Keep It Shut Quotes

“Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. (1 Peter 3:10)”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“When Satan gets a foothold, we're in trouble. He wants us to lose our balance. He would love to pin us to the mat, rendering us ineffective for the kingdom. Once we give him a foothold, he can gain a stronghold over us and then go in for the choke hold, finishing us off.”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“Don’t say something permanently painful just because you are temporarily ticked off. Will”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“Lord, I give my mouth to you today. May what comes forth be sweet and not bitter. May the journey each word takes from my mind to my heart to my lips be guided by your hand. May what comes out be life-giving rather than causing death. May my words make you proud and bring you glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. (James 1:26)”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“Show me who your friends are, and I will show you who you are.” If”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“What is the result of intentionally speaking graciously to our family, friends, and other necessary people? Of loving them without stopping? Of containing our anger when we speak and dealing with them in a patient and faithful way? When we choose to lace our words with grace, healing happens: “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24). Yes,”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“Gracious words promote instruction” (16:21).”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“God is patient. He doesn’t fly off the handle in anger.”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“Just Because You Have a Reason to Retaliate Does Not Mean You’re Justified in Doing So”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“Un-soft answers only worsen the mama drama in my house. And they don’t win many points with my coworkers or neighbors either. When we give an un-soft answer, we drizzle a little gasoline on the tiniest spark of a potential spat. It may combust and flare, setting off a big old blaze. However,”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“Read the psalms out loud to God, allowing the words to become your own. Then write out your own specific prayers to him as well. It will amaze you when you go back later and see the ways that God answered your prayers.”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“Why do we assume our time alone with God will just happen spontaneously or in the cracks? Treat it with intentionality.”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“So if we think we are doing the right thing, but we are in fact blind to our motives, what are we to do? How can we see what God so clearly sees? We humbly ask for God’s help, and then we do some serious and prayerful self-reflection. Here are a few questions to consider as you examine your motives before you speak. Am I certain that what I want to say is true? If so, then perhaps you should say it. But before you do, consider the remaining questions. Is my goal to have my comment help the person or situation at hand? Or is it to put a little pinch in their heart? Do I feel my words will bring a solution or, if I’m totally honest, might they cause more of a problem? Even if what I plan to say is truthful, is my aim to say something that will make me look better by comparison? Have I earned the right to speak to this particular person? If not, you should probably keep your lips zipped. If I were speaking about this person to someone else, would I say the exact same thing as I would if that person were sitting in front of me? Are these words really necessary? Why? Have I prayed about it, or only thought about it in an effort to plan what I’ve already determined to say? Am I trying to play Holy Spirit and convict someone or guilt them into changing their mind? If the roles were reversed, would I want the other person to say the same thing to me?”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“When we have trained our brain to recall and apply biblical nonnegotiables, we are equipped to speak, act, and react in ways that honor God.”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“When we read the Bible, we learn. However, when we write out biblical commands in a way that is personal to us, we allow the Word to take root deep within our hearts.”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires” (James 1:19 – 20).”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“We might have to choose to let go of the need to prove our point, choosing instead to do the right thing: to impart grace and deal with the other person in love and with utmost patience.”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“I have often regretted my speech, never my silence.”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“Do you really need to say everything that is on your mind?”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs. Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning” (Proverbs 10:12 – 13).”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“But wait. Have you prayed about it?” We are better poised to process life’s troubles after petitioning God first. I’m still learning this lesson, but the calm I feel when I get the order straight encourages me to keep on trying.”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“In fact, if you are in the middle of a heated discussion with someone and they ask, “Well, what do you think?” it is perfectly reasonable to tell them you don’t yet know what you think. Yes, this may frustrate some people. They may think you’re copping out. They may even accuse you of not knowing your own mind. But I have found that many times what I was going to say (but thankfully didn’t!) was not in the end what I wanted to express. Giving our thoughts time to settle and soak in Scripture is a wonderful habit that will keep us from answering too soon and looking foolish.”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“There’s so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us, that it hardly becomes any of us, to talk about the rest of us.”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“When to Be Quiet I will have many occasions to open my mouth in the days ahead. But”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“When we make time to respond to Jesus’ invitation to go away with him to a quiet place, we can crack-proof our spirits, making them strong and rendering us ready to handle life.”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“1. Don’t speak too much. 2. Don’t speak too soon. 3. Don’t speak without first listening. And then the advice? Don’t speak at all.”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“When a family member’s behavior threatens to knock the nice right out of us, we can pause. Recalculate. Punch in a different destination for the words now downloading from our brains onto our tongues. We can program them to first stop at gentleness, swing by to pick up respect, and finally — arrive with grace.”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“Do Not Sin Three simple little words, but they sometimes seem like an impossible feat: do not sin. What does anger taken into the level of sin look like? It might be shouting. Or sarcasm. Or belittling someone. It isn’t verbalizing your displeasure over someone else’s actions. If someone’s actions have angered you, telling them in a straightforward and calm manner is a reasonable thing to do. Letting the anger escalate to the point of an outburst is what crosses the line into sin. Or if you’re not the explosive type, there is equal opportunity for sin in letting angry feelings ice over into a wall of bitterness and resentment.”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All

“the longer you stew, the more likely you are to strike.”
― Karen Ehman, Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All