Our culture certainly encourages “speak your mind,” leading people to make statements such as “I had to say something,” “I had no choice,” “I had to speak up for myself,”  “People need to know how I feel.”  

We can easily see the fruits of that mindset as we look at how unhinged communication has become – not only face-to-face but also through social media.  Whether it’s through texting, Facebook, or Instagram, what could be uplifting communication has become embarrassingly unfiltered and unregarded.  

Unfortunately, the lack of “acceptable” speech can weaken and sometimes destroy relationships.  It’s far too easy to speak before we think, and unfortunately, we often choose for it to be just as easy to speak even after we think and realize we should stop while we’re ahead.  

God’s Word provides a number of verses to encourage us and to guide us as we endeavor to ensure that all our daily communication is acceptable to Him.  Psalm 19:14 admonishes,  “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” 

Obviously the “speak-your-mind” mentality directly opposes God’s Word, for His Word makes clear that He cares about how we use our God-given gift of communication.  Whether we’re talking to our spouse, children, friends, or complete strangers, we should ask ourselves, “Is my speech acceptable?  Am I honoring God with the words I’m using to communicate with another human being.  

What a thought-provoking commitment – that every word that we speak be acceptable in God’s sight!  Measuring our responses to ensure that we intentionally choose words that He would approve, words that would be an encouragement or blessing to someone else, words that would be delightful or satisfying.

In every situation, with God’s help, we can call choose to have acceptable – God-honoring – speech.  Praying first about what we desire to say rather than reacting in the moment will allow us to filter our speech through His Word before opening our mouths.  The result?  We’ll have more acceptable speech, speech that represents our Lord and how He would desire that we treat one another.  

I’m often reminded that words are not to make us feel better or to please others – words are ultimately to please God – to honor and glorify Him. “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” 

What a tender relationship we get to see in Psalm 19:14!   David directs his plea, his commitment, to his Lord, and just like David, we can direct our plea, our commitment to acceptable speech to the One we’re ultimately trying to please – our Lord.  

Is my speech acceptable?  It’s a question to ponder as we interact with one another every single day.