TeaTime Devotional July 9th, 2025

Written By:              Shantelle Johnson

Scripture:  Colossians 4:6 NLT

Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.  

Testify:

Most of us grew up hearing or saying things like, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all, and “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”.  The latter phrase is not entirely true. Though words cannot physically hurt us, they still hurt depending on the words and the source that they come from. The Bible tells us that there is power in the tongue, and that is true on so many levels.    

Edify:

Even though, to some, the phrase “shut up” may be a little harsh, it is sometimes necessary to get a point across. I was watching the Netflix movie Straw, and I paid close attention to how the main character, Janiyah, responded when her manager and her landlady spoke to her with such disrespect and cruelty, versus the way that she responded when speaking to the female police officer and the bank manager. We never know what our words can do to someone who is already standing on the edge of a cliff. The bible says a lot about how we should hold our tongues. Messages come in the way of being still, paying attention to timing, when to respond, how to respond, or should we respond. In Colossians, Paul writes a letter from prison, giving us instructions, and permission so to speak, of how we should live as born-again Christians. How we should act and react now that we have a fresh start. Leaving all old things in the past and moving forward with a renewed spirit, embracing all the wonderful things that God has promised us. This verse tells us to “let our conversation be gracious and attractive”. We should practice that every day, so that it becomes a habit.

Apply:

If Paul, from inside the walls of a prison, can provide us with words of encouragement, we should be able to begin to try and break our minds and tongues free from negativity and doubt. Speaking with grace and attraction, not only goes when speaking to others, you should speak to yourself in this way also. Be kind to yourself and to others. Be impeccable with your words (Four Agreements). When negativity begins to creep in or when your past mistakes try to deter you from the future filled with abundance that God has for you, or the enemy tries to fill your mind with thoughts that are not aligned with positivity, tell them (and him) to shut up!