Welcome to “How to Talk Like Jesus!” This short series helps you communicate the truth in love with family, friends, and neighbors who might “make” you want to scream or run like Forrest Gump. Are you ready for the secret to godly communication? Let’s go.

cropped-heart_small-e1440804652192.jpgYour Talk Exposes Your Heart

Did you know what you say and how you say it reveals a lot about you? And about what you think of God? Your communication exposes your heart.

For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. Matthew 12:34, NASB

As in water face reflects face, so a man’s heart reveals the man. Proverbs 27:19, NKJV

As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7, NLT

Here’s a time I handled communication poorly. The family member: my dad’s wife.

She doesn’t like me very much. I’m not sure why. A while back, she stomped into a restaurant where my dad and I were enjoying a late lunch, and her words flew at me like daggers: “Why are you here with him? He should be home with the children. You just want his money.” I said, “The children are young adults. And I’m here to see my dad, not get money.” He tried to quiet her and I moseyed toward the hostess at the cash register.

Honestly, I just wanted to feel safe, not talk like Jesus. I withdrew. Thankfully my dad’s wife soon left. I felt sad, confused. My dad felt worse. His smile had become a grimace.

Your Talk Reveals Your Beliefs

how to talk like JesusYour heart is highly important to God. Think of your heart as the control center of your inner self. It reveals your beliefs and your motivations.

What you believe guides your thoughts and actions. God cares about your communication because he cares about you and your beliefs.

He desires your focus to be on Jesus, not on yourself. When your beliefs are “me-centered,” you’ll show them by what you say and what you do. A “me-centered” heart is prideful, selfish, lonely, angry, fearful, and sad, and such is your communication.

Did you know that the Bible says if a person can control their tongue, they’ll be able to control all their desires/passions/affections?

For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. James 3:2, NASB

How to Talk Well

Dr. Stuart Scott, an author and a professor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, shares six prerequisites to good communication. Here are the first two. In the next Wednesday Word, you’ll discover more.

  1. To talk like Jesus, you must want to please God more that anything else. Ask God for help in desiring to please him more than you want to have your own way or to be right. Desire to know him as he reveals himself in Scripture.

    For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10, ESV

  2. To talk like Jesus, you must be humble. The opposite of humility is pride. When you choose to communicate humbly, your words and your nonverbal communication will demonstrate patience. If you’re humble you’ll be patient when you’ve been misunderstood. You’ll lovingly speak truthfully, and you’ll listen much more than you talk.

Make It Practical!

To help improve your communication, choose this week to do two things:

First, do not interrupt when someone else is speaking. Instead, listen.

Second, when you’re talking, pause once in a while, so the other person has a chance to speak.

cropped-heart_small-e1440804652192.jpgFriends, are you interested in impoving communication with your spouse? Your family? A boss? I’d love to counsel hope to your heart and give you biblical solutions to the problem you’re facing. Send me a message and we can set up a complimentary 20-minute consultation by phone.

Counseling Hearts to Hope,

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