Are you a devotional type of person? I am, have been since I was in High School. I loved reading devotions at night before I went to bed. I started buying books when I got married. Before that I used whatever the church had on hand. I love hearing what other writers have to say about the scriptures they have chosen.
My most recent purchase is Embraced by Lysa TerKeurst. Beautiful cloth bound book. But the first devotion I read spoke to me. Psalm 86:10, “Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.” It hit me like a ton of bricks. I never asked God to fill my mouth. I asked Him to take away the foul language I seem to love to use. The idea that He could and would fill my mouth with words, His Words, just marveled me.
Psalm 84:1, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!” This verse was also included in her devotion this morning. I thought about His dwelling place. Heaven is beautiful; however, His temple is not. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom have from God? You are not your own.” His temple is unclean because of my mouth.
Psalm 19:14 says, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” (KJV). This verse, and a couple others like it, have come up recently in some of the Bible Study material I have been studying. When it comes up once, I can dismiss it; however, when it continues to come up, I know God is telling me to clean my mouth up. How’s that for honesty?
I had almost stopped cussing last year after being baptized. I made it a goal and worked on it daily. Then something happened, and I stopped trying. You see, I find it easier to give up. I give up on a lot of things. Some of it is my A.D.D. but most of it is losing the desire. Recently a saying has been making the rounds, it appears on jewelry, clothing and plaques. It says, “She has a fire in her soul.” The rest of it is “and Grace in her heart.” It sounds as if it should be in the Provers 31 Woman, but it isn’t. However, I find it speaks a truth to me and the desires of my heart. A fire within me burns to rid myself of foul language, but unless I stoke that fire daily, then that first slowly goes out.
Last year when I was working on my language, I prayed daily Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” It became a part of my morning devotion. I used it in several of my blog, then one day I didn’t have my devotion time, my quiet time was used for something else. When I finally got back to my morning quiet time, I failed to pray that verse. Life happens, and my mouth returned to its former “glory”. At times I felt like I was a sailor and it embarrassed me. I became impenitent towards my language; I embraced my potty mouth. Today, I am praying Psalm 51:10 again because I am repenting and giving my mouth a much needed break. So, how’s God’s temple in your body? What sins are you embracing?
