MOUTH OF FOOLS – Proverbs 15:2
Proverbs 15:2 The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.
Have you ever met a person who was speaking the truth but the way that they said it was so obnoxious that it did not matter what they said, they had very little affect? Have you ever met a person who was speaking the truth, but they lived their life according to a different standard so that no matter what they did people did not give much credence to their words?
The tongue of the wise understands that we must be as wise as a serpent yet as harmless as a dove. The tongue of the wise must show discretion so as to ensure that it does not cause more harm to the kingdom of God then good. Anyone can open their mouth and proclaim the truth, but it is the wise servant who understands that there are times to speak and times to keep quiet.
During the life of Jesus, there were times where HIS adversaries where trying to tempt HIM. Jesus could have answered according to the truth but instead, Jesus used wisdom and either asked a question or sometimes simply kept silent. Jesus convicted more people by not answering than HE did by answering the questions that were often asked of HIM by the religious leaders of the day.
Think of the life of Daniel. Daniel was told that he must eat the meat served by the king. Daniel could have made all sorts of comment about being taken captive from his homeland. Daniel could have made all sorts of comments about how the food that was being offered to him was harmful to the bodies. Nonetheless, Daniel chose to demonstrate wisdom and he offered a solution rather than antagonize the problem. Daniel offered a test whereby the servants of the king could see that they were not going to be in trouble if they complied with the convictions of Daniel and his friends.
It is good to be bold in sharing the gospel of Christ with a lost world. However, too much boldness could be a bad thing. If you are speaking in your own strength and not by the prompting of the Holy Ghost, discretion may not be in your mouth and you could quickly find that your life is not producing much fruit.
Jesus once had a bunch of demons cry out about who HE was. These demons were speaking the truth, but Jesus still rebuked them. Just because the demons were speaking the truth, it did not mean that the truth would produce any results. It is not only important to speak the truth but to speak the truth in such a way that God can use it for the furtherance of the kingdom.
You can be a Christian and still be a fool. While you may have been wise in accepting Christ as your personal Savior, it does not mean that you have magically renewed your body, mind, and spirit so that Christ has complete control over your life. As long as you insist that you are in control over any part of your life, you are a fool. The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. If you do not allow Christ to tame your tongue, you are a fool and your tongue can cause more damage than good.
Take time to add knowledge of the ways of God to your life. The more time you spend adding knowledge of the ways, the easier it will be for you to release control over your tongue to God. As you allow Christ to reign in your life, HE will use your tongue to say the right things at the right time so that those whom you come in contact with may hear the truth of God.