Day 6: The Power of Your Words

“The soothing tongue is a tree of life, put a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.” (Proverbs 15:4, NIV)

“For, ‘whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.’” (1 Peter 3:10, NIV)

“Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats a matter separates close friends.” (Proverbs 17:9, NIV)

“From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled; with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied. The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:20-21, NIV)

“Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.” (Titus 3:1-2, NIV)

“A [wo]man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a [wo]man of understanding is even-tempered.” (Proverbs 17:27, NIV)

Reflecting on these verses has helped me choose a wiser route many, many times.

They call us to the commendable pursuit of gaining knowledge and understanding, as well as telling us what we gain from such a quest.

It is vital that we heed the warnings from God’s Word about how impactful our own words are.

However, it is just as important that we know the benefits of “holding our peace” when we’d rather give someone a piece of our mind.

Using words with restraint means you honor the recipient of your words above your desire to prove your point.

Gaining an even-tempered demeanor means you value the connection of your relationships above having to be right.

Become a woman of knowledge. Ask the Lord to write His wisdom upon your heart so you may know what to say and when to say it.

Pursue the quality of being steady-tempered; not easily angered or annoyed. Ask the Lord to guide you in the way of understanding.

Rely on His strength to help you rise above the urges to speak impulsively, for “he who guards his lips, guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin” (Proverbs 13:3, NIV)

​-Kaylene