Dear Pastors & Leaders
Passionately in love with Jesus – passionately in love with His word.
Question for you – ‘what value do we put on ourselves and those around us. Value in terms of how we perceive ourselves through our words?’
Don’t just dismiss it, looking and meditating on it might not bring us the answer we thought we would have.
The words we speak are life or death. – Pr 18:20-22
The words we speak are a product of what is in the heart (Matt 12:34), of how we see ourselves and others. Quite possibly the words come from what is subconsciously hidden deep within.
But loving Jesus and His word challenges us to evaluate our deepest thoughts and to make changes where necessary.
Remember the children of Israel – how they must have been so excited, at last leaving Eygpt – the place of captivity – their voices ringing out in praise to God – but within a short time those same voices complained and bemoaned their apparent lack, and authority. They grew weary and rebellious in their words and actions.
It is easy to do when the battles rage and continue to rage. How can we have peace in these times? – here in lies the secret – it’s in the Word, it’s in the promises of God – it’s in the truth that He loves us and wants only our good.
What do we have to do? Deuteronomy 10:12 – 13 ‘What does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statues which I command you this day for your good.’
Deuteronomy 11:18 – 21 ‘Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as a frontlet between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when your rise up, and you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth.’
Mary said at the wedding in Cana, ‘ Whatever He tells you to do, do it.’
Is it time to look at the words we speak, is it time we encourage those in our sphere of influence to take a closer look at their words? Is it time to check the language we speak?
Four pointers this month to think about and to challenge the people in your sphere of influence with:
- Do you major on regrets, rehearsing and re-enforcing them by your words
- Do you disagree with those who say you are worthless
or
- Do you value yourself with your words
- Do you nurture people by the words you speak
God places a high value on us. He wants us to speak with purpose and direction, words of life and encouragement, words of edification.
Jesus never spoke an idle word – every word He spoke had purpose and direction, every word was designed to bring life.
Let’s take a leaf out of Jesus’ book and follow suit
Love and blessings in Jesus