Tag: Proverbs 12

“Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad” (Proverbs 12:25, NKJV). This verse takes anxiety seriously, naming its real weight rather than dismissing it as a minor inconvenience.

The remedy offered is simple but significant: a good word. Not a complex intervention, just genuine, well-timed encouragement.

This is worth remembering both as someone who carries anxiety and as someone positioned to offer a good word to someone else who does.

Who in your life is currently carrying anxiety that a genuinely good word from you could help lighten today?

“Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, But those who deal truthfully are His delight” (Proverbs 12:22, NKJV). This verse doesn’t soften its language. Lying isn’t described as merely unwise here, it’s called an abomination.

Truthfulness, by contrast, is called a delight, not just acceptable, but something that genuinely pleases God.

It’s worth noticing how easily small dishonesties get rationalized as harmless, white lies, convenient omissions, exaggerations that smooth things over. This verse doesn’t leave room for that kind of minimizing.

Is there a small dishonesty you’ve been rationalizing lately that this verse is worth applying honestly to?

“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise” (Proverbs 12:15, NKJV). Nobody thinks of themselves as the fool in this verse. That’s exactly the trap it’s describing.

Foolishness here isn’t about intelligence. It’s about being closed to input, so convinced of your own read on a situation that outside counsel feels unnecessary or even irritating.

Wisdom, by contrast, actively seeks correction. It assumes there are blind spots worth having someone else point out, even when your own way feels obviously right.

A good gut check for today: when was the last time you actually changed course because of someone else’s counsel, rather than just hearing it out and doing what you’d already planned?