"Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life." (James 1:19-21 MSG)
Think about how you communicate by asking yourself these questions:
What is your purpose in the communication - to build or to destroy, to be heard or to understand, to give or receive information?
Are you willing to listen to and consider a different point of view?
When someone calls you do you listen or do you take over the conversation making it about you? (Remember, they called you so there was something they wanted to say!)
How much talking are you doing?
How much listening are you doing?
Today, let's meditate on what the Word of God has to say on how we use words and their impact:
"Sharing words of wisdom is satisfying to your inner being. It encourages you to know that you’ve changed someone else’s life. Your words are so powerful that they will kill or give life, and the talkative person will reap the consequences." (Proverbs 18:20-21 TPT)
"But I tell you, on the day of judgment men will have to give account for every idle (inoperative, nonworking) word they speak." (Matthew 12:36 AMPC)
"He who answers a matter before he hears the facts–it is folly and shame to him." (Proverbs 18:13 AMPC)
"Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone." (Colossians 4:6 NLT)
"Respond gently when you are confronted and you’ll defuse the rage of another. Responding with sharp, cutting words will only make it worse. Don’t you know that being angry can ruin the testimony of even the wisest of men?" (Proverbs 15:1 TPT)
"But avoid all empty (vain, useless, idle) talk, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness." (2 Timothy 2:16 AMPC)
"From a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive." (Proverbs 16:23 NLT)
"The mind of the [uncompromisingly] righteous studies how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things." (Proverbs 15:28 AMPC)
Ultimately let this be our prayer:
"So may the words of my mouth, my meditation-thoughts, and every movement of my heart be always pure and pleasing, acceptable before your eyes, Yahweh, my only Redeemer, my Protector." (Psalms 19:14 TPT)
Be Encouraged! ❤
www.leisawilkins.com
Our words have so much power that we should be afraid to speak without permission.