Think Before You Speak

Think Before You Speak

‘Think before you speak.’ I have been saying this to myself a great deal lately. Not because I have been saying anything that is necessarily bad or wrong; I’ve just been talking too much and sometimes focused on the wrong thing. The Holy Spirit of God has been dealing with me about this.

I have found myself saying things to:

• Be witty; although I had the opportunity to share Godly wisdom
• Get people laughing; when I should have been shining as a light for God’s glory
• Entertain; rather than engaging the hearts and minds of others with the Good News of Jesus Christ

I have always used humor as a way to break down barriers and facilitate discussion. And to some degree, this has been effective and useful. Yet even as I grow in the grace and knowledge of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I have found myself doing this more and more in social settings, at work, and even at church.

When my words and/or attempts at humor become excessive, I am bringing attention to myself rather than pointing others to the Lord. The Bible has a lot to say about talking too much. Here are few examples:

• Proverbs 10:19 In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise.
• When you talk too much, pride, self-centeredness, ego, bragging, etc. are often at the center or your words. Withholding your words can be a sign of wisdom.
• Ecclesiastes 5:3 For a dream comes through much activity, And a fool’s voice is known by his many words.
• Achieving a goal takes hard work; but some would rather talk than work.
• Matthew 6:7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
• Even with God it is possible to talk before you think: prayers where you uselessly and/or endlessly repeat the same thing over and over without conviction or meaning; trying to make a ‘deal’ with God; hastily making a vow/commitment to God; praying for something that is inappropriate…
• Also see Proverbs 15:2, Psalm 37:30, James 1:19, James 1:26, and many other verses.

The Bible also provides examples of when the wrong focus caused someone to speak before they carefully considered what they were saying.

Peter

What was Peter focused on when Jesus spoke of His upcoming death and resurrection?

• Matthew 16:22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
• Peter had just proclaimed that Jesus was the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:13-16).
• Could he have been more focused on his expectations of Jesus rather than what Jesus was saying to him.
• Jesus’ response reveals the danger of not stopping to think before you speak – Peter received a very sharp rebuke from Jesus.
• Matthew 16:23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Jephthah

What was Jephthah focused on when he rashly made a vow to God?

• Judges 11:30-31 And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, and said, “If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, 31 then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.”
• Although years earlier Jephthah had been driven away by the elders of his people, now he was being promised the position of leadership over all the people of Gilead if he could lead them to victory in war (Judges 11:1-10).
• Could Jephthah have been more focused on his possible rise to power rather than honoring God in the battle to save the Gileadites?
• Because he spoke his vow without stopping to think, although he won the battle, Jephthah lost his only child.
• Judges 11:34-35 When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, there was his daughter, coming out to meet him with timbrels and dancing; and she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he tore his clothes, and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low! You are among those who trouble me! For I have given my word to the Lord, and I cannot go back on it.”

Being overly focused on humor is just one of many possible contributors to not thinking before you speak. Are you prone to any of the following?

• Trying to sound smart?
• Wanting to come across as tough/indifferent?
• Focused more on making a point rather than listening?
• Trying to sound ‘religious’?
• Gossip/rumors?
• Attempting to make yourself look good by criticizing others?
• Other items not listed here?

What could these or similar tendencies indicate about who and what you are focused on?  Whoever you are talking to, Think Before You Speak!

• Ecclesiastes 5:2 Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few.
• Proverbs 21:23 Whoever guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from troubles.
• Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
• Matthew 12:36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.

There is an appropriate time to every purpose under heaven. Let your words reflect a clear understanding of this truth.

• Ecclesiastes 3:4-5
• A time to weep,
  And a time to laugh;
  A time to mourn,
  And a time to dance;
  5 A time to cast away stones,
  And a time to gather stones;
  A time to embrace,
  And a time to refrain from embracing;

Prayer

Father, I confess that I am sometimes focused on the wrong thing and that I often talk before I think. Please Father, help me yield to the convicting work of Your Holy Spirit in my life. I long to bring honor to You. Whether it is a time for laughing or a time for crying, a time to be serious or a time to relax, help me and all who have surrendered to Jesus honor you with all we say and do. And please Lord, draw many to You for salvation in Jesus Christ. I pray all this in His precious name, Amen.

