THE COMPANY WE KEEP WITH OUR EARS!

May the Lord continue to give you wisdom as you meditate on His Word in Proverbs.

Proverbs 17:7 says; "Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool, much less lying lips to a prince."

Words reveal the heart. Solomon observes that noble, gracious, and wise speech, is out of place in the mouth of a fool, because it does not reflect his true character. And likewise, lying lips are utterly unfitting for a prince, whose calling is to uphold truth and justice. We all know that integrity and speech belong together.

One of my favourite scriptures used in our Woman's ministry,  comes from...

Proverbs 14:1; "The wise woman builds her house,  but the foolish pulls it down with her hands."

Fools are known by their words, and we are told to; "Go from the presence of a foolish man, when you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge. The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, but the folly of fools is deceit" (Proverbs 14:7–8).

Fools thrive on slander, gossip, exaggeration, and deception. Their words tear down rather than build up, confuse rather than clarify, and divide rather than unite.

This proverb calls us to examine not only what we SAY but also what we choose to HEAR.

Jesus gave a solemn warning: "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given" (Mark 4:24). 

You need to remember that our hearts are shaped by the voices we continually welcome - what we 'feed' ourselves with.

If we feast on gossip, criticism, and falsehood, those things gradually influence our thinking and our speech. But when we give careful attention to God's truth, then wisdom grows within our soul. Best of all - it produce discernment and spiritual maturity!

There is a responsibility that comes with LISTENING. We should not become willing audiences of slander and deceit. Every conversation we entertain either nourishes our faith or weakens it; either cultivates our love or fuels suspicion. 

Wise believers learn to turn away from conversations that dishonour others and instead delight in words that are true, gracious, and edifying. As children of the King, our speech should reflect our heavenly Father. Truth should mark our lips, and wisdom should govern our conversations. Equally, our ears should be guarded carefully, for what enters the heart through listening often finds its way back out through speaking.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, give me a heart that loves truth and a mouth that speaks with wisdom and grace. Guard my ears from slander, gossip and deceit, and help me to be discerning about the conversations I welcome into my life. You word says: "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer." — Psalm 19:14 (NKJV)

I pray today Lord, let Your Word shape my thoughts, my speech, and my character so that I may honour Christ in all I say and all I choose to hear. In Jesus' name, Amen 🙏