Mouth Guard

“Lord, I cry out to You; Make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You. Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice wicked works With men who work iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies. Let the righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; It shall be as excellent oil; Let my head not refuse it. For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭141‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Mouth Guard

I am just the messenger. As I have written this week, I have noticed a pattern, seen in retrospect. I have spent much of the week sending out subtle, and not so subtle warnings from the Lord. I tell you the truth, this not a desire of my heart to be the one who brings the hard messages, as my overwhelming desire is to encourage.

I find myself in the company of the prophets, bringing the words no one wants to hear, but that bring the needed warning, not only for the reader, but first of all, for me. I am amazed how much of what I write is meant for me first, for the Lord knows my inward thoughts and intents of my heart.

“O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.”
Psalms 139:1-6 NKJV

Through the many life trials, that have refined me, I am able to comprehend the gentle corrections of my God. As I read Psalm one hundred forty one, I was reminded of what it is to be a follower of Jesus, one completed in Christ, submitted to God by the power of the Holy Spirit, and living as holy in the midst of temptation to be wicked.

I cry out to God daily, as my life is difficult. I have learned that it requires one with clean hands and a pure heart to be heard by the Lord. I desire that my prayers be heard, and I desire all the more that they be as incense, a pleasant aroma before the Lord.

“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”
Ephesians 5:1-2 NKJV

We are called to be imitators of Christ, in all situations, even when we are disrespected, maligned, and hated. We are the ambassadors of Jesus, walking in love and peace, which runs counter to what the natural man is likely to do. Jesus gave Himself a sacrifice for us, that we be living sacrifice and useful for the purpose the Lord has set for us.

In the coming days, weeks, months and perhaps…years, we will be pushed to the end of ourselves, often by those who themselves are Christians. In these moments of crisis, it is crucial that we continue on as representatives of our Savior.

“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice wicked works With men who work iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies.”
Psalms 141:3-4 NKJV

The tendency is to give as good as one gets. The Lord has given me great insight to the hearts of others, for good with the potential for evil. With my tongue, I know how to hurt others. It is crucial that the Lord set a guard over my mouth, for know how wicked it can be.

The Lord has done great things in this, for even under great testing, I refrain from saying what I really think, knowing that those who oppose me could never bear it, for their lives are exposed and vulnerable. It is oh sent tempting, when I hear others , not so restrained, speak the unspeakable without restraint. It is like resisting sinful delicacies.

Brothers and sisters, the times they are pressing in on us, and it will too be a time of needful unity, for the external forces are seeking to destroy the children of God. Let us be watchful, lovingly correcting those in the body, who begin tom reflect the world. Let us who need correction, be willing to accept, knowing that it for our good.

“Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”
Proverbs 27:6 NKJV]

“Let the righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; It shall be as excellent oil; Let my head not refuse it. For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked.”
Psalms 141:5 NKJV

May the rebukes of those who love us, guide us, and may the refinement of the Lord drive us toward the word of God and holiness, that we be made all the more righteous as the Lord examines us for any unrighteous that may make us ineffectual for the sharing of the Gospel.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalms 139:23-24 NKJV

In Him we will find refuge in the midst of the storms to come, knowing the the Lord is faithful. Let us not put our eyes upon those in opposition, for the evil one has presented them as a distraction, and the Lord has marked them for destruction.

“But my eyes are upon You, O God the Lord; In You I take refuge; Do not leave my soul destitute. Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, And from the traps of the workers of iniquity. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, While I escape safely.”
Psalms 141:8-10 NKJV

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