Put Away Your Froward Mouth

Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips far from thee.

Proverbs 4:24

 

Yes, today we are still talking about the importance of your words. And after reading Proverbs 4:24, you are probably asking yourself: What in the world is a froward mouth?

 

A froward mouth is a mouth that is not easily controlled. It’s a mouth that speaks whatever it wants, whenever it wants, regardless of what the Word says. It is a disobedient mouth.

 

The dictionary even states that a froward mouth is a stubborn, contrary, and unfavorable mouth. Notice the words stubborn and contrary. It just says whatever it wants to say, and it doesn’t make any difference what the Word says.

 

I remember several years ago I was teaching on this principle, and Carolyn’s aunt and uncle came to our meeting. After the meeting her uncle said to me, “You know, I’ve never heard anything like that, and I’m not sure that I believe it.”

 

I said, “What is it you don’t believe?” He said, “About words. I just don’t believe that words have anything to do with our outcome.”

 

A while later, he invited me to go fishing with him. And so I did. We were out there in his boat, and he took us to where he always caught fish. He got his bait out, threw it out and then the next thing I knew he was saying, “Now come on fish. I know you’re under there. Come on, you know you love this bait. Get on this bait. You know you love it.” Then he looked over at me and said, “You have to talk to these fish, Jerry.”

 

I put my pole down and said, “You are the biggest hypocrite I have ever met in my life.” You told me when I preached on the power of words that you didn’t believe that. Now here you are talking to the fish.”

 

He said, “You’ve got to talk to the fish to get them to bite.”

 

“Then you DO believe in the power of words.” I said.

 

“I guess I do. I never go fishing without talking to the fish. I even talk to the weather.”

 

Carolyn’s uncle was speaking words over his situation all the time, and yet he said he didn’t believe it worked but in reality, he did.

 

God can’t bless a person the way He truly wants to if they are constantly speaking words that are contrary and unfavorable.

 

David declared in Psalm 19:14: Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord.

 

Notice what David said, let the words of my mouth be acceptable. Acceptable is just another word for favorable. And favorable words are words that God can agree with.

 

The Bible tells us that Jesus, according to Hebrews 3:1, is the apostle and high priest of our profession. W. E. Vines translates this word profession into the word confession. Jesus is the apostle and high priest of our confession. When we are speaking God’s Word then Jesus can get in agreement with us and watch over them to perform them. He cannot be the high priest of your words, or your confession, if they don’t line up with God’s Word. He can only come into agreement with you when you choose to speak His Words.

 

Today's Confession: “I will not have a stubborn, contrary mouth. I speak words that God will agree with.”

 

By : Jerry Savelle