[Pleasant People Are Persuasive]( Current Teaching Series [The Keys to a Blessed Life]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [Pleasant People Are Persuasive](
By Rick Warren â 05/05/2023 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= âGentle speech breaks down rigid defenses.â Proverbs 25:15 (MSG) Gentleness is persuasive. If you have a successful career in sales, you may know that truth already! There was a time when the hard sellâthe loudest advertisement or the strongest sales pitchâmight have closed a deal. But today, gentleness works. Most people today buy something because someone they trust recommended it. A trusted friend or salespersonâs gentle recommendation is far more persuasive than a loud sales pitch. And thatâs not just true in sales; itâs true in just about every area of life. The Bible says this over and over again. Proverbs 25:15 says, âGentle speech breaks down rigid defensesâ (MSG). Are you trying to convince a family member or coworker to do something that theyâre feeling defensive about? Gentle words, not pushy tactics, will get through their defenses. In my own ministry, I want to persuade everyone who hears me to live for Jesus, but I have to do that in a gentle way. If I stood in front of people yelling at them, theyâd eventually stop listening. But gentleness is persuasive. A different translation of Proverbs 25:15 says it this way: âA gentle word can get through to the hard-headedâ (NCV). What does this mean for you? If youâre a parent or teacher, screaming at a child never works. Anger and frustration only create fear, resentment, and defensiveness. What does work? Gently disciplining in love. Hereâs yet another translation of the same verse: âPatience and gentle talk can convince a ruler and overcome any problemâ (Proverbs 25:15 CEV). Many of us donât live in cultures with a âruler,â but we all have some kind of boss, supervisor, or authority in our lives. This translation reminds us that, with gentleness, we can persuade even those in authority over us. The Bible says in Proverbs 16:21, âA wise, mature person is known for his understanding. The more pleasant his words, the more persuasive he isâ (GNT). In that verse, thereâs a connection between the words âpleasantâ and âpersuasive.â If you want to be persuasive, you must first be pleasant. Being pleasant is a mark of maturity. Fools are rude and unpleasant. The wiser and more mature you are, the more pleasant and positive your speech becomes. Remember this: Youâre never persuasive when youâre abrasive. Gentleness is persuasive. [PLAY todayâs audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - When have you been abrasive rather than gentle with someone? What was the result?
- How has someoneâs gentleness persuaded you to do something?
- Who do you know who is gentle? What from their life can you imitate? The post [Pleasant People Are Persuasive]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= [Get Created to Dream when you give a gift to support Daily Hope!]( God has a dream for your lifeâand itâs far greater than anything you could ever dream up on your own. Discover Godâs dream for your life and how to overcome the many barriers youâll encounter as you pursue it with Pastor Rickâs brand-new book, Created to Dream: The 6 Phases God Uses to Grow Your Faith. This life-changing book reveals the process God uses to fulfill the custom-made dream he has for you and the faith-building phases heâll lead you through as he doesâjust as he did for so many people in the Bible. [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 8 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series The Keys to a Blessed Life. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: It Depends on Who You Depend On
Message 2: How God Blesses Broken Hearts
Message 3: The Strength of Gentleness
Message 4: Why You Need to Stay Hungry
Message 5: Your Ministry of Mercy
Message 6: God Blesses a Heart of Integrity
Message 7: How to Reconcile a Relationship
Message 8: Handling Opposition to Your Faith [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rickâs daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( Rick Warren is the founding pastor of [Saddleback Church]( one of Americaâs largest and most influential churches. Pastor Rick is the author of the New York Times bestseller [The Purpose Driven Life](. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. Pastor Rick created [The PEACE Plan]( to address the five global giantsâspiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracyâthrough the power of ordinary people in the local church. His Daily Hope broadcast and daily devotionals are offered around the world. You can listen to the broadcast or sign up for the free devotionals at [PastorRick.com](. © 2023 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe by clicking the link below.
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