What is the real cost of a negative word??

“He who guards his mouth keeps his life, but he who opens wide his lips

comes to ruin.”

Proverbs 13:3

 

In my previous post I spoke about trusting God in spite of the circumstances

that surround us on a daily basis. . But there is something

we need to be aware of that can quickly stifle God’s work in our lives. And

that is to do with the words we speak.

The thing is this, we know the power of our words. There is so much teaching

in the word about the power of our words. The understanding is there but we

need to do it more and more.

 

It’s NOT okay to speak negatively once in a while. Every time we are reckless with our

words something happens! This life is war friends and we can’t afford to speak death,

even if it’s once in a while. It’s not okay to speak negatively even if everyone is doing it.

 

Everyone at work may be talking about the boss but it’s not okay for you to join in

with them.

“He who guards his mouth keeps his life, but he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.”

 

Things may be falling apart in the country you living in and “everyone” is tearing down

the government with their words but once again, it’s not okay to join in and tear them down

with your words.

“He who guards his mouth keeps his life, but he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.”

 

Your friends may be gossiping about someone but it’s not okay to join in with them.

“He who guards his mouth keeps his life, but he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.”

 

We need to step up our vigilance with the words we speak.

Our words will make a way for God to do great things in our lives or stop His

miracles dead in their tracks!

How can YAH move on your behalf if you always talking about how there is no

way for you and your family?

He can’t move on your behalf if you telling everyone how doomed you are, how you

will always to struggle to pay school fees, and so on!

 

I am not saying don’t talk about the difficult things you face. Storms are a

part of life on this earth. Speak about the problem but remember to speak

about the God who saves. Speak about the God who delivers,

about the God who answers prayer.

The focus should be on the God who will carry us through whatever comes

our way and and not on the problems!

Our conversations need to change for sure if we are going to see change.

Let’s look at one more scripture.

 

“Who is the man who desires life,

and loves many days, that he may

see good?

Psalm 34:12

 

I don’t know about you but I desire life, and I want to live long

to see good.

The author mentions a few things we need to do

if we are to have life, and have long life.

 

We are to depart from evil and do good;

seek peace and pursue it. (Psalm 34:14)

 

But look at what’s at the top of that list,

 

“Keep your tongue from evil,

and your lips from speaking deceit.”

Psalm 34:13

 

Like I said before, we are at war.

We can’t let the hard things we face suck out every trace of faith in our words.

It’s the faith in our words that YAH responds to.

That’s what opens doors, that’s what makes a way for YAH to move in our lives!

 

This is a challenge to us all,

 

“He who guards his mouth keeps his life, but he who opens wide his lips

comes to ruin.”

Proverbs 13:3

 

Bless you friends….

 

Rolain

 

 

An interesting road…..!!!

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

 

The road of right living bypasses evil;

Watch your step and save your life.

Proverbs 16:17

 

We are on the road of right living and it’s an

interesting road indeed. The interesting thing

about this road is, it bypasses evil!!!

I don’t think that was a mistake.

As we walk on this interesting road we have

a decision to make:

Keep walking, don’t turn to the left or the right,

look straight ahead or

get distracted by the evil. Stop and allow the evil

to take you off the path!

 

The warning to us is, “watch your step and save your life!”

 

As you walk on the road God has for you watch your step.

It bypasses close to evil, within touching distance!

God would not allow us to walk that way if it could destroy us!

One thing is most definite, the road to right living will

not be an easy one…..! Watch your step friends!!!

 

Rolain

 

 

Staying pure in your singleness!

I have been reading a book called “Hero” written by Fred Stoeker. It has been a Godsend. It has really challenged me concerning my purity! This is not a review of the book. I want to encourage you to read it if you are single especially if you are a man! It is up there with books like “Boy meets girl”, and “I kissed dating goodbye” by Joshua Harris. (I am biased towards Joshua Harris because I am still to find a book on dating I have enjoyed as much as his books!)

But this is why I am writing this post, because I HAVE found a book that is as good as or even better than the books I have read! As I read “Hero” purity was and is on my mind. Do we really understand what purity is in the context of life and relationships??

The first thought that came to mind was singleness. What is God’s purpose for singleness? Why does He allow us to go through a season of singleness? Singleness is not a time of nothing! It is not the “trailer before the movie”! God has specific purposes and plans for us in our season of singleness! After reading “Hero” I am convinced one of those purposes is to understand what purity is and walk in that understanding!

After reading “Hero” I made a decision:

I will fight for my sexual purity with all that I have! I will not allow the enemy to take it away through his deception and lies! It is my responsibility as a man to take up my sword and fight for my purity! It’s a gift from God which honors Him and will bless my wife! I will not wait for someone else down the line in my family who is more disciplined and who loves God more to fight this fight because I am weak! It stops here….. I will fight for the future generations! I am the one God has called to fight this giant and strike down with His help of course!

Purity is more than abstaining from sex before you get married! Let me show you what I think it is now:

1. It is about watching what you watch! Stop watching those illicit movies! Pornography has to go! What are you watching?

