Today was an awesome day of prayer, fellowship with my husband, study of God's Word with solid sisters in Christ,  and witnessing in the name of Christ at Eastern State Hospital. Praise God! God showed Himself in powerful ways today and I just want to share a tiny bit of His glory in the Word. He convicted me today on the issue of bitterness and led our ladies group through a series of powerful Scripture passages that pierced my heart. May someone be blessed by these truths from God's perfect Word.

The major theme running through both my personal prayers and all the time in the Word today was Ephesians 4:29-32 which says, "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."

What jumped out at me from this passage today was that when we build up a brother or sister, it not only edifies them, but all who hear. Same goes for when we tear down a brother. When we do such a thing, it not only tears down the brother we speak ill of, but tears down all who hear and grieves the Holy Spirit of God.

May all the words of our mouths and the thoughts of our minds be according to the will of God and glorifying to Him that others may be edified and blessed.  May God change our wicked hearts so that our thoughts are pure and our hearts are clean for we know that out of our mouths pours that which originates in our hearts. (Psalm 51)

"But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way." (James 3:8-10)