Ephesians 4:29 “No foul language should come from your mouth.” I have a confession this week. I am a flaming Type A personality with much passion, competitiveness and aggression. I am a perfectionist and do not like to miss the mark or lose. I know this about myself and have to ask the Holy Spirit to watch over me. I have been known to throw a golf club when it needs discipline – ha! But, I recently hit a great golf drive on a long hard hole and followed it up with a bad mishap on the second shot. I hollered, “Damn it” as I saw the shot fly off course and lost the opportunity for a par. I was riding in the golf cart with my pastor, so I had to apologize to him for my outburst. I believe he understood and forgave me, but it was clear that I had not followed our verse this week. I know that I have thought these words many times on the golf course, but usually keep my thoughts from becoming spoken words.

How about you? Foul language should not be a part of our vocabulary and is not a good Christian witness. I am not being legalistic because it is really a matter of what is in the heart that flows out of our mouth. Foul language can become a habit for even a Christian. We must be careful of what we say in front of our wife, children, co-workers, friends and church members. Have you ever had an outburst in the presence of your children? If so, always apologize and ask for forgiveness. What about your language in front of strangers or others who may see us as the only Christian they may know? We should be sensitive to the language we use in front of other people. We should never let anger become embarrassing language. God’s Spirit will help us to control our language and remind us of our Scripture this week, “No foul language should come from your mouth.”