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Wow Series 7

Good morning Friend.

I trust we had a great weekend. So we had a throwback or reminder post last week; GREATTITUDE. I hope you were blessed by it. Today by God’s Grace we would continue with the Wow Series which has indeed been a blessing so far. The basic thing we would be considering with respect to our Wisdom Walk is what I call “Speech Prudence”.

To be prudent in speech is to be discretionary with the choice and the volume of words we speak per time. Quite frankly folks, nothing in all of God’s Wisdom Economy displays a man’s Wisdom or folly faster and more accurately than his words. I don’t have to live with you to know whether you’re a wise man or not, I just need to hear you speak and I can tell without a shadow of doubt, your leaning. Whether you lean more to the side of Wisdom or to the side of folly. This has actually become a matter of National Security… Especially in a place where you find top leaders who have such a low discretionary discipline over their words.

The Bible makes it abundantly clear that whoever has control and discipline over his mouth, can be regarded as a mature/perfect man. The restraint capable of curtailing the verbal urge to speak can curtail any urge or craving… Be it sex, sleep or food.

James 1:2 (ISV) For all of us make many mistakes. If someone does not make any mistakes when he speaks, he is perfect and able to control his whole body.

Now that is how powerful our mouth is and the words that come out of it. By all means, every man must be schooled in Verbal Prudence and actually excel to be considered a Wise man. We must all learn to choose what we say wisely. Have you heard someone speak before and it’s as though God spoke to your heart through them? The Bible says that such words are like apples of gold in pictures of silver… I’ve never actually seen that before, but I’m certain it’s such a beautiful sight… Proverbs 25:11. Have you also heard some other folks speak, and you just couldn’t wait till they were done? Like my Pastor says, some people actually suffer from verbal diarrhea … A situation where they can neither control the value or volume of what they say.

1 Samuel 16:18 (Easy English) One of the servants said, ‘Jesse lives in Bethlehem. He has a son who makes good music. This son is a strong, brave soldier. He thinks carefully before he speaks. He is handsome. The Lord is with him.’

Woow!!! What a description! Other versions use the term “prudent in speech”. David was known for always choosing his words wisely… He thought before he spoke. Let’s look at a few characteristics of Prudent Speakers so we can see how much more Grace we need to receive in this area …

The major thing about these prudent speakers is that they think before they talk. The key word here isn’t think, but “BEFORE”. Everyone gets to think some way or the other, but “when” is what actually matters. Prudent Speakers think carefully on what they have to say before they say them… Now what exactly do they think about before speaking?

1. They think of the effect of the words on the hearers: Every word has its effect on anyone who hears it. I can literally change the atmosphere of a theatre by simply painting a picture with my words. A man who has a good command of words will be in command. Words determine the fate of nations and have caused the downfall of many. With words, I can make you cry, excited, ashamed, embarrassed, inspired and of course with words, I can make a witch fall in love. Haha. Words are about the most powerful unseen substance in the whole of the universe. To speak them without discretion is to not understand how the world is run. We all need to weigh the effect of the words we speak on our hearers before we speak them… Ephesians 4:29. So when people pick up their tabs and phones and just launch missiles to fellow believers across social media platforms, it speaks volume in the negative. To minister Grace according to Ephesians 4:29 isn’t just to make perfect exegesis of scripture, but to speak words that edify, comfort, exhort and build up… Acts 20:32

2. They think of the length of their words: When you speak too many words for too long, you weary your hearers. Even when you’re making sense, you may begin to lose them. You may read up “Many Communicate Few Connect” by John Maxwell to further improve in this area. Brevity is the soul of wit. The more you can capture long and hard sentences with short but weighty phrases, the more insightful you are perceived to be. This is why quotable quotes are attractive. They capture wholesome and ideal concepts in brief but pungent lines. When you speak with brevity and value in mind, you will notice how people will literally anticipate your words. And how more wholesome when your speech is conditioned by the Word of God.

3. They think on the Accuracy of their Assertions: Wise people don’t say what they aren’t certain about. They don’t engage in gossips or rumour spreading. Whatever they did not see with their eyes, or hear with their ears, they don’t repeat with their big mouths like gossips do. They understand the impact false witnessing can have on the wrongly represented fellow and they caution themselves from speaking things they aren’t 100% sure about. To speak very often about things you aren’t sure of is to lose the audience you presently have in the future… Because some people will go and find out the verity of your words. Don’t say it unless you’re sure and if you have to say it, add the caveat or clause that expunges you. Don’t exaggerate unnecessarily just to make things sound funnier… Humour is good, but be more committed to truth than humour.

4. They think of the Atmosphere: Some people have no problem with the aforementioned, just that they don’t know how to fit words into proper contexts and atmospheres. For example, giving a testimony about your miracle baby in the home of a couple who just lost their only child. That’s just… Smh. Saying things like “I told you so” when someone just made a very costly mistake which you obviously warned him about doesn’t show concern at all… It reveals pride. It makes the person think all you’re concerned about is being right and not about helping out. Some people actually pray that their feared outcome comes to pass just so people see how right they were in the end. Way after the situation has been saved and damage controlled, you can then reflect on the error and see how you can constructively correct the other party and not rub it into their face about how stubborn they are. It’s like asking the bleeding driver questions like “how did this happen? Were you sleeping?” when what he needs first is survival and not blame trading.

Brethren, nothing reveals your Wisdom or folly content faster than your words. Are you prudent is speech? Do you think before you talk? Are you always found talking? Do you choose your words wisely? Let us examine ourselves in the Lord. This has actually spoken to me as well… May we receive Grace to serve God acceptably with our words in Jesus name. Have a wonderful week ahead.

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