Do You Have Diarrhea... of the Mouth?

Nothing says diarrhea like the scene out of Dumb and Dumber when Lloyd spikes Harry’s drink with Ex-lax. Harry eventually finds himself trapped in his prospective date’s upstairs bathroom, voiding his bowels and unable to flush. When you’ve got to go, you have got to go!

In the same fashion, many youth pastors find themselves seemingly stuck on stage, babbling incessantly, going over on time and unable to bring the message home. It’s called “Diarrhea of the Mouth.” It happens when words keep coming out of your mouth and you can’t stop talking when delivering a message.

There are four root causes of this run-of-the-mouth disease. Take some time to examine your life and ministry to ensure that you are not falling short in any of these areas:

1. Lack of faith.

Sometimes it’s easy to feel like you need to do the work of the Spirit and really drive your point home. Fifteen more minutes worth of words does not equal a more effective message. Jesus promised, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26, NIV) Increase your faith and trust the Holy Spirit to be the ultimate teacher of the Word of God. 

2. Lack of preparation.

When you fail to prepare well, you ramble. As the high school pastor of Saddleback Church, Josh Griffin, states, “If you find yourself consistently going over on time during your message, you are not preparing well.” It’s easy to distract yourself from your intended destination when you are ill-prepared. Know what you want to say and where you want to go in your message.

3. Lack of righteousness.

King Solomon wisely wrote to his son, “When words are many, sin is not absent….” (Proverbs 10:19, NIV) If you find yourself suffering from talking too much, examine your heart and life to see if there is hidden sin. Foolishness in your heart breeds babbling.

4. Lack of humility.

Be alert, being on stage and speaking in front of a room full of students can exacerbate pride in your life. It’s human nature, people like to hear themselves speak. Worse yet, preachers love to hear themselves preach. When you are tempted to exalt yourself, remember this truth, 

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. (1 John 2:1-16, NIV)

Notice that pride never comes from God, but always from the world. Boosting your ego on stage will not communicate the love of God to your students, but will only serve to expose your sinful nature. On the other hand, God always gives grace to the humble.

If you find yourself lacking in any of these areas, confess it to God, repent and find some fellow communicators or youth pastors to come along side you and challenge you to grow in that area.