There are those who speak what they think, and in doing so cause great havoc in the lives of others. These people, if not careful, form wrong conclusions many times over. We must not be like this, and we must come from a place of truth, where the love of the Father shines through, even when we have to hold others accountable to the biblical standards that God has set aside for all of us. Paul Harvey used to tell “The rest of the story” which is the whole story, not just part of it. We must be like this as believers! We must also be willing to “Take the plank out of our own eye” before willing to speak to others about the “Plank in their own eyes.”
As believers, we have to be careful that we don’t look at a white sheet of paper and only see a small black dot on it, when a believer falls into the trap of sin. For we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. We must help them, and forgive completely, even when it affects us greatly. For this is one of the greatest commandments, as well as “loving our neighbors as ourselves.”
A lady, years ago, was complaining about a neighbor’s window being so dirty one winter, which bugged her a great deal. When spring came, she went outside and looked out through her own window and was shocked to find that it was her own window that was dirty, not her neighbors.
This is why we must “Think Before Speaking” and to push a little further, we must “Pray Before Speaking.” For it is with our tongue that great harm can be inflicted upon others, as stated in Proverbs.
We need to be led by the Holy Spirit in what we do or say. Jesus declared, “The Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth.” We must claim this and realize the need for the Holy Spirit, even as we are talking with others, whether they be friends, neighbors, or co-workers. This is why I pray for God to be the filter in what I say daily, I encourage you to do the same. For in doing this, we give God the control that He should have over what we say.
When I think of those who speak for a living, I think of the saying, “We need to know when to get up, speak up, and to shut up.” If we give God control, he can guide us into which one He wants us to do. This is why we must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit!
As Christians, we must THINK BEFORE SPEAKING or we might do more damage than good in other’s life. As Christians, we can also cause others to re-think their relationship with Jesus, which can be detrimental to the “soul-winning” that God calls us to do. Remember, we are ambassadors for Christ.
I urge all of you to pray before you go out, and to never say anything that brings people down. In doing this, we will not be like the Salt that has lost its flavor! Instead, we will be like a light on a lighthouse, leading others to the Heart of God.
Learning – Speaking
“Speaking” softly and carrying a big stick, that is what the Good Shepherd (Jesus) did as He took care of his sheep during his time here on earth. This is also what He does, even today, as He guides us into being who we are created to be, so that we can fulfill our purpose here on earth. Unfortunately, there are many who represent who Jesus is wrongly, and just carry a “big stick” around. We must not be like this.
Jesus spoke in parables in order to keep things simple. Even His Word says, “I use the simple to confound the wise.” We must be able to keep things simple, and at the same point be willing to speak softly to those in need. We also need to come to Jesus as CHILDREN, which the Bible commands. In doing this, we will constantly be “Learning” and growing in who God has created us to be and also speaking life into others.
WE must also be like farmers (Born-again Believers) and till the Land (Non-Believers). In doing this, we will “plow deeply” with God’s help, so that the Land can become fertile and become abundant with life, which is life found only in Jesus. WE must also be wise and follow the guiding of the Holy Spirit, which is best portrayed when Jesus talked about the “Sower of the Seeds” in one of his most famous parables.
REMEMBER, the natural man does not understand the things of the Spirit, for it is our Spirit which is in communion with God that understands the things of God, the more we yield to Him. As talked about in former articles, we must “not be ashamed of the gospel” for it is the Word of God that leads souls and prodigals to the Love of the Father. In doing so, God sets captives free, even today. This is the Good News that God is speaking to humanity today.
The Bible is the basic instruction for Life, the only instruction, and this is why we should be “Learning” and “speaking” the Word of God into not just our lives, but others, so that they can be reconciled with God’s heart. In doing so, “the captives will be set free” and we will be able to be “farmers” in God’s land.
There’s a song that says, “Deeper, deeper, I am in love with Jesus, let me go Higher, Higher, Higher…” Like the apostle Paul, we must be willing to follow Christ at all costs, and in doing so, we will reap a “harvest” that will make the Father so very proud.
The problem the apostle Paul had, on his time on earth, was the Church constantly fell back into sin, and into the lifestyles that God did not want them to have. We must not be like this, and we must sometimes take the role of the Shepherd, and guide the flock back to the Way. The only thing that we must remember, is to not use the “big stick” for it is “kindness that leads to repentance.”
REMEMBER: We are born to grow and to help other’s grow, in all aspects, mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. In order to do this though, we have to be connected to the Vine (Jesus, John 15:1), and the Word of God. In doing this, we will continue our purpose, both “Learning” and “Speaking” what God has revealed to us.