​Correct Use Of Mouth

Let me quickly put it straight, “It is vain to rise up early, to scrub the teeth, and sit up late having eaten the bread of sorrow over the day”.

Sounds like a popular verse of scripture, right? Sure, you got it well – ‘tis just a rephrased version of Psalm 127:4. But isn’t this also true? Well, you will do well to agree with me when you are through with reading this article. Come along…

Have you ever thought of what it will resemble if all men went dumb for just a single day? Now, I’m being rational so don’t hastily conclude my seemingly rhetoric to be senseless. Its answers whisper some sweet sounds to my gentle ears – peaceful, serene, calm, less hurting and less sinful the world will be. But it as well tells me something nasty – we’ll all live in “a dumb world of dumbs”. But since we can’t separate the former tidings from the later predicament, I wouldn’t pray that such ever happens.

I do not hastily condemn men who spend time gossiping with their mouths, but I do so mildly on the account of them not realizing why they have mouths. It is however a painful, pitiable tragedy that, in a world of great technological development and discoveries, many have not been able to actually identify and maximize their greatest asset of creativity and productivity, given them by the Grand Creator. Instead, they have converted it to be a liability for destruction. The “tatafos”, “talk-talks”, “chaw-chaw-chaws” and barbarians of today are constantly in the business of horribly abusing that oval cavity beneath their well suspended noses. And I make bold to say that “he that wastefully uses his mouth will live an unfruitful life”. Now, this is not a curse, but just a painful truth, hard to concur with, especially when it does affect you. If you don’t agree with me, you are simply a rebel to the truth. O, I sound harsh, but I’m actually not; it just shows my integrity – passion for the truth.

Now back to my opening assertion: why brush your teeth in the morning when you know you will not make good use of it? It’s just like the case of a dog which, when bathed, runs hurriedly into the mud. Of course, our mouths are used for production of speech sounds, yet, that is not enough license to abuse it abjectly. True liberty in itself is actually displayed, not in doing what one “wants” to do, but what one “ought” to do. Please use your mouth for what it has been made for: to nourish your body – eat good food (not chewing gum 24/7), show care, appreciate – express gratitude; to speak the truth, honestly appraise; to greet, welcome for good; to bless, confess positively, to refuse evil, to rebuke the storms and howling circumstances of life; to preach the gospel and to praise God.

Imagine the power of a gentle smile, the audacity of a positive confession and the supremacy of parental blessings. Do these mean anything to you? If no, please drop this article and sign up for a life course on “human morals and sociological standards and their natural implications”. I guess that will do you much good, but I only pray that it doesn’t take you a lifetime to rip a good certificate.

Putting the aforementioned under the goggles of scripture, Proverbs 15:1 consents, “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger”.

Proverbs 17:22 as well adds, “A merry heart doeth good like medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones”.

Hence, we see that just a single smile is enough to dispose lingering anger. Haven’t you noticed how foolishly you gave up your last resource the last time you tried to please a smiling baby? Never mind, you never acted foolishly, you simply responded to nature’s perfection. I have actually done the same, even to a refugee baby, used as an object of commiseration by his parents. I even almost gave my pair of slippers, all for the sake of pity and empathy. Sounds hilarious!

As regards positive confession, the Bible establishes, “Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee…” (Job 22:28). Now most people will subscribe to this by their senses alone but will never utilize it. My advice to you as a reader is that you invest this knowledge instantly into your actions. As you wake up, just as you brush your teeth, please brush your day with positive words and see the day favour you like a “ready-made day” trimmed to your desire.

If you want to get updated about the supremacy of parental blessings as mentioned above, please send a mail to Mr. Esau E. Isaac who lived ages ago. Foolishly, he sold the most priced asset of his life – his birthright to his younger brother, inevitably giving up the good part of his father’s blessings. The rest part of the story as I heard was a tragedy, but you can refer to him for more information. If life ever made a meaning to him after the loss of those blessings I doubt with austerity.

One litmus test the Bible prescribes for foolishness is in the use of words. It says, “… a fool’s voice is known in multitude of words” (Eccl.5:3). Another part of it points out the fact that the fool advertises his foolishness through his words. In fact, in different parts, it points out the foolish use of one’s tongue: for gossiping, scorning, lying, slander, backbiting, flattering and worse of all to me, “jam-talking”- the act of speaking nonstop nonsense. Sorry, I hardly have a drop of fluid in my patience tank to bear that. Such actually displays the “executive foolishness of a man”. Yes, I mean “grand-foolishness”

Correct use of mouth is highly necessary as the Bible suggests, “A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!” (Proverbs 15:23). James 2:3 caps it all, “…if any man offend not in tongue, the same is a perfect man…”

Finally, my advice is that you

• Use your tongue positively(Prov. 15:23),
• Use your tongue carefully (Prov. 10:19),
• Use your tongue wisely (Prov. 25:11).

You can spot the strategies for accomplishing these as discussed in this article. But if you don’t recognize them on time, please ask a friend with a better sense of discernment. Just a simple advice, please receive with corresponding humility.

Wish you the very best as you invest your mouth in its correct purpose!

Thanks. John Felix fellyxjawn@gmail.com