Overcomers

Overcomers

In verse 37 of Romans Chapter 8, Paul declares, ‘Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.’ Praise God! Christians are equipped and empowered to do, be and accomplish what God has ordained. In Jesus, no power, person or phenomenon can separate us from the love of God and all that His love means for our lives (Romans 8:38-39). In Christ, we are overcomers!

Being an overcomer is a reality we must embrace to experience. There are always doubts, hurdles and impossibilities that stand in the way of achieving what God has gifted and called us to do. But as overcomers, we must press on in obedience regardless of how and what we or others feel, observe or think. To live like the overcomers we are, we must move forward in faith; even when everything else is screaming at us to stop where we are.

We fulfill our call to be overcomers because of who lives in of us.

• John 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
• Ephesians 3:16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
• Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

But we can fall short of our call to be overcomers because of things external to us. Here are some common barriers to living as overcomers.

• Concerns raised can initiate invalid Opinions
• Constraints recognized can intensify impenetrable Obstacles
• Calculations rendered can imply impossible Odds

Diligent, obedient and faithful servants of God break through these barriers in His strength for His glory.

Opinions – Joseph

Is God glorified when concerns cause us to question what God has called us to do? No.

• Genesis 37:8 And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
• At seventeen years old, Joseph’s understanding of what His dreams foretold was limited at best. But his brothers had very strong opinions; to them, Joseph’s dreams validated their hate – not only was he their father’s favorite son, but now they viewed him as arrogant.
• Yet despite being sold into slavery by his brothers, and being thrown into prison for a crime he didn’t commit, Joseph honored and obeyed the Lord through his actions and decisions. Many years passed before Joseph’s family saw the fulfillment of God’s plan; Joseph ruled over Egypt, second only to Pharaoh, and not only saved his family, but also all the people of the land.
• Joseph was an Overcomer!

Obstacles – Moses

Is God glorified when constraints cause us to avoid what God has ordained? No.

• Exodus 14:11 Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?
• Soon after being delivered from slavery in Egypt, the Israelites found themselves trapped – Pharaoh and his army approaching from one side and the Red Sea on the other. All the Israelites could see was the obstacle that blocked their escape – in horror they longed to return to Egypt and run from the destiny God had ordained for them.
• But God was faithful and Moses was obedient; the Lord miraculously parted the Red Sea and created a safe passage for His chosen people to escape. Moses led the people as they left behind hundreds of years of slavery and moved forward towards the fulfilment of God’s covenant with Abraham.
• Moses was an Overcomer!

Odds – Gideon

Is God glorified when calculations cause us to doubt what God can do? No.

• Judges 7:2 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’
• 300 against 135,00; what chance could these Israelites have in a battle against the Midianites? Do the math – no matter how smart, no matter how strong, no matter how experienced in battle, the 300 soldiers of Israel could not win this battle.
• Well, that’s exactly the point. Using Gideon, the least in his father’s house, from the weakest clan in his tribe, as only He could do, God brought victory and freedom from oppression despite impossible odds.
• Gideon was an Overcomer!

When we believe God and obey Him,

we fulfill our call to be Overcomers!

Consider what happened when Moses sent men to spy out Canaan – ten of the twelve spies he sent did not overcome the barriers listed above. As a result, the Nation of Israel did not enter the Promised Land at that time and were made to wander in the desert for forty years

• Number 13:27-28 Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there.
• Opinions – ‘the people who dwell in the land are strong’
• They felt that the people of the land were too strong to overcome. They did not trust and obey God.
• Obstacles – ‘the cities are fortified and very large’
• They observed that the fortified cities could not be breached. They did not trust and obey God.
• Odds – ‘moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there’
• They determined that they couldn’t win in a battle against giants. They did not trust and obey God.

But forty years later, Joshua, a faithful and obedient servant of God, led the Israelites into the Promised Land and on to victory.

• Joshua 1:8-9 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
• Joshua heeded God’s Word and embraced the instructions and encouragement he received from God. Joshua trusted and obeyed God.
• Joshua was an Overcomer!

Christians are Overcomers!

But do we live like it?

Prayer

Faithful Father, so often I fail to embrace the reality that in Christ Jesus I am an overcomer. I am guilty of letting doubts, fears and perceived impossibilities stand in the way of victory in the things You have called me to do. Please forgive me. Please help me to trust and obey. Bless Your people and help us all to live as the overcomers You made us in Jesus. May the truth of Your Word draw many lost to salvation in Jesus. For it is in His precious name that I pray. Amen.