Sometimes silence is golden.
 |
| Words are tools or weapons |
TV and radio programs pollute the airwaves with words of
hatred, accusation and blame. The entire earth is filled with words that hurt
other people and plant seeds of doubt and discouragement into minds.
God is listening.
His heart is hurting.
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were
sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and
clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice (Ephesians
4:30-31 NASB).
We can grieve the Holy Spirit in lots of ways, but the way
we use our words must stab at the heart of God.
It’s so easy to get back in the flesh when situations arise
that play on our emotions. If I don’t have the Word constantly before me in
print or audio, I find those condemning thoughts turning into words I shouldn’t
be saying. For a few days, I found myself doing this. I was losing things,
forgetting what I needed to do, and not using time the way I wanted to. I was
talking to myself in ways that violate the Word of God, but I was so into my
slump, I didn’t recognize it. Then when I stopped and got quiet, God gave me
this message. When I stopped talking to myself, He could speak. And I realized
what I was doing hurt His heart.
When the tormented body of Jesus hung on the cross and his
blood-soaked lips uttered, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”, the
Father also felt that pain. Those words stabbed at His Father-heart because He
had the power to stop the torture. But His love for sinful, despicable, fallen
mankind forbade Him from stretching out His hand to save His Son. Because He
wanted to save us.
So when our words flutter through the air at each other and
at ourselves, they are telling God all that He has said doesn’t matter to us.
If we are tearing each other down and talking to ourselves in negative ways, we
are disobeying His Word that tells us to let our conversation be seasoned with
salt.
Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned
with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person
(Colossians 4:6).
It’s like turning our backs on the pain of the cross that
God didn’t stop.
 |
| Death and life are in the power of the tongue. |
If we don’t obey His Word with our words, we are living in
unbelief. And that must cause Him as much pain as the words of Jesus on the
cross. God is saying back to us, “Why have you forsaken Me?”
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who
love it will eat its fruit (Proverbs 18:21).
But when we offer up words of praise, how His heart must
absorb the love and worship when we speak so reverently to Him.
I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart; I will
tell of all Your wonders. I will be glad and exult in You; I will sing praise
to Your name, O Most High (Psalm 9:1-2).
Words of thanksgiving and honor flowing from the new heart
He has given us bring a smile to our Father. And lifting each other up as
members of the same family bring us into that bond of fellowship.
And what better way to bring others into the kingdom than
with the Words of God spoken in their hearing rather than condemnation of their
actions.
One amazing characteristic of our heavenly Father is when we
do fall back into downtrodden conversation, He still has His arms open wide for
us to fall into His embrace. His hugs turn us back around and remind us of His
healing Word.
We can use words as tools to bless God and as medicine for
the wounded souls of hurting people, or they can be used as weapons to slice
and annihilate.
Our choice is to decide which ones we choose each day.
Am I choosing to use the verbal toolbox that builds or to
draw the sword from the scabbard?
Where sin abounds, grace does much more abound.
But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so
that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness
to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 5:20-21).
How great is our God!
Indeed they can Ms. Barbara. Thank you for this humbling reminder ma'am. Even though I ask God to "guard my mouth" each day, I far too often forget my request and fall into that trap. Well done ma'am.
ReplyDeleteAs I must guard my mouth so often, which is where this post came from! Thanks for your thoughts, J.D. Blessings!
DeleteThe tongue can be an instrument of encouragement or a weapon of pain. Thank you for reminding us to to share love and praise, not grief and heartbreak. Hope you're feeling better now. Satan attacks us in those slumps because we're vulnerable.
ReplyDeleteKatherine, you are right that Satan attacks us when we are down. God used His Word to correct my speech so I am walking in a better light now! Thanks for stopping by. Blessings!
DeleteThis phrase really stepped on my toes, Barbara: "... and talking to ourselves in negative ways, we are disobeying His Word that tells us to let our conversation be seasoned with salt." When I do a "good job" of controlling my tongue, I speak kindly to others and offer encouragement. But I can be pretty harsh on myself often - many of those times, perhaps my admonishment was warranted, but more than not, it's negative talk that I'm letting the evil one whisper in my ear. Thanks for the reminder to let my talk to others AND myself be seasoned liberally!!
ReplyDeleteJulie, my toes were stepped on, too. My negative attitude toward myself was where this post came from. Thanks for stopping by. Blessings!
DeleteBarbara, often I do a better job of speaking well of others than I do of speaking harshly toward myself. I was struck by your words that when "we turn our back on His word we're living in unbelief". Ouch! Thank you for the gentle exhortation to guard our tongues--even in regard to ourselves. Blessings, Tammy
ReplyDeleteI am also harder on myself than on others, Tammy. Thanks for stopping by and sharing. Blessings!
DeleteSo true, Barbara. Thanks for this word of admonition. Our words can sound like the grumble of the Israelites, despite our knowing what that meant for them. Our words do have power. To build up or tear down.
ReplyDeleteYes our words have more power than we know and we should remember the lesson from the Israelites but we so often forget. Thanks for sharing, Jeanne. Blessings!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete