special, loved and treasured. A princess is protected by the King, and is loved by the King more than any other female in the Kingdom, (well except for the Queen). A princess has the prominence in the Kingdom and the cities around the 'castle'. She is known for her role as a Princess (unless she chooses to hide it and go 'undercover' as Jasmine did in Aladdin). No one knew she was the Princess, because she hid under 'frumpy' and 'plain' clothes.

We need to stop dressing in 'rags' and trade those 'rags' for 'robes of righteuosness' and take our rightful place as PRINCESSES in the Kingdom. We are due to inherit alot more than monetary value. (and we don't have to wait until our 'Father' dies... because his son already did that ONCE AND FOR ALL.) A princess does not walk around slandering those in her kingdom, she walks to show respect for her family and for her King. Although the King is her Father, she still has to respect and obey His words just like everyone else. Whatever she does reflects back onto the King. It is the same with us... whatever we do reflects back to our King. If we are seen in the world as gossips and slanderers, yet profess to these same people to be Christians, what example is that leaving? If we are a part of the 'chosen people, royal priesthood and holy nation' spoken of in 1 Peter 2:8-10, then we need to walk in that promise.

"'A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.'They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (1 Peter 2:8-10 NIV)

Tongues of gossip and slander are that which make others stumble, and they disobey the message of God. Because we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, we need to walk in the freedom, and declare the praises of God. He brought us out of the miry clay, and the darkness into His wonderful light, and we are now the people of God. We have received an over-abundance of mercy from God, and we need to grant others the same grace and mercy. Just a reminder, GRACE is 'getting something that we don't deserve' and MERCY is 'not getting something that we do deserve'. We deserve death and eternal flames, yet we are receiving life, and life abundantly in Heaven with our God.

We need to walk in the 'LTS' (Loving Tongue Syndrome) instead of 'Loose Tongue Syndrome'. We want it to be CONTAGIOUS enough that others catch it, and watch over what they say too. Just like the contagious 'common cold' or even a simple everyday thing like 'yawning'... once we see someone do it, we catch a hold of it, and do it in our own lives! What a world that would be?

To read other devotionals (on Cre8ted 2 Share) regarding our tongue & our words, click HERE.

BE BLESSED AND BE A BLESSING... in all you think, do and say!