Be careful what you say

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit."   

                                                                                         Proverbs 18:21  CSB 

Tony Evans writes a very important statement here:

'What the tongue says reflects the heart. So when our words towards another person are bitter, it's because our hearts are bitter. What comes out of our mouth represents the overflow of our hearts.'          The Tony Evans Study Bible, Holman Publishing

Matthew gives another strong scripture, 'For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.'  Matthew 12:37.

We have to be careful what we confess. When we are not in control, all sorts of negativity can be spoken. We tend to speak before we've processed what we're going to say. Other people shoot from the hip letting rip with choice words that are like daggers to the heart. Make no mistake, we will have to give an account one day, for all the wrong words we have spoken; therefore, get it right now!

It's not only the bitter words that we speak but also the everyday ones. These are the words that just flow from the tongue and, may include unwholesome comments. We can be so used to them that they have taken up residence within us. Here's a sample of them:

'I nearly died of fright'. 'These shoes are killing me'. 'I can't stand that person'. 

'I'll never be able to do this'. 'I've had enough, I'd be better off dead'

These are only a few of the phrases that may come out of our mouths. The thing is, they carry power; they are not just idle words, they carry a curse, a threat and whatever else. 'Death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit.'

This is an important principle to remember. We must be in control of our mouths. Better still, we need God to clean up our hearts because, this is where it all begins.

In simple terms, what you confess, you will get. So choose your words wisely. It may be helpful to think before you speak. This is why James wrote, 'Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger'  James 1:19. It's a good principle to live by.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Live now, pay later

"The rich rule over the poor and the borrower is a slave to the lender."  

                                                                                           Proverbs 22:7   CSB

This is such a contentious area - should we borrow money or have a no debt policy. We should always live within our means; an excessive loan can become a form of bondage to some people.

Unless we are fortunate to be able to buy a house outright, without having to get a mortgage, then we will need to approach the bank. This is a massive chunk of money and for many, will be the largest amount of money they will ever have to take on.

Therefore, the title of today's reading - 'Live now, pay later', becomes a positive issue in our lives because, when the mortgage is paid off, we will owe no more. We have lived through this period and now the payback is, freedom from the debt. The negative part of 'Live now, pay later', is that it is so easy to allow our credit cards to do the taking, 'We'll buy this today and pay it off when the bill comes in at the end of the month.' This is fine to do this; however, many don't and when the bill comes in, only pay the small amount leaving a balance carried over. This soon mounts up and the credit card becomes a large part of life and before too long, the credit card limit is breeched.

We should always avoid excessive debt and this can be done by living within our means. Once a person is in debt, the lender begins to have the power over them and the borrower becomes the slave. 

If you are in debt then do something about it. It can't be hidden away, things will only become worse if you try this. There are many debt counsellors around but perhaps the starting point should be to approach the lender, explaining the situation. They will listen and attempt to negotiate a sensible repayment plan. If you don't do this, things will just become worse.

Talk to Jesus about this but, I am sure He will favour approaching the lender with an honest approach. Jesus will help you but, don't expect Him to pay it. He can and He might but it's unlikely because, it is a learning curve for you. He will though, be with you every inch of the way.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Trials

"Consider it a great joy, my brothers and my sisters, whenever you experience various trials 3 Because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance."    

                                                                                          James 1:2-5   CSB 

Let us dig a little deeper into these verses to gain more understanding. 'Trials', are divinely ordained difficulties that God can choose to put us through. He does this so that we can learn and become more mature. He is our coach and, coach's put sports people through the mill in order for them to become better players. God wants the same result from us and will stop at nothing to perform this.

Note in verse 2 that, James writes the word, 'whenever'. He didn't say, 'if' because He was more certain that the trial would happen rather than not at all. God sends trials our way - physical, emotional, relational and financial. He expects us to be joyful while we go through them because this makes us more like Jesus by handling and overcoming the trials.

There are many examples in the bible, of people going through trials; Jesus was most definitely one as He went through so many ordeals. God sometimes, may go to extremities to make us willing. Check out Jonah for one. He chose not to obey God and evangelise Nineveh. Instead, he caught a ship going the opposite way and this was caught in a major storm, where Jonah was thrown overboard with charges that he was a jinx. He then ended up being swallowed by a whale. We cannot out manoeuvre God, so don't try.

God wants us to endure the trials having a great sense of joy about us.Remember, joy is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). A hearty time of laughter can be so rewarding to us when things are not so good. It is the main ingredient required in trials - joy and laughter promote peace and happiness.

Think about this, If there appears to be no route through the trial, then praise God and allow the joy to begin. Learn to laugh at yourself through all of the negativity and, before too long, you will have come through the trial. The test will be completed and you will be rewarded.

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My Grace is Sufficient for you. Part 2

"My grace is sufficient for you, (My loving kindness and mercy are more than enough - always available - regardless of the situation) for My power is being perfected (and is completed and shows itself most effectively) in (your) weakness."   

                                                                                     2 Corinthians 12:9   Amplified 

Let us build upon our reading from yesterday. Things come upon us and it is difficult to find a way through. Let's look at our Amplified text:

MORE THAN ENOUGH

Jesus' loving kindness and mercy are more than enough. He has the ability to meet every need you are going through at this time. You may think, 'this is impossible', but God works in the realm of the impossible, nothing can or will, stop Him once you have called on Him for help. He will be there and what He will bring you is, more than enough to deal with the problem.

ALWAYS AVAILABLE

What is more, He is always available - always there whatever time of day or night that you need Him. He loves you and is committed to helping you get through bad things. Call on Him and He will hear you and act accordingly Psalm 18:6.

REGARDLESS OF THE SITUATION

No matter what is happening in your life today - regardless of the situation, He is able to resolve things for you. When you're weak, He is strong. He is able where you are unable. He 'can do' where you 'can't do'. Do you get the picture?

