The Art Of Communication
Scripture Reading - Ecclesiastes 3:1,7 KJV
1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
We all know that speaking involves every person on the earth, beneath the earth and up in Heaven. Therefore we (ihlcc) thought it good to discuss “the Art of Communication”. Effective communication will yield good results when inspired by God. Looking at the verse mentioned in today’s lesson we understand from verse 1 that everything has a purpose. With that in mind we should use the purposes of God, or we could say the purposes of good to direct us on what to speak. Knowing what to speak when you are communicating is vitally important because speaking the wrong words can cause all sorts of problems. All evil words produce death so we must purpose to keep our tongues free from negative hurtful words. Also, along the same line wrong words produce confusion and frustration because false words steer people away from truth rather than toward it. Now we (ihlcc) will explore another crucial element of speaking which takes the wisdom of God to perform. This well-kept secret is simply knowing when to speak and when to be silent. For sure according verse 7 there is definitely a time to speak up and also a time to be quiet, so we will speak a little about each one. A time to keep silence could be when you are in the presence of those in higher authority because it is good to allow your leaders to speak their will and you should only respond to their questions given to you. No one likes a know-it-all and how much less liked they will be when they are in the presence of those who do know. Another time to keep your mouth is when you don’t know what you are talking about or the situation at hand. Be a good listener and learner first before you offer some insight (your counsel). Another time to keep silence is when you are at a public speaking engagement (like church) because there should only be one voice that the people are listening to at one time and that voice should be the speaker. The Lord does everything decently and in order so God is not trying to over speak Himself typically it is the devil and/or carnal (impolite) people that draw attention to themselves by being insensitive (oblivious) to the main speaker. Yet another time to keep silence is right before an argument. Yes, please don’t fight or get into strife with another because ultimately it hurts you, others and your fellowship with God. Yes, we all would be wise to keep our tongue from arguing just like we should keep our tongue from speaking evil of another. Some people will call speaking negatively about another just an opinion but don’t kid yourself it is gossip if they are not presence to speak for themselves and it is still a sin today just like it was a sin thousands of years ago before God. In contrary to not speaking there is a time to speak like praising God Almighty and the Lord Jesus Christ all the time. Yes, we should speak-up and be friendly when others have spoken to us. We must speak-up to God during times of prayer and fellowship. Many believers don’t realize that God is always present with us and He hopes that we would include Him in our everyday lives; even our very thoughts are speaking something to God because they are the forerunner to our words. We must also speak to others that need the life changing message of Christ Jesus. We (ihlcc) personally don’t recommend preaching to others on your job but we do endorse living such an obvious Christian lifestyle that others know you are different and if they ask you about the hope that is within you we softly and respectfully share our faith as they are able to bear it. Remember all people shall know that you are a Christian by your love for them and Him (Jesus and our Heavenly Father). So take some time to learn “the Art of Communication” because good speaking is not by accident but only by purpose and pursuit. Amen!