I DICTATED a covenant (an agreement) to my eyes; how then could I look [lustfully] upon a girl? Job 31:1

Job had to make a covenant with his eyes so he could stay pure and we need to do the same! When it comes to purity we can’t play games! It’s a war against anything and everything that will threaten it.

 

2. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, [inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasoning’s and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).  2 Corinthians 10:4-5

Being able to control your thoughts is what purity is all about. After reading “Hero” I realized I had mindsets and thoughts I had adopted from the media which were wrong and not biblical. They had to be torn down and that process is still happening! Bring thoughts that have exalted themselves against Christ.

 

3. I have addressed what you should do with your eyes and your mind. Purity means making a covenant with your eyes by watching what you watch. It is being careful what you think about. Every thought must be brought captive to the obedience of Christ. The next thing is watching what you say.

A man’s [moral] self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; and with the consequences of his words he must be satisfied [whether good or evil]. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life] Proverbs 18:20-21

Put away from you false and dishonest speech, and willful and contrary talk put far from you. Proverbs 4:24

What’s the point if you have decided to watch what you watch and watch what enters your mind when you have a filthy mouth so to speak? It doesn’t add up. Life and death are in the power of the tongue so are you using it to give life or are you killing with that tongue of yours???? Being pure means being able to control how you speak, it means dispensing life with your words!

 

This is the final point:

Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flows the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23

Guard your heart with all that you have! If your heart gets corrupted you will find yourself in a whole heap of trouble! How do you guard your heart?

You guard it by analyzing everything you allow. Everything should be tested. Don’t believe everything, don’t listen to everyone, measure everything according to the word of God! Is the heart pure?? I don’t know! But the one thing we can do is guard it.

 

It looks like there is a lot of work to do in the season of singleness!  It’s an important season of your life. Use the time you have wisely! You won’t be single forever. That is what I think purity is now and that is all thanks to “Hero” the book I read. As I read it purity began to become clear to me! It was then that it dawned on me we have a lot of work to do in our singleness! I hope you will get a copy of the book if you haven’t read it. With that said, please have a great weekend!

Rolain

A note to the busy…….

Do you hear Lady Wisdom calling?

Can you hear Madame Insight raising her voice?

She’s taken her stand at First and Main,

at the busiest intersection.

Right in the city square

where the traffic is the thickest, she shouts,  Proverbs 8:1-3

 

This is a very interesting scripture. Interesting not because she makes a call but where she makes the call. She could of gone to any place and made the call to anyone but the scripture says,

 

“She has taken her stand at First and Main,

at the busiest intersection.

Right in the city square

where the traffic is the thickest, she shouts,

 

It’s so busy that she has to raise her voice. She actually has to shout to get the people’s attention! That got me to think. What were the people doing that she had to shout??? Were they really that busy? I started bringing up possible scenarios……

– A man had to get to the other part of town so he could deliver a package and get paid.

– A mom had to take her kids to school and was running late

– A young man had to meet someone who would fund his business

– A parent had to  rush to the hospital because his child was involved in an accident

– A family had to rush to the airport or they would miss their flight

and so on and so on………… Whatever the reason is for the busyness, they forgot about wisdom because she had to make the call. If they were operating in wisdom in their busyness wisdom would of kept silent but that was not the case.

Doesn’t that describe the kind of world we live in today? Everyone is just so busy today. Too busy to form real relationships. Too busy to stop and care for someone. Too busy to love. Too busy to stop and take time with their children. Too busy to stop and look at their lives and make changes. Too busy to stop and reflect.

Stop! Take some time to listen, someone pretty important is calling. And she is calling you! Will you heed her call or are you just too busy? It’s not wrong to be busy but when that busyness stops you from listening to the voice of wisdom then you have a problem. That is my challenge!

Rolain

 

Walk with the wise….

WORD OF THE DAY.

Become wise by walking with the wise;

 

hang out with fools and…

 

watch your life fall to pieces.

 

 

Become wise by walking with the wise;

hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.

Proverbs 13:20

 

Rolain

The unknown truth about the rich and the poor……

It has been four days, four days since I read that specific scripture. I have not been able to shake it. God wanted to show me something and I think I see it now. The scripture I read is in Proverbs 22;2 and it says,

The rich and the poor shake hands as equals – God made them both. 

God made the rich and the poor and they are equal. The rich have abundant possessions and are wealthy but they are still equal to the poor, to the man and women on the street who have nothing, who struggle just to get a single meal a day, who have to beg to get by day by day, the rich and the poor are equal! We don’t treat the poor like they are equal though. In fact, we demand they beg! How dare they come and embarrass us as we walk. Our money is our weapon against them! They are not our equals. We are superior over them. They must jump when we say jump. We think by having more than them makes us more superior, we are wrong……Lord please forgive us. We are equal! We need to treat them as such.

In the movie “The Dark Knight Rises” we see this kind of erroneous attitude at work. John Daggett who is very wealthy confronts Bane because plans have not gone according to plan.

