Will you use your Mouth for Destruction or Construction?
(Prov 11:9 KJV) An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.
In this verse Solomon contrasts the mouth of the hypocrite with the knowledge of the just. On the surface there does not seem to be a connection between the two. What does the mouth of one have to do with the knowledge of another? Well, our knowledge is stored in our mind.
I know very well the connection between our mouth and our mind. As believers, we should seek to master both our mouth and mind, so that our methods (our actions) would be pleasing to the Father.
This is all clearly laid out in Joshua 1:8. In the first chapter of the book of Joshua the Lord is seeking to prepare Joshua to lead the nation of Israel into the Promised Land. The Father knows that they will face many battles as they seek to do His will. The success or failure of the nation rests upon the shoulders of Joshua.
God knew that Joshua needed exceptional leadership to accomplish all that He desired of him, so He gave Joshua what I call His formula for success. The Lord said: “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8).
Joshua was to keep the Word on his lips (to master his mouth), he was to meditate on the Word day and night (to master his mind), and he was to carefully DO all that is written therein (mastering his methods). Joshua had to keep the Word on his lips. To do so, however, it would require keeping the Word on his mind. If he could accomplish those two – keeping the Word on his mind and in his mouth – he would be well equipped to turn the corner from information to application and actually DO what it says. This would be Joshua’s formula for success and it can be ours as well.
Solomon tells us that the knowledge (or the mind) of the just shall deliver him. Simply put, as believers, you and I should know better than to operate in hypocrisy and slander. Not only is it not Godly to smile in someone’s face and then talk about them behind their back; or to seek to defame, deface and destroy another’s reputation; but as believers we MUST know that we will reap whatever we sow. What we make happen for someone else – good or bad – God will ensure the same happens to us.
Once I taught a Bible Study about the characteristics of God’s love from 1st Cor 13:4-7. One of the characteristics of God’s love is that His love is kind. The word kind means: Being disposed to do good to others, and to make them happy by granting their requests; having tenderness or goodness of nature. Jesus was disposed to do good to others.
You and I must be the same way. The Father sends people our way, He sets up divine appointments between the hurting and the healed and He expects us to live what it is that we say we have learned. To expects us to make a positive difference in the lives of others.
So what does this mean to you? It means the Father expects you to be a blessing, not a bother! I will close with the words of the Life Application Study Bible’s commentary on this verse: “The mouth can be used either as a weapon or a tool, hurting relationships or building them up. Sadly, it is often easier to destroy than to build, and most people have received more destructive comments than those that build up. Every person you meet today is either a demolition site or a construction opportunity. Your words will make a difference. Will they be weapons for destruction or tools for construction?”
Father, I declare, by faith, that I master my mind, my mouth, and my methods. I am disposed to do good to others. Today I will be a blessing and not a burden; a blessing and not a bother. I seek to build up and never to tear down. I will use my words as tools of construction, helping every person I come in contact with. Father, give me divine appointments today and I will be the vehicle through which You bless others! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
(Prov 11:9 KJV) An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.
In this verse Solomon contrasts the mouth of the hypocrite with the knowledge of the just. On the surface there does not seem to be a connection between the two. What does the mouth of one have to do with the knowledge of another? Well, our knowledge is stored in our mind.
I know very well the connection between our mouth and our mind. As believers, we should seek to master both our mouth and mind, so that our methods (our actions) would be pleasing to the Father.
This is all clearly laid out in Joshua 1:8. In the first chapter of the book of Joshua the Lord is seeking to prepare Joshua to lead the nation of Israel into the Promised Land. The Father knows that they will face many battles as they seek to do His will. The success or failure of the nation rests upon the shoulders of Joshua.
God knew that Joshua needed exceptional leadership to accomplish all that He desired of him, so He gave Joshua what I call His formula for success. The Lord said: “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8).
Joshua was to keep the Word on his lips (to master his mouth), he was to meditate on the Word day and night (to master his mind), and he was to carefully DO all that is written therein (mastering his methods). Joshua had to keep the Word on his lips. To do so, however, it would require keeping the Word on his mind. If he could accomplish those two – keeping the Word on his mind and in his mouth – he would be well equipped to turn the corner from information to application and actually DO what it says. This would be Joshua’s formula for success and it can be ours as well.
Solomon tells us that the knowledge (or the mind) of the just shall deliver him. Simply put, as believers, you and I should know better than to operate in hypocrisy and slander. Not only is it not Godly to smile in someone’s face and then talk about them behind their back; or to seek to defame, deface and destroy another’s reputation; but as believers we MUST know that we will reap whatever we sow. What we make happen for someone else – good or bad – God will ensure the same happens to us.
Once I taught a Bible Study about the characteristics of God’s love from 1st Cor 13:4-7. One of the characteristics of God’s love is that His love is kind. The word kind means: Being disposed to do good to others, and to make them happy by granting their requests; having tenderness or goodness of nature. Jesus was disposed to do good to others.
You and I must be the same way. The Father sends people our way, He sets up divine appointments between the hurting and the healed and He expects us to live what it is that we say we have learned. To expects us to make a positive difference in the lives of others.
So what does this mean to you? It means the Father expects you to be a blessing, not a bother! I will close with the words of the Life Application Study Bible’s commentary on this verse: “The mouth can be used either as a weapon or a tool, hurting relationships or building them up. Sadly, it is often easier to destroy than to build, and most people have received more destructive comments than those that build up. Every person you meet today is either a demolition site or a construction opportunity. Your words will make a difference. Will they be weapons for destruction or tools for construction?”
Father, I declare, by faith, that I master my mind, my mouth, and my methods. I am disposed to do good to others. Today I will be a blessing and not a burden; a blessing and not a bother. I seek to build up and never to tear down. I will use my words as tools of construction, helping every person I come in contact with. Father, give me divine appointments today and I will be the vehicle through which You bless others! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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