– Ask the Spirit of God to quench our burning tongue. We need to be burning for God, not being burned by our speech.
– Wait and seek God. If we cannot say something good, do not say anything at all. Wait on the Lord before you speak.
– When you correct a person, correct the action and not the person.
– Use silence as a tool of communication. Our words tend to be urgent when we are angry. Jesus however, often used silence to get His point across; He was the best conversationalist in the universe.
– Make your words welcoming. This means that you are willing to listen for a while if someone likes to talk. It also indicates that building a relationship is a possibility at that moment. Welcoming words are an invitation to more openness and disclosure. Body gestures and important part of our speech. We need to ask the Lord to help our gestures and our speech to say the same thing. Our gestures either validate or invalidate our speech.
– Depend on God to give you the right word at the right time. Our tongue can run straight to the devil if we do not depend on God. In Luke 12:12 the Lord tells us that He will give us the right word at the right time.
– When you are angry, pray first. What do people think when you walk into the room? If our tongues speak love often enough, then our minds and bodies will follow.
When talking to others is difficult, we can ask ourselves:
– Is the person you are talking to blowing off steam?
– When someone speaks to you, listen first then ask God what you should say. We are aware of our opinions and usually quick to speak them. Even if you think that you are right, Jesus’ opinion is always more important than your own. Love Jesus first, then speak.
– Ask yourself, “What kind of day am I having?’ Examine your attitudes.
– Ask yourself, “Why do I have to be right?” or “Is it that important to be right?” If someone is blaspheming the Gospel then you need to stand up for Jesus. Pick the things that are worth fighting for.
– When people are being difficult, ask them questions and listen to what they are saying. The most powerful Christian is the listening Christian. An appropriate way to handle a person giving you a hard time is to smile and nod at them until they are done talking to you.
God wants us to use the power of our tongues for His kingdom and our good. God invites us to be people that will bring His treasures to the lives of those around us. How can we make this a reality?
We can start by blessing others by:
– Putting the “power words” and their ideas into practice. Power words are those which energize others to action or encourage them to keep going.
– Immersing ourselves in the Word of God.
– Using our tongue in thanksgiving and blessing; praising God for who He is and for what He has done.
– Memorizing scripture is an excellent approach to finding solutions to life’s problems. We should try to base our speech and actions on what the Word of God says about living. This will take some work and study but we will become a fountain of life to others.
– Listening to God and to the people around us helps us to learn to move in the flow of the Holy Spirit. Listening is loving and loving is listening.
– Praying. Learn to talk with God before you talk with others. Tell God how you feel first. It is then more possible to control your feelings wisely when you encounter a difficult situation. You will also get to test your feelings with God first before you reveal them to others. Remember that one who holds their tongue wisely is stronger than a warrior. A word well-spoken brings life to others.
Remember to speak the truth in love. Sometimes our silence will speak louder than our words. Gentleness and kindness should always freely sprinkle into our conversations. Good and positive speech should be embedded into our characters. What we do speaks louder than our words. The more that we speak loving words to each other, the more we will encourage the presence of God to dwell among us. We will grow in the ways of God and our relationships will be truly blessed by Him.
The Eagles Cry 