Guide Your Mind, Guard Your Heart, Grace Your Tongue

by Carol Burton McLeod, Carol Kent (Foreword by)

Overview

Every single one of us with a beating heart has spoken words “under the influence” of warped feelings and slurred thinking. And we soon wish we had the magical power to take those words back. We especially regret the hurtful words we have spoken to those we love the most and know the best. This book may just be the solution.
Carol McLeod reveals that before the words are spoken, they brew in our hearts and are formed in our minds. It’s our thoughts and emotions that determine what words come out of our mouths. Guide Your Mind, Guard Your Heart, Grace Your Tongue is an innovative blueprint that will enable you to take control of your thoughts and feelings in order to grace your tongue. You won’t find pat answers here, but rather powerful strategies based on the Word of God to reroute disordered thinking and cure rotten emotions so your words can be humbly grateful instead of grumbly hateful.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781641230001
Publisher:	Whitaker House
Publication date:	04/03/2018
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.54(d)

About the Author

Carol McLeod is a popular speaker at women’s conferences and retreats through her ministry, Just Joy!, and is the author of six books, including Defiant Joy (Thomas Nelson, 2006), Holy Estrogen (Harrison House, 2012), and Joy for All Seasons (Bridge-Logos, 2016). Carol hosts both a daily radio show, “Defiant Joy! Radio,” which is broadcast in major markets across America, including Sirius XM FamilyTalk Radio 131, and a daily podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network, “A Jolt of Joy!” Her blog, "Joy for the Journey" (formerly “A Cup of Tea with Carol”), has been named in the Top 50 Faith Blogs for Women. After her 2013 devotional 21 Days to Beat Depression had nearly 100,000 downloads in the first month, YouVersion picked it up, where it has been read nearly 300,000 times in three years. Carol has nine other devotionals with YouVersion and also writes for Ministry Today and Charisma. She is a frequent guest on and has cohosted 100 Huntley Street. Her teaching DVD The Rooms of a Woman’s Heart won a Telly Award in 2005 for excellence in religious programming. The first Women’s Chaplain at Oral Roberts University, she currently serves on the university’s Alumni Board of Directors as Chaplain. Carol has been married to her college sweetheart, Craig, for nearly forty years and is the mother of five children in heaven and five children on earth. She and her husband have recently moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Craig serves as the North American Director for Global Partners, a missions organization that plants churches in remote areas of the world.
 

Table of Contents

Foreword Carol Kent 13

Preface: This Book May Not Be for You 16

Acknowledgments 18

Introduction: What Are Your Issues? 22

Part 1 Guide Your Hindi

1 A Brand-New Brain! 31

2 You Are Not Your Problem 47

3 Mr, Deceit 53

4 "Get Your Trash Out of My Yard! 61

5 Worth the Fight 67

6 Have You Made Up Your Mind? 75

7 Practice Makes Perfect 82

Part 2 Guard Your Heart!

8 A Heart Transplant 99

9 Are There Two of Me? 106

10 A Rock or a Stumbling Block? 114

11 The Delight of Desire 124

12 Altered on the Altar 130

13 The Fear Factor 135

14 Anger Is Not an Angry Word 144

15 Be Disgusted-Be Very, Very Disgusted 151

16 Don't Be Surprised 156

17 I Choose Joy! 165

18 Never Sad Again 174

19 The Anticipation of Those Who Wait Well 181

20 I Accept! 188

Part 3 Grace Your Tongue!

