Remember, if you fill your heart with the right things, that is what you will speak the most.

Today I will:

• choose my words wisely
• speak truthfully in love
• seek the feedback I need to make me a better person and do my job more effectively

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.  (12)  Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear. Proverbs 25:11-12 (ESV)

The power of the right words or the right idea at the appropriate time is immeasurable. David's words to Saul as Goliath marched back and forth mocking Israel snatched victory from the mouth of cowardice. (See 1 Samuel 17:33-37.) Nathan's timely rebuke in the form of the parable of the rich man stealing the only lamb of a poor man brought King David repentantly back to God (2 Samuel 12:1-13), keeping him the man after God's own heart and correcting the course of Israel for a generation or more.

The right words can inspire, redirect, and empower. However, the timing is often as important as the choice of thoughts and ideas to convey, and discerning that timing and that choice of words can be difficult. In fact, there are even times when the best thing to do is to hold your peace. As the Bible aptly points out, "Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue" (Proverbs 17:28 NIV).

As you pray today, ask God to help you keep guard over what you say, when you say it, and even if you should say anything at all. Determine in your heart that whatever comes out of your mouth will be to encourage and build others up, and not to appease your desire to feel superior or escalate yourself. Seek to operate as Jesus did: "I do nothing on my own authority, but I say only what the Father has instructed me to say” (John 9:28 TEV)