Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding. Proverbs 17:28

Everyone loves to be considered wise, sometimes we just don’t know what to say. But sometimes the best thing is to say nothing! Yes think about that, the Bible says “Even a fool can be considered wise when they keep their mouths shut” Wow if we only would take this advice and apply it to our lives

But nobody likes to hold their peace. Everyone wants to be loud and be heard, but is it really doing any good? When people are screaming and hollering in your face, are you really listening to them? No your just annoyed , even if that person might have a good thought or idea, they are already drowned out by the delivery of their message

And then we have the times when we should just keep our mouths shut. We’ve all been there, some people just want to argue or some people just want you to conform to their ideas without listening to yours. Sometimes its best to “Hold Your Peace” and move on.  There are other times when maybe we don’t have all the information on a specific topic, and then it might be best to “Hold Our Peace” until we learn more and do more research.  Often people get into debates that they have no idea what their talking about, and end up looking like fools. Its ok to walk away

Jesus said “If anyone is not willing to listen to you, Shake the dust off your feet and move on” (Matthew 10:14) Jesus didn’t say continue to argue with people , he just said move on. If people are not willing to listen , there will not  be any productive communication. And sometimes the best thing to do is Hold Our Peace and move on! Amen!

A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17

You heard the old expression “ You find out who your friends are” , when things are going good, when you have lots of money, when your popular, you’ll have lots of “friends” However when things are going bad, when your down on your luck, when your going through a trial or tribulation, where are all these “friends”?

Often people use the word friend very loosely. We like to think we have a lot of friends, but how many of these people will really be there during adversity? As the scripture says “ A friend loves at all times” This is a true friend, that will have your back no matter what. That will be with you through thick and thin. As we all know , these true friends are not easy to find.

So maybe your thinking, wow I don’t really have any true friends, well there is good news. As the old song goes “What a friend we have in Jesus” In the gospel of John, Jesus actually calls us his friends and not only that he says he lays his life down for us! (John 15:13)

Imagine having a friend who would die for you, well you do! Its Christ , however a friendship entails two parties. You need to reach out to Jesus and let him know how your doing. Jesus said “He will never leave or forsake us” (Hebrews 13:5) Oh what a friend we have in Jesus, he gave his life so you can have eternal life Amen!

Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. Proverbs 16:24

Words have a lot of power , they can either bless or curse us. For example if all you ever hear in your life is negative comments, you probably wont feel very confident or secure about yourself. However if you have people who are encouraging or lifting you up, it can make a big difference to our psyche.

These days on social media you see a lot of negativity. There are certain people, who they call “Internet Trolls” that just go on social media to argue and attack people. What are they trying to accomplish? They are trying to bring people down, there trying to create division and chaos. The power of words is very dangerous

However we can also use social media to encourage people. Wouldn’t that be something if everyone spoke positively on social media, imagine the impact it might make. As the scripture says “Pleasant words are like honeycomb for the soul” An encouraging word can really make a difference in somebodys day or even life.

Now does that mean we should never speak that truth when its unpleasant? No but we shouldn’t continually be looking to bring people down. Jesus didn’t die on the cross because he hated everyone, Jesus did it because he genuinely loved people. He was willing to pay the ransom so we can be freed from the oppression of sin and death

So next time your going to open your mouth to blast someone or post a nasty comment, stop and think about the consequences of your actions. Is there something else you can say, that could inspire or uplift people?  Tell them about Jesus and how we loves them enough to die for them! Now they are pleasant words Amen!

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18

What is the common denominator with all sin, its pride. When we look back at the biggest mistakes in our lives, they were usually driven by our pride. Pride can blind us, Pride can make us not think clearly, Pride makes us ignore all the warning signs to fulfill our egos. This is why the Bible says “Pride goes before destruction”

One thing that keeps us separated from God is our Pride. Do we have the humility to confess our sins before God? Do we have the humility to be teachable and to learn from God? Do we have the humility to recognize that we are not in control, and God is greater than all? Many do not, and when your full of Pride , you become your own god. This is the danger of pride.

The original Hebrew word for Pride here is “Gaown” which also mean arrogance and majesty. This is not talking about having pride in your work or where you come from. This is a Pride that blinds you and ignores reality.

The Bible tells us “God resists the Proud, but gives grace to the Humble” (James 4:6) Notice God rejects the Proud, he doesn’t embrace them. If we want to become saved , we need to humble ourselves, this is what repentance is all about. Putting ourselves on a high horse or pedestal is not Christ like. This is why Jesus said “Unless you become like a child, you wont see Heaven” (Matthew 18:3)

Jesus was talking about humbling ourselves, don’t allow your pride to destroy your life. Admit that you need a savior, admit that we need Gods grace everyday, admit Jesus is your Master Amen!

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight. Proverbs 15:8

Many people believe if they do the right thing , then they are a good person. This is simply not true. As this Proverbs tells us “The Sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to God” Now notice these people believed in God, these people were even making “sacrifices” to God, however they were still considered an abomination before God, why? Because their hearts were still wicked!

You can play Church, you can go to every service, you can tithe your 10%, but still not be saved, why? Because you truly not Born Again (John 3:3). You have a heart issue, its not about what kind of works we can do to earn Gods favor, because there is none. Its about getting a Clean Heart and Mind with God, through the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. Its about a relationship with your Creator, not a religion

When we look back at the story of Cane and Abel, both made sacrifices, however God rejected Canes and accepted Abels, why? Because Canes sacrifice was not from the heart, he gave a halfhearted luke warm sacrifice and God rejected it. Abel gave the best portions of his flock. Abel didn’t hold back with his offering , he loved God with all his heart, mind, and soul

What happened next? God warned Cane that “sin was crouching at his door” , Cane had a heart issue. He didn’t love God, he didn’t love his neighbor either, his heart was full of sin and haterd and he killed his brother out of jealousy. Whats the principle? God doesn’t really want your money or your possessions, why would he? He wants your heart.

Apostle Paul said “To offer ourselves as a Living Sacrifice” (Romans 12) That means give everything to God, don’t put anything above Him. Is your sacrifices an abomination to God or do you love God with all your heart, mind, and soul? There is only one way to the Father, and that’s Jesus Christ, Amen!

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger Proverbs 15:1

How we respond to someone sets the tone for how your interaction is going to go. We have all probably done it, someone says something and catches you at the wrong time, and you respond harshly. What happened next? Either this started a whole argument or that person left with their feelings hurt. We need to remember to stop and think before we respond to someone

This is a great principle that can be applied to social media. How many useless arguments do people get into just because people have different opinions. Guess what, its ok to have a different opinion, its ok to think a little differently, why cant everyone have respectful discussions? The reason is because most people don’t really care what you have to say, they just want you to agree with them. This is why the majority of “discussions” on social media are pointless. Nobody is actually listening to each other

This principle should also be applied to your marriage or relationships. How many arguments could have been avoided , if we just stopped , thought about what your spouse was actually saying, before we responded. I know its not always easy, but we need to get into the practice of slowing down when it comes to conversations. Words are powerful, they can bless or curse someone

The Apostle James said “Let everyone be Quick to Hear and Slow to Speak” (James 1:9) This is the principle we need to apply to our lives. Lets do more listening and less yapping. We always know that one person , who always shoots their mouth off before they think, and it always gets them in trouble. Don’t be that person, we can avoid a lot of confrontations in our lives, if we just give a soft answer or just listen.

The Answer is Jesus Christ , are you listening?