Proverbs 26:28

A lying tongue hates its victims,
and a flattering mouth works ruin.

Occasions arise where we have the opportunity to choose how we use our words: to help or to harm, to bless or to curse. Yet many mean-spirited people use words to hurt others at any given moment, deliberately hurling verbal slings and arrows at their victims. It becomes a lifestyle. Their lying tongues are malicious. The lie is cruelly said in the open—made obvious for affect—as its intended affliction puffs up the perpetrator.

The flatterer, too, is hurtful as he desires to gain an advantage from his words. In his commentary, Matthew Henry says, "A wise man therefore will be more afraid of a flatterer that kisses and kills than of a slanderer that proclaims war."

May we, as members of the body of Christ, never choose to injure with our words. May we never be those who, by serving our own ends, inflict wounds on others. May God enable us to speak only healing words.