Knowing When to Speak ~ Joyce Meyer

But avoid all empty (vain, useless, idle) talk, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness.
— 2 Timothy 2:16


One of the areas in which I have had to learn obedience to the Lord is in talking—or more precisely, when to stop talking.


If you are a big talker like me, you understand why I say there is anointed-by-the-Holy-Spirit talk, then there is vain, useless, idle talk— the kind the apostle Paul warns about in his letter to young Timothy, cited in the verse above.


There have been times when we have had guests in our home and I have finished saying what the Lord wanted me to say, but then continued talking. We can usually pinpoint the moment when what we are doing switches from being anointed by God to being us continuing on in the flesh—in our own strength. After that point I was rambling, really saying nothing, or repeating the same things over and over.


Sometimes when people left our house to go home, I was exhausted. If I had quit talking two hours earlier when the Lord told me, I wouldn't have been worn out! The special requirement the Lord had for me was to learn to say what He wanted me to say, then stop.


Have you ever been talking with someone about a tender subject when the discussion suddenly takes a turn and becomes a little heated? You can tell feelings are starting to get out of control and that little prompting on the inside of you says, "That's enough. Don't say any more."


That prompting, though small, is very strong, and you know saying one more thing would not be wise. But after thinking for a minute, you decide to plunge on in with the flesh! A few minutes later, you're in an all-out war!


We soon discover how much difference disobeying the "still, small voice" made! The minute the Spirit says, "That's enough," we need to stop. If we keep going, we are asking for frustration and defeat.