Articles
What our Speech Reveals
What our Speech Reveals
When the Ephraimites tried to sneak past Jephthah’s security, he made them pronounce the word “Shibboleth.” They couldn’t make the “sh” sound, so when they pronounced it “sibboleth,” it blew their cover. Our speech says a lot about us. You can tell someone’s from New York when they don’t “park near the river;” they “pak neah teh rivva.” In Boston, they don’t say “where”; they say “wheuh.” I’m sure we sound funny to them too! Our speech reveals how we’ve been influenced by our surroundings, which goes beyond accent.
When the Sanhedrin saw the confident, irresistible speech of Peter and John, they “recognized them as having been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:12). Our speech reveals what kind of people we associate with and what movies and shows we watch. Jesus said, “the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” (Matt. 12:34). Our speech reveals the spiritual quality of our hearts, thoughts, attitudes, and priorities. Controlling our tongues will only get us so far. If our hearts aren’t right, our speech will eventually blow our cover. The best solution is to change what influences us by changing our surroundings (Romans 12:2; Philippians 4:8). What does your speech reveal about you?
