Troublemakers Start Fights; Gossip Breaks Up Friendships
Be Swift To Hear And Slow To Speak
PROVERBS 16:28-33
“Aperverse man sows strife, And a whisperer separates the best of friends. A violent man entices his neighbor, And leads him in a way that is not good. He winks his eye to devise perverse things; He purses his lips and brings about evil. The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, If it is found in the way of righteousness. He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the Lord.”
Proverbs 16:28-33 NKJV
Silver hair is a sign of wisdom, and “is a crown of glory, If it is found in the way of righteousness.”
Proverbs 16:31 NKJV
Godly people weigh up their answers before they speak, but the wicked don't think before speaking, they are full of gossip and have little regard of the effects of their words.
Many are full of pride, ready and willing to say anything, however damaging, for they just want to win and often bring divisions and offence, or fear and ultimately control if allowed.
Therefore, rebuke these words in the spirit, for “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
II Timothy 1:7 NKJV
It's seems very important to have something to say, but it is more important to think about it first; sometimes it is better to say nothing at all (JAMES 1:19).
As Christians, it is so important that we plan our words, that we think before we speak. Pouring out our thoughts without concern for their impact can cause irreversible damage.
We can apologise for thoughtless words, but we cannot undo even one of them. Furthermore, whether spoken over one’s self or others, negative and hateful words are a curse (witchcraft).
The damage can go far beyond hurting one feelings, they can bring about division ms, poverty, sickness, anxiety/ depression, and can even lead to death, for “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.”
Proverbs 18:21 NKJV
Not only do we need to be wise in what we say, we also need to listen carefully to what we are being told, being able to discern the source.
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.”
I John 4:1-3 NKJV
Furthermore, James told us, “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”
James 1:19-27 NKJV
Constructive criticism and discipline is good for us, it helps us to grow in understanding, but curses come from the devil and need to be rebuked.
If you reject discipline, you are only harming yourself.
It is often difficult to know when God has been disciplining us until we look back at the situation, but the truth is, He only disciplines those He loves (PROVERBS 3:12), and often uses others to expose and point out our faults and failures.
Therefore be wise, don't reject discipline; “Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding (PROVERBS 3:13).”
All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.
