War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles

Written by Paul David Tripp

Narrated by Kyle Tait

"Talk" seems so normal, so ordinary, so harmless. Yet there are few things we do that are more important. And underneath the normality of it all is a great struggle, a war of words that we fight every day.



Who hasn't been hurt by the words of another? Who hasn't regretted something they said? Who hasn't had to referee an argument? Who hasn't wanted to talk seriously with a loved one, yet there seems to be no time?



Recognizing that words are powerful, Paul Tripp shows us how the gospel transforms the way we communicate. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word is the only hope for our words. In our war of words, he is the one who gives us the victory. Tripp directs us to a renewed reliance on our heavenly Father's abundant grace and a more Christ-honoring, people-benefiting life of talk.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ChristianAudio.com
• Release date: May 25, 2021
• ISBN: 9781545918746

Paul David Tripp

Paul David Tripp (DMin, Westminster Theological Seminary) is a pastor, an award-winning author, and an international conference speaker. He has written numerous books, including Lead; Parenting; and the bestselling devotional New Morning Mercies. His not-for-profit ministry exists to connect the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life. Tripp lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Luella, and they have four grown children.

Reviews for War of Words

[Bianca Bonassi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an excellent book. If you want improve your skills in speak godly you must read. The author is very biblical and personal in writing this book. I pray my words be always according Ef 4.29

[Tcharles · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An excellent book that speak truth and help us to examine ourselves in the way we talk and correct us to be more like Christ

[Gervais Hennequin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Paul that’s was excellent, I bought the book too, taking a lots of notes plus putting them into practice
I loved that story when you & your brother painted your bedroom & someone said the bed wouldn’t fit through the window, I laughed & laughed
Thank you mate

[hgbutchwalker · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent examination of the importance of our words and the heart that is behind them. Build on solid theological foundations but as practical as it gets.

[atimco-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"A life of godly communication is rooted in a personal recognition of the sovereignty of God... Only when I submit to the rule of God, who has a perfect plan and is in complete control, will I begin to live and speak as he has purposed" (69).

For the Christian, good communication is not about mere technique but is a profoundly theological issue. Paul David Tripp's book War of Words addresses the theological side of communication, working from a healthily biblical perspective on sin, the Fall, the gospel, grace, God's sovereignty, and sanctification. We have trouble in our communication not because we are lacking in knowledge or training, but because our speech reveals our sinful hearts. The subtitle of the book, "getting to the heart of your communication struggles," sums it up perfectly. It's our idolatrous hearts that betray themselves in what we say. This is the war of words that every Christian must fight.

Tripp starts by laying the theological foundation that will support the rest of the book:

"Our words belong to the Lord. He is the Great Speaker. The wonder, the significance, the glory of human communication has its roots in his glory and in his decision to talk with us and to allow us to talk with him and others. God has unlocked the doors of truth to us, using words as his key. The only reason we understand anything is because he has spoken. Words belong to God, but he has lent them to us so that we might know him and be used by him" (15).

It's good to start right there: our words don't belong to us. They have weight and meaning, and we are not free to use them however we wish. Tripp then continues with several chapters on biblical doctrine, including man's depravity, salvation, and how God works to sanctify His people. The doctrine of God's sovereignty is so essential that Tripp dedicates an entire chapter ("He Is King!") to it. And with good reason. When we consider His divine control over everything, we can trust His plan for our words and not give way to regret over our past sins or discouragement for our future.

One chapter I found particularly convicting was the one titled "Following The King For All The Wrong Reasons." Tripp examines the passage in John 6 that depicts the feeding of the five thousand and the crowds' subsequent attempts to follow Christ and make Him their king by force. This isn't just something that the five thousand did, though. Many of us are doing the same thing. We follow Christ because we think He will give us the physical bread, the temporal blessings that we crave. But Christ came not to give us mere physical blessings, but His very self. He is the bread of life. We need to evaluate what bread we are desiring.

While stressing the high calling and standards God has for our communication, Tripp is careful to encourage his readers that though God's calling may seem impossible for us to fulfill, He has given believers everything we need to do it. Our hope for change and our peace with the past are dependent on trusting God's sovereignty (everything comes back to that, doesn't it?).

This is one of the most simultaneously convicting and encouraging books I've ever read. I never knew how terrible my communication was until I held it up to the light of biblical truth about God's plan for my words and how far I fall short. I read this book as part of a small group study with several other women, and it was so encouraging to see we struggle with the same thing in our talk: our sinful hearts. And yet God has provided a way for us to change through Christ and the Holy Spirit indwelling His people. In Him, we can win the war of words, model Christ in the way we communicate, and enjoy the fruit of godly speech. This is good news! I will certainly be rereading War of Words and recommending without reservation to every Christian I know. Read it—you will be convicted, challenged, encouraged, and exhorted!

[andrewlovesoldbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Explains "out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks."