Generals, Ghosts, and God-Speak

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Christianity is relationships. Having great interactions with others means practicing Biblical rules of communication.

For, whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech (1 Peter 3:10, NIV).

I’ve learned three things not to say in conversations: Ghosts, Generals, and God-Speak. Let me give you an example of each:

Generals

You to another person: “You always leave your trash lying around.”

Ghosts 

You to another person: “Everybody is always talking about how messy you are.”

God-Speak

You to another person: “Remember, ‘Cleanliness is next to godliness.’”

We use the “three G’s” to bolster our case in an argument. It seems easier to prove a point in a frustrating conversation by saying “always” or “everybody else” or to invoke God’s name in a proverb or simple statements like “I believe God wants me to tell you this” or “I’ve prayed about this.”

Scripture teaches that the primary purpose and result of a conversation should be grace. 

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear (Ephesians 4:29, ESV).

In most (Generals) of my conversations in over 52 years as a believer, those with little grace (Ghosts) always (Generals) say things like, “I’ve really prayed about this” (God-Speak). I want to tell them, “People feel little grace from you (Ghosts), and I doubt that you will ever hear from God when you talk like this (General). You better stop, or God won’t bless you (God-Speak).

HHHHMMMHHM!

When others speak Generals, Ghosts, and God-Speak, and we retort with Generals, Ghosts, and God-Speak, is it any wonder that our conversations lack grace and cause even more confusion?

I have an anacronym that helps me contain my Generals, Ghosts, and God-Speak. It’s EGR or . . .  

Extra Grace is Required to converse with Encouragement, Grace, and a Revelation of God’s goodness.

Most evenings, I review my conversations of the day with this prayer: 

“God, when I spoke to __________, did I Encourage them, did they feel I gave them Grace, and did I pray to Reveal words from Your Spirit to them?”

As Proverbs 18:21 says . . . 

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. 

Remember, no Generals, Ghosts, or God-Speak, but rather Encouragement, Grace, and Revelation!