YOUR SPEECH TELLS A STORY

Psalms 35:28 And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness and of Your praise all the day long.

One thing I have noticed, having lived in several areas in the United States, you can usually tell where a person “hails from” by listening to accents and phrases that are specific to certain areas.  When we lived in Minnesota, not only were there certain vowels, inflections but different foods and phrases.  One phrase which I never picked up was, “for cute.”  You see a baby and you say, “For cute.”  Yah, never started saying that one in Minnesotah. (hold the “so” just a little longer and add an “h” to the end.)

You will know you are in Eastern Tennessee, not only because of the “southern drawl” and “y’all” but you will be told “appreciate you” after you pay for your gas, buy a Coke (every soft drink is a Coke…you will be asked what kind of Coke you want) or pay for a meal.  I remember the first time I paid for a candy bar at a gas station and the clerk said, “ ‘preciate you” as she gave me my change.  It made my day.  I felt so warm and fuzzy and appreciated.

In Michigan we drink POP, visit MINNESOTA (no h), say THANK YOU and HOW CUTE and instead of Y’ALL….it's “YOUSE GUYS.” Yeah, I don’t understand the “se” on the end of you, either….maybe because I learned the proper way to speak in Northern Illinois from “hillbilly” parents.

This is also true regarding who you allow to control your tongue. 

Psalms 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

Allow God to have the control and you speak pure, lovely, encouraging, true words. 

Give yourself the control and you will speak a mixed bag of words as long as they are to your benefit. 

What is most sad is to hear a person that not only does not allow God to have control but has lost control themselves.  Their words are no longer lovely and pure; they become negative, unhappy, base, gutter and devaluing. 

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

Who is controlling your tongue?  Listen to yourself for a few minutes or even better…have someone “surprise” record you for a few hours and then consider the words that glibly roll off your tongue.  Do they offer hope and encouragement or discourage and tear down?  Do they set a mood of negativity or uplift with praise?

Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

There is POWER in your tongue and it matters to whom you give control.  Your Mama was full of wisdom when she instructed you to “think before you speak.”   It is important that you not only THINK before you speak but WHOM you allow to speak through you.  Your friends and family will notice the difference in your speech when Grace is dominate in your life and on your tongue.