You may have been climbing the walls with worry and fear because of what has happened. Straightaway, you have made a mistake. God doesn't want you to worry or fear, it only leads to panic. Yes, it is understandable but, we must stick to the rules - God's Word Luke 8:50/ Matthew 6:25-34.

He will come and pour His strength and power on your situation - the one which is making you weak

. What you can't do, He can and will, if you call on Him and give Him free rein to work.

Just relax - the King of kings is sorting out your situation!

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My Grace is Sufficient for you

 "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness."  

                                                                                         2 Corinthians 12:9   CSB

Suffering is a tool God uses for building Godly character. None of us are particularly happy when we go through a time of suffering and, when it is intense, it can be difficult to come to terms with the fact that God allows this suffering to take place.

Unlike Satan, who loves to see us suffer, God has good purposes in mind. Sometimes our self-sufficiency can get in the way of God; so therefore He breaks us down so that He can re-use us more effectively and give us a greater anointing. If we wasn't weak, we would lack the opportunity to seek His sufficient grace and experience His power. 

Let's be honest, whenever we go through a period of suffering, it can be awful. We feel so weak and humiliated that there appears to be nothing we can do about the situation. This is the place God wants us to be. He wants us to remember that whenever we are humiliated, fearful and have a feeling of being bullied and 'ganged up' on, then God is at hand and tells us, 'My grace is sufficient.'

Perhaps this is how you are feeling today. Things have been going well and then, all of a sudden you are hit by an Exocet missile - 'flaming arrows of the evil one' Ephesians 6:16. This is why, we should always be on guard, 'be alert, your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for anyone he can devour' 1 Peter 5:8.

What can we do at times like this? James tells us in 1:2, 'Consider it a great joy my brothers and sisters whenever you experience various trials, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.' Initially, this verse appears unhelpful, however, on a closer examination, it shows us that God has sent the trial to help us overcome such things. Secondly, to remind us that Jesus Christ is still on the throne, no matter what.

The bottom line is, 'When I am weak, then I am strong' 2 Corinthians 12:10. God is reassessing your protection (1) Remember He is with you, (2) Check out your armour  Ephesians 6:13-18

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Stop trying to do it yourself

"Casting all your cares (all your anxieties, all your worries and all your concerns, once and for all) on Him, for He cares for you (with deepest affection and watches over you very carefully).                                           1 Peter 5:7  Amplified Study Bible 

Jesus is the one constant in life and the one true friend as well. If you haven't already, you are going to come up against people who don't share this belief and they will do all they can to give you a bad time. But do not fear, God can handle anything that you place in His hands and He is committed to this, as long as you obey Him. Notice these two conditions:

PLACE IT IN HIS HANDS 

It's a pointless exercise if you place something in God's hands and then try to sort it out yourself. It is counterproductive because God knows what He is doing and, quite often You don't; and are prone to make matters worse.

OBEY HIM

God will not help you if you are walking in the opposite direction, causing major problems. You must be in obedience to Him and not acting in a hypocritical manner, sounding off to all you see. What comes out of your mouth has the potential to negate and you then lose the victory.

God wants you to give Him all of your anxieties, your worries and your concerns. In other words, He wants you to release it all to Him. You either walk with the world or with Him. You can't do both, serving two masters Matthew 6:24.

You may have a problem today; if so bring it to God and ask Him to help you. Psalm 55:22 tells us:

'Cast your burden on the LORD (release it) and He will sustain and uphold you. He will never allow the righteous to be shaken (slip, fall, fail).

Place it in His hands and continue to live in obedience and peace towards Him. If you give it to Him and then try to sort it out yourself, He will consider that you can do it yourself. If you want Him to help, leave it to Him. This is not being irresponsible, not at all, it is showing God you need His help and are willing to make whatever change He tells you to.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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What is the condition of your temple?

"do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you - "  

                                                                                     1 Corinthians 6:19   NKJV 

In John 2:13-20, prior to the Passover, Jesus went up to the temple in Jerusalem. What He found displeased Him immensely. Oxen, sheep and doves were being sold and money was being exchanged in the House of God. The condition of this temple was a vivid picture of the spiritual condition of this nation; and there is little difference today in many areas of our society.

The temple needs purifying and the thing is, we are this temple - the Holy Spirit dwells within us and things will not change, until God's people make a stand against the things that are being forced upon the individual with threats of possible court action if a person does not agree with certain lifestyles.

The bible is very clear about what is right and wrong from a Christian perspective. If a person makes a stand against abortion, homosexuality, same-sex marriages, gay vicars and transsexuals, then they take the risk of being accused of discriminatory behaviour and could end up having to face action against them. The bottom line however, is that Christians have rights too.

A Christian either believes God's Word or they don't. There is no chance of allowing it to be watered down to fit the occasion, not if we belong to Jesus. We see above, Jesus making a stand against the defiling of the temple. He drove these people out of God's house, He didn't ignore it. They were making a mockery of all that God stands for, so, is this how we should act against what we see in society today?

As a Christian yourself, what does the Holy Spirit say to you about all of this? If you accept it, then surely you are taking the risk that your temple will become decayed. On the other hand, if you make a stand against it all, you take the risk that you will be ridiculed and targeted. 

Also, what about if a family member goes the way of the world and becomes involved in all of this. Would you have nothing more to do with them? To do so, would be heartbreaking to one and all, so one should never disown them. The answer would be to love and accept them through it all but you don't have to agree with their lifestyle. I feel this is what Jesus would want. 

One thing we should never do however, is compromise our faith. God's Word is the truth so, how would He handle what is happening in the world today? Should we leave it to Him to sort out or, would He expect us to do something about it?

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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