Guarding My Words, Guarding My Heart
Words, like a boomerang, return to the one who sent them—let them carry grace.
Devotional Credit: Days of Heaven on Earth by A. B. Simpson
Photo Credit: Unsplash
When A. B. Simpson warns that speaking against God’s servants is more dangerous than handling live wires, he is not using hyperbole to entertain. His words carry the weight of lived experience and biblical truth. To criticize, gossip, or slander another believer is not just careless talk; it is an act that wounds the Body of Christ and, in doing so, harms our own souls. What we send out in bitterness or contempt eventually returns to us, often in ways we never expected.
Simpson presses the point that when our tongues strike against others, it is like striking against ourselves. This is not merely about avoiding gossip to keep a clean reputation; it is about understanding the spiritual reality that we are members of one Body. If I wound another, I am inflicting harm on a part of myself. No wonder Scripture warns us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.
The devotional also reminds us of another pitfall—growing resentful toward God when life does not go as we planned. Instead of yielding to His shaping hand, we can find ourselves sulking in disappointment, assuming He has failed us. Yet, sanctification is not about God following our blueprint for a comfortable life. It is about God shaping us according to His eternal design, sometimes in ways that challenge every fiber of our being.
The thread running through both warnings is humility. We are called to yield to God’s work in us without resistance and to treat others as those dearly loved by Him. To do otherwise is to resist His Spirit and grieve His heart.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
My child, I have called you into My Body, and you are not alone. The words you speak over others touch Me, for I dwell in them as I dwell in you. Let no corrupt word come from your mouth, but only what builds up, so it gives grace to those who hear. When you strike at another, you strike at yourself, for you are members of one another.
Do not let bitterness or resentment take root when I correct you. I discipline those I love so you may share in My holiness. My hand upon you is not to crush, but to shape. I work all things according to the counsel of My will, and I will complete the good work I began in you.
Yield to Me in every circumstance, trusting that I am for you. Let your heart stay tender toward your brothers and sisters, quick to forgive, slow to speak, eager to honor. This is how the world will know you belong to Me, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Scripture References: Ephesians 4:29, Ephesians 4:32, Hebrews 12:6, Hebrews 12:10, Philippians 1:6, Ephesians 1:11, John 13:34–35
Real-Life Analogy
Imagine holding a boomerang. You hurl it with force, aiming it at a target, but instead of stopping there, it curves through the air and returns—straight toward you. Words of criticism or gossip act the same way. They may feel justified in the moment, but they return, carrying the weight of their harm back to your own spirit.
Today, when a conversation invites you to speak carelessly, pause. You can instead say, “Lord, I trust You to guide my words so they honor You and protect my heart.” In doing so, you yield the moment to His Spirit and choose the way of blessing instead of harm.
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, thank You for making me a part of Your Body and for placing Your Spirit within me. I praise You that my words can be vessels of grace instead of tools for harm. Thank You that Your correction is never to destroy me but to conform me to the likeness of Jesus. I rest in the truth that You work for my good in every circumstance, and I rejoice in the privilege of honoring others as those You love.