Introduction:

The athletic field seems to be a place where bad language runs rampant. Coaches yell and cuss, athletes trash talks, and parents scream from the stands at the referees. It’s just a lot of rotten talk.

As an athlete I hated hearing bad language because it rarely encouraged me. I would hear my teammates yell out, “Jesus Christ” as a cuss word and my heart would sink. I couldn’t change their words, so I decided to turn them into something positive and would finish their sentence with “lives.” This helped me turn something rotten into something fresh.

Rotten talk isn’t only swearing, it's also words that degrade and hurt. The last thing you and your teammates need after a mistake is to hear, “You stink!” What does that do?

Application:

1. What rotten words are you speaking on the athletic field?
2. In what ways do you encourage others on the athletic field?

Bridge:

Ephesians 4:29 says, “No foul language is to come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear.” How do you give grace to someone through your words?

Connection:

1. What encouraging words can you come up with that build up your teammates?
2. What ideas can you come up with that turns somebody’s rotten talk into fresh words?

Discovery:

Proverbs 12:6 teaches, “The words of the wicked are a deadly ambush, but the speech of the upright rescues them. So, how about it? Are you going to ambush or rescue others through your words?

Close:

Memory Verse: “No foul language is to come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear.” Ephesians 4:29