PEOPLE SAY I TALK TOO MUCH

Prov 10:19

In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise.

• Exactly what does this verse mean?
  • What if my job requires a lot of verbal communication?  Does that automatically mean I am "caught up in sin"?  Not exactly.
  • When we speak, we are expressing ourselves, which can be a form of pride.  And I think we can all agree, someone who is not sober in what they say, is bound to say something sinful.
  
  
• Prov 18:2  "A fool takes no delight in understanding, but only in airing his own opinion." (NIV)
  • We often express ourselves as though we own the definitive facts when, in reality, we only know microns of truth.
• Matt 15:11  "Not what goes into the mouth that defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."
  • How often do we say sinful things when we are upset, or when we are with "the crowd";  making assumptions and judgments where even angels wouldn't tread.
• Job 38:2  "Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?"
  • Job gets "called on the carpet" for all of his testimony about who God is.
  • It would be a scary thing for the Lord to appear and demand an account, after you have been idly talking about God, Heaven, and other spiritual subjects.
  • And yet, that is exactly what will happen to all of us:
    Matt 12:36  "... I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give an account of it in the day of judgment."
  • Meditating on Job chapter 38 can help curb your speech.
  
  
• "But he who restrains his lips is wise"
  • A good exercise is to restrain your words and wait on the Lord for an answer.  I know this may be a very difficult task if you think you have the total understanding for some given sitation.  But this will give the Lord the opportunity to speak His glorious words (perhaps even through you), which will make your understanding seem small by comparison.
  • Only one person can use your mouth at a time;  if you are using it, the Lord can't.

• If a person speaks fewer words, does that make his speech more righteous?  Not necessarily.
• Man's words are not choice silver, but the Lord's words are glorious.  A man that humbles his mouth is a man through whom God can speak.
• James 3:1-12  This scripture deals with our attitude in speaking and what it reveals about us.
  • What we say is evidence of what is in our heart.  (blessing or cursing)
  • Can fresh water and bitter water both come from the same spring?  (v.11)
  • Luke 6:45  "... out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."

• How do righteous lips feed many?  (Through prayer, encouragement, admonishment, etc.)
• A good thing to ask yourself is, "When I speak to people, are they fed?"
  • Someone may think they are feeding another with Scripture when all they are doing is beating the other over the head with a Bible.
  • When you walk into someone's life through conversation, pretend you are walking through a garden and don't trample the flowers.

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