Proverbs 29:20 "Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for for him."
The other day I was expressing my disappointment and aggravation to a trusted source about a particular situation that I'm currently in. The more I spoke, the angrier I got. It was almost as if I couldn't keep my mouth shut, and this strong desire to let it all out (all of the issues) seemed to want to take over me. But the Spirit of God warned me and pricked my heart while I was talking, telling me to stop talking because the more I talked about it, the worse trouble I was going to get myself in because I would feel convicted by the Spirit of doing wrong when I knew to do right. So, I eventually moved on and stopped discussing the issue, but even though that was several days ago, I now feel regretful about the situation because I failed another test. I failed to listen to the Spirit completely and do what He gently commanded, all because I wanted to get something "off my chest" and feel better. Learning to stop speaking in haste is a truly valuable skill that blesses us all the more in the long run. How many of us have regretted what we said to someone or about someone after the fact? How many of us have wished we would've just kept our mouths closed during certain conversations that came back to bite us? If you're like me, you have done those things several times. The good thing is that we don't have to keep doing them...we can change. Starting today, if you talk too much, make yourself a promise that you'll stop and think before you say anything at all, especially something potentially damaging or negative. It'll take some time to break the habit, but it can be done.