Dale Carnegie's first principle
Don't
Criticize
Complain
Condemn
Oh how a conversation can go sour in a moment when two or more gathered...
Criticizing others to make ourselves feel better
Complaining about others to blame others for our discontent
Condemning others to take condemnation from ourselves
Hmm...
The breaking down of others to build us up
Unwholesome talk
But
God said,
Do not let
any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,
but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs,
that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29
Unwholesome Talk
Destructive, Damaging Talk
About others~
to others
About your self ~
to yourself
Yup
Yourself!
Does that mean unwholesome talk about me?
Think about it
The weight of unwholesome talk:
I am not ____________
I can't ____________
I will never _________
Talk that does not build me up, but break me down.
Unwholesome Talk
How do you talk about yourself?
How do you talk to yourself?
What words are swirling in your head?
But if God does not speak unwholesome words
to break us down,
why do we?
What if you replaced your talk with His talk:
I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child.*
I am forgiven by the grace of Christ.*
I am free from condemnation. Romans 8:1-2
Fasting from any
unwholesome talk
about you
will also make it possible
to not let any unwholesome talk about others
come out of your mouth.
So are you ready to fast from any
unwholesome talk
today~
about yourself
and others
by walking with the
Wholesome One
Who changes all your
I am not
I can't
I will never
to
I am
I can
I will
because
He Says So!
*Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,
Ephesians 1:3-8