WATCH YOUR MOUTH!

My mouth has always been one of the greatest challenges I have had to honestly confront as a slave of Jesus Christ. I doubt I am alone in that small closet. Most of us, or probably ALL of us, have been shamed, embarrassed, even horrified by how we have failed to say the right thing, even though we knew exactly what that was at the time.
Solomon had often witnessed the failure of human speech to achieve a positive end. He wrote about his own experience and observation:
"The wise of heart will receive commandments. but a babbling fool will come to ruin."
"Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who walks a crooked path will be found out."
"The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence."
"On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense." Proverbs 10:8-9,11,13 NIV
Jesus said, "...every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned".
In my observation, we aren't only judged by God according to our words, but are also judged by other people in the same way. They hear my words and then act on the impression they formulate based on how my words have made them feel.
But that isn't the only element that I need to consider. My tone of voice can actually communicate more than my words. If my words and my tone are out of synch, my hearer will make a decision based on my tone first, regardless of my words.
Jesus said, "Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No' be 'No', anything beyond that comes from the evil one." He was addressing the practice of 'swearing on an oath' that a certain thing is true, which is sill a very common practice but probably not in the same way as the Jewish practice of Jesus' day. But his words should still sting the conscience of all who carelessly "swear" on oath that their words are true.
Solomon also knew that words can be deceptive when they conceal a violent motive. Eventually lies and all forms of deceit are found out and the deceiver has to pay the price, as Solomon put it, "the rod is for the back of him who lacks sense."
The wise path is to always walk securely in integrity. But, too many of us simply enjoy hearing ourselves talk too much. It can be a risky, bad habit that will get you into more 'hot water' than even God can bail you out of.
So here's the bottom line of what I've learned and just about everything God has had to say about it, "WATCH YOUR MOUTH!".