8-3

8-3

Watch your words diligently. Words have such great power to bless or to wound. When you speak carelessly or negatively, you damage others as well as yourself. This ability to verbalize is an awesome privilege, granted only to those I created in my image. You need help in wielding this mighty power responsibly.

Though the world applauds quick-witted retorts, my instructions about communication are quite different: be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Ask my Spirit to help you whenever you speak. I have trained you to pray-“help me, Holy Spirit” -before answering the phone, and you have seen the benefits of this discipline. Simply apply the same discipline to communicating with people around you. If they are silent, pray before speaking to them. If they are talking, pray before responding. These are split-second prayers, but they put you in touch with my presence. In this way, your speaking comes under the control of my Spirit. As positive speech patterns replace your negative ones, the increase in your joy will amaze you.

請注意謹慎地選擇用詞。言辭具有如此巨大的力量，可以祝福他人，也可以傷害他人。當你漫不經心或消極地說話時，你不僅傷害了他人，也傷害了自己。這種用言語表達的能力是一個令人敬畏的特權，隻賜予了那些我按我的形象創造的人。在行使這強大的力量時，你需要承擔責任。

盡管世界讚賞機智的回應，但我關於溝通的教導卻截然不同：要快快地聽，慢慢地說，慢慢地發怒。每當你開口說話時，請求我的聖靈來幫助你。我已經訓練你在接電話之前禱告：“聖靈啊，請幫助我”，你已經看到了這種操練帶來的益處。同樣地將這種操練應用到與你周圍的人溝通中。如果他們沉默，與他們交談之前先禱告。如果他們在說話，回應之前先禱告。這些是極短的禱告，但它們卻能讓你與我的同在相聯。通過這種方式，你的言辭受到我的聖靈的掌管。隨著積極的言辭模式取代消極的模式，你的喜悅會讓你感到驚訝。