Both Sides of My Mouth
I’ve talked out of both sides of my mouth before and most people I know have as well. Sometimes it’s deliberate and at other times, I’ve just changed my mind after making a statement to the contrary. This can also be labeled as lying. The longer I’ve walked with the Lord, the easier it is to spot people talking out of both sides of their mouth. The longer I walk with the Lord, I realize how much He hates lying lips. I’ve learned (the hard way) that honesty is always clean, even though it can feel hard and messy – it’s best to ALWAYS speak the truth in love and kindness.
Jeremiah had been approached by the gorilla leaders left behind in Jerusalem. They said to Jeremiah: “Please pray to the Lord your God for us. As you can see, we are only a tiny remnant compared to what we were before. 3 Pray that the Lord your God will show us what to do and where to go.” (Jeremiah 42:2b-3 NLT) So Jeremiah seeks the Lord. When he comes back with an answer from the Lord, these leaders freak out. That was not what they wanted to hear. So they decided they knew more than the Lord. Check this out….
1 When Jeremiah had finished giving this message from the Lord their God to all the people, 2 Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the other proud men said to Jeremiah, “You lie! The Lord our God hasn’t forbidden us to go to Egypt!
4 So Johanan and the other military leaders and all the people refused to obey the Lord’s command to stay in Judah. (Jeremiah 43:1-2,4 NLT)
I have asked the Lord for guidance and wisdom and then simply ignored it and gone my own way. This is straight up rebellion before the Lord. I have paid for my stupidity at times. How can I say that I trust Him and then decide to not follow His leadership?
Discipline is not always easy and fun. Discipline is sometime very hard and challenging. I do trust the Lord and I’m learning every day that His Way is the right way. He is not surprised by my circumstances. He is not surprised by my selfish desires – He’s seen them in me before. He is still working on my heart, but I have to trust Him. This topic reminded me of a verse in Isaiah where the Lord describe His people. Check this out….
13 And so the Lord says,
“These people say they are mine.
They honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me. (Isaiah 29:13 NLT)
I want to speak truth at all times. I don’t want what I say and what I do to be different. I only want to talk out of the “truth side” of my mouth. I want to honor the Lord each day with lips and my obedience. I believe that when I surrender my heart to Him completely, my lips and behavior follow.
Pressing On!
Dwayne