This Proverb says, “A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but perversion in it crushes the spirit.”
Soothing and comforting words can make a person who is in distress feel better. Such words can help a person over a crisis and give them hope to continue. However, not all soothing speech reflects the true character of the person speaking. Soothing words can also be spoken with evil intention.
Satan, the spiritual ruler of the Earth, is such a being. The Bible characterizes Satan as a father of lies. It also says of Satan who rebelled against God: “His speech was smoother than butter, but his heart was war. His words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.”
Satan’s goal is to turn people away from God. He has an army of spiritual beings to help him in this endeavor. These are the fallen angels who joined Satan in his rebellion against God. They are also called demons. Satan and his demons have the power to influence people to give in to their natural and sinful desires. They also have the ability to influence people to turn from God. Sometimes they are very smooth in their approach to other people and can be very appealing.
Our only defense against such deceptive influence is to be anchored in the Truth. We cannot stand against such effective evil unless we are anchored in the Word of God, the Bible. The Bible will clothe us with spiritual armor to survive the spiritual warfare that we face.
