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Three Ways to Honor God with Our Speech · Kate’s Devotional Podcast

0:05
SPEAKER_00: Hi, I'm Kate Dresden and welcome to Kate's devotional podcast.
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SPEAKER_00: I drop my podcast every Wednesday.
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SPEAKER_00: It's always a five minute or less devotional to bring you encouragement as we try
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SPEAKER_00: to live our lives according to the Bible.
0:18
SPEAKER_00: So glad you're here.
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SPEAKER_00: Hey guys, when was the last time someone else's words affected you in a profound way?
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SPEAKER_00: Good or bad?
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SPEAKER_00: Well, I've had experiences in my life where I remember someone's words to me very clearly.
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SPEAKER_00: I remember the exact words the person used, their tone of voice, the way it made me feel.
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SPEAKER_00: Can you relate?
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SPEAKER_00: Some of those memories are really good, like when a boss would compliment me or praise my work.
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SPEAKER_00: But some of those memories are kind of bad.
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SPEAKER_00: I mean,
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SPEAKER_00: I still remember over 40 years ago when I was 16 and a boy at school told his buddy
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SPEAKER_00: how ugly I was as I passed them walking down the hallway.
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SPEAKER_00: Ouch, I know.
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SPEAKER_00: Words are funny that way.
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SPEAKER_00: Sometimes they can make you feel so good, and other times they can make your heart split.
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SPEAKER_00: Can you think of a time when someone else's words had a deep impact on you?
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SPEAKER_00: Well, since words are so important, let's look at three things the Bible has to say about it.
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SPEAKER_00: Okay, number one, our words should build others up, not tear them down.
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SPEAKER_00: Ephesians 4.29 tells us,
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SPEAKER_00: what we should be using our words for.
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SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna read out of the New American Standard Bible, it's the 1995 update.
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SPEAKER_00: It says,
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SPEAKER_00: let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth,
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SPEAKER_00: but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment,
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SPEAKER_00: so that it will give grace to those who hear.
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SPEAKER_00: So we're to be edifying others.
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SPEAKER_00: Our words should give grace to those who hear us.
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SPEAKER_00: That's a pretty high standard.
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SPEAKER_00: How many of us in our everyday conversations,
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SPEAKER_00: like with friends or family or coworkers,
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SPEAKER_00: it can start out instantly,
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SPEAKER_00: but then it kind of quickly turns into complaining or we start giving our opinions
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SPEAKER_00: about someone else's appearance or their personality or something they did.
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SPEAKER_00: And most of the time, it turns very negative.
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SPEAKER_00: And we can make ourselves feel better by thinking, well, it isn't my fault.
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SPEAKER_00: I can't control what others say.
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SPEAKER_00: But here's another way to look at it.
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SPEAKER_00: You know,
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SPEAKER_00: by not saying anything or making an effort to turn the conversation into a
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SPEAKER_00: different direction,
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SPEAKER_00: are we any better than the one who's talking bad about another person?
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SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
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SPEAKER_00: I'm not judging anyone.
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SPEAKER_00: I'm doing this devotional for myself more than anyone else.
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SPEAKER_00: I know I want to be better with my words.
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SPEAKER_00: Okay, number two, our words should discourage anger, not encourage it.
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SPEAKER_00: You know, the Bible is pretty clear on this one.
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SPEAKER_00: In Proverbs 15, 1, and this time I'm going to read out the New King James Version.
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SPEAKER_00: It says, a soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
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SPEAKER_00: This makes me think of when I was a little girl and one of my brothers would come
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SPEAKER_00: at me with anger and that's what they got in return.
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SPEAKER_00: After all, no one steals my toy and gets away with it, right?
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SPEAKER_00: It's our nature to give right back to someone who's given it to us.
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SPEAKER_00: But as we mature in life and in spiritual things,
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SPEAKER_00: God expects us to resist that urge to fight fire with fire.
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SPEAKER_00: God points out how that by using the right words and the right tone of voice, we can avoid confrontation.
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SPEAKER_00: And number three, our words should speak truth, never lies.
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SPEAKER_00: That's very clear.
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SPEAKER_00: Like in Proverbs 12, 22, it says, So God hates lies.
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SPEAKER_00: That's what an abomination means, is to hate it.
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SPEAKER_00: God is perfect.
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SPEAKER_00: He cannot tell a lie and we need to follow his example.
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SPEAKER_00: You know, even if no one discovers our lie, God knows, so we can never get away with it.
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SPEAKER_00: We are never going to be perfect when it comes to what comes out of our mouths,
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SPEAKER_00: but we can try to do our best to honor God with our speech.
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SPEAKER_00: You know,
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SPEAKER_00: Matthew 1234 talks about how whatever's coming out of our mouths actually is coming
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SPEAKER_00: from what's in our hearts.
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SPEAKER_00: So if we're having trouble with what's coming out of our mouths,
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SPEAKER_00: maybe it's time to look into our hearts.
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SPEAKER_00: Because when our hearts change, our words will too.
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SPEAKER_00: So let's pay close attention to the words that come out of our mouths this week.
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SPEAKER_00: And let's ask God to help us so we can be more like what he wants us to be.
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SPEAKER_00: Because friend, I'm going to be doing the same.
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SPEAKER_00: If you want more of my podcast or written devotionals,
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SPEAKER_00: you can check out my free Substack account at katedreston.substack.com.
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SPEAKER_00: Make it a great day, and thanks for listening.