21 Stick Out Your Tongue and Say, "Ahh!" 197

22 Least Favorite of All 207

23 Two Women and Their Words 212

24 A Mature Mouth 222

25 Fire, Water, and Figs 231

26 Power Words 244

Conclusion: A Triple-Threat Offensive-Your Mind, Your Heart, and Your Tongue 251

About the Author 256

Editorial Reviews

02/26/2018
McLeod (Defiant Joy), host of the Defiant Joy! Radio show and former Women’s Chaplain at Oral Roberts University, delves into the Christian ethos by encouraging readers to begin with themselves in this joyful guide to living. By addressing day-to-day situations with biblical insight, McLeod conveys the message that a full, prosperous life can be achieved when actions are conducted with an intentional mind-set. The book’s first scenario compares the clutter in homes to the scattered thoughts that often keep someone off course. Effortlessly, McLeod shows how the mind needs constant cleaning to “keep up with the process of organizing our mental clutter” so that it doesn’t fall prey to spiritual havoc. An underlying theme throughout is having a strong relationship with God, and McLeod encourages readers to find joy in him instead of through material and social gratification. McLeod draws a direct line between physical health and mind-set, as each idea or opinion “begins in the mind, travels to the heart, and finally comes out of the mouth.” McLeod’s conversational tone and transparency will leave Christian readers ready to tackle the clutter in their minds and pain in their hearts. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Carol McLeod has developed a writing style that penetrates the core of issues that so often hinder our walk with the Lord. She presents a clear case for the examination of our mind, heart, and mouth. Carol begins with, “This book may not be for you,” but within a few pages, readers will quickly identify her words as a message from heaven. Her new book is fresh manna and profitable for our soul. It is beautifully written, encouraging, convicting, and, above all, helpful. I think the apostle Paul would read this book and smile at her understanding of the importance of healing our thought life. Buy several copies of this book and share it with friends and family.
—Dr. Steve Greene
Publisher and Executive Vice President, Media Group, Charisma Media
 
Carol McLeod brings readers into a space that affects us all but is rarely given serious consideration—the ability to connect our thought life and emotions with our outward expressions. In today’s society of social media and unmonitored responses, she leads the reader through a journey of aligning our mind, heart, and tongue with our call to live a God-honoring life.
—Dr. Deana L. Porterfield
President, Roberts Wesleyan College and Northeastern Seminary
 
Carol McLeod is an important voice in the church today. A great communicator? Yes! A convicting voice for truth? Yes! Carol is the real, genuine, and authentic deal. Not only has she survived some of life’s biggest challenges—she’s thriving! Guide Your Mind, Guard Your Heart, Grace Your Tongue gives us insight into how she’s done it and is doing it!
—John Hull
Former host and CEO, 100 Huntley Street
Lead Pastor, Eastside Baptist Church, Marietta, Georgia
 
I need this book, and you probably do, too. Our thoughts, our emotions, and our words have the capacity for great good—and great evil. Using both humor and hard-hitting facts, Carol McLeod shows us how to allow God’s truth from the Bible to shape these parts of ourselves for the greatest good. Best of all, Carol comes alongside us as a sister in the struggle. This book is already causing me to change how I think, feel, and speak—I imagine my family and friends will be quite grateful!
—Sarah Sundin
Award-winning writer and author, The Sea Before Us (2018)
 
In the most distracted culture in the history of the world, Carol McLeod’s new book, Guide Your Mind, Guard Your Heart, Grace Your Tongue, could not be more timely. The ability to manage our thoughts, what we say, and how we impact others is the great struggle of our moment in history. This book is your guide to thinking right thoughts, saying right things, and making a difference in the world. Don’t miss this opportunity to discover what really makes an impact.
—Phil Cooke, Ph.D.
Filmmaker, media consultant, and author, One Big Thing: Discovering What You Were Born to Do

Guide Your Mind, Guard Your Heart, Grace Your Tongue is a practical and help-filled guide for how to take the Word of God into every emotion we experience. Carol shares her life of wisdom and insight in a way that makes you laugh and then apply the truth she reveals. This book is terrific counsel for any stage of life.
—Lorna Dueck
CEO, Crossroads Christian Communications Inc. and YES TV

