Dear Sisters, this article was our meditation for our TBC Proverbs 31 Women’s Fellowship thirteen years a go (September 23, 2007). God be praised for sustaining us all these years. As we pass through this pandemic we have an assurance that God is upholding His people.

Titus 2: 8 “Sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.”

The adjective “soundness” depicts perfection and strength. When describing facts, it means untainted truth. This verse instructs us to make our speech sound. As women of God, we can get some practical applications from this verse. To be sound in speech means:

1. It should be worded nicely and pleasing to the hearer. Encouraging words, praises, gentle reminders, and kind comments are pleasing to the hearer. Words that boast, insensitive and self-seeking, taint our speeches. Words that slanders -while it speaks evil of another- ultimately hurt the person we are talking to.  

2. It has to be accurate and based on facts. We don’t like to spread lies around. 

3. It must have interesting content, not senseless, empty words, but informative and useful. We must strive to read more and be up-to-date. What we know or don’t know shapes our speech to be beneficial or harmful to the hearer. 

4. It has proper timing. As the book of Proverbs says, “a word aptly spoken is like an apple of gold in settings of silver.” 

5. The tone must be soft, not loud or boisterous. The volume of our voice speaks of good breeding and culture. 

6. It must not monopolize the conversation. We should be interested in what the other person is talking about, not what we want to say. Everyone has his/her own beautiful story to tell, and we can always learn from them. As one author said, when we tell things about ourselves, we only repeat what we already know. But if we listen, we are learning something new. 

7. We need to be soaked up in God’s Word, so we will have the maturity to speak well in whatever situation. The Scripture will shape the way we speak. Good speech comes from a heart that sanctified by the Word. 

8. Prayer is the key. Knowledge can puff up, but serious study of the Word, coupled with prayer, will shape our character, which will form our speech. The Lord is pleased to grant us our request for a sound speech.

9. Recognize that our tongue is not ours; it is the Lord’s. We must use it for His glory alone.

10. Know that our tongue is the entry point of blessing and curse. The unsavory words we speak not only hurt another, but it can also ricochet to inflict pain back to us. But the kind and happy words we speak will bless others and will bless us as well. 

May the Lord grant us the grace to be sound in our speech. 

hdl 09/30/07

TBC Prov 31 A godly woman is sound in speech.