what does the bible say?
James 1:19 offers advice on how to conduct ourselves when communicating: “let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.” James isn’t the only part of the Bible that offers this guidance. Several Proverbs advise us to guard our speech because of the potential harm our words can cause (Proverbs 10:19; 17:27-28; 18:2). That harm is often the result of angry words, and many of the Proverbs caution against anger (Proverbs 14:29; 15:1; 29:11). David knew the wisdom of guarding our words, as he expresses in some of the Psalms (39:1-2; 141:3). The New Testament also discusses this topic. It shows the impact of the Holy Spirit on how believers interact with others. Believers are to manifest the fruit of the Spirit, which provides the grace we need to listen to others with respect and control what we say (Galatians 5:22–23). The seriousness of this is seen in Jesus’s warning against the consequences of careless words. The Bible shows that unwholesome, angry speech isn’t befitting for the children of God . Believers act wisely when we heed Scripture’s teaching to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.