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A Real Question: How Did He Honestly Not Say Anything?

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If you have been through a few hard things in life you will definitely know what it feels like to believe you have the right (and need) to complain about the issues in the moment. I could not tell you how many times that I had went back and forth on this very problem. It is something that through God that I am now beginning to master Godly silence and understand that faith has its place in this.Here is the question I have for you to think on today:

How did Jesus not say something when people were making life so difficult for Him? How did He honestly “open not his mouth”?

There are a multitude of phrases that one could imagine hearing come out in some of the most crucial moments of Christ. I could imagine hearing “hey Pharisees why don’t you ease off a little bit and find something else to do” and “come on, you know I am right”. It is hard to imagine that throughout some of the most pivotal teachings that He gave is when He was facing some of the toughest hardships from people. Keep in mind some of these people did not go where Jesus was to learn but to pick it apart and find fault in Him. As a minister and assistant pastor I have came to realize a very harsh truth by experience: not much has changed since then.  It’s sad to say but there is still not a shortage of the kinds of people who are around you just to judge you!

Yet as we know, Jesus only opened His mouth to teach, lead, love and pray. How can it be done in our world and environments today? Can it be done? The quick answer is yes! The real answer is yes through Christ. A life that is being lived to the fullness of God’s purpose will have the love of Christ inside.

Here are 3 key principles that I have learned to help me grow in handling life’s tougher moments:

1) A time to be silent – I could not tell you how many times that having no response or opinion to something in the moment has saved me as a witness of God. There is not much to add to this other than to say that the best time to be silent is when you anticipate irrational behavior. You CAN develop the self-control and you do NOT have to act out on everything. Please do not be deceived there! Prayer can help you. The word of God talks about self-control by saying that you would not have more put on you than you could bear!

2) Be ye Holy in all conversations – to say Holy in this frame of mind is to say stray from or speak truth to bring separation in all conversations. To be frank about this: if you are talking with someone or something and it is not speaking in love or building something in faith or someone for help from God then generally it is possible to avoid it. It is also possible to attempt to redirect a conversation, but if you find it to be something you cannot conquer at the time part from it. There is no argument that would cost the soul of someone by them seeing a hypocrite and not a ambassador of Christ!

3) Speak life and not death – The least popular one, at least to those I campaign this or counsel for. It does not matter how much something is afflicting you negatively; it is your Godly duty to speak life (or faith) to the situation. That is what moves God, especially in a time where you would be led just to write a situation or person off in negative thinking!

Christ did it perfectly. And as we are Christ-like we can all begin to work on the way we respond to things better. Trust me, through prayer and a fervent desire to see change you will through Christ!

Shake The Dust Off Of Your Feet And Don’t Be A Dust Thrower!

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Feeling rejected? Wondering what the deal is with your ministry? Been discouraged by others recently? At some point I believe we have all been in that moment before. We have all had things that have presented themselves as very humbling experiences, right? Trust me, I have seen it all. While singing and speaking in times past I have had people in full blown conversations, texting on their cell phones, sleeping, leaving, shaking their heads, eating, posing an intentional distraction. I’ve had people turn down my microphone on purpose, get up and leave and return when I was finished, tell me to my face that I preach too long, and inform me that I would never preach at their church because I was too radical. I have had people inspired (all of a sudden) to have their personal bible study and not pay attention for the entirety. I have even been cut off right in the middle of exhortation simply because some were afraid of things getting a little too exciting. I wish I could say that one of these were my personal favorite experiences that helped me grow, but the truth is that at the time it really hurt to feel! I am happy to know that as I have grown that God has given me the wisdom in this area and I am going to share some concepts with you that have helped me stay effective.

When it comes to being effective in your ministry, one thing will always be clear in relevance to growth: in order to be a successful worker for God you must be able to continue in spite of facing rejection or a lack of support. The bible gives reference to the perfect scenario: “And whosoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them.” This passage in Luke 9 opens up a very interesting thought and question I have today. Consider when you attend your own church and do your absolute best that you can and feel rejected. Does it mean that if you were not received that you are a failure and that its time to hang it up? No, in fact this should begin to allow you to understand the difference in the rejection of the word that you bring versus a rejection of just you.

A rejection of the word of God is often times perceived to be the dislike of a person. Think about the passage that refers to the bible principle that “light has no fellowship with darkness”. I send a word of encouragement to tell you that everyone does not despise YOU, but the word that is WITHIN you. If you are continually waiting for the perfect fellowship with people that you know need to hear a strong word then you are going to be waiting forever. I’ll be as bold to say that you will never have the FULL support of any church no matter where you may roam. Why? Because if there are those that are not walking in the will of God or have a relationship then a natural fear of change from their sin or unwillingness that simply cannot accept the word when they choose not to. So when we say to shake the dust off your feet as a testimony “against them”, it is simply saying to show others that you will not be moved from the call or the obedience that the call brings. Remember that Jesus was not even received in His own country and how you may not be either. You may just have a situation with a very simple solution: people that know you and grow numb to the value of your call need to see a strength within you that shakes off the bad when they ignore you!

Are we going to begin to dust ourselves off to show the strength of God? Do we realize that it is God’s word that conflicts with people and not a personal issue against us? If we can begin to grasp these concepts there will be so many church services everywhere that we all go that will be saved, salvaged and actually promote the strength of the God’s people to draw others!

The other contrast of this thought that I leave you with is to not be the person that throws the dust upon another. You may have a church where you just have a few that attend and know each other on a personal level. If you do and you find yourself almost getting “bored” with others, I speak with a spiritual urgency to start drawing closer to God for a greater love than what is on the surface. Being bored or complacent in church shows a lack in breaking down self. Remember that we need each other and that one day you will miss the worth of those around you when God moves them to another chapter in life.

What Do They Remember The Next Day?

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THE WORD

Matthew 5:14, 16 – Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Whether you are serving in a church ministry or walking the streets of your hometown, one thing is certain: you leave an impact upon those that you come in contact with. How you bless people goes far beyond your songs and spoken words; in fact it begins from that moment forward as people see you live your life every day. People are looking at you as a witness of God, whether you are active in the moment of obedience or idle at the grocery store. The conversations and actions that we take each day are the