With My Words I Will Bless You

   With my Words I will Bless You

                   Hello and welcome to My Little House of Prayer. I am your host Dayla Smith. I am so glad that you could join me today. The Lord has been dealing with me about the power of my words. So much so that it has made me more quiet. More quick to listen instead of speak than the other way around. Did you know that our tongue decides the direction our lives will take? I have a few friends in Christ that have said that they don’t hear the voice of the Lord speak to them. They don’t understand why, or how to hear His voice. One of the things I’ve noticed that they all had in common was that you can’t talk and listen at the same time. We all have to learn to listen more and speak less. I guess this is one of the things in our lives John the Baptist meant by John 3:30-35  30 He must increase, but I must decrease.31 He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.32 And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.33 He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

             This reminds me of a song. It was more a prayer. “Let My Words Be Few.  So, let’s discuss the words of our mouth. Let’s ask ourselves this question. Is my life going in the direction I want it to? Proverbs 4:23-27  23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil. I’ve heard a pastor say that our feet usually follow our mouths.

                       Am I satisfied with my life as it is right now? Or, am I searching for more? As a Christian we should all desire more. And if you don’t have a blood-bought relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, you are searching for something to fill up that empty feeling inside you. There is only one who can fill that void feeling. Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 

                    The apostle James says in chapter 3:5-12   5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. 

              What great things are we boasting about today? Are we boasting of ourselves? Or, are we boasting of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth? 2 Corinthians 10:17-18   17 But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.18 For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.

 Ephesians 2:8-9  8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. 

               So, how is your esteem level today? Do you have to blow your trumpet about yourself, telling others just how great you are? Do you have to put others down in order for you to feel better than them? Do you go into corporate intercessory prayer and bring out in finite detail another’s short-comings under the guise of “Let’s pray for poor so-and-so.” That’s not prayer! That’s gossip. Are you as guilty as I am? I sure am asking the Father to please forgive me. To help me choose my words carefully. Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Right here in the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, the word fear in Hebrew means to morally reverence. Are we exhibiting moral reverence towards Him?  Are we speaking with moral reverence towards the Lord? Remember, He is omnipresent. Thank the Lord for His forgiveness. You know, we do not have to walk our lives out in guilt and condemnation. That is not truly living. Walking in the unsurmountable forgiveness of the Lord Jesus Christ is truly living. He wants us to walk in His freedom. What is His freedom? His truth. John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

              So, how do we walk in His liberty? His freedom? Walk in His truth. Be quiet more. Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.                       That’s the whole point of our walk. To allow others to see Christ within us. There are a lot of Christians out there broadcasting that they are Christians, but there is no fruit to prove it. James 1:26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. People don’t want to know what you know. They want to know that you care. How can we show that we care? How can we show others this Jesus Christ who has been loving all of us? By listening more and talking less for one thing.

                          Matthew 15:11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.  So, it isn’t what goes in, but what comes out that condemns us. It’s funny how uneasy people can get when you are quiet. I am experiencing this even now. Picture this. Someone walking through the forest. They decide to camp for the night. They have a book of matches. They light one match. They use that lit match to light a piece of wood. Then they pile more wood to make the fire big enough to see, cook, and keep warm. They don’t watch over the campfire they have just lit. An ember floats off into the air and catches a leaf on fire. That leaf floats off to a dead tree and lights it on fire. Then, that tree lights the rest of the forest on fire. Then, this raging fire travels for miles until it dies out. 

                 Our tongue is like a match. How are we using our tongue today? What kind of fire are we trying to ignite? Are we igniting fires of righteousness and truth? Or, of fear, doubt, and unbelief?  Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Are we edifying one another? Are we choosing our words very carefully? Are we building each other up in our most holy faith? Or, are we putting them down? We are called to build each other up. I find it funny. This choice of word. Build each other up. The bible says in 1 Peter 2:5-9  5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; 

                  So, for a Christian, Christ is a perfect corner stone to build upon. No cracks or imperfections. Now, each of these rocks  has cracks and imperfections that salvation through Jesus Christ of Nazareth wants to and does smooth out in our walk with Him. But, if we choose to look at other stones' cracks and imperfections and point them out, then what we are really doing is shining a spotlight on our own cracks and imperfections. The foundation of Jesus Christ is sure. But, the wall can’t be sure because of the unrepented cracks and imperfections in each stone. We must come together by edifying each other. Shining a spotlight on the other stones strengths, not weaknesses. Then, we can build a sure wall.

