James & Tess Arendt
Foolishness, at best, is a sort of casual joking around and just generally acting silly. It can seem harmless and innocent, just a way of letting off steam, but it often leads to ridiculous and thoughtless, absurd behavior. People caught up in a foolish spirit will often do or say just about anything to get attention or to make others laugh, including even mischievous pranks and harmful acts. "It is as SPORT (fun) for a fool to do MISCHIEF."--Proverbs 10:23.
"A fool is consumed by his own lips. At the BEGINNING his words are foolishness, and the END of his talk is MISCHIEVOUS MADNESS. A fool is FULL of words."--Ecclesiastes 10:12-14.
The Bible says, "The mouth of fools pours out foolishness."--Proverbs 15:2.--In light of the meaning of the original Hebrew words for "fool" and "foolishness", this LITERALLY means the mouth of the heedless, witless, self-confident, empty, thick-headed, unintelligent, unwise, thoughtless, rebellious person pours out folly, senseless ness, emptiness, boasting and insipid things! As you can see, for a Christian, foolishness is not a laughing matter!
There is a great difference between having a sense of humor and being foolish. A good sense of humor is a great asset in life. But excessive foolishness is a problem which needs to be overcome through prayer and a serious study of God's Word.
Foolishness is a way the Devil frequently tries to get his little wedge of sin into our lives: At first foolish behavior starts off by just being funny and comical, even entertaining and amusing, and seemingly harmless. But if it continues, it usually ends up becoming what the Bible calls "vain and profane babbling, which increases unto more and more UNGODLINESS!"--2Timothy 2:16,17.
Foolish chatter often leads to exaggerations, distortions of the truth and outright lies and deceptions. Something may seem to be just a harmless prank done "in fun", but the Bible says, "Like a MADMAN shooting FIREBRANDS or DEADLY ARROWS, so is a man who deceives his neighbour and says, `I was only JOKING!'"--Proverbs 26:18,19.
"The foolishness of a man perverts his life."--Proverbs 19:3.
Idle, empty, directionless conversation is an opportunity for the Devil to get us off guard so that he can get in and cause us to say unwise and unloving things! That's why Jesus warned His disciples, saying, "But I say to you that of every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give ACCOUNT in the day of judgement. For by your WORDS you shall be JUSTIFIED and by your WORDS you shall be CONDEMNED!"--Matthew 12:36,37.
Your life is bound to affect others! "None of us lives to himself alone."--Romans 14:7. Everybody is influencing somebody: Sometimes just a word or a glance or a smile, or a lack of one, can make a great difference.
Remember, words are real things; they bless or they curse, they lift up or they knock down, they save or they damn! "Whosoever keeps his mouth and his tongue (quiet), keeps his soul from troubles."--Proverbs 21:23.
The World tries to drown itself in pleasure, entertainment and amusement, and people spend countless hours watching silly movies and foolish, pointless TV programs, or reading empty, frothy stories, or listening to their stereos at full-blast to drown out the things they OUGHT to be thinking ABOUT! While we do need time to relax and get away from serious problems and strenuous work, too much so-called "light entertainment" can become the Devil's distraction and diversion to drown out the voice of God!
As little time as most of us have in our busy schedules to pray, read God's Word and share His Love with others, it's a real shame to waste our free moments by indulging in superficial chatter, joking and foolishness.
Some people's mouths are like a hole in a bucket. The minute they open their mouths, everything in their head runs out! "The tongue of the wise uses knowledge correctly, but the mouth of fools pours out foolishness!"--Proverbs 15:2.
When you don't have the wisdom of God's Spirit helping you, then you can be awfully dumb!
Foolish talking has become a modern day pastime for intellectuals; it's the kind of thing that becomes an egotistical display of Worldly "smartness", as well as a bad habit which is extremely difficult to break. It is also often laced with sarcasm and cynicism, which when mixed together with ridicule and criticism of others, results in hurt feelings and strife.
If fifty million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing!
