G'day friends, it's Pastor Joe here. In this session from our Prevailing Proverbs series, we dove into the profound wisdom of Proverbs chapter 18, focusing on how our words shape our lives. We began with a prayer, thanking God for His Word, Jesus' sacrifice, and asking the Holy Spirit to guide us into truth so we can grow and change.
The core verses were Proverbs 18:20-21 in the Amplified Bible: "A man's moral self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth, and with the consequence of his words, he must be satisfied, whether good or evil. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it for death or life."
Our words are carriers of either death or life. They govern what we become and how we function. The fruit of our words takes time to grow, so we don't see immediate outcomes, but eventually, we reap what we sow. Instead of complaining about world's problems—like wars or economic policies we can't control—we should declare God's blessings. Worry is like paying interest on a debt you may never owe!
I emphasised guarding our tongues, as they produce death or life constantly. Avoid negative declarations like "I'll catch the flu this winter." Aim to be at least 51% on the life side. This spiritual law must be taught to children early: train them to speak positively, avoiding a glass-half-empty view, especially in our subjective, ideology-driven world. We're in a remarkable era from 2020-2050, where objectivity clashes with subjectiveness.
Never allow words out of your mouth that you don't want in your future—words carry consequences. We live tomorrow what we say today. Drawing from nature, like watching grapevines through seasons or farming principles in Mark 4, fruit grows over time. Blame no one else for what you say.
We looked at Proverbs 21:23: "He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from troubles." And Matthew 12:36 warns we'll account for every idle word on judgment day. Memorise these!
Proverbs 25:11 says a word fitly spoken in due season is like apples of gold in settings of silver—priceless, like golden apples in fables. Proverbs 15:23 adds joy in an apt answer at the right moment.
Finally, Proverbs 26:4-5 seems contradictory: Don't answer a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him; yet answer him to expose folly and prevent harm. The ESV Study Bible explains verse 4 as the general rule to avoid endless folly, and verse 5 as the exception when needed.
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