Highlight: Godly communication

“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” Proverbs 18:21

Has your mouth ever gotten you in trouble? Karen Ehman points out that there is no one-size-fits-all formula for discernment with our words. It is important to use Godly discernment as we speak to others. She describes how she uses discernment in her own life,

“In a small group situation, in a life group at church for example, I kind of do a little bit of a formula in that I’m only going to speak once every third time I think I have something to say. Then it comes out about right and I don’t monopolize the conversation.”

“I know other people that will go through 6 weeks of being in a small group and never say a thing, so they need to learn to speak up a little more so it’s more equal.”

The tongue is a very powerful tool. We need to ask God for His help to control it on a daily basis. Karen points out that God ultimately wants us to grow closer in our relationship with Him.

“It’s all about prayer, being in tune with the Holy Spirit, getting up in the morning with the right perspective and saying,

‘Lord, help me to know today what I’m supposed to say, when I’m supposed to say nothing at all and who I’m supposed to encourage. Tap me on the heart. Interrupt my day and show me what your marching orders are for me today.’

“God wants us to forge that daily relationship with Him, learn even more to be in tune with the Holy Spirit, and know when He is prompting us to do something; to say something, to stop doing something, to stop saying something – it’s all about our walk with the Lord.”

We need to train ourselves to listen to God early in the morning so we don’t miss His promptings throughout the day.

“When we’ve asked in the morning for the Lord to show us, who needs an encouraging word? What person am I going to come across today who least expects to be noticed? Help me to see them. Help me to let them know that you’re there and that people care.

“Then the other things that come across my path; that combative coworker or that cantankerous in-law or whoever that wants to pick a fight and get into a discussion or a debate, ‘help me to just defuse that and not to walk into that trap.’”


Karen Ehman is a Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker, a New York Times best-selling author, and a writer for Encouragement For Today, an online devotional that reaches over one million women daily. She has written seven nine books including   and  .

Listen, Love, Repeat