The sin of evil speaking

Ephesians 4:25-31

Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:Neither give place to the devil.Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil Speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

In the scripture above, we are provided with A list of sins we can commit, which grieves the Holy Spirit. To grieve means to: (cause distress, to be sad, heaviness, be sorrowful, make sorry or cause grief). The book of Ephesians was written to the believers, NOT unbelievers. “The saints at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus.” Though we are given A list of sins whereby we may grieve the Holy Spirit, I’d like to speak about the sin of “Evil Speaking.” I dealt with this A few months ago, and it was A lesson the Lord allowed me to learn. 

Evil speaking – Is to relate the fault of A third person when they aren’t present to answer for themselves. How often have we noticed people who slander and defame the character of others? Typically, there is no proof for the slander, and what is spoken/shared is regularly NOT shared out of concern (to pray for the individual) but to CONDEMN, which leads to gossiping and backbiting. 

Often, we are loose with our lips, carelessly saying words with no thought. Information is spread in various ways (via phone, television, personal conversations, magazines, social media, newspapers, books, etc.) and as believers, we are commanded against this sin of evil-speaking: 

• 1st Peter 2:1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking’ s
• Titus 3:1-2 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

God is commanding us here to lay aside this sin when we become believers. When we are involved in the sin of Evil speaking, we are opening the door for our enemy to gain entrance. Satan only needs A foothold or finger-hold, and then he has access to us. 

Gossiping & evil-speaking has become commonplace in our society; how often do we hear others converse about people during their conversations, evil Speaking is typically involved. Our culture is groomed to accept gossip, slander, and accusations as normal. This sin gratifies our pride and fleshly nature to relate the fault of someone else as we look at ourselves as if we are better. You called him A liar; do you have A lying heart? You’ve called him A thief are you A thief at heart? Most importantly, we must know the intent and motive for why we are sharing the faults and sins of others instead of covering them in prayer which should be our initial response.

Testimony: A few months ago, I was having dinner with A fellow believer/friend. There was information shared at this dinner that was NOT confirmed, and it was merely an assumption. After dinner, I shared this same information with someone else as if it was A fact. Later that night, I had A hard time in prayer, it felt as if A wall was there, no matter how much I prayed in the spirit or sat before the Lord the wall maintained. Two days later, during my bible study time (I was reading 1st Peter 2). While reading the word aloud, I felt uneasy when I mentioned the sin of “Evil Speaking.” I turned to the Lord in prayer and repented, but I also wanted to know how did this spirit gain access? He began to speak to me about how I involved myself in the sin of Evil speaking. After I repented, renounced, and cast out the spirit (as led by the Holy Spirit), I felt A release in my spirit. I was able to receive A breakthrough in prayer & praise the heaviness was lifted. 

• Isaiah 59:2 (Berean Study Bible) Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear. 2But your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. 3For your hands are stained with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters injustice.

Let’s look at some of the spirits that are associated with the sin of Evil Speaking. As you read this breakdown, examine your hearts and ask yourself if you’ve been guilty of at least one of these sins. 

(From Demon hitlist by John Eckhardt)

• BACKBITING: Lying, malice, slander, gossip, criticism, abuse, strife, whispering (2 Corinthians12:20), envy, jealousy, anger, bitterness, competition, evil speaking
• SLANDER: Defamation, character assassination, accusation, cursing, libel, false report, lying, accuser of the brethren, malice, spite, bitterness, anger, hatred, evil-speaking

In the book of Timothy, we are warned about the signs of the last days among the warnings listed, we are told there will be “false accusers.” The concordance breakdown of this word refers to diabolos. A false accuser is someone who is used by a devil to slander, accuse, defame, unjustly criticize, and condemn others. 

At what point are we justified to speak evil against our brethren? If we talk evil of others, God compares us to brute beasts we are taking on the nature of Satan; after all, he is the accuser of the brethren. 

• 2nd Peter 10:12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

If it is A sin to speak against our fellow sister or brother, how much worse is it to speak against one of his ministering servants? Are we called to speak evil against the ministers (servants) of GOD? God Forbids! In the case of Miriam and Aaron, they both felt justified to speak Evil against Moses. But God had A different response. Numbers 12: 8′With him I speak mouth to mouth [directly], Clearly and openly and not in riddles; And he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?” 

It is written, “Against an elder, receive not an accusation—but before two or three witnesses” (1 Tim. 5:19). It is at our peril that we say or do anything against the servants of God, for He reckons those who touch them as touching “the apple of His eye” (Zech. 2:8). “Touch not My anointed, and do My prophets no harm” (Psalm 105:15) is His express command.https://gracegems.org/Pink/evil_speaking.htm

Penalties of Evil Speaking: 

• Evil Speaking brings forth A life full of sorrowfulness and calamity – 1 Peter 3:10‘For, “The one who wants to enjoy life and see good days [good—whether apparent or not], Must keep his tongue free from evil and his lips from speaking guile (treachery, deceit). 
• Revilers will not enter into the kingdom of Heaven – 1 Corinthians 6:10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers [whose words are used as weapons to abuse, insult, humiliate, intimidate, or slander], nor swindlers will inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God. 
• Slanders will not be established in the earth: Psalms 140:11 ‘Do not let a slanderer be established in the earth; Let evil quickly hunt the violent man [to overthrow him and stop his evil acts].” 

How to overcome: 

• If you are guilty of this sin, it is important to confess to the Lord and repent. Repentance allows us to have A clean slate before GOD; he hears those with A contrite heart and A broken spirit. 
• Take up your cross and follow Jesus believing in him and conforming to his example of living. Deny yourself daily by laying aside evil Speaking as commanded in 1stPeter2:1. When someone brings evil speaking your way, lay it aside. Please do not allow it to pass your vessel. 
• Speak only good and edifying words to minister grace to those around us. Col 4:6 Let your speech at all times be gracious and pleasant, seasoned with salt. 
• Beware and refrain from the idle mind: Idleness leads typically to evil speaking. Most prolonged conversations can lead to ungodliness and gossip (long phone conversations and etc.) 1 Timothy 5:13 Now at the same time, they also learn to be idle as they go from house to house; and not only idle, but also gossips and busybodies [meddlers in things that do not concern them], talking about things they should not mention. ‘

Prayer Points to consider: 

• Ask the Lord to Set A guard over your mouth and to keep watch over the doors of your lips. Psalm 141:3 
• Pray to have A clean heart, and A right spirit renewed in you. Psalm 51:10-19
• Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord. Psalm 19:14 

In Conclusion, we were commanded to refrain from Evil speaking; instead, we should speak only edifying words that will minister grace to the hearers. If you’re guilty of these sins, we are to repent and turn away. Lay aside all evil Speaking! 

Many Blessings,

Tanicia