Daggett tries to assert his authority over Bane because he is wealthy but it doesn’t work. Bane kills him. It’s this kind of attitude that the world has and even Christians. The attitude that looks down on the poor because they have nothing not realizing that God says we are equal!! I was that person. Yes, I had made a point to give to the poor as much as I could but I always saw them as inferior. But I see now, that was wrong. We are equal. The reason God has given what He has given me is so I can be a blessing. Why the poor are poor is none of my business, God just wants me to be a blessing. He wants me to see the poor the way He sees them. He wants me to treat them with respect and He wants me to honor them. They are human beings after all. They have families as well. They have problems and they have doubts, and they have dreams. They have desires and aspirations!!

Just know God has made the poor and rich alike. They are equal. Let us treat them the way God would like us to treat them. God bless….

Rolain

What our lives look like………

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

I love the vivid pictures the word of God paints of our lives…….

This is just one of those pictures,

The lives of good people are brightly lit streets;

 

The lives of the wicked are dark alleys.

 

The lives of good people are brightly lit streets; the lives of the wicked are dark alleys.  Proverbs 13:9

Rolain.

 

 

The call of wisdom.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY.

  “Are you confused about life, don’t know what’s going on?

   Come with me, oh come, have dinner with me!”

    It’s through me, Lady Wisdom, that your life deepens,   Proverbs 9                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

What an amazing portion of scripture. Are you confused about your life??? Wisdom will help you.

Wisdom will bring clarity to your situation.

“It’s through me that your life deepens” claims Wisdom. So deep, so profound!!

Come have dinner with me she says…….She wants you to understand what is happening in your life.

She wants you to have clarity about the confusion in your life.

She doesn’t want you living life confused and unsure. She want’s to give you understanding!

Cry out for wisdom. Don’t wait any longer.

Through wisdom, “the years of your life ripen“!

If that doesn’t get you excited I don’t what will!!!

Wisdom is amazing…….

Will you heed the call of Wisdom. She is waiting…..

Rolain

The desolate, defenseless, poor & needy….

THOUGHT OF THE DAY.

Open your mouth for the dumb [those unable to speak for themselves], for the rights of all who are left desolate and defenseless; 
Open your mouth, judge righteously, and administer justice for the poor and needy.  Proverbs 31:8, 9

God has given us the responsibility of speaking up for those who cannot speak up for themselves. We are to defend the defenseless. We are to stand up for those who cannot stand. Who are the people who cannot speak, and are defenseless and cannot stand? They are the poor, they are the abused, the little children, the widows, the castaway, the aids victims, the people who have been trafficked around the world……the list goes on and on. Who can you stand up for? Who can you defend? This is what God has called us to do.

Open your mouth the word says. Administer justice for the poor and the needy! I like that. We are the ones who are to enforce God’s justice on the earth. If you see injustice then do something about it. Don’t just expect someone else to do it.
God has shown me who to stand up for but because of fear I have shrunk back but I know now that God does not want me to shrink back. He wants me to stand and open my mouth. What about you? Who are you supposed to stand up for?

Before you can stand and speak you need to be able to see. If you can’t see the injustice around you how will you defend? Let us ask God to open our eyes. There are people waiting for us. They are in pain, hopeless, hungry, abandoned, broken and at the brink of death literally. We can’t stand on the sidelines anymore. God, please help us………Give us the courage to step out. Give us the strength to stand and speak out. We will not turn a blind eye and ear to the cry of the abandoned, the hurt, the abused and the poor……Give us the wisdom and the fearlessness to do what You have called us to do. How can we live a life content on being comfortable while others suffer and die on a daily basis. The enemy is destroying whoever he can and we just stand idly by!!!!! We go to church and lift our hands in praise but during the week we ignore the poor, the weak, the homeless, the abused….something is wrong with that picture.

I am so guilty of doing this Lord. Please forgive me for acting blind. Please forgive me for closing my eyes and keeping my mouth closed. Help me from this time forth and help everyone else who reads this and has the same desire to stand up and speak up……We need your help Lord, Amen!                         It is so easy to say a prayer but it’s a whole other ball game acting it out and that is what this world needs, more acting out Christians instead of Christians that think a prayer is enough……..Prayer is key, it’s the foundation of all we do but we need action. There has to be a balance. Let us be the voice God has called us to be…….Amen

Rolain

 

 

The quickest way to ruin!!!

Thought of the Day.

He who guards his mouth keeps his life, but he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. Proverbs 13:3

What situation are you in right now? Do you need a breakthrough? The answer to your situation is found in the scripture I have just shared. Your answer is in what comes out of your mouth. Do you want to have life? Then watch how you speak. There have been so many thoughts of doom running through my mind today. There are situations I need insight and help. And it is so tempting to speak a negative word. It is so easy to give up but the word is very clear. My deliverance is in my mouth. If I cave in to negative words I am finished. What is coming out of your mouth? Make sure you are guarding your mouth. Don’t destroy your life with your words. Think about what comes out of your mouth. Let the word of God flow out.

Rolain