Guarding Our Speech
As the Lord’s chosen witnesses, lights unto the world, there is to be no corrupt speech or communication coming out of our mouths. We are to guard and watch our tongues with all diligence.
Eph 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
The tongue is a fire that, if not controlled, defiles our hearers and us, and plunges us into greater inner torment of the accusing and excusing mindsets. Only the Lord by the Commandments can tame the tongue.
Jas 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
Jas 3:7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
Jas 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
Peter wrote commanding us to keep our tongue from evil and linking doing so with being compassionate, loving, pitiful, and courteous; all of which are further Commandments we obey with our brethren and all men.
1Pe 3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
1Pe 3:9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
1Pe 3:10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
We are commanded not to speak evil of anyone. Speaking evil is finding fault, criticizing, looking down upon others, and doing this is what the carnal mind loves to do in making accusations and excuses. If we are in Christ, no evil or carnal judgment is expected to come out of our mouths. There was never any guile in our Lord’s mouth, who set the example we, His elect, now follow.
1Pe 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
1Pe 2:22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
Rev 14:5 And in their [the elect’s] mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
These words are written and shared with the flock to admonish all of us as we are likewise commanded to do. These words, the Commandments, are what wash our feet and keep us walking the narrow road. The Living Christ washed our feet, and we now wash one another’s feet.
Joh 13:14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.
Joh 13:15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
A fault-finding spirit, speaking evil of others, is the work of the adversary within us, that is, our carnal mind, which is always looking to find fault in others. The pointing of the finger is the work of Satan, who is to be kicked out of our heavens by the Commandments. We crucify those lusts in our flesh by laying down our lives in obedience to the Commandments.
Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
It is the spirit of the Pharisee [outward righteous but inward full of death] within us who is quick to find fault, showing no mercy, that wants to point the finger and judge others.
Mat 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Mat 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Mat 7:3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
We condemn ourselves when we judge others, when we ourselves are guilty of doing similar things. We forget to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees that we all are first, which is hypocrisy.
Rom 2:1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
We are reminded of our own sins and from whence we have come, and by what power, and our carnal and ungodly accusations, slander, and finger-pointing stop. It is one of the ways the Lord works our sins to bring salvation to us. We are stopping from looking out there to make judgments and are turning our spiritual eyes inward to ourselves to make righteous judgments.
Joh 8:7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
If we want to see the Lord in our walk, we are pursuing peace at every turn by striving to obey His Commandments in our interactions with all men. Obeying Christ is loving our neighbor as ourselves, and thus we fulfill the royal law of Scripture. When we speak evil of others, we are knowing men after the flesh, which we are to know them that way no longer. All our Christ’s servants, clay in His hands and doing exactly what the Lord has them doing. We are to obey the Commandments and not utter negative and slanderous things against those outside the fellowship of faith.
Jas 2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
Jas 2:9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
If we are not diligent in controlling our thoughts and our tongues, we can be overtaken by a spirit of bitterness that thereby defiles us and greatly impedes our witness and testimony for Christ.
Heb 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
Heb 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
Slandering others is speaking derogatorily and is evil speaking, which makes us fools if we engage in it. Such words destroy our testimony, our witness, and our walk if we are not released from the snare. The light of Christ does not shine forth from the mouth of fools.
Pro 10:18 … he that uttereth a slander is a fool.
Pro 18:7 A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.
We should always be ready to hear, slow to speak, and refrain from making any carnal judgments, which is the sacrifice of the foolish.
Ecc 5:1 Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.
Ecc 5:2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
Speaking evil of others is the manifestation of the pride of man that we have died to. The mind of Christ, that is our heaven, and the temple that is our walk and actions, are cleaned out of all things that defile us in our day of the Lord. Speaking evil of others is judging others in the flesh. We are not judges but are doers of the law of God who obey the Commandments.
Jas 4:11 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
Jas 4:12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another
We belong to Christ, and thus we no longer partake of the customs and practices of the world that speak evil of one another, always seeking to find fault and justify themselves. We are different, we are peculiar people, a holy people who show praises to our God by obeying His Commandments. The Prince of Peace, the Living Christ, is ruling in our hearts, and the flesh that once ensnared us in bondage has been put into subjection.
Tit 3:2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
Tit 3:3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another
We are all first the Pharisee who despises others and speaks evil of them until the Lord brings the correction and admonishments needed, the fiery grace, to burn this spirit out of our hearts and minds.
Luk 18:9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
Luk 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
Luk 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Luk 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Luk 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Luk 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Remember the power of the tongue to defile us and to kill us spiritually. We are diligent and circumspect in examining ourselves and walking in obedience. We are reaping what we are sowing with our tongue. Reap eternal life, not spiritual death that comes from our sins of the tongue.
Pro 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Seek the Lord, and we shall live in His presence. Keep this Commandment to speak no evil at the forefront of your mind. Let us rather do Christ and become the shining light in this dark world that is full of evil.