Watch Your Mouth

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Gentlemen, every day is a battle. A battle for your faith, your family, and your purpose. The men who stand strong don't prepare when the battle arrives. They prepare before it begins. Welcome to the men's morning devotion. Let's get into God's word. It's time to man up.

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Good morning, gentlemen. I'm Chris Munia, and it's time for another man up moment. This week I'm starting Proverbs chapter 13, with today's devotional being about watching your mouth. I encourage you to share this devotional with someone who you think would benefit from it. So Proverbs chapter 13, verse 3 says, Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin. One of the hardest things for a man to control is not his schedule, it's not his money or even his temper. Sometimes it's his mouth. Now the Bible has a lot to say about our mouth or our tongue, right? But in this specific verse, we're going to focus on preserving our lips. We can control what we do for a while. We can keep our composure at work. We can shake someone's hand and smile when we're frustrated. But like a pressure cooker, when we get home tired, stressed, suddenly words come out. And once they're out, you can't take them back. That's why Proverbs 13:3 says, Those who guard their lips preserve their lives. Notice the word guard. To guard something means you recognize it's valuable and worth protecting. A soldier guards something because there's something important on the other side of that responsibility. As men we need to understand that our words are worth guarding. Your words can build your marriage or slowly tear it down. They can give confidence to your children or make them question themselves. They can strengthen a friendship or destroy trust. They can calm a situation or turn a disagreement into a war. And sometimes the most powerful thing a man can say is nothing. That doesn't mean we never speak up. Godly men should speak the truth. We should defend what's right, we should have difficult conversations, we should correct when necessary. But there's a difference between speaking truth and speaking rashly. Rash words are words spoken before wisdom has had a chance to catch up with emotion. You're angry, so you respond. You're offended, so you fire back. You're frustrated, so you so you say something you know will hurt. You're trying to win an argument, so you reach for one sentence that you know will cut the deepest. And five minutes later you're thinking, I shouldn't have said that. We've all been there. The problem is that apologies don't always erase the damage. You can apologize to your wife, but she may still remember what you said. You can apologize to your child, but those words may stay with them. You can apologize to a friend or a coworker, but trust may take time to rebuild. That's why Scripture tells us to guard guard our lips before we need to apologize for them. James 1 19 gives us a practical formula. It says, Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. Think about that order. Listen first, speak second, and don't let anger take the driver's seat. Men, controlling our words isn't weakness, it's self-control. Because anybody can yell or insult somebody, anybody can say whatever they're feeling. It takes strength to stop. Listen. It takes strength to walk away and come back when you're calm. It takes strength to say, I'm frustrated right now. I don't want to say something I'll regret. And sometimes it takes the most strength of all to say, I was wrong. I'm sorry. A godly man doesn't have to win every argument. He doesn't have to get the last word. He doesn't have to prove that he's right. Sometimes the strongest man in the room is the one who knows when to shut his mouth and to open his ears. Your words reveal what's happening in your heart. So today, don't just ask God to help you control your circumstances, ask him to help you control your tongue. Because the words you speak today are helping shape the people and relationships around you. Guard your lips, speak life, choose your words carefully. That's what a man does. So here's your man up challenge. Today, make a commitment. Before you respond, pause. Especially when you're angry, frustrated, or offended. Before speaking, ask yourself these three questions. Number one, is it true? Number two, is it necessary? Number three, will it build up or tear down? And here's the challenge. Go one full day without speaking a negative or insulting word about another person. No complaining about your wife, no criticizing your coworkers, no gossip, no unnecessary sarcasm, no angry responses. When you feel yourself getting heated, stop, take a breath, pray, and choose your words carefully. And if you realize you've already said something you shouldn't have, man up and apologize. Don't blame your anger, don't blame the other person. Own your words. Because real strength isn't having the loudest voice, real strength is having the discipline to control it. Let's pray. Father, help me guard my mouth today. Give me the wisdom to know when to speak and when to remain silent. Keep me from words that tear people down, and teach me to use my words to encourage, strengthen, and build life. Give me the humility to apologize when I get it wrong, and the discipline to think before I speak. Let my wife, my children, my friends, and the people around me experience your love through the words I speak. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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All right, gentlemen, you've heard God's word. Now go live it. Lead well, stand strong, honor God in everything you do. Share this devotional with another brother. Remember, every day is another opportunity to man up.