Proverbs 18:6-8
A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating.
A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.
The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.

A popular saying asserts that “Talk is cheap.” But, as many have noted, if talk is so cheap, then how come we can’t buy it back? The truth is, once words are spoken, they are irretrievable. No one can un-say what they have said.

Perhaps the writer of this proverb had these thoughts in mind when he described the mouth of a fool. Look at what he says about foolish lips: they walk into fights, invite beatings, ensnare souls, and lead to ruin. That may seem a bit harsh to us, but anyone who has “bitten off more than they can chew” understands that words can lead to trouble.

How many arguments start over words? How many fights begin with statements? Beware of saying things that go against the discernment provided by the Holy Spirit, for as we read earlier in Proverbs 18, a person who only takes pleasure in expressing their opinion is foolish. Some things really are better left unsaid, so we must choose our words carefully.

Of course, there are times when we must speak, and we must speak truthfully. The encouragement we draw from this proverb is not to avoid speaking, but to avoid speaking foolishly. In other words, our concern is not merely speaking the truth, but to be people who are “speaking the truth in love” [Ephesians 4:15].