In this episode, Rick Hughes shares transformative insights on maintaining a spiritually healthy life by controlling what we say. As he navigates through various Bible verses, listeners are encouraged to steer clear of anger, lies, and gossip. The episode unfolds practical principles for powerful and effective communication, showing believers the importance of letting God’s wisdom guide their speech. Tune in for an enlightening session that challenges conventional perceptions and inspires faith-driven action.
Welcome to the Flatline with your host, Rick Hughes. For the next 30 minutes, you’ll be inspired, motivated, educated, but never manipulated. Now, your host, Rick Hughes.
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Good morning and welcome to the Flatline. I’m your host, Rick Hughes. As usual, it’s 30 minutes of motivation, some inspiration, a whole lot of education done with no manipulation. That’s right, no manipulation, no appeals for money, not trying to con anybody into joining anything, not trying to get you to fess it up, give it up, show up. Just please listen up. Listen as I explain phenomenal problem-solving devices taught in the Word of God, which we call a FLOT line. A FLOT line, F-L-O-T, stands for the Forward Line of Troops, and it’s a military analogy. What I’m trying to say through this radio show is you can establish a main line of resistance in your soul so that you can stop the outside sources of adversity before they become the inside source of stress in your life. This is done by using God’s unique resources found in His Word, God’s unique resources of the Holy Spirit. When you use these two things together, this balance of residency in your soul gives you the ability to stop from having the stress in your life, not adversity. You’re always going to have adversity. 1 Corinthians 10, 13 tells us that. And it says, don’t be surprised at what you’re going through because the rest of the human race faces it as well. But you can avoid having stress in your life. Our Lord Jesus Christ was never stressed out. He was tested. He was going through the fires as you cannot believe what he went through just to be able to go to the cross to pay for our sins, which he did, in fact. not only did he go to the cross but he walked out of the grave alive he resurrected from the dead or else it would have all been for naught he is alive today and the wonderful news is that christ will live in you it’s an amazing thing christ in me paul the apostle said the hope of glory today i would like to talk to you about something very unique We live in a day and in an age when people are quick to mouth off and sound off and say things they really don’t need to say. With social media and the way that people get on board with Facebook and Instagram and Snapchat and Twitter and Twit and all that stuff, most of the time, it’s unbelievable what people say. There is something called sins of the tongue, and this is one of the three areas of sin that believers get into. I don’t know about you, but it’s really easy for me to get trapped into saying something that I didn’t want to say. I remember when I was a young man, probably 15, 16 years old, standing at a grocery store and the owner of the grocery store asking me what I thought about one of the guys that lived down the street. And I proceeded to give him my opinion of what I thought about that guy. And unknowingly to me, he was standing behind me listening to me. and i was being set up so it was an embarrassing moment for sure and uh don’t let yourself be set up by satan you have to learn when to speak and when not to speak the bible tells us constantly and we’re going to look at that this morning I’m going to go back a few years and review something that I taught in a church back in February of 2004. And this is something that we all need to remember. And I want to give it to you today as a challenge of when to keep your mouth shut. There are times to speak and there are times not to speak. The word laconic means to be a person of few words. And when it comes to certain situations, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ under the filling of the Holy Spirit, empowered by the Word of God, must be laconic. There is a time to speak up, but there’s also a time to keep our mouth shut. The Bible says in Proverbs 13, 3, he who guards his words guards his life, for whoever is talkative comes to ruin. The best way that I know to destroy your life in any hope of having any future in your life is to run your mouth when you don’t need to be running your mouth. You need to be listening. It’s very important that we stay out of sins of the tongue. Remember, sin quenches the Holy Spirit, and there are three types of sin. There’s the mental attitude sins that we commit, such as worry or bitterness or jealousy. There are also sins of the tongue, like lying and slandering, gossip, belining, criticizing, backbiting. And there are the overt sins that we get involved in, such as stealing or murder, fornication, adultery. As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are mandated to do not let sin reign in your mortal body, according to the book of Romans. That means it ain’t going to rain anymore for sure. We don’t have time to let the sin nature control us. And the Bible says if we’ll walk in the spirit, then we can defeat the flesh in the book of Galatians. Walk in the spirit and you won’t be fulfilling the lust of the flesh. So there’s always that battle there. That battle’s always going on, and if you’re like me, you have to be very careful about what you say. And so let’s look at some times of when we should keep our mouth shut. Practical principles from the Word of God for people of principle, and I hope that you’re one of those people. The Bible says you should keep your mouth shut when you get angry. This is a good thing for parents to remember as well. Keep your mouth shut when you get angry. Ephesians 4 31 