Word Sins That Grieve the Holy Spirit
If asked, most of us would say flat out that we'd never gossip. We'd never think of slander and we think we've got a pretty clean mouth too.
Proverbs 20:19 says,
"He who goes about as a slanderer reveals
secrets,
therefore do not associate with a gossip.
Let
no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good
for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace
to those who hear.
Ephesians 4:29
Unwholesome word could also be translated "rotten talk." It even means words that are unfit for use or foul speaking. Does my social media consumption include rotten talk? (You know what rotten talk is. It's the stuff that puts you in a funk for the rest of the day. You try to get it out of your head, but you can't. It's rotten and it's rotting your day.) And then, the unfit for use thing. Reading words that are totally unusable to God. That's a big, big deal. Foul words are included in this passage too.
Do
not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of
redemption.
Ephesians 4:30
I encourage you to read your blogs, tweets and statuses, finding out what the Holy Spirit thinks of them. So many of us have made them a big part of our day and then we wonder why we can't hear God's voice. His voice is being drowned out by Instagram, Twitter and the like.
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander
be put away from
you, along with all malice.
Ephesians 4:31
Put away bitterness! Put away wrath, that passion or heated moments produced from our tempers. Put away clamor, the crying outcry or yelling! Put away slander, that injurious speech. Put it away! Colossians 3:8 says the same, "PUT IT AWAY." Don't make excuses for your Facebook. Don't poo-poo your habits. Don't even try to be the positive force out there. PUT IT AWAY.
...And
there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting,
which are not
fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
Ephesians 5:4
When studying, you see that the filthy talk encountered in the virtual world of the internet must not be in our lives! Oh yes and silly talk. We think nothing of silly talk. ("It's harmless, right?") but it comes from a real root of foolishness. Let it not be in our lives. Coarse jesting is best described as innuendo. Innuendo is that thing that infers. It comes just sort of saying things that a Christian never ought to speak of. It's bedroom talk, in public. And just because we don't quite come out and say it, we just infer, doesn't mean it isn't wrong. Being a part of that innuendo talk is sin too.
I'm challenging you to do what is not socially acceptable and put it away.
Today.
Steps taken in an effort not to grieve the Holy Spirit are worth it. Remember what we talked about in regards to Matthew 5:30.
The
avoidance of temptation may involve drastic sacrifices.
- What does it make you think about?
- Are there too many words?
- Are you reading gossip or gossiping?
- Is it slander?
- Is it unwholesome?
- Is it unfit for use God’s use?
- Is it foul, filthy or coarse?
- Does it grieve the Holy Spirit?
- Is it silly talk?
- Is it a word fitly spoken?
- Are you busy-bodying?
- Do you blab your good works?
- Are you wasting time or being idle?
- Is it first world drama?
- Is it bad company?
- Is it the appropriate medium of communication?
- Is it promoting “WITH” for the best interests of my family?
