Guard the Gates: Mouth Gates

Mouth Gates

Alright, this is the last part of the 3 part study of Guard the Gates. If you follow this blog, you will see that we dug into our studies to see why it is crucial that we guard our Eye and Ear Gates. We looked into the scriptures to understand how images and words that we take into ourselves can either bring life or death onto us. Now, we are going to do just a brief study on how the words that come out from oneself has the same affect. In turn, we need to guard what comes out of the Mouth Gate. Let’s go!

I am going to come to you straight. Sometimes I do not think before I speak. There are other times when I have said something that I came to regret. I am sure that many of you who are reading this can relate. Maybe you have said something to someone out of a place of anger or hurt. Or maybe you have spoken ill of yourself out of frustration or even embarrassment. On the contrary, there are times where we speak good things; words that uplift and encourage others as well as ourselves. So what exactly does this have to do with us?

In the last post, I showed where Proverbs 18:21 (WMB) states “Death and life are in the power of the tongue; those who love it will eat its fruit.” I also mentioned that Proverbs 12:18 says “There is one who speaks rashly like the piercing of the sword, but the tongue of the wise heals.” This is a illustration of how powerful words are. When one speaks, whether it be over themselves or another, their words have the ability to build up or tear down. In addition, what comes from our mouths also reveals what is in our heart.

In Luke 6:45, Jesus says, “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart bring forth good; and a evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Jesus warns us that the very same evil treasure which brings forth evil defiles a man. Matt 15:18 “But those things which proceeds out of the mouth come from the heart and defile a man.”

I want to pause right here for a moment. There is something that is about to come in full circle. Proverbs 13:2-3 says “By the fruit of his lips, a man enjoys good things, but the unfaithful crave violence. He who guards his mouth guards his soul.” Now, I believe guarding our mouths is not just about filtering and selecting our words; it is apart of the battle. Sooner or later what you truly believe in your heart will come spilling out. Guarding your mouth is also about guarding your heart.
Proverbs 4:20-23 says “My son, attend to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings. Let them not depart from your eyes. Keep them in the center of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and health to their whole body. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.” The NIV translation of verse 23 says “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Isn’t this amazing! The treasures of the heart determines the course of your life. And those very same words that come from the heart can defile (if it is an evil treasure) or sanctify (if the treasures are good) a person.

So the question is this: How does one guard there heart?

One guards there heart by guarding what they take in through their Eye Gates and Ear Gates! Remember that last scripture? He instructs us to turn our ear to his sayings and to keep our eyes on his word! By doing this with God’s Word, we will be keeping them in the center of our heart!
It is important to note that we cannot do this on our own; we need the Holy Spirit. We need Jesus. Without the Lord, we cannot even begin to know where to start when it comes to guarding our heart.

Be sure to seek His Word and fill yourself up with it. Do not fill yourself or set your mind on things that are worthless, instead set your mind on the things above. Become concerned with the things that the Lord is concerned with. As children of the Most High, we are to have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).

I truly hope that this has been an encouragement to you all. I hope that if you did not understand before as to why we must keep ourselves from certain things, that you do now. The Lord wants the best for you, and the best is found only in Him. As always, I encourage you to read these scriptures and the chapters on your own.

For those who do not know the Lord, I invite you to pray for Him to be in your life. Yeshua died on the cross so that all will come to know Him and have abundant life. He did this for you because He loves you. The to repent is now.
There are things we all have to let go of in this life. There are things that we hold onto and rely on to be our provider and savior. But I am here to tell you today that there is only ONE Savior. There is only ONE Lord. We must trust Jesus to be our all in all. I invite us all to release sin, repent, turn towards Jesus and grab a hold of His hand. We cannot serve two masters. We cannot hold onto a sinful life while trying to follow Him. There is no riding the fence with Him. He is holy and righteous and He has come to make us holy and righteous in Him.

I am grateful and honored to be able to share these studies with the rest of you. These truly help me and I hope that they will be of help to you.