Talkers to Avoid

Proverbs 26:22

The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

You cannot listen to the wrong type of talkers without their words polluting your mind. One of the great areas many people are very casual about in their lives is in the area of the conversations they tend to have with people. Instead of controlling a conversation, they allow anyone to say whatever they want without any pushback when someone starts to enter an area that will hurt their spirit and mind. Proverbs 26 gives a list of people you need to avoid because of the types of words they speak. Let me share this list with you.

First, avoid the talebearer. A talebearer uses malicious words to hurt another. The problem with talebearers is that some of the words they speak are mere assumptions, which is nothing more than gossip. Part of being a talebearer is that you must tell tales to get your agenda across. You cannot spend time with talebearers and it not hurt you and your spirit. I don't need to know what’s in another’s junk closet; I have too much to correct in myself to spend time looking at another’s closet. You will destroy your spirit if you get caught up in the talebearing business. We don't need talebearers, we need Gospel-bearers. You will do more for truth by giving the Gospel than you ever will by listening to talebearers.

Second, avoid burning lips. Verse 23 says, Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross. Burning lips are those who can't wait to tell someone else something they heard about another person. Why are we so quick to listen to the negative about another person? Could it be the reason we are quick to listen to burning lips is so we can justify covering our own sin? Burning lips are simply the spreader of junk; they will do nothing to help you and the cause of spreading the Gospel to the lost to cease.

Third, avoid deceitful lips. Verse 24 says, He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him; The dissembler has one goal in mind: make themselves look good while tearing down everyone else. The dissembler knows what topics are hot topics to talk about, but their true agenda is to get a following at the expense of tearing everyone else down. It is evil to attempt reaching the top to be the leader at the expense of tearing everyone down to get there. Avoid the deceitful lips, because they will turn on you if you get in their way of getting to the top.

Fourth, avoid lying lips. Verse 28 says, A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it…. Liars will hurt your credibility in the long run. The problem with listening to liars is that you eventually will believe the lie yourself, but just because you believe a lie does not make it true. When you discover someone is a liar, you would be wise to distance yourself from them because one day their lies will catch up to them, and when they do, everyone, including the liar, will find themselves being taken down with the truth.

Fifth, avoid flattering lips. Verse 28 continues to say, …a flattering mouth worketh ruin. The one who flatters builds you up to make you feel good, when what they are saying is not true. I would rather have someone speak the truth to me and it hurt than to have a thousand flatters telling me how great I am to my ruin. Let flattery run off your back quickly, but let truth spoken be a command to correct. Avoiding flattery will help you to avoid the ruin that it brings to all.