Think Right So You Will Live Right

“A wise man’s heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction.” (Proverbs 16:23)

The Bible says, “The mind of the wise instructs his mouth, and adds learning and persuasiveness to his lips. Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the mind and healing to the body” (vv. 23-24). Your thoughts and your words are intimately connected. Because of this, it’s important that you think pleasant thoughts so that you can speak pleasant words. Your thoughts are silent words that not only you and the Lord hear, but when verbalized, affect your emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being.

Solomon says, “Pleasant words are…healing.” Your thoughts are silent words that affect your inner man, your health, your joy, and your attitude. The things we think about often come out of our mouths and sometimes make us look foolish. But if we live God’s way, our thoughts and words can make our lives and the lives of others more enjoyable. The New International Version of the Bible says, “The hearts of the wise make their mouths prudent, and their lips promote instruction” (v. 23). Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can let your thought life run in any worldly direction it wants and then fake it by speaking godly words. Either both are pleasing, or both are negative and sinful. There is no middle ground.

Paul writes, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). Scripture is your doorway into a new realm of living. As you spend time letting Jesus adjust your thinking, you won’t have to think about speaking pleasant words, wise words, instructive words, or healing words. It will just happen naturally.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to start out my day in YOUR Word and keep those words in my mind all day. In Jesus’s name, Amen.