Our Words - Weapons for Life or Death

I was thinking about something that I saw happen a long time ago. I will not mention names, but I will never forget this. There was a woman, and man she was living with, a daughter, and grandson in this family. We went out with this family. I was surprised at what I saw, but maybe I shouldn't have been. It seemed like the whole time we were with them, the grandmother seemed to be hateful toward the grandson. She picked on him and called him derogatory names. I wondered why anyone would do that. Our words have power. Our words can be healing. Our words can bring comfort to others. We can edify and encourage one another with our words. But we can also destroy people with our words. Our words can hurt people. The Bible says that 'Life and death are in the power of the tongue.' It is sad how we use our words, sometimes.
I remember reading a story in one of Joni Earickson's books, about a young woman who was dealing with guilt. When the young woman was a teenager, she was angry at her dad and told him something like she didn't want to ever see him again. The father died that night and she never did see him again. How sad for that young woman. How sad for us when we say things we wished we would never have said.
I don't know whatever happened to the grandson of the woman who went out with my family that time, long ago. He is probably a grown up now. If that kind of behavior continued, I'm sure he doesn't have much of relationship with her now. How sad that is. Why would we talk to our children that way, or our grandchildren? Sometimes, we don't realize how the things we say will affect others. And we don't know who is watching us either.
Ephesians 4:29 says Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. (ESV)
Proverbs 16:24 says Gracious words are like a honeycomb,
    sweetness to the soul and health to the body. (ESV)

Let's speak words that will edify and nourish the hearers!

Loving the fearful and needy.

Loving the fearful and needy.
Here is a message that I think would be helpful to many Biblical counselors. Sometimes, it is hard to know when to use tough love, or when to be gentle in ministering to needy people. Some of these 'needy' people show anger. It can be helpful to be patient and work through the issues and that will help them to see their anger and fear, so they can be delivered from their bondage. We want to be careful to not be like 'Job's comforters'. I have to admit, I would have a hard time working with this, but I am the one who needs to be changed by God's power. The Bible says, 'Love is patient'. Are we impatient with people and do we want to 'fix' them quickly by giving them Bible verses that we think can help, or are we 'slow to speak' and use words of wisdom, and are we willing to take the time that is needed to help people who are suffering? This message is by Winston Smith, Tim Lane, and Myriam Hertzog. This is an area we all can grow in, as we grow together as a related body of believers.

People Need to be Untangled

Being entangled with sin. Satan, along with our selfish hearts, works to entangle people in sin. Sin is not solely an object in our hearts that we have to get out of our hearts in order to go to heaven. Neither is it solely something we need to be forgiven of in order to go to heaven. Yes, we do need to get sin our of our hearts, and we need God’s forgiveness for our sins. But we need something so much more. And here is what it is; We all need to become free from the slavery of sin. Sin does more to us than keeping us out of heaven. Sin actually entangles us and keeps us in bondage to freedom. But what does that look like?

Part of the problem with this situation is that human beings, because our minds and thinking are darkened, think that sin actually frees us and makes us happy. Our unregenerate nature is wedded to the temptations of sin that come our way. It goes all the way to the core of our beings. We could take any sin, and use it as an illustration, but we could use stealing as a specific example. I know that there are different reasons for people stealing and it would take up too much room to use stealing, as a general sin, to explain here, so we have to be even more specific.

  When I was young and worked at a drug store, a woman with a couple of children at her side, was at the register and I was ringing up her products. It was a very strange order, for it was several packages of nail polish items. The lady proceeded to write a check, and when I asked her for her I.D., I noticed how shaky her hands were. She failed to produce the I.D. so I called for the manager, and he already was acquainted with the woman and explained that she was stealing the products. This woman was in bondage to her sins. How can people like her be free? It is easy for us to judge and simply say, “Let him who stole, steal no more.” Is the goal to just see that stealing is wrong, or, that God hates stealing and this woman needs to stop stealing? Ultimately, we want her to see that. But that is not the starting point in a situation like this. The ultimate goal for this woman would not be for her to not steal items anymore (although that would be a result of the goal for her). The goal would be for this woman to understand who God is, in His majesty and holiness, as well as His power, and mercy. But, there could be problems with this. She might have a background of other obstacles that would keep her from understanding or relating to God, in truth. She may have come from a family where lies about God were taught. She could have come from a family who was abusive to her. I am NOT making excuses for a person’s sins. But there are unbelievable things that happen to people, that Satan has intended to keep them in bondage with. Before they can understand the Gospel, they have to understand who God is and what He is like. God is not like the angry dad that beat his children up every night. God is not like the rapist that said he was Jesus and that the victim must obey him or the victim would be killed (Yes, this really does happen in America, and more often than what we realize). God is not like the mom who leaves her children to fend for themselves while she goes bar hopping.

  It is no wonder this country has so many ‘false conversions’. We simply tell people that God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their lives, and if they ask Jesus into their hearts, they can go to heaven when they die. Then we give ourselves credit when one of those false converts responds to us.

No, our churches need real ministry today. The churches need men and women who truly love and know God and are living out His word in their lives on a daily basis. The local churches need humble men and women who are empowered by the Holy Spirit and are using the spiritual gifts to help one another in the church.

The Bible says in Galatians 6:1-3 Brothers, if a man is overtaken in a fault, those of you who are spiritual, restore such an person in the spirit of meekness; considering yourself, lest you also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man thinks of himself as something, when he is nothing, he is deceiving himself.

We think we can solve problems by prescribing Bible verses for people who need help. Again, ultimately the Bible is the only source for dealing with problems. But we have to ‘untangle’ the person from the things that are holding them into bondage. Then the word of God will bring healing and ministry to people that desperately need God. That’s when eternal change can take place. Untangle the person from their bondage of sin. That's when the light of the Gospel will shine in.