Cussing

[ChristianMama84]

I was wondering, how do you break this habit? I know I need to pray and be mindful, is there anything else?
Thanks!

 

[LiveInSpirit]

Be very conscious of your speaking. Consciously think about what you are going to say before speaking. After a while of doing this you will break the habit of cussing and will become more articulate.

Some folks like to use minced oaths to try to break the habit. Things like...darn it, son of a gun, shoot, etc. This is not helpful in breaking the habit. We all know what someone really means when he/she says, "Oh darn it!"

 

[Vince53]

I was a real foulmouth when I got saved. God convicted me, but I often would use an obscene word out of habit. So I got a mission bank from the church, and I "fined" myself different amounts for different bad words.

It cost me $5.24 to get a clean mouth.

 

[RobertZ]

I was a real foulmouth when I got saved. God convicted me, but I often would use an obscene word out of habit. So I got a mission bank from the church, and I "fined" myself different amounts for different bad words.

It cost me $5.24 to get a clean mouth.

LOL, I like that.

 

[William777]

Hey Mama,

Sounds like what you are looking for is the fruits of the Spirit and what you are currently having trouble with is the fruits of the flesh. You desire the fruit of the spirit in exchange for the fruit of the flesh or cursing if you will. The problem is cultivation. Fruit comes forth from a small seed and that seed requires good soil, plenty of water, and ample sunlight.

The Bible says in Luke 6:45 "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.". Don't be discouraged God's Word says the heart is deceitful above all else and desperately wicked who can know it? Now in all mankind there is a storing up of things in the human heart, things of God or things of the flesh and rest assured what you put in your heart will come out when a trial arises. This goes back to the law of sowing and reaping, what soever you sow you will reap.

I can tell you off the bat the problem is not with sunlight, which represents trials in the parable of the sower. You are getting the trials but its not giving you the results you desire in fact the very opposite is true from what you have said. For the sake of brevity, as a Christian I don't think your problem would be the water of life for that is Christ and you profess him then that would not be the issue.

That leaves two things, the seed and the soil.

now the seed is the Word of God, I would first question if you are putting seed in your heart. Then I would ask how much seed are putting there and then I would ask how often you are putting it there and finally to what purpose are you putting it there, for knowledge puffs up but love edifies. As Christians we should be putting that seed in our hearts daily for man does not live on bread alone but from every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

Ah! You might say, but I am consumed with reading! I am continually putting the seed in my heart and seeking to put it in action but I still have difficulty overcoming this problem! Night and day I travail with this calamity and a battle is raging deep within my soul!

Bear with me I am sure you are reading the Bible probably on a daily basis for you seem genuine and earnestly desiring the will of God. I would suggest that as often as you eat physical food to read the Word of God and eat spiritual food. Now we get to the heart of the issue, the Lord gives three reasons why the word of God is ineffective in producing good fruit and these three issues are not with the seed but with the soil.

Look if you will in the gospel of Luke Chapter 8, (also in Mathew 13:1-23 and Mark 4:1-20)

"This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."

So we see three issues; a wayside, stony ground and thorns. Being a Christian the wayside is ruled out. So then its either the stony ground, or the thorns. The stony ground represents an unyielding heart which is still hard in its disposition towards the Lord but a fair weather believer if you will, which apparently is no believer at all and in this category I would not place you under for you are still seeking the Lord and persevering in the faith lest you would not be here.

Now we can put the finger down upon the trouble you are experiencing in your own heart and life. I submit to you that the issue, if not the seed, is the thorns chocking the sprouts from the seed. I know this was true in my life and as I sought the Lord I found the biggest hindrances to growth was not my environment, though it did not help, and it was not my family, it was not even my friends and it wasn't my education nor was it necessarily my possessions, though some had to go. But the biggest hindrances to my own growth were my own desires. Until I dealt with the thorns in my own heart and did business on the inside, the seed I was sowing was not growing.

Now thorns are not pleasant to pull up or to root out, in fact they are very painful and they often prick you when you try to remove them. To get rid of these thorns I suggest a broken heart and bended knees. Then, if you are sincere about getting rid of this symptomatic habit, I suggest you examine all the things in your life and ask this question concerning all the possible activities that might be sowing the seeds of the flesh. And that question is this, "will doing this bring me closer to Christ?" Then answer the question and move in action.

I hope this helps.

In Christ,

William

 

[dies-l]

I would add that I think what is most important is not cutting out certain "bad" words as it is to make a point of not talking about things that are offensive, obscene, hateful, etc. in general. I don't believe that there are certain words that are inherently bad, but I do believe that there are times and places where certain conversation is likely to offend for no good reason. So, I make it a point to avoid this type of conversation in these contexts. I also understand that certain words and phrases may offend people for no other reason than that they think of them as "bad." So, I make it a point to avoid using those words in that context.

