WHAT YOU LISTEN-TO & WATCH
GUARDING WHAT YOU SAY AND WHAT IS SAID TO YOU!
Ephesians 4:29 (KJV) states: "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." This verse instructs believers to avoid harmful, rotten speech—such as gossip, malice, or foul language—and instead use words that build others up and impart grace.
Key Aspects of Ephesians 4:29:
Definition of "Corrupt": The Greek word sapros implies rotten, putrid, or worthless, extending beyond just profanity to include gossip, slander, and angry outbursts.
Purpose of Speech (Edifying): Speech should be constructive, designed to "build up" the listener.
Ministering Grace:
Words should reflect kindness and divine favor to the hearers.
Context: This verse is a command to live out the new life in Christ by controlling the tongue, which stems from the heart.
Related Scriptures: Colossians 3:8 ("put off... filthy language"), Proverbs 4:24 ("keep your lips from perverse speech"), and James 3:10 (blessing and cursing should not come from the same mouth) support this principle.
Application:
The scripture serves as a reminder to ensure conversations are helpful, encouraging, and respectful, aiming to leave listeners in a better state, rather than damaging them with careless words.
Guarding your ears in the Bible means being selective about what you listen to—media, conversations, and influences—to protect your heart, mind, and spirit from corruption. It involves acting as a "gatekeeper" of your "ear gate," focusing on godly, uplifting, and truthful input rather than gossip, negativity, or temptation.
Key Scriptural Principles for Guarding Ears
Proverbs 4:20-23: Advises to "incline your ear to my sayings" and keep them in your heart, as these words bring life and health.
Proverbs 4:23: Emphasizes, "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life".
Philippians 4:8:
Instructs to focus thoughts on whatever is true, honorable, pure, and lovely.
1 Corinthians 15:33: Warns that "Bad company corrupts good character," highlighting the danger of listening to wrong influences.
2 Timothy 4:3: Warns against "itching ears," or seeking out teachings that satisfy personal desires rather than truth.
Mark 4:24: Reminds believers to "Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you".
Practical Application
Filter Conversations: Avoid listening to gossip, slander, or destructive talk, and choose edifying speech (Ephesians 4:29).
Control Media Intake: Be selective about music, podcasts, and media that can plant ungodly thoughts.
Seek Godly Counsel: Listen to wisdom that builds up your faith rather than voices that tear it down.
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By controlling what enters through the ears, believers protect their inner peace, emotional health, and spiritual focus, treating words and sounds as vital, often detrimental or nurturing, daily spiritual nutrition.
How God Speaks to Us
God communicates to man in a few different ways. When I think about clear communication, I think of our God. He speaks His creation into being. In Genesis 1:3, “And God said, Let there be light and there was light.” Clear, concise, no beating around the bush with details.
The Ten Commandments are very clear, too, although man has tried to elaborate on them. Exodus 20 gives them to us straight from the mouth of God. What can be clearer than verse 3, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”?
Man’s communication is not quite so straightforward. Adam and Eve tried to hide from God. The communication in the garden wasn’t “Yea, yea” or “Nay, nay,” it was blaming and hiding. Despite man’s disobedience, God worked with him. God knows our “frame.” God also communicates to man through his life experiences. Thorns will invade the gardens, pain will be part of man’s experience, and death will come. These experiences will be the means of growth.
The first way God spoke was through His creation. But He didn’t only speak it into being. It is there to speak to us, too. Psalm 19 is God’s simple message of how the creation declares His glory and goodness to everyone. His perfect laws warn man and also speak of great reward. “Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” (v. 4 ESV).
Everyone can witness this and seek after God. Some parts of creation speak to us in gentle ways: “the breezes and the sunshine and soft refreshing rain.” (Hymn 426, Christadelphian Hymn Book, 2002). Other times, there are earthquakes and thunder. We think of Yahweh speaking at Sinai, and the people were afraid. They were terrified of such a great God. He displayed darkness, thunder, lightning and an earthquake when wicked men put Jesus to death on the cross.
we are to meditate on all of God’s ways
But when God reveals Himself to Moses while Moses hides in the cleft of the rock, He is in the still small voice. And He reveals Himself in simple words that all can understand: “The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering [slow to anger], and abundant in goodness [steadfast love] and truth [faithfulness].” (Exodus 34:6, ESV in brackets).