let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor clamor means just barking loud words yelling screaming evil speaking be put away from you along with all desire to hurt someone malice again Ephesians 4 31 there’s power in the Word of God let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you along with malice, all malice. Here is a mandate. This is not a request. This is a mandate from the word of God not to get angry and especially not to open your mouth when you’re angry. You see, the clamor is the word, it’s an onomatopoeia in the English. It means to make the sound, crogay is the Greek word, crogay, and it’s to make the sound of the crow that crows and crawls. When a person’s angry, the first indication that they’re angry is their mouth begins to go off. They say things they shouldn’t say, and it causes a reaction in the other persons whose own bitterness and arrogance kicks in. And the next thing you know, you have a tremendous fight, a yelling match at least, and slugs at best. Keep your mouth shut when you’re angry. Another time the Bible tells us to keep our mouth shut is especially if we’re tempted to tell a lie. In this political season, and we’re going through for the next couple of years, you’re going to hear the public lie. The public lie is if you tell it loud enough, often enough, long enough, somebody’s going to believe it. And there’s not a day that goes by that someone’s not maligned, criticized, or assaulted on the airways of television, radio, whatever. And so the public lie, you will be faced with a lot. And if you don’t have some scripture, if you don’t have a background and understanding, divine establishment concepts, then you may buy into it, or as I often say to the young people that I speak to, drink the Kool-Aid. You may remember that phrase from the Jim Jones days back in Guyana when he had convinced all of his followers to drink the cyanide laced kool-aid don’t drink the kool-aid here is proverbs 6 16 through 19. when you’re tempted to tell a lie remember what i’m about to read to you these six things doth the lord hate wait a minute yea seven are an abomination to him verse 12 proverbs 6. a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, heart that devises wicked imagination, and feet that are swift in running to mischief, a false witness, and he that speaketh lies, and he that sows discord among the brethren. These six things doth the Lord hate. Yea, seven are an abomination unto him. Did you hear it? A proud look, that’s arrogance, that’s pride, that’s unrealistic self-image. A lying tongue, a lying tongue. God does not tolerate liars. If there’s any one thing that our Heavenly Father is, it’s absolute truth. If there’s anything the Lord Jesus Christ was, it’s absolute truth. And the people that managed to get him crucified before Pilate were liars. They lied. They brought up lies. They brought in false witnesses to lie. Anything to get him dead so they didn’t lose their power over the people. And it’s always about the power. And the lies that are told in social media today are about keeping the power. Don’t ever forget that. Someone wants the power back. And if they want the power back, they’ll lie and lie and lie and slander and malign and criticize 24-7. And it’s about getting the power back. Proverbs 12, 22, lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but they that deal in truth are his delight. Our Father in heaven desires you to be truthful. I remember speaking in a school a long time ago, and I got a note from a young lady that said, Please pray for me. I’m a liar. I have a problem. I cannot quit lying. I don’t know if you have that problem, but I can tell you this. You’re not authorized to lie to the IRS. You’re not authorized to lie to your spouse. You’re not authorized to lie to anybody. God does not tolerate liars. If you’re a Christian, if you’re a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you can even lie to yourself. Unrealistic self-image gives you unrealistic expectations. And once you get into the arrogance complex, then you begin to go through self-justification and eventually move into self-deception where you lie to yourself. You think you’re worthy of being treated in a way that you’re not because you don’t see what you really are. Lying to yourself is really a problem. We are also told in the Bible that we are not to try to straighten out an idiot. The Bible is very clear when you’re tempted to straighten out an idiot, keep your mouth shut. Why? It does you no good. You’re not going to straighten the idiot out. The only thing that people really can change a person’s life is the power of the gospel. Where Paul said, I’m not ashamed of the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. I’m not ashamed of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1 16. Because it is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe it. To the Jew first, then to the Gentile. The power of God is not in you convincing anyone of anything. The power of God is in the good news of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. When you speak, if you speak the gospel, you are speaking the most powerful thing in the world. But if you logically try to straighten out an idiot, you are wasting your breath. Where does it say that? Proverbs 9, 7, and 8. He that reproveth a scoffer getteth to himself shame, and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot. Verse 8, Reprove not a scoffer, lest he hate you. and rebuke a wise man and he will love you. So there you are. When you’re attempted to straighten out an idiot, don’t waste your breath. You’re not going to do it. You know, we all have volition. Volition is your decider in your soul that God gave you. If you’re listening to this show, you used your volition to decide to not turn me off. You listening, that’s positive volition. There’s also negative volition. Negative volition is when you say, no, I don’t want to listen to that show