Anger and foolish words can ruin our lives. How often have we been in trouble because of our words? How often have we been hurt by the words of others?
Alcohol and substances only make our words worse (v.1) – which is a BIG reason to watch what we consume. The anger of those in power can seriously hurt our lives (v.2), and often it is better to just avoid the fight (v.3). Good advice makes a huge difference in life (vv.5, 18) and are very valuable (v.15). Our anger can lead to us insulting our parents – with consequences (v.20), and lead us to revenge instead of waiting for God to act (v.22).
Our words lead us to making promises to God that we do not keep (v.25) – we need to count the cost and fulfill what we promise to God.
We need to control our anger and our words – these are some of the hardest things to control, but in God’s power and peace we can, and have a much stronger life.
http://nlt.scripturetext.com/proverbs/20.htm