My point is that, if what you mean by "cussing" is the use of a handful of words that many people find offensive, then that is only the tip of the iceberg. It is very easy for people who want to stop cussing to slip into equally unkind use of language and to feel justified because they are not using "bad words." What we really need to do is look at everything we say to determine whether or not our words our kind and/or loving (and yes, sometimes a loving word is painful to hear). Where it is not, we should correct it. Where it is, even if it includes "cussing", there is no reason to feel compelled to change it.

 

[RobertZ]

Hey Mama,

Sounds like what you are looking for is the fruits of the Spirit and what you are currently having trouble with is the fruits of the flesh. You desire the fruit of the spirit in exchange for the fruit of the flesh or cursing if you will. The problem is cultivation. Fruit comes forth from a small seed and that seed requires good soil, plenty of water, and ample sunlight.

The Bible says in Luke 6:45 "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.". Don't be discouraged God's Word says the heart is deceitful above all else and desperately wicked who can know it? Now in all mankind there is a storing up of things in the human heart, things of God or things of the flesh and rest assured what you put in your heart will come out when a trial arises. This goes back to the law of sowing and reaping, what soever you sow you will reap.

I can tell you off the bat the problem is not with sunlight, which represents trials in the parable of the sower. You are getting the trials but its not giving you the results you desire in fact the very opposite is true from what you have said. For the sake of brevity, as a Christian I don't think your problem would be the water of life for that is Christ and you profess him then that would not be the issue.

That leaves two things, the seed and the soil.

now the seed is the Word of God, I would first question if you are putting seed in your heart. Then I would ask how much seed are putting there and then I would ask how often you are putting it there and finally to what purpose are you putting it there, for knowledge puffs up but love edifies. As Christians we should be putting that seed in our hearts daily for man does not live on bread alone but from every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

Ah! You might say, but I am consumed with reading! I am continually putting the seed in my heart and seeking to put it in action but I still have difficulty overcoming this problem! Night and day I travail with this calamity and a battle is raging deep within my soul!

Bear with me I am sure you are reading the Bible probably on a daily basis for you seem genuine and earnestly desiring the will of God. I would suggest that as often as you eat physical food to read the Word of God and eat spiritual food. Now we get to the heart of the issue, the Lord gives three reasons why the word of God is ineffective in producing good fruit and these three issues are not with the seed but with the soil.

Look if you will in the gospel of Luke Chapter 8, (also in Mathew 13:1-23 and Mark 4:1-20)

"This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."

So we see three issues; a wayside, stony ground and thorns. Being a Christian the wayside is ruled out. So then its either the stony ground, or the thorns. The stony ground represents an unyielding heart which is still hard in its disposition towards the Lord but a fair weather believer if you will, which apparently is no believer at all and in this category I would not place you under for you are still seeking the Lord and persevering in the faith lest you would not be here.

Now we can put the finger down upon the trouble you are experiencing in your own heart and life. I submit to you that the issue, if not the seed, is the thorns chocking the sprouts from the seed. I know this was true in my life and as I sought the Lord I found the biggest hindrances to growth was not my environment, though it did not help, and it was not my family, it was not even my friends and it wasn't my education nor was it necessarily my possessions, though some had to go. But the biggest hindrances to my own growth were my own desires. Until I dealt with the thorns in my own heart and did business on the inside, the seed I was sowing was not growing.

Now thorns are not pleasant to pull up or to root out, in fact they are very painful and they often prick you when you try to remove them. To get rid of these thorns I suggest a broken heart and bended knees. Then, if you are sincere about getting rid of this systematic habit, I suggest you examine all the things in your life and ask this question concerning all the possible activities that might be sowing the seeds of the flesh. And that question is this, "will doing this bring me closer to Christ?" Then answer the question and move in action.

I hope this helps.

In Christ,

William

Thank you for this post, it spoke to my heart and made me realize some things about my own life.

 

[Andy S. Wright]

Hey Mama,

Sounds like what you are looking for is the fruits of the Spirit and what you are currently having trouble with is the fruits of the flesh. You desire the fruit of the spirit in exchange for the fruit of the flesh or cursing if you will. The problem is cultivation. Fruit comes forth from a small seed and that seed requires good soil, plenty of water, and ample sunlight.

The Bible says in Luke 6:45 "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.". Don't be discouraged God's Word says the heart is deceitful above all else and desperately wicked who can know it? Now in all mankind there is a storing up of things in the human heart, things of God or things of the flesh and rest assured what you put in your heart will come out when a trial arises. This goes back to the law of sowing and reaping, what soever you sow you will reap.

