July 7, 2010 Sticks, Stones and Word-Grenades

I remember learning a sort of proverb when I was a kid: "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me."  Children try to believe what their elders tell them-- it's in their basic make-up to do so.  But when their own sense of right and wrong contradicts what they've been told, it's very confusing.  The old adage wasn't true, of course; it was a terrible type of denial, that instead of protecting me, left me very vulnerable to the injury of other people's words.  Lying statements about a person, when undetected or undefused, go deep down into a person's psyche and erode like acid, or they can later go off like bombs, debilitating and even destroying them.

Today we came across the very short, and somewhat hidden statement about Jabez (if you don't at least skim the geneologies and other parts of the Bible you consider boring, you miss important nuggets, or even a best-selling book!).  Here was an innocent kid being told over and over, simply by hearing his name, that he was a pain! (and possibly other words of a mother who had a bad attitude): "Come here, YouCausePain, and do these dishes for me.  That's the least you can do to make up for the suffering you've caused!"  Ouch! 

As Christians, we tend to name our children truthful and empowering things, and for a good reason!  God didn't change people's names for kicks--  He knew what names can do to people.  Names, when well-chosen, can help a child reach his or her full potential in God.  Parents should continue in that vein, speaking the truth in love over their children, as well as nurturing them in other ways.  We're going to make mistakes, obviously, but if we discover we've said something hurtful or untrue,  it is "best practice" to immediately ask a child's forgiveness and replace the untruth with the word of God.  Children also need to be taught what to do when they are ridiculed and picked on, since everyone is at one time or another. Sensitive children, especially, can really be hurt by this and need reinforcement.  The earlier we learn to receive God's comfort and allow Him to build us up with truth, the better.

We're not told how Jabez managed to become "more honorable than his brothers"-- God may have sent someone along to help him.  Since we're told about his prayer, he must have early turned to God in his disappointment.   
I wish this happened more often, but I have listened to the stories of many adults whose personalities were twisted and whose minds were warped by the things they were called as a child (along with other problems of their environment).  We see, however, that if a person will call out to God in faith, He will take up their case, deliver them from evil, restore their personhood, and bless them in their life with His favor.  Jabez even asked for a greater platform in which to testify of God's goodness.  God was able to use for good what the enemy meant for evil.  This is true for anyone who will turn to the Lord rather than remain in bitterness. 

God was able to use the lying statements of the Jews about Paul to get him to an even higher platform.  This could not have happened if Paul had buckled under the barrage of accusations being flung at him for years.  It is extremely important that we learn to hear God's words over us, over our life and person.  We have to believe Him and not the rest of the world, abusive or flattering as it may be.  If there's ever a time of "tearing down" in our life, it probably has a lot to do with tearing down the ways we operate based on lies we've believed about ourselves.  We can only reach our full potential if we are standing on the truth.  God says of you:   
"Rejoice, you who put your trust in Me;
You will shout for joy, because I defend you;
You will be joyful in Me, because you love My name.
I the LORD, will bless You, because you are the righteous in Christ;
I will surround you with My favor as with a shield." from Psalm 5: 11-12 

May 12, 2010 Bullies in a Battle of Words

We're always going to get tested to see what our true motivations are.  King Saul was tested, and he flunked.  If we look at the story only in the natural we might want to take Saul's part; but if you see what Samuel saw, you'll realize what went wrong, and why the kingdom was to be taken away from him.

The king and his son were the only ones who had swords!  The oppressive enemy had seen to it that the people had none (and they put up with it!)  In the spiritual sense, Saul was the one who had the word of God-- and he disobeyed it.  His explanation sounds plausible, but Samuel says other wise.  Saul was not "a man after God's heart," and therefore his kindgom would not continue.

David, on the other hand was a man after God's heart.  He knew not to fight the enemy without the Lord going before him:  "Give us help from trouble, For the help of man is useless.  Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies." Psalm 108:12-13  Saul sought his own glory, but David sought the glory of God.

Jesus said, "He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him." John 7:18
Jesus said only what His Father told Him to say.  He only sought the glory of the Father, and now the kingdom of Christ has been established over all.

We get tested when the enemy is there taunting us and making threats, and we think the Lord isn't doing anything about it.  Sometimes He doesn't "show up" fast enough for us.  If we don't have the Word in us, we're going to go run and hide in a cave, and the bully gets a victory.  If we do have the Word, but we don't have God's heart, we will speak and act presumptuously.  We may have been better off running and hiding.  When we speak the Word or do an "obedient" action out of God's time, and with a selfish motivation, we can easily become a weapon in the hands of the enemy.

"A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit."
Proverbs 15:4

I think we know, by now, that the perverseness is in the heart (if it were in the physical tongue, we could all cut out our tongues out and be very righteous indeed!).  Words can be swords.  How many times have our rash words broken another's spirit, and, in turn, our own?  I cannot begin to count the times I have done this.  But it happens less often now, because I'm tired of hurting others and suffering the pain of it myself-- and I'm tired of grieving the Holy Spirit. I want a wholesome tongue.  I want a whole heart after God.

Powerlessness is a bad thing, and God wants to deliver us from it.  But power without godly authority is deadly.  We cannot inherit the kingdom of God by walking in power without love and submission to God.  We can't beat the devil with the devil's attitudes.  For one thing, we must realize that Satan is already defeated; but we still must destroy his works.  God will help us destroy the works of the enemy if we have God's heart and are seeking His glory and not our own.

Jesus is the Tree of Life.  The more we yield to the Spirit and allow Him to grow that Tree in our heart, the more life-giving our words will be.  This is God's heart for you, and for all His children.  Some of Satan's strategy would be to irritate you so much that you hack away at the Tree growing in someone else's garden.  Let's be patient with one another, and look for and nourish that Tree.  At this moment, it might be just be a seedling that needs to be nurtured and protected.  Someday, it will be a great Tree that will offer shelter to the lost and dying.

March 15, 2010

The Scripture readings for the last couple of days have spoken loudly to me about how people's words can steer the course of events.   Yesterday, we read "By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked." Proverbs 11:11  Today, Proverbs says that sometimes we need to hold our tongue.

I could write a whole lot about this, but instead, I'd like to encourage you to check it out for yourself.  How many examples can you find of people speaking words that influenced the future?  Were they positive or negative?

I'll give you an example:  look at Balaam and Zechariah.   These two men were both supposed to speak words from God that would effect the nation of Israel.  God had to intervene in each of these men's lives to keep them from opposing His plan with their words.   Balaam was confronted by an angel and so was Zechariah.  It was both these men's potential words that were an issue.  When they accepted God's will and were willing to speak in agreement with it, they were each released to prophecy and bless.

Too many times, I find myself opposing the Lord by speaking negatively.  I have discovered that it is not a peaceful place to be!  It's this very lack of peace that opposes me and brings me around to seek for God's perspective on my life and circumstances, or His attitude towards people, and causes me to get my speaking in line with His.  

What kinds of things have you found opposing you lately?  Do you think it might have anything to do with what you've been saying?