March 2, 2025 Devo

Head, heart, then hand and mouth. That’s the progression that the Enemy uses to draw us away from God and to say and do things that we know we shouldn’t say or do. Think about it. We have a thought. That thought tells us that something our spouse or coworker did was not only hurtful, it was intentional or selfish on their behalf. So we dwell on that thought. As we do, fuel is added to the fire of that thought. Thoughts about other things that they have done or said. Thoughts of all the things we have done that should make them drop to their knees in gratitude.
As we dwell on those things, those thoughts sink from our heads and into our hearts. We begin to feel hurt, angry, and betrayed. As our imaginations run wild, we become bitter and hardened toward those who have offended us. We begin to see them differently. We stop thinking about what they did, and we start thinking about THEM. THEY don’t appreciate us. THEY are selfish. THEY don’t care about us. It is often out of those hearts that we act and speak. We say mean or hurtful things in response. We do things that we know will irritate them or at least will let them know we are upset. This is when relationships start to go south. Punch and counter-punch until we go to our separate corners and stop talking to each other. And Satan laughs. Because he knows it all started with just a thought—and one that may not have been accurate to begin with.
Take another look at our verse today. David has some wise and wonderful words for us. In fact, it may be a great prayer to pray as you get up, as you head into work, as you walk into what you know might be a difficult conversation. “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.” In other words, “Take control of my mind, Lord! Let me think as you think and not as I feel. Take control of my heart, Lord! Don’t let anything seize control of my heart except those things that come from you. Take control of my mouth, Lord! Let me only speak words that reflect you, honor you, and glorify you.” My guess is that we could spare ourselves a lot of heartache if we sincerely pray these words and LIVE by these words. Remember, head – heart – hands and mouth. Fix God in your mind, ask His Spirit to protect your heart, then your words and your actions will follow suit. Know what the Enemy knows. It all starts with a thought. That’s God’s Word for you today.