Proverbs in 365 DevotionsFor more go to braggingonjesus.comProverbs To Invite A BeatingR AylorHere we see Solomon referring to people who get into trouble in two ways... through their mouth and through their ears.I love the colorful images Solomon uses. Like lips walking into a fight or a mouth that says come on… hit me right here on the chin.It’s like someone is so aggressive that they walk up to you and stick out their chest and put their face up against yours and say “go ahead… if you think you’re man enough”. Their mouth invites a beating... especially if they are smaller and weaker than you. And for a fool… even if they do get in the best punch on that day it will likely come back to them for initiating the situation… and at the very least their life will show that time and time again it is their mouth that gets them in trouble over and overThe other two people Solomon refers to are the gossiper and the listener. We’ve likely heard more about how we shouldn’t gossip but here Solomon focuses on the listener. The gossiper feeds him. And he loves it... he eats it up. He has no self control and can’t stop eating. They are like delicious chocolate chip morsels and go down into our inner parts... and it changes us... like eating cookies every day changes us.Listening to gossip causes spiritual indigestion... it makes us jealous and angry and stirs up feelings of injustice and ill will.Now we know that whatever is in our heart always finds a way out. In Luke The next thing you know we are in somebodies face and our mouth invites a beating. We make accusations and gossipers hear both of us and the vicious cycle goes on and on.Only the spiritual quickening power of God can help us. It’s the same power that raised him from the grave.Romans So yes, if you know Christ you’ve died to your old mission of seeking to glorify yourself. You’ve been buried or baptized… that old person has been submersed into death. But you didn’t stay dead but were raised to walk in newness of life by the same power that raised Jesus from the dead… And now we have his power to overcome sin and gossip and pride does not have to let our mouth invite a beating and our ears do not have to enjoy gossip like it were sweet morsels.Pray​​