Looking at the whole of the Bible, God speaks to us through many different circumstances, events and characters, with Jesus being the perfect communicator. As Psalm 19 instructs us, we are to meditate on all of God’s ways. Psalm 19:11 states that we can be warned of error by knowing about Him and His ways.
Our amazing Father has provided us a way to speak to Him, to connect specially through words of prayer. He even wants our undivided attention, suggesting that “when you pray, go into your room [closet KJV] and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.” (Matthew 6:6 ESV). We can disclose our hearts to Him, seek help from Him. He wants to hear us and is the greatest listener. And when we listen to God in His Word, He assures us of His love and direction. God wants to help His children.
How We Speak to Each Other
We conclude that communication is a particularly important topic in the Bible. And we need to communicate effectively with one another. We must listen to our God, and if we desire to connect with our community, we must listen to one another.
The Bible says a lot about communicating to one another. Of course, we all recognize how much the tongue plays a part in our communication with others.
Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”
Proverbs 12:18 “There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.”
Proverbs 15:1-2 “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.”
Proverbs 16:23 (NKJV) “The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, and adds learning to his lips.”
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,” as Proverbs 1 says, and there are characters in the Bible who exemplify wisdom in communication. This wisdom stems from what they are truly thinking in their heart.
HOW JOSEPH COMMUNICATED WITH HIS BROTHERS
We can all feel the power of his wise communication with his brothers. Don’t be discouraged by thinking you can never be as wise, forgiving, and kind-hearted as Joseph. Or not as wise in connecting with those who have wronged you.
We can be encouraged as we think how his life, insight, and manner must have developed because of his trials.
Effective communication takes time, skill, and practice. He was hated by his brothers, thrown in a pit, sold as a slave in Egypt, wrongfully accused and sentenced to years in prison! Time and effort are needed to change our pattern of communication. Insight from personal experience and seeing God’s providential work in our lives is encouraging. None of us are experts.
How effective and compassionate was Joseph’s communication with his brothers when he revealed himself in Genesis 45:4-5, “Come closer to me. Don’t feel bad, don’t blame yourselves for selling me. God was behind it… to save lives.”
And the words move us to tears when his brothers come to him after burying their father: (Genesis 50:17-21), “Joseph wept… Now therefore fear ye not, I will nourish you and your little ones. And he comforted them and spake kindly to them.” Joseph listened to them. He empathized with their fears, and he showed compassion.
In Joseph’s suffering, he is like Christ, bringing forth the fruit of the Spirit. “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” (Galatians 5:22-23).
He understands them and can comfort them. A paraphrase of Luke 6:45: “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good,” is “What you say flows from what is in your heart.”
listening to the Words of the Master is what is needed
Other examples in the Bible help us in our everyday communication with others. We have the contrast of Mary and Martha.
Mary sits and listens to Jesus. Martha is preoccupied with household duties and resents Mary (Luke 10:40-42). Even when she expresses the feeling that Jesus doesn’t care, he assures her that he does care and validates the idea that there are many things to worry about. However, listening to the Words of the Master is what is needed.
After Lazarus dies (John 11), it is Martha who questions Jesus as he is coming to them. It seems she didn’t really stick around to find out what the Lord would do to help them. Mary waits for the Master to call her and then worships at his feet, where she had been before. Humility is essential with one another. We are all human and subject to “like passions,” but we can all listen to one another and to our Lord.
A surprise to me was in the Book of Philemon. Paul encourages Philemon, the master, to take back his runaway slave, Onesimus, without regard to payment. The word “communicate” is used in the KJV in verse 6. Paul writes to Philemon, “That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.”
The Greek word is “koinonia,” which you will recognize as the word for “sharing.” The ESV Study Bible comments that this word includes “the ideas of generosity, partnership and fellowship that result from the common faith and everyday life that believers have in Christ.”
Looking up the context of that word showed me it was the idea of Philemon communicating his faith in Christ by welcoming Onesimus back with kindness and forgiveness. Perhaps he will even now understand why Onesimus ran away! Paul appeals to Philemon, not commanding him.
We also want to reach out to our brothers and sisters with kindness and forgiveness. Of course, we don’t know how Philemon responded to Paul’s appeal, but we do know how Joseph’s brothers responded to him.
LISTENING WITHOUT OFFENSE.
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