Today's Prompt: Entrap
A fool's mouth is his unraveling, and his lips entrap himself. Proverbs 18:7 ISV
Early in my early twenties, I read a book by E.W. Kenyon about the power of your tongue. I don't remember the name of the book, but it changed my life. I became very aware of the words coming out of my mouth and the words coming from others. I was shocked! If our speech was creating our future, we were painting ourselves a very bleak one. If every word we spoke carried power, we were cursing each other as we joked around. We were indeed the fools that Proverbs 18:7 talks about! Clueless to the danger, we unwittingly stepped right into the snare of the fowler.
Unfortunately, most of us are not taught about the power that our words carry. The Bible does teach this, but it is often overlooked or considered not all that important. The enemy doesn't have to entrap us; we do it ourselves! He just sits back and watches the unraveling.
Here is how it works.
- Man was created in the image and likeness of God. Genesis 1:26
- God created the world with His words; He spoke it into existence. Genesis 1:3-24
- God gave the care of the earth and the authority to rule it to man. Genesis 1:28
- Therefore, the words we speak have power and authority on the earth. Proverbs 18:20-21
I call heaven and earth, that is, the angels and men, to witness today, that I have set forth before you life and death, good and evil, blessing and curses; and so choose thou life so that both thou and thy descendants shall live. Deuteronomy 20:30b WYC
How do we choose? With our words!
Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words. Proverbs 18:21 AMP
Luke 6:45 tells us that what is in your heart will come out when you speak. So you need to be aware of what you are letting into your heart. Seemingly harmless music, videos, TV shows, and even another person's words can worm their way into your heart. That is how the enemy sets his traps. Before you know it, you are ensnared by the words coming out of your mouth. While you can't always avoid those things, you can teach your mouth what to speak. Proverbs 16:23 says the heart of the wise teaches his mouth and adds learning to his lips. Ask the Holy Spirit, our teacher, to make you aware of your words.
Whenever possible put good, wise, and uplifting words into your heart. You will be surprised by the wisdom that comes out of your mouth!
A man’s stomach will be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth;
He will be satisfied with the consequence of his words.
Proverbs 18:20 AMP
Like anything else, you will mess up when you're learning.
In that case, Psalm 91:3 promises God will rescue you from the trap of the hunter and from the plague of calamities. If you are abiding in Him, He will protect you even from the calamities caused by your own foolish mouth.
We all fail in many areas, but especially with our words. Yet if we’re able to bridle the words we say, we are powerful enough to control ourselves in every way, and that means our character is mature and fully developed.
James 3:2 TPT
A snare can only entrap you if you don't know it is there or you're not paying attention to where you are going. In the last 40 years, there have been times I was not paying close enough attention to my words and have walked right into a trap. But the Lord has delivered me every time.
Let my words and my thoughts be pleasing to you, Lord, because you are my mighty rock and my protector. Psalm 19:14 CEV
If you are ensnared in a trap created by your own foolish words, run under the wings of Almighty and ask forgiveness. Then from this day forward, choose your words wisely.
**This post is part of the #write28days Challenge, writing and posting EVERY DAY in February
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2 comments
“A snare can only entrap you if you don’t know it is there,” what truth! We KNOW the evil one delights in setting out traps, so we should expect them and look for them!
Thank you for recommending E. W. Kenyon’s book, The Power of Your Words. I look forward to reading it.
I remember the first time I heard Colossians 4:6, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” As a senior in high school, this scripture coupled with “death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Pr. 18:21) greatly impacted me and made me aware of what I was speaking and what others were speaking. I didn’t want any part of gossip or slander, but to build up others. Thanks for sharing you journey and these powerful scriptures, Jodee.