You will not have to read far into the introduction of Guide Your Mind, Guard Your Heart, Grace Your Tongue to realize that Carol's new book has you locked firmly in its crosshairs. Target acquired. What then...? Solutions! Practical, anointed, encouraging, and insightful solutions. Carol, like you and me, has not lived an ethereal life paved with petunia petals. Her perspective is not from the pinnacle but from the streets, homes, and families where we all live. Carol has a gift for helping people, so don’t be surprised when this book truly helps you.
—Chris Busch
President and CEO, LightQuest Media

Carol McLeod’s latest book, Guide Your Mind, Guard Your Heart, Grace Your Tongue, is a must-read for everyone. A timely message in today’s broken world, this book will speak to your heart like no other. Filled with Scripture, humor, candidness, and her incredible wisdom and experience, it will impact everyone who reads it. Carol is a gifted speaker, writer, and encourager, and it is easy to see how her blog is in the Top 50 Faith Blogs for Women around the globe. Thank you, Carol, for blessing us all with your wisdom, experience, and giftedness.
—Robbie Raugh, RN
Integrative Health and Nutrition Practitioner
Host, The Raw Truth Health and Fitness on ESPN Radio, WDCX radio, and ABC TV
Speaker and author, The Raw Truth Recharge: 7 Truths to Health and Fitness

This latest release from Carol McLeod is perhaps the most important one. We are guided daily by our hearts and minds, and so often we speak too soon with our mouths. Only under the guidance of the Holy Spirit can our heart, mind, and tongue be submitted to the will of God. In this book, Carol provides daily practical disciplines to help us live godly lives, fulfilling His destiny for us.
—Donna Russo
Festival Director and CFO of Kingdom Bound Ministries
www.kingdombound.org

In this powerful book, Carol drives you inch by inch through the battlefield of your mind to absolute victory. While she teaches with authority, she lets us in on the secrets behind it—life lessons she has learned. This book is not just about Carol’s ideas. It is about how to get the Bible into the nitty-gritty of our everyday lives. Guide Your Mind, Guard Your Heart, Grace Your Tongue will leave rubber marks on the road of your life.
—Kathryn M. Graves
Author, Chasing Beautiful
www.KathrynGraves.com

Struggling with negativity? In Guide Your Mind, Guard Your Heart, Grace Your Tongue, Carol McLeod reminds us of the power of the words we speak to ourselves and to others. Her book offers valuable strategies to help us deal with our negative self-talk, which can contaminate our hearts, minds, and souls, while jeopardizing our most important relationships. And as we begin to speak God’s truth to our souls, we can experience peace in our hearts, our minds, and our relationships.
—Karen Jordan
Speaker and author, Words That Change Everything

Sometimes we need a friend who will tell us what we need to hear—not just what we want to hear. Carol McLeod is that friend, and she imparts those important truths with love that is backed by biblical principles. In Guide Your Mind, Guard Your Heart, Grace Your Tongue, she shares with great transparency the mistakes she has made and the lessons God has taught her. And then she equips us with the tools to become women with hearts and minds that have been transformed by Him, and tongues that have been tamed by grace. Don’t miss this book!
—Michelle Cox
Author, When God Calls the Heart: Devotions from Hope Valley and Just 18 Summers

In Guide Your Mind, Guard Your Heart, Grace Your Tongue, Carol McLeod leads us out of bondage and into freedom—real freedom. This book exposes the things that keep us from being all we were made for and releases us to transform our lives.
—Anita Agers Brooks
Award-winning author
Inspirational speaker and international business/life coach

Carol McLeod is a breath of fresh truth! As a Christ-follower, I am constantly battling the inner voices of gossip, pride, and emotion. Guide Your Mind, Guard Your Heart, Grace Your Tongue gently reminds me to replace these voices with God’s truth and character. Thank you, Carol, for your transparency and wisdom. This must-read book is from one of the best!
—Keri Cardinale
Worship leader and speaker
Radio host, WDCX, Buffalo, NY
 

From the Publisher