Desperate for Communication: Part Two

In Ephesians 4: 29 the Apostle Paul says, “Let no evil talk come out of your mouth, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.”
The reason that our spouse may not be hearing what we are saying is because we have spoke so much negativity that they have closed themselves off to our words. Most of our life we function by rewards. We work for a paycheck. We play by certain rules to get the benefits. We may live for rewards but we live by encouragement. The trick is we cannot encourage ourselves. Encouragement must come from others and if we are only getting shut down then we are more tempted to shut out.
In the book of Hebrews we are told to “encourage one another daily” (Hebrews 3: 13 NIV). How do we do this? Encouragement means that we focus on the strengths of the other person rather than their weaknesses. I want you to practice being encouraging this week. First, memorize Ephesians 4: 29. Let’s say it again, ““Let no evil talk come out of your mouth, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.” Secondly, For the next week you can’t say anything negative about your spouse/friend/child, to your spouse/friend/child, or to anyone else about your spouse/friend/child. Thirdly, be intentional about saying something that you admire or appreciate about your spouse/friend/child every day.
Proverbs 16: 21 says, “Pleasant words are persuasive.” It is true. We are a lot more motivated with words of encouragement than we are with words of negativity. Every time you speak a word of encouragement to your spouse, friend or child you are in affect saying, “I believe in you.” Those words can change marriages and relationships.