TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:21
Read: Proverbs 18:21
Listen: Proverbs 18
TODAY’S MESSAGE
Commonsense, godly wisdom for everyday living fills the pages of the book of Proverbs. The author included 150 proverbs about our words, knowing that conversations impact every relationship. The longer we sit with these short, powerful sayings—the more they impact our lives.
This week, we’ll think about how we talk about people, especially when they’re not in the room. Our words can bring life or whisper wounds and cause the death of relationships, reputations, and careers. One thoughtless social media post can kill a friendship. A scandalous story shared among neighbors can divide a neighborhood. A boss’s rant about an employee in front of other teammates can wreck a career. What we say about people influences how others see and treat them. We may live with those consequences for the rest of our lives.
It is often easier to spot someone else’s struggle with words than to see it in ourselves. But we all face this battle. The way we speak about others matters to God. We can bring his hope and healing—or we can hurt deeply—with our words. With God’s help, we can speak “only what is helpful for building others up” (Ephesians 4:29).
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Ask God to reveal if your words are bringing life or death today. Pray a prayer similar to this, “Father open my eyes to the power of my words. Reveal when my talk harms others and help me use my words to build others up.”
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
