The Mouth of a Fool...

"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).

God has been dealing me very heavily about too much speaking. I've been through some situations where I wanted to defend myself so badly, and God rebuked me. He told me to be silent because my motives were wrong. I wanted to defend JOY's honor, not that of the Father, no matter how much I tried to convince myself it was all about HIM. I've been in situations when I knew the right answer, had a word of knowledge, wanted to contribute to the conversation, yet God told me to hold my peace and watch. So difficult to do, especially when others are saying you missed...they say you are out of order...they rebuke you for things you KNOW never happened. Yet, silence is required.

Oftentimes, we forget that we are to be sacrifices unto God. We forget the world is SUPPOSED to hate us. We forget that when rebuke goes forth, people will resist. Even when training comes forth, our wrong is supposed to be made known to us. While these things can be painful, they are necessary FOR GOD's GLORY.

God is showing me how to handle many of these things in silence, so that He can get the glory. I'm not saying we are to lie down and let others abuse us. However, we often speak out of flesh rather than by instruction. We often feel a need to DEFEND OURSELVES, especially when rebuke comes. This is a sign that we haven't died to self. Unless GOD is mocked, there is no need for defense to a vessel that is truly sacrificial.

I am learning that God is glorified through silence from time to time. The people of God must be reminded that some battles are the Lord's to fight. We do not need to answer EVERYTHING. Those of us who are called to spiritual warfare must master this! We must know when to speak and when to remain silent. We must even know when to pray and when to stand still and wait on God.

Too many of us who are called to bring God glory are bringing Him shame, just because we talk too much. Yes, we're anointed. Yes, we're called, but the tongue has not yielded to the wisdom of God. Our defense of self looks like foolishness and compromises the integrity of God's word. Silence and the ability to tame one's tongue to operate only when ordered and allowed by God shows forth the utmost humility.