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Taking Responsibility for the Way We Speak to Each Other: Praying through Various Scriptures about Our Words

A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. Luke 6:45 (NLT)

     Dear Lord Jesus, this Scripture is the bottom line, the “skinny,” the chase to which we must always cut, when it comes to stewardship of our words. The main issue isn’t tongue control, but heart fullness. Whatever I treasure in my heart will be reflected in the stream of my words.

     This is why I must preach the gospel to myself every day—before any other storyline or crisis, disappointment or aggravating person, “fool’s gold” or personal agenda grabs the attention and affection of my heart.

The tongue has the power of life and death. Prov. 18:21 (NIV)

     How important is the issue of my words? Jesus, may this one little verse stay ever before me. I am capable of bringing destruction and resurrection with my words—great harm and eternal good. I want to bring life today, Jesus. Help me with my instinct is to choose the opposite.

Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. Eph. 4:29 (NLT)

     Jesus, you never command anything you don’t resource, so when you tell me no foul or abusive language, you’ve not exaggerating. That’s not the law of performance, but the way of freedom and encouragement. You forgive me when I fail, but you also give me grace to speak like a man of grace. Never let me get used to hurting people with my words, never.

Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. Prov. 16:24 (ESV)

     Jesus, no words are sweeter and more health-generating that the words you speak. So grant us listening hearts as you sing to us today in the gospel, and may the quickest, surest overflow be seen in the way we speak to one another. So very Amen we pray, in your tender and triumphant name.

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