A Pestilence Problem

When I was a little girl, I loved the Grimm’s fairytale, Rose Red And Snow White. The story tells of an evil elf with a pestilence problem. Many of us, if we don’t check ourselves, have this problem too. Here’s how to overcome it.

Do you have a pestilence problem? I would venture to say that at one time or another, we succumb to this problem. Today, I’m sharing a fairytale I read as a child and how we can overcome a pestilence problem.

A Fairytale

When I was a little girl, I loved fairy tales! Princesses, castles, magic, good always overcoming evil, and handsome princes!
I was particularly fond of a little-known fairy tale called Snow White And Rose Red. It was a story about two princesses and an evil dwarf.
The illustrations in the book were stunning and beautifully detailed. I was fascinated by those images.

One picture really captured my imagination and got my attention. It was a picture of the evil dwarf spewing frogs and lizards and flies and snakes out of his mouth while rose petals gracefully fell from the lips of the princesses.
The evil dwarf had a “pestilence problem” because he had trouble controlling his tongue. He said mean and horrid things while the princess’s lips said kind and uplifting things.


This made a very big impression on me as a seven-year-old! I did not want to have a pestilence problem.

What the Bible Says About A Pestilence Problem

Rose Red And Snow White could almost be a parable that Jesus told. There is great biblical and practical truth in this simple story.

God has a lot to say about our mouths. In Matthew 12:34, Jesus says, FOR THE MOUTH SPEAKS OUT OF THAT WHICH FILLS THE HEART.

At the time these eternal words were spoken by Jesus, the heart (cardia in Greek) was thought to be the center or seat of physical and spiritual activity. It was the mind, intellect, emotions, and will of a person.

Jesus was saying that when we speak in unkind or ugly ways, use bad language, speak out negative thoughts, or hurt others with our words, we do not have a mouth problem, we have a heart problem. What we say reveals what kind of heart we have. When we say bad or hurtful things, our heart is sick. It’s been infested and has a pestilence problem!

More Verses About Our Mouths

Here are some of the verses about the words we speak…

For “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. 1Peter 3:10

Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues. Pro 10:19

The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit. Pro 15:4

Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. Pro 17:9

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Col 4:6

Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. Ps 141:3

The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil. Pro 15:28

The Cure For A Pestilence Problem

Our mouth reflects and affects our heart. Words have great power to hurt and heal. So here is my gentle advice to anyone with a pestilence problem: Confess the sins of your mouth, fill your heart with God’s word, and pray…SET A GUARD OVER MY MOUTH, O LORD, KEEP WATCH OVER THE DOOR OF MY LIPS” Ps. 141:3

And be the princess we all know you can be!

Have a blessed Sunday, Friend!

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