"He that walks with wise men shall be wise, but the companion of fools shall be destroyed! Therefore go from the presence of a foolish man when you do not find lips of knowledge in him!"--Proverbs 13:2O and 14:7.
It is a very poor example or witness for God's children to be silly and to act and talk silly and be guilty of foolishness!
"The thought of FOOLISHNESS is SIN."--Proverbs 24:9.
Shallowness, superficiality, manpleasing and hypocrisy are all that many people in the World know. Many people are so thankful when they can find an opportunity to meet someone serious and concerned, with whom they can share their deepest thoughts and feelings or even their fears. Underneath the foolish false fronts and cover-ups, most hearts long for true love, deeper communication and real understanding.
Worldliness and foolishness are almost one and the same thing. The "wisdom of this World IS foolishness with God! For the Lord knoweth the thoughts of the Worldly wise, that they are vain!"--1Corinthians 3:19-20.
You cannot fill your eyes and ears and mind with Worldly wisdom, the foolishness of Man, without it affecting your heart and spirit in a negative way!--So be careful what you read and watch on TV and what you talk about to others!
The best solution and cure for foolishness is to read and live in the Word of God. Jesus said "The Words that I speak unto you, they are SPIRIT and they are LIFE!"--John 6:63. If you take a little time every day to fill up your mind and heart with the life-giving, inspiring, faith-building Word of God, it will permeate your heart and spirit and manifest itself in your thoughts, your life and your conversation.
"Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather giving of thanks."--Ephesians 5:4.
It is dangerous for Christians to be shallow, not deep in the Lord, not deep in the Spirit, but shallow in the flesh, carnal in their understanding and carnally minded.
"FORSAKE the foolish and LIVE, and go in the way of understanding!"--Proverbs 9:6.
Familiarity breeds contempt.
"Folly is joy unto him that is without wisdom, but a man with understanding keeps a straight course."--Proverbs 15:21.
Empty vessels make the most noise! "A fool's voice is known by the multitude of his words."--Ecclesiastes 5:3.
"As dead flies cause the ointment of the perfumer to send forth a foul odor, so does a little folly in him who has a reputation for wisdom and honor!"--Ecclesiastes 1O:1.
Ask God to help you to know when to laugh, and when to be sober, and how to know the difference! Ask God to help you to be temperate in all things, and be well-balanced between the two! "Let your moderation be known unto all men.--Philippians 4:5. Don't be too sober, or too silly, either one. "There is a time for everything, a time to weep and a time to laugh."--Ecclesiastes 3:1,4.
The Bible says, "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child (in other words, the child's heart is full of foolishness) but the rod of correction will drive it far from him."--Proverbs 22:15. Sometimes you need to use firm discipline to teach children not to be foolish. Likewise the LORD often has to use HIS rod of chastisement to drive foolishness from ADULTS!
It can be DANGEROUS to have people around you that are shallow and thoughtless and who are not in tune with the Lord, because if YOU don't correct them, then GOD is apt to spank them, but you might be left to pay the BILLS for it!
"Forsake the foolish and you will live, and walk in the ways of understanding."--Proverbs 9:6.
Lord Jesus, please deliver us from sickening shallowness and froth and waste and garbage, that contains no real substance, no meaning, message, no real value, and that bears no good fruit!
My name is James Arendt. I was raised in the Hegewisch neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, served in the USAF from 1970 to 1974, and became a full-time missionary for Christ living 40 years in Japan, 3.5 years in Russia, and a few months in other countries such as Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, South Korea, Taiwan and mainland China where I also served the King of Kings, Jesus, as an Ambassador for His Kingdom. My full bio.
If you like this website, you can show your appreciation by sending me a gift toward my support. My wife Tess and I moved from the island of Guam USA in June 2023 to the city of Allen in the province of Northern Samar, one of the poorer provinces in the Philippines. My only work is maintaining my websites, Deep Truths, and James Japan which costs me $300 per year now. And Tess is ministering to the local people giving them regular Bible Studies in three groups, children, teenagers and adults.
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