I can tell you off the bat the problem is not with sunlight, which represents trials in the parable of the sower. You are getting the trials but its not giving you the results you desire in fact the very opposite is true from what you have said. For the sake of brevity, as a Christian I don't think your problem would be the water of life for that is Christ and you profess him then that would not be the issue.

That leaves two things, the seed and the soil.

now the seed is the Word of God, I would first question if you are putting seed in your heart. Then I would ask how much seed are putting there and then I would ask how often you are putting it there and finally to what purpose are you putting it there, for knowledge puffs up but love edifies. As Christians we should be putting that seed in our hearts daily for man does not live on bread alone but from every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

Ah! You might say, but I am consumed with reading! I am continually putting the seed in my heart and seeking to put it in action but I still have difficulty overcoming this problem! Night and day I travail with this calamity and a battle is raging deep within my soul!

Bear with me I am sure you are reading the Bible probably on a daily basis for you seem genuine and earnestly desiring the will of God. I would suggest that as often as you eat physical food to read the Word of God and eat spiritual food. Now we get to the heart of the issue, the Lord gives three reasons why the word of God is ineffective in producing good fruit and these three issues are not with the seed but with the soil.

Look if you will in the gospel of Luke Chapter 8, (also in Mathew 13:1-23 and Mark 4:1-20)

"This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."

So we see three issues; a wayside, stony ground and thorns. Being a Christian the wayside is ruled out. So then its either the stony ground, or the thorns. The stony ground represents an unyielding heart which is still hard in its disposition towards the Lord but a fair weather believer if you will, which apparently is no believer at all and in this category I would not place you under for you are still seeking the Lord and persevering in the faith lest you would not be here.

Now we can put the finger down upon the trouble you are experiencing in your own heart and life. I submit to you that the issue, if not the seed, is the thorns chocking the sprouts from the seed. I know this was true in my life and as I sought the Lord I found the biggest hindrances to growth was not my environment, though it did not help, and it was not my family, it was not even my friends and it wasn't my education nor was it necessarily my possessions, though some had to go. But the biggest hindrances to my own growth were my own desires. Until I dealt with the thorns in my own heart and did business on the inside, the seed I was sowing was not growing.

Now thorns are not pleasant to pull up or to root out, in fact they are very painful and they often prick you when you try to remove them. To get rid of these thorns I suggest a broken heart and bended knees. Then, if you are sincere about getting rid of this systematic habit, I suggest you examine all the things in your life and ask this question concerning all the possible activities that might be sowing the seeds of the flesh. And that question is this, "will doing this bring me closer to Christ?" Then answer the question and move in action.

I hope this helps.

In Christ,

William

Excellent word, brother. Could not agree more.

 

[Hammster]

I was wondering, how do you break this habit? I know I need to pray and be mindful, is there anything else?
Thanks!

Focus on the gospel. Everything we need flows out of that.

 

[ChristianMama84]

Thank you all, I greatly appreciate it! I feel that I've been much more mindful lately, I've even begun to notice things on tv I used to overlook - it's amazing!

 

[Jeffwhosoever]

Recognize that profanity is evil and see it clearly as evil when you hear it. The standards of television have been continuously lowered to allow more and more cussing, and use of profanity seems to be more common than not in "modern" movies. Our society in general uses profanity so common I sometimes wonder if folks even realize what they are doing.

 

[mlqurgw]

(Rom 12:1) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
(Rom 12:2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

How do we renew our minds? By the Word of God.

(Col 3:16) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
(Col 3:17) And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

 

[dies-l]

Recognize that profanity is evil and see it clearly as evil when you hear it. The standards of television have been continuously lowered to allow more and more cussing, and use of profanity seems to be more common than not in "modern" movies. Our society in general uses profanity so common I sometimes wonder if folks even realize what they are doing.

How are we to define what is "profanity"? By the world's standards that say that a certain list of words constitutes cussing, regardless of context, and is therefore frowned upon? Or by God's standard: "Love one another" and "[say] only that which is useful for building others up according to their needs." We need to keep in mind that Paul, the author of the passage that many cite as the "anti-cussing" verse, used language that would have been understood as "cussing" within the Greek language. I am not saying that we should use language that we know is likely to offend for no good reason, only that we should carefully consider what it is that is evil about "profanity" and what therefore constitutes profanity.

 

[98cwitr]

How are we to define what is "profanity"? By the world's standards that say that a certain list of words constitutes cussing, regardless of context, and is therefore frowned upon? Or by God's standard: "Love one another" and "[say] only that which is useful for building others up according to their needs." We need to keep in mind that Paul, the author of the passage that many cite as the "anti-cussing" verse, used language that would have been understood as "cussing" within the Greek language. I am not saying that we should use language that we know is likely to offend for no good reason, only that we should carefully consider what it is that is evil about "profanity" and what therefore constitutes profanity.