              Even King David petitioned the Lord in Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. This has been my prayer lately. “Lord, please guard the words of my lips. Please help me to not have corrupt communication.” How do I cooperate with the Lord in avoiding corrupt communication? By watching my thought life. Remember, it’s not what comes in that defiles a man, but what comes out. Have you had trouble controlling your thought life? I know that for a while I really had trouble in this area. I still do have trouble. It’s a lot less now, because I went to the Lord about it. I cried out for help. And, He did. He gave me a scripture to dwell on. Philippians 4:8 Boy was sweet freedom sweet?! A corrupt thought will hit my mind. I immediately quote and ponder this scripture. The thought goes away. Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. This works in keeping negative thoughts from coming out of our mouths. I never thought about it this way. Have you?

                        In  Matthew 12:34-37  34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. In other words, even in our words we will reap what we sow. That is a very scarey thought. He will judge every idle word. What idle words have we been speaking? Idle in the webster dictionary means, not in use, useless, worthless. And in the Greek in the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance it means, inactive, unemployed, lazy, useless, barren, and slow. So, I ask you. Are these fruits we would want to eat of. Our words decide the direction our paths take. 

                        In 1 Peter 3:10 it says For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: What is guile? In the Webster Dictionary it means craftiness, or deceit. And in the Greek in the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance it means to decoy, trick, wile, craft, deceit, or subtilty. So, we are to keep our lips from speaking trickery, or craftiness. We are to avoid speech that would entrap someone. Our speech should be careful not to bring harm to another.

                          Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.. What kind of fruit do you like to eat? I like sweet, juicy, and healthy fruit. Picture two trees in a forest of trees. One tree is a granny smith apple tree. Then, the other tree in the forest is a buckthorn tree. Both fruits look like a type of apple. The granny smith is a desirable looking fruit. And it is edible. It has all kinds of health benefits. You can eat this fruit raw or even cooked. But, the buckthorn fruit looks tasty and desirable. Even though it looks good to eat, it is not. It is a deadly fruit. 

                     Each of us is created in the image and likeness of God. We have an outward appeal. And, in a crowd of people there are many apple trees and buckthorn trees. We look wonderful on the outside. But, what comes out of our mouths reveals what is truly on the inside. Are we trees people want to eat from. According to Proverbs 18:21 our words are fruit. And not only do others eat of our fruit. We will also. I want word of life coming out of my mouth. Life and healing. 

                      How do we obtain words of life and healing? Through a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Through reading the bible front to back and applying it to our lives. Through prayer. Through fasting. These are wonderful avenues to obtain words of life and healing. To learn to listen more and speak less. Matthew 5:44-45

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. I am hoping my words are a blessing to you today.               

                 If you do not know the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Let me introduce you to Him. It is real simple. First you must acknowledge that you are a sinner in need of a savior according to the mirror of the law of the Lord. Ask Him for His forgiveness for all of your sins and call them out to Him. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Then, forgive those who have sinned or transgressed against you. Then, repent. Repent means to change your mind concerning sinful habits. Change your choice making. Let Him influence your choice making decisions as you get in His Holy Word. Ask Him to be Lord over your life. I want to pray this prayer with you. But, this is just an outline. The real work begins after I pray with you because it is a very personal walk with the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 

                    Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

                         I am hoping this message today has given all of you food for thought. It has done that for me. Let’s choose our words carefully. Let’s listen more and talk less. Let’s let our words be few. Let’s show forth the perfect fruit of the Lord in our words. Let’s lift up instead of putting down. May the Lord richly bless you today. Jesus loves you and so do I. Join me next week at My Little House of Prayer.