#WISDOMSample

What Are You Talking About?

Our words are powerful.

The Bible teaches that God created the world by “speaking” (Genesis 1:3) and then created human beings in His own image and likeness (Genesis 1:26).

So, the reality is that when we “speak” things, we are also “creating” things.

• When we speak to confront evil, we create a chance for either healing or hatred.
• When we speak helpful words, we create goodness in the life of another person.
• When we speak things that aren’t true, we light fires of chaos and send them spreading throughout our lives and the lives of others.

The wisest thing we could learn to do is to watch our words. Words aren’t just words, they’re building blocks. Things are made out of what we say.

Proverbs says, “The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.” (Proverbs 17:27)

When we learn to “restrain” our words – when we learn to speak when it’s helpful and necessary and choose our words wisely – we take seriously the power of our words.

In today’s social media culture, our words can appear in digital black and white with no emotions or context behind them. We may feel like tearing someone apart on Twitter or raging against a cause on Facebook, but we have to realize that we create a trail of misunderstanding and distraction if we don’t choose our words carefully.

Today, consider the power your words have had lately. What have you said in the last 24 hours and what consequences or benefits have come from what you said?

What situations are in front of you right now that you feel you need to speak into, and what impact will your words create if you do speak? Is it possible that you should stay quiet and listen instead?