“People who want to live a full life and enjoy good days must keep their tongues from saying evil things, and the lips from speaking deceitful things.” (1 Peter 3:10)
When I was a child, my dad hired a housekeeper who would pay me to cuss her out. Can you believe it? It just tickled her to death to hear a child “cuss like a sailor”.
I continued to “cuss like a sailor”, all the way to adulthood. The truth is it became such a natural part of my lifestyle that I actually had to think about when not to use profanity.
But that all changed when I met Jesus. In fact, one of the most visible signs of the change in me was that I didn’t try to stop using profanity. It just supernaturally happened from one moment to the next.
God not only cleansed my tongue, he also cleansed my heart. Today, I can’t stand to hear anyone use profanity, including me. That’s right, I said me. I’m not going to lie to you. I’ve been known to let a “damn” or a “hell” slip out when I get angry and forget the One to whom I belong. I’m not perfect. But when I hear it, I get a check from my Spirit immediately.
That check from the Spirit is important to me because it’s a continuing reminder of God’s presence in my life. You see Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:16 that when we become Christians, God’s spirit lives in us so that we can have guidance in all that we do. But he later warns us in Ephesians 4:30 that we should never “grieve” that Spirit by using offensive language. In other words, that caution light that goes off in me whenever I hear or use profanity is a supernatural experience. God’s is speaking to me and he isn’t pleased with what He just heard. I think that’s a signal that every Christian should sense when he or she is within earshot of profanity.
In spite of all my shortcomings, I can’t remember using the Lord’s name in vain since I came to know Jesus, but I do remember how God feels about it. “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)
When you think about it, that verse makes an awful lot of sense. If we are brought in this world to show God’s glory in our lives, then we have no right to associate Him with the failures that show up.
Billy Graham tells a story about traveling on a plane next to a salesman. He asked him, “Are you paid anything for all the swearing you do?”
“No,” was the startled reply. “I do it for nothing.”
“Nothing,” cried out Graham. “You work cheap! You throw aside your character as a gentleman, inflict pain on your friends, break the Lord’s commandments, and endanger your own soul–all for nothing!
Graham’s point is the price of profanity is never cheap. I agree. Neither was Jesus death on the Cross.
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4 Comments
that’s all well and good, but you come off as self righteous to say that God immediately took cursing from you. I wish that were the case for me. I get angry and curse on purpose, and I do not like it one bit. But like I said, I purposefully do it, like I am proving something. I wish that the Lord would deliver me from anger and cursing. I am not saying I don’t feel remorse for it, because I am convicted each time I do it. What I am asking for is to have that sudden “change” and not have the urge to get angry and curse.
My comment seemed a little harsh. Sorry, but is there any advice you can recommend to help lead me in the right direction? Thanks in advance.
@deliverme
The bible says if you want to be delivered from something you can be if you choose. We all have a choice. If you do not want to be delivered from that you won’t. The bible says what comes out of your mouth is what’s in your heart, if you speak evil then evil is in your heart.
Matthew 15:11
“What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
Matthew 15:18
“But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them”
This is a great passage. It all occurs to be apart of all people’s lives. I mean admit it, you’ve at least said 1 cuss word in your life. If not more. But we all seem to feel bad when we do it and ask the Lord for forgiveness. Great comment Skyler! ♡:)