The Power of Words
Painful memories grow strangely dim when we allow the Holy Spirit to light the candle of God’s Love within our hearts.
“…but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”Phillipians 3:13-14
We can’t change our past, but we can certainly focus on Jesus, yield ourselves totally to Him and allow His Love to flood our souls.
Our PAST is JUST our testimony and nothing more. In God we are NEW, we are walking as the inner man (holy spirit) and no longer by flesh.
“…pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.”
II Peter 1:19
The Value of Words—Communication!
*Mature Christians DON’T ADD USELESS WORDS when they speak, because it may be taken as evil and be used by the devil. (See Matthew 5:37)
* We need to be aware of WORDS we say as it REPRESENTS our HEART. If we said evil things that showed the evil inside our hearts, we need to get them out of our vocabulary. (Colossians 3:8; Matthew 7: 20-23)
** We need to ASK God’s help and guidance to change our hearts and to guide our tongues just like King David did. Psalm 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you ,OLord, my rock and my redeemer.
“And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” – Matthew 5:36-37
**Oaths – invoking the name of God or a sacred object to demonstrate the seriousness of a promise.
**Vow is making a promise to God of something you will do.
What’s our reasons for an oath or vow or any other useless words verses just a “Yes” or “No”????
1. Is it for Self-Protection?
*Are we are afraid of getting in trouble?
*We fight lying for self-protection by trusting God’s forgiveness!
2. Is it for Self-Gain?
*To obtain something we want.
*We fight lying for self-gain by trusting God’s faithfulness!
3. Is it for Self-Promotion?
*To make ourselves look good and/or to get people to like us.
*We fight lying for self-promotion by trusting in our Christian Identity!
Imagine for a moment that you are living in Jesus’ time. It is before Jesus has begun His public ministry. He is a carpenter in your local town of Nazareth. You have asked Jesus to make a table for you. You’re on a deadline and you must have it in a week. You agree on the price of $100 for the table and the date of one week for completion.
A week later you arrive to pick up the table. You lay your money down on the table and Jesus says, “Mr. Johnson, I am sorry but the table is not ready. I ran into complications. Also, I can no longer honor the price I gave you. It is now $150 instead of $100.”
Two years later you hear about this same Jesus who is preaching to the local townspeople.
How are you going to view this Jesus? You probably won’t give much credence to His message because of your personal experience.
* Our lives have an ability to reinforce the message we stand for, or they can violate it and make it totally ineffective.
This literally happens all over the world in different settings with Christian workplace believers. Our message becomes ineffective because we have not done what we said.
I know people who, when they tell me they plan to do something, I can expect them to follow through about 50 percent of the time.
I am sure you have had the same experience. Words and commitments are made with little meaning behind those words.
However, I know others who will follow through almost every time. The only time they don’t is when something falls outside their control.
We quickly learn whose words have substance behind them.
*There are times when we are unable to perform or deliver what we promised due to outside influences.
* The key to turning these potentially negative circumstances into a witness for Christ is Communication.
* If, for example, we are unable to pay a bill on time, we must communicate with those we owe and make a good faith effort to resolve it within our means.
In these cases, God’s purposes are being performed as well if we seek to do the honest right thing.
*Do your words mean anything to those who hear them?
* Do you make commitments and fail to follow through on them?
* What would others say about how you follow through?
Ask the Lord today to show you how you are doing in this area. You might even want to ask three people who are the closest to you how you fare in this area.
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” – John 8:34
***The degree to which YOU perceive that YOU are forgiven, is the degree to which YOU will love God.(Think on Cross)
What are the habits that keep you from becoming all that God may want you to become? Do you desire change enough to be accountable in a way that it costs you something when you fail?
*Move Forward and Ask a friend to hold you accountable in an area that needs change (which we ALL need some change). You will find new freedom as you conquer old be setting habits.
Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD, till He comes and rains righteousness on you.
Lord, Wake me up, and help me be renewed. Lord help me Arise to a place of life and energy both spiritually and naturally. Lord come to US like the rain that refreshes and softens the ground of our hearts to allow YOUR expression of life and growth. Lord it is time to break up the fallow ground of my heart, those places that have become hardened and unproductive as a result of difficult challenges. Lord, remove the darkness of the past and flood US with the light of YOUR LOVE and HOPE. Help Us to communicate your way! With a simple truthful “Yes” or a “No” and mean what we say! Help me be accountable to You Lord. Help me think more before I speak knowing more now of the power of words. Help me use words to encourage and build up verses words to tear down. Thank you for Your patience with me-a sinner saved by Grace. Help me be more like You Jesus in all areas of my life! In Jesus Name, Amen