And a man is valued by what others say of him". Proverbs 27:21. NKJV
It's so easy to give in to flattery. We all like to hear nice and constructive things said about us. It makes us feel good about ourselves. However, where does God fit into this. Shouldn't He be receiving the glory, not us; after all , He created us to be like Him and gave us the power to perform things.
A flatterer is someone who will pat you on the back with one hand and in some cases, stab you in the back with the other. If we're honest, we may have all done this in moderation, at some time. I own up to it right now. Really though, it is from the pit and we must beware of doing this.
Bob Gass says:
‘When you think about flattery it is really, insincere praise from an insincere motive and the bible warns us to be aware of it.’ Check out Proverbs 20:19:
'He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, therefore, do not associate with one who flatters with his lips.'
It really is serious business and we need to be on guard for one who is ready to sing our praises, too much. We really should watch how we give praise to people. We should give it with the sincerity it deserves, but without overdoing it. When people start to give praise to us, we should be very wise in how we receive it. As I've said, it is ok to have someone speak a good word about us, but if they are overdoing it, perhaps we need to mention that we couldn't have done it without God's help. It is so easy to get puffed up with pride.
Don't get me wrong on this subject. We have all learnt to flatter people at times. However, there are people around who are very good at this type of thing and use it all the time. It may be their way of dealing with people; or they may find it difficult to socialise and use flattery in order to be accepted. Then again, there are the ones that we need to beware of because, if we're not careful, we can easily get sucked in. Solomon warns us in Proverbs 5:
'My son, pay attention to my wisdom; lend your ear to my understanding, that you may preserve discretion, and your lips may keep knowledge. For the lips of an immoral woman, drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood.'
Proverbs 5:1-4
Adultery has always been around; but it seems to be attacking today's church more and more, especially ministers. Only the other day, I saw on the news that a vicar had been having an affair with a lady from his congregation, and also with a 16 year old young lady. Adultery has a root in flattery. Men and women use this type of thing to get the attention of the opposite sex. The words can be so carefully chosen to reach the target, this is what flattery does.
It's time to wise up. There's any enemy out there and he is skilled in tripping us up if we take our eyes off God. Don't forget, he's a thief and if he gets a chance, he will rob you of every bit of happiness that you have.
Walk wisely!
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
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