I’ve recently been convicted by the Holy Spirit about how much I communicate: I talk too much. I post on Facebook too much. I Tweet too much. I write too much.
What I have concluded is that my motivation for communication is the key. If I genuinely have something to say that may help someone, that is a good thing. If I communicate in order to be noticed, that is a bad thing.
My intention here is to go public with my commitment to do better. So I will let the Scriptures do the rest of the talking here. No additional commentary will be needed.
When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. Proverbs 10:19
Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. Proverbs 17:28
A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. Proverbs 18:2
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. James 1:19
Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble. Proverbs 21:23
Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him. Proverbs 29:20
Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! Psalms 141:3
The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. Ecclesiastes 9:17
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak. Matthew 12:36
Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. Proverbs 13:3
Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. Ecclesiastes 5:2
And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. James 3:6
For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear. Ecclesiastes 5:7
In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty. Proverbs 14:23
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. Proverbs 18:21
If you have been foolish, exalting yourself, or if you have been devising evil, put your hand on your mouth. Proverbs 30:32
For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. James 3:2-11
But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness. II Timothy 2:16
There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18
Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Proverbs 17:27
Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time. Amos 5:13
Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies! Psalm 141:3-4
Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler. Proverbs 20:19
Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words. Ecclesiastes 5:1-3
Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? Ecclesiastes 5:6
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. Proverbs 26:4
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29
My heart became hot within me. As I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue: Psalm 39:3
“If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 58:13-14
For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate. Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time. Amos 5:12-13
A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back. Proverbs 29:11
“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” Romans 3:13-14
Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil. Matthew 5:37
If you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth… Proverbs 6:2
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14
A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims folly. Proverbs 12:23
The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near. Proverbs 10:14
Thoughts on Life and Leading 