Wednesday

It's amazing the kind of language you hear today. It's not just from our adults but also from our children, our teenagers. Can they not complete a sentence without using foul language?

There’s no doubt that swearing is widespread. In fact, some youths would say that if they could have a dollar for every vulgar word they heard at school, they’d never have to work and their parents could retire.When you hear that kind of talk all day, it’s hard to keep from joining the crowd.

All of us are surrounded by swearing. Question is, have you picked up the habit yourself? If so, take a moment to examine just what motivates you to swear. Once you identify that, you’ll be in a better position to eliminate the habit.With this in mind, try answering the following questions.

In most cases, why do you swear?
□ To express anger or frustration
□ To get attention
□ To fit in with peers
□ To appear tough
□ To challenge authority
□ Other …………………………

In what circumstance are you most inclined to swear?
□ At school
□ At work
□ In e-mails, instant messages, or text messages
□ When by myself

How do you excuse your swearing?
□ Peers do it
□ Parents do it
□ Teachers do it
□ Entertainment is saturated with it
□ It’s no big deal—they’re just words
□ I only swear around people who aren’t bothered by it
□ Other …………………………

Why conquer this habit at all? Is swearing really that bad? Notice what Jesus said found Luke chapter 6 verse 45 says. It states: A good man brings forth good out of the good treasure of his heart, but a wicked man brings forth what is wicked out of his wicked treasure; for out of the heart’s abundance his mouth speaks.

Note that what we say doesn’t simply reflect the type of person we would like to be it reflects the type of person we already are. Even if you use bad language simply because others do it, copying their example reveals that you follow after the crowd and that you’re not your own person.

Swearing hurts your reputation. Like most youths, you probably care about your appearance. You want to make a good impression. But did you know that how you speak can have a greater impact on others than how you look? The fact is, your speech can determine such things as:

▪ Whom you will attract as friends.
▪ Whether you will be hired for a particular job or not.
▪ The amount of respect you will receive.

It’s true, often the initial impression people form of us based on our appearance quickly fades when we start talking.Swearing shows disrespect for the Creator of speech. Suppose you gave your friend as a gift a shirt or a blouse. How would you feel if you saw your friend using that garment as a rag or a doormat?

Think of how our Creator feels, then, when we misuse the gift of speech. No wonder that God’s Word states: “Let all malicious bitterness and anger and wrath and screaming and abusive speech be taken away from you along with all badness.” Found at Ephesians 4:31.

There’s good reason to stop swearing. If it’s become a deeply ingrained habit, though, how can you overcome it? First: See the need to change. You likely won’t stop swearing until you understand how you will benefit from altering your speech.

Which factors below would motivate you to stop swearing?
□ Pleasing the Creator of speech
□ Gaining greater respect from others
□ Expanding my vocabulary
□ Bettering myself as a person

Second: Figure out what’s behind the swearing. Maybe you reasoned, swearing made me feel tougher in a way. I didn’t want people pushing me around. I wanted to have the upper hand, to tell people off the way all my friends did.

Understanding why you swear is a key to determining how you will address the problem. For example, if you swear just because everyone else does it, you need to learn to build confidence in your own strengths. Taking proper pride in being your own person is a vital part of growing up—and a big help in eliminating the habit of swearing.

Third: Find alternate ways of expressing yourself. It’s not just a matter of biting your tongue. Conquering the bad-language habit involves putting on “the new personality.” (Ephesians 4:22-24) This will help you to gain greater self-control and self-respect—as well as respect for others.

The following scriptures will help you to put on—and keep on—the new personality.
Colossians 3:2: “Keep your minds fixed on the things above.”

Application: Train your mind to value things that are upright. Your thoughts influence the way you speak.

Proverbs 13:20: “He that is walking with wise persons will become wise, but he that is having dealings with the stupid ones will fare badly.”

Application: The language used by your associates can rub off on you.

Psalm 19:14: “Let the sayings of my mouth and the meditation of my heart become pleasurable before you, O Jehovah.”

Application: Jehovah notices how we use the gift of speech.

Still need help? Why not use the chart above to track your progress by noting how many times you used a bad word? You may be surprised at how quickly you improve your vocabulary!

Till tomorrow.....