The following is an excerpt from our daily devotional series Fasting and the Heart of God.

“Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness…” (Isaiah 58:9)

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We’ve been looking at Isaiah 58:9, a pivotal verse in the chapter. It begins, “Then you shall call and the Lord will answer.” Verse 10 continues, “Then your light shall dawn…” Sandwiched between these mountain-top promises are several exhortations to get things right with God so He will be free—consistent with His sacred Word—to serve up blessings for His people. The three requirements in verse 9 are 1) remove the yoke; 2) [stop] pointing the finger; and 3) [stop] speaking wickedness.

Pray for your fellow intercessor.

Is there an application for us today? Surely, as Christians, we have turned from “speaking wickedness.” Most likely no one reading this is in the habit of using coarse language or cursing people. Indeed, for many believers, even the occasional “darn” is out of character. Yet the Bible is filled with warnings and directives about our speech—what is or is not pleasing to God. The references are too numerous for this devotional. So I asked, “Why so much emphasis on content and attitude in what we say?” And I felt the answer was, “Read James 3. You are weak and need constant help to “let no evil talk come out of your mouth” (Eph. 4:29), and “let your speech always be with grace…” (Col. 4:6).

James is blunt in his letter. He devotes eight verses to the unruly tongue (James 3:5-12). His summary: “No one can tame the tongue.” In fact, “the tongue has the power of life and death” (Prov. 18:21). Both Apostles Paul and Peter admonished Christians to “put aside [i.e., repent, turn from] bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking” (Ephesians 4:31); and to “lay aside malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking” (1 Peter 2:1-2). Note the intimacy between evil (wicked) speaking and sinful heart attitudes. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34). That principle applies to each of us. Thus David prayed, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14). And so must I pray that prayer, every day.

In your time seeking God today:

• Ponder in your prayer time the direct connection in God’s Word between heart attitudes and speech patterns. Freedom will follow if we do not excuse ourselves with “it was only a slip of the tongue.”
• Do you find yourself thinking at times, “I wish I hadn’t said that”? (Perhaps you were angry?) Ask God to forgive and to help you “guard your heart” (Proverbs 4:23). The Lord will forgive and help.
• God does not want us to live with continuous guilt even where we have failed by “speaking wickedness” (perhaps through gossip, slander, by judging another person, or speaking into a situation without the facts, etc.). Part of getting free may be to ask for forgiveness from anyone we have hurt. If we humble ourselves and ask for courage, the Lord will help us.
• Check that your promptings come from God’s Spirit, not the devil’s accusations. God convicts gently; the enemy hounds relentlessly. Write in your prayer journal the date you confessed your sin to God and were forgiven. It will be a permanent mile-marker of victory.
• For many, the biggest battlefield is within the family. Between spouses and with discipline of children, we may overstep and say things in “the heat of battle” that cut deeply, leaving wounds. Am I prepared to ask forgiveness, even if “right” on the issue? Family ties will be strengthened.
• Write in your prayer journal steps you are taking to overcome “evil speaking.”

Related Scripture:

• Psalm 19:14; Proverbs 4:23-24; Proverbs 18:21; 1 Peter 2:1-2; Colossians 4:6
• Matthew 12:33-37; Ephesians 4:15 and 4:29-32; James 3:5-12

Fasting and the Heart of God Full PDF Version

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(Photo Credit: Katsia Jazwinska on Unsplash)