Walking with the Wise #266: Little Ears and the Big Tongue

“An evildoer listens to wicked lips,

and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.”
—Proverbs 17:4

You can tell a lot about a person by what they choose listen to. If they listen to gossip, you can that they will turn and spread it just as quickly. This proverb serves as a warning—alerting us to the interconnectedness of what we allow ourselves to listen to and what we tell others. If we allow ourselves to listen to evil—e.g., gossip, slander, lies, etc.—then we will in turn be taken in by it.

As God’s children, our lips should be set apart to bless, not curse—nevertheless, as long as we live on this side of the door of heaven, we have to wrestle with our fallen flesh that confronts us at every turn. We must learn to speak truth, putting a guard over our mouth when our flesh tempts us to speak evil. And by God’s Spirit we can do exactly that! His Spirit enables us to be free from our sin, control our tongue and bless our God and Father who gave His Son, the Lord Jesus, for our redemption! It is by the power of His Spirit that we can hold our tongue when our flesh wants us to act, and that we can speak the truth in love when fear confronts us! Praise God for His Holy Spirit that is one of power, love, and self-control (cf. 2 Timothy 1:7)!

May we all, with unfettered hearts, bless our God and Father, and may we rein in our sinful tongues—not using them to curse, but to bless for the glory of His great and awesome name! Amen.