and click, you turn it off. One of the most powerful things in the world is negative volition. Negative volition is motivated by Satan himself in the life of the believer or in the life of the unbeliever. Negative volition is motivated. Anything to stop someone from believing in Christ. Once people get negative in their volition, once the arrogance kicks into that far so that they’ve gone through self-justification, self-deception, self-absorption, they’re on the road to self-destruction. And negative volition is a very powerful thing. And you will not straighten those people out. You can give them the gospel. It is the power of God unto salvation. The next principle is when we’re tempted to speak without having all of the facts, we should be sure that we keep our mouth shut. In Proverbs 10, 14, wise men lay up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction. The mouth of the foolish is near destruction. When you don’t know all the facts, don’t jump in the middle of the argument. Don’t give your two cents worth. You’re not instructed in the Word of God anywhere to get in the middle of anything and try to straighten anybody else out. So if you’re tempted to speak without having all the facts, stay out of the conversation. Stay out of the conversation. Wise men lay up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish leads to destruction or is near destruction. There’s another time that you should be sure that you keep your mouth shut, and that’s when you’re tempted to say more than you should say. You know, like giving out too much information. Proverbs 10, 19. In a multitude of words, in a multitude of words, There lacketh not sin, but he that refraineth his lips is wise. In a multitude of words, there comes the opportunity for sin. If someone can’t quit talking, I know you’ve been around people like this. I have as well. You just wish they’d shut up. I mean, they go on and on and on. They want to give you their whole life history. They want to tell you about all their children, all their grandchildren, all their surgeries, all their operations, all their health issues, all their ideas on politics, all of this, all of that. I think sometimes people are just lonely and want somebody to talk to. But listen, the Bible is clear here. Be a man of few words. If you want to give some information out, give out the gospel. It is the power of God unto salvation to all who believe it, to the Jew first, then to the Gentile. I have seen many lives transformed and changed and turned around, but not because I logically convinced them to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, but But simply because I gave them the gospel and the Holy Spirit took what I gave them, maybe I planted a seed and someone else watered it, or maybe someone else planted the seed and I watered it. But it’s always the power of the gospel as the Holy Spirit takes that information and develops it into the thought and the heart of the person who hears it. So we need to have all the facts. And when it comes to the gospel, let’s be sure you understand this. You need to have all the facts as well. Don’t be telling somebody they can go to heaven if they straighten up and fly right. Don’t be telling somebody they go to heaven if they quit drinking and quit smoking. Don’t be telling someone if they go to heaven if they just didn’t do that particular sin. Remember that on the cross, our Savior paid for all of our sins, past, present, and future. So the Bible clearly says he that knew no sin was made sin for us so that we may be made the righteousness of God through him. So remember this. Your sins are not even an issue. They’ve been paid for. The issue is what thank ye of Christ. The Bible clearly says believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. The Bible clearly says God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. The issue is always faith alone, in Christ alone. It’s not faith plus giving up drinking. It’s not faith plus giving up smoking. It’s not faith plus giving up anything. It’s simply faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Because it’s there that he was judged in our place. It’s there where he took the burden of our sin at Calvary. And once they buried him, he walked out alive. It’s there that he demonstrated, yes, I am the son of God. And he can demonstrate that to you in your life as well. He will come to live in you by faith. Be sure you keep your mouth shut when you’re tempted to say more than you should say. Very close to what I just told you. Be tempted to say more than you should say. In a multitude of words there lacketh not sin, but he that refraineth his lips is wise. And I think we just gave that, so let’s move to the next one. When you’re tempted to pervert the truth, when you’re tempted to pervert the truth, be sure you keep your mouth shut. Proverbs 10, 31, the mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom. but the perverse tongue or the lying tongue or the deceptive tongue shall be cut off so when you’re tempted to pervert the truth or twist the truth or make something seem like it’s really not what it happened but you know to alter it with a sound bite or to twist the truth you’re not authorized to do that. God the Father knows the truth. And here’s the thing about it. God was in business before we got here, and he will be in business long after we’re gone. And he doesn’t need our help to straighten people out. There’s a monkey in Africa that has a big nose, and he’s called the proboscis monkey. And he’s a really funny looking creature with that big nose. Well, sometimes believers get a big nose, a long proboscis, And they stick it where it doesn’t belong. And they pervert the truth. And that’s why the Bible says, do not judge lest you be judged. Because with the measure you measure, it will be measured back to you again. Matthew 7, 1 through 7. So if you’re tempted to pervert the truth, just so you can sway people your way