TeaTime Devotional July 1st, 2025

Written By:    Tynema Highsmith

Scripture:                 Matthew 12:36-37 NLT

And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgement day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.

Testify:

I remember the old saying, stick and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.  As a child, it was a temporary fix to a mean statement by another kindergartener, but as I grew older, I learned that statement is a lie from the pit of Hell. I also realized that because of that lie there are thousands of people walking around with wounds, not from weapons but from the tongue.  People bleeding out and on life support because of something someone said to them or an opinion that someone couldn’t keep to themselves.   The spiritual hospital has patients of all creed and color in for the same virus, word wounds.   As I take inventory of the people in the hospital, I had to ask myself, how many did I put there?  How many did I leave bleeding out because I failed to come back and reason with them?  How many times did I judge prematurely and without cause?   Then I think to myself, GIRL SHUT UP!!!!!

Edify:

I believe that this scripture rings true for Jesus.  The debate at hand is the religious people trying to stop Jesus from healing on the sabbath.  When he clapped back at them, they waited for another opportunity to cast judgement.   This time Jesus healed a man demon possessed, blind and deaf.   The onlookers believed that Jesus must be the Messiah, but the religious folk stated that he works for the devil.  Jesus explains to them, the religious people, that out of depths of the heart does your mouth speak.   If you are a good tree, you’ll produce good fruit, however if you’re a bad or religious tree, every word will come back to haunt you.   Words are powerful so you must choose wisely, therefore if you don’t have nothing good to say, SHUT UP, ok, or don’t say nothing at all, but please stop causing word wounds.  

Apply:

I know I can’t be the only one that has a word problem. If we are honest, we need to take the time to repent for our word wounds we have caused, or we will be like the religious people that were judgmental, disrespectful and overly opinionated for no reason.   This month join us as we go on a mission called SHUT UP, ok or maybe it’s called the power of the Tongue.   I pray that after this month is over, we will be changed not only in heart but in tongue and stop word wounds.