Words of Wisdom Wednesday

He who has a deceitful heart finds no good,
And he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil.

(Proverbs 17:20)

It is wise to steer away from anyone who possesses these qualities. People who operates from a deceitful heart and has a perverse tongue are not the type you should have in your circle of friends. You would have to love and pray for people like that from a distance.

Deceit is the noun form of deceive, which means to mislead or falsely persuade others. Deceitful people wear many masks. They find good in nothing. They are pessimistic and negative 99.9% of the time. Deceitful people are wolves in sheep clothing and have a form of godliness, but deny the power of the Holy Spirit.

If they have a deceitful heart, no doubt about it, they have a perverse tongue. The perverse tongue in Proverbs 17:20 is not implying anything sexual. It's about twisting everything that is good and clean into something bad and evil. A perverse tongue speaks the opposite of what the Word of God says in the bible. Let's dig a little deeper.

The root word of perverse is pervert in the verb form. To pervert means
1). to lead astray morally. (Astray from God kind of characteristics)
2). to turn away from the right course. (Turn away from God's plan for your life)

3). to turn to an improper use; misapply. (Use God's word to fit your comfy lifestyle)
4). to misconstrue or misinterpret, esp. deliberately; distort: to pervert someone's statement. (False prophets)
5). to convert or persuade to a religious belief regarded as false or wrong. (putting other gods before the true and living God)

Even as Christians, we have to be wise in our conversation and examine our hearts daily. Doing this, will keep us on guard and alert of the devil's tactics and traps. Be wise in the use of your tongue. Speak positive words and the good news of Jesus Christ. Always feed your spirit man (your heart) the word of God, where as they will be no room for things like deceit, evil, and impure motives.

Use the spirit of discernment to sniff out people who have a deceitful heart and a perverse tongue. Remember, if you know a person or two (maybe more) who inhabits qualities stated in Proverbs 17:20, pray that they will turn their hearts over to Christ and away from the devil.