and get them to believe what you want them to believe. Keep your mouth shut. This is big again in politics today. People who attempt to pervert the truth, to change the truth into the lie. Again, the public lie. Tell it often enough, long enough, somebody’s going to believe it. Here’s another principle. When you’re tempted to malign your neighbor, keep your mouth shut. Don’t do it. I live in a neighborhood. I have neighbors that come and go, move in, move out. And I’m constantly hearing my neighbors talk about the new neighbors. So much so that I go inside and turn on the TV. I don’t want to hear it. Well, you can just hear it. They’ve got dogs. They’re on my property. I mean, it’s one thing after another. When you’re tempted to malign your neighbor, Proverbs 11, 9, a hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbor. And that doesn’t necessarily mean the person that lives next door to you. It could mean anything in that aspect. But you can destroy somebody’s reputation. You can destroy somebody’s advantage in life by maligning them, running them down, lying about them, complaining about them. Did God send you to straighten people out? God didn’t send you here to straighten out anybody. You have enough trouble keeping your own life straight, just like me. He doesn’t need my help, and I don’t need your help. I need his help. I need the power of the Holy Spirit in my life using Rebound, 1 John 1, 9, and I need the power of the word of God where it says, study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of the truth. That’s what I need. I need the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Word of God so I know when to keep my mouth shut. And I’m especially not supposed to malign, criticize, complain about my neighbor, my friends, whatever. Here’s another one. If you have a quick temper, keep your mouth shut. Proverbs 14, 17, go from the presence of a foolish man, for thou perceiveth not in him the lips of knowledge. Stay away from people that have a quick temper. And there’s a solution for that. The solution for that is found under the filling of the Holy Spirit as a believer. This is something you’ll find when you accept Christ as your Savior and you begin to grow into grace and the knowledge of your Savior. You will find that as the Holy Spirit fills and controls your life, you will learn to control your temper. It may be your biggest enemy. You know, I found the enemy and he’s me, that sort of thing. You have to learn to control your temper. And so a quick temper will destroy you and destroy other people forever. And you are foolish if you don’t have some knowledge. Here’s another one. When you’re tempted to say hurtful things, and I put in here, especially if you’re a parent, don’t say hurtful things. Proverbs 15, 4, a wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit. You can actually break the spirit of your children. Fathers, Ephesians chapter six, fathers provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord. Nurture, nousia, admonition is another word, and it means to train by putting, you train your children by putting something on their seat, or you train your children by putting something in their mind. Paideia and nousia are the two Greek words. Paideia we get paddled from. And so we have to train our children, but we’re not authorized to say anything hurtful to our children, to call them dumb, to call them stupid. I mean, that’s pitiful if that’s the way you have to control your child. Another one, if you’re tempted to be rude, keep your mouth shut. Proverbs 16, 24, pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and health to the bones. Simply saying encouragement is healthy. And if you’re out in the public like I am, you get bad service constantly like I do. I’m constantly eating in restaurants, eating out. Service is pitiful sometimes. but God doesn’t authorize me to be rude or mean or arrogant. When you’re tempted to gossip or repeat what is true or false, slander is repeating what is a lie. Gossip is repeating what may be true. We’re not allowed to do either one. Proverbs 16, 26, a perverse man soweth strife, and a whisperer separate the chief friends. Another one, when you don’t know what you’re talking about, keep your mouth shut. Luke 11, 27 and 28, when the woman tried to correct Jesus and tried to make an issue out of the wound and the Lord was very kind and he told her she was wrong. If you find yourself talking to a fool, keep your mouth shut. Proverbs 23, 9, speak not in the ears of a fool for he will despise the wisdom of your words. Ladies, if you’re trying to control your husband, by nagging at him. The Bible says, Proverbs 19, 13, the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping. It can be a bit much. So when it comes to that, don’t nag. And be careful when you’re tempted to judge another believer. Proverbs 21, 23, whosoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from trouble. We have to be that way. We have to be very careful. I hope this is helpful. Just a few practical principles about when to keep your mouth shut. No great revelation. You probably knew all of that, but there’s the scripture that goes with it. I hope it’s encouraging to you, and I hope you’ll be able to stay out of the sins of the tongue because this is where it originates. It’s wonderful to be able to give this information to you. It’s wonderful to be able to be on this radio station with you. If the show ever fails to play in your area, don’t hesitate to contact me. Let me know. I hope you’ll come back next week. Listen again. Same time, same station, same place. Until then, this is your host, Rick Hughes, saying thank you for listening to The Flatline.
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Thank you for listening to The Floodline with your host, Rick Hughes. If you’d like to contact Rick, please write to him at P.O. Box 100, Cropwell, Alabama, 35054, or online at www.rickhughesministries.org.