I agree with this and also propose the question. How is "profanity" determined? If it is by society's standards then I am always apt not to follow. of course this site blocks all "profanity," yet I do try to understand the origin of these words.

For the F-word

f*** came from languages with a Germanic background. It is believed that it came into our language from the Dutch around the 15th century. The word was so taboo that a small amount of documents remain that would allow us to have a better understanding of its origins. The reason that little evidence remains was that people at the time were too afraid to write the word down.

Using my handy “American Heritage Dictionary” it says that the first recorded instance in English literature was in a satirical poem called “Flen, Flyss” (c.1500). The word was not only disguised as a Latin word but encrypted as gxddbov which has been decrypted as fuccant, pseudo-Latin for “they _ _ _ _"

sorry if someone takes offense to this post, but I invite people to gain understanding and wisdom of why things are and not blindly accept things because mommy and daddy told you so.

For obvious reasons, I cannot post the source for they contain actual cuss words, yet I will say you can google "origins of curse words" and it's the first link.

 

[ChristianMama84]

I actually read this last night, "Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things should not be this way" James 3:10 HCSB. This is the standard I choose to live by. Just because we can do something doesn't mean we should.

 

[dies-l]

I actually read this last night, "Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things should not be this way" James 3:10 HCSB. This is the standard I choose to live by. Just because we can do something doesn't mean we should.

I am curious is to what this Scripture has to do with the topic at hand. I agree that we should not curse people, but this is only tangentially related to the idea of "cussing" at least as most people understand that term.

 

[98cwitr]

on the other hand, the most powerful verse that would make me watch all that I say would have to be Matthew 15:11-18

"What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.'...But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander."

It's just not using cuss words, it's how we talk to other people that Jesus is tell us matters, whether it is cussing someone out, or talking down to someone. jm2c

 

[dies-l]

I agree with this and also propose the question. How is "profanity" determined? If it is by society's standards then I am always apt not to follow. of course this site blocks all "profanity," yet I do try to understand the origin of these words.

I do believe that there is value in choosing carefully the words we use to express an idea. In the case of cussing, if I know I am talking to somebody or in earshot of somebody who finds certain "cuss words" offensive, it would be unkind of me to use those words in my conversation, even if the list is somewhat arbitrarily defined. However, sometimes those same words may be beneficial in other situations. For example, in my profession (I am a lawyer who does a lot of criminal defense), I find that sometimes being able to speak in my clients' vocabulary makes them more willing to open up to me instead of seeing me as part of "the system." This can create opportunities to talk to my clients about important things like changes that they need to make in their lives to stay out of trouble in the future (such as getting off drugs/alcohol). In this case, an occassional f-bomb might actually be "useful for building others up according to their needs."

 

[98cwitr]

I do believe that there is value in choosing carefully the words we use to express an idea. In the case of cussing, if I know I am talking to somebody or in earshot of somebody who finds certain "cuss words" offensive, it would be unkind of me to use those words in my conversation, even if the list is somewhat arbitrarily defined. However, sometimes those same words may be beneficial in other situations. For example, in my profession (I am a lawyer who does a lot of criminal defense), I find that sometimes being able to speak in my clients' vocabulary makes them more willing to open up to me instead of seeing me as part of "the system." This can create opportunities to talk to my clients about important things like changes that they need to make in their lives to stay out of trouble in the future (such as getting off drugs/alcohol). In this case, an occassional f-bomb might actually be "useful for building others up according to their needs."

I agree with you totally. Given the environment, audience, and context they can be useful to convey meaning, vent frustrations, and to show intensity in a given situation. I just catch myself from using the Lord's name in vain since I pronounced my faith. That I can completely do without.

 

[Jeffwhosoever]

How are we to define what is "profanity"? By the world's standards that say that a certain list of words constitutes cussing, regardless of context, and is therefore frowned upon? Or by God's standard: "Love one another" and "[say] only that which is useful for building others up according to their needs." We need to keep in mind that Paul, the author of the passage that many cite as the "anti-cussing" verse, used language that would have been understood as "cussing" within the Greek language. I am not saying that we should use language that we know is likely to offend for no good reason, only that we should carefully consider what it is that is evil about "profanity" and what therefore constitutes profanity.

Agreed - profanity isn't the core issue - it's the outward transmission of an internal state of anger/evil that is the true issue. However, use of profanity is generally offensive so we can't just dismiss it. You don't need a degree in Theology to recognize it either. I can't always control my thoughts though I struggle and try, but I can control my lips.

Jeff