The title for this blog is not of my own originality. I read these words during a devotional time. Christine and I are currently reading the Book of Isaiah. We are using Ray Ortlund’s commentary as we study the text. ‘A reknewed confidence’ were words that he used in one of his sections.
If you have read my previous blog series about our nation being ‘A Nation of P.O.W.’s’, then you will understand the backround for my following thoughts.
Our nation is being subjected to a constant barrage of verbal rhetoric that has been dismantling the confidence in our governmental system as a nation, destroying our way of life, slowly taking away our freedoms, and delegitimizing our Constitution.
I strongly believe that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Those were the Apostle Paul’s words in Ephesians 6:12. (NKJV). It is one thing to say this; it is another thing to “…withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Ephesians 6: 13b, NKJV) That is why we need to pray for those in authority over us and that is why we need to prayerfully push back against the forces of darkness in the Name of the Lord.
But before we stand and speak words in prayer against the forces of darkness, we need to ask God to forgive us of our sin regarding how we speak and the words that we use.
The place of our beginning is repentance.
The scriptures have a lot to say about the words that we speak and how we use our tongue. The Book of Proverbs, the Psalms and the Book of James probably contain the most direct teaching about our use of words; however, we cannot overlook or minimize the words of Jesus about the responsibility of the words we speak and the source of our words. Consider Matthew 12:34-37 where Jesus speaks directly to the Pharisees regarding their insinuation that He performed His signs “by Beelzebub, the ruler of demons.” Jesus systematically and categorically dismantles their premise and castigates them, saying in verses 34-37, “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it, in the day of judgment. For by your words you will condemned.”
In another incident involving the Pharisees and their questioning of Jesus about His disciples not following the “tradition of the elders” regarding the washing of their hands and the eating of food, Jesus, upon His completion of dialoguing with the Pharisees, speaks first to the multitudes to explain what He was saying to the Pharisees; and then He is asked by Peter to explain the parable that He used teaching the people. Jesus says to His disciples, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach an is eliminated? But those things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things that defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”
The Apostle Paul, writing to the Church in Ephesus, says in chapter 5: 11-12, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in darkness.”
As Christians we need to watch what we say. We need to pay attention to the conversations we become engaged in with other people. Let me point out that it is easy to get involved in political gossip. Consider the words of the psalmist, David, who prayed, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice works with men who work iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies.” (Psalms 141:3,4 NKJV)
Also, let us consider these words of David, who said to the Lord, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart , Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” (Psalms 19:14, NKJV)
In consideration of 2 Chronicles 7:14, that says, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” [ Let me insert here that in Isaiah 58 God’s people were going through the motions seeking God, fasting, and calling upon His name and He was not paying attention. Isaiah explains why?] Have you had anyone tell us what specific sin(s), what ‘wicked ways’, the Church needs to ‘turn from’? May I suggest that we need to turn away from political g.o.s.s.i.p. (gossip only shares speech injuring people).
Let me pose a question, based upon the words that you hear being thrown about in our nation daily, what would you conclude is the condition of the ‘heart’ of this nation?
Are we a nation of political gossip? Have, we as believers in Christ, allowed ourselves to get caught up in that political gossip, and thereby become ‘prisoners of words’?
At this time I would like to encourage you to reflect upon the passages of scripture that have been presented. Obviously, I need to apply them carefully and appropriately to my own life, and ask the Lord to forgive me of speaking words that are wrong as a believer in Jesus Christ. I need to ask the Lord to cleanse my heart. I need to set a guard over my mouth and not become engaged in political gossip.
Then, I would like for you to consider praying for our nation and asking God to forgive us for the shameful use of words that are spoken daily in our nation, and to cleanse the ‘heart’ of our nation.
Please pray.
TBC
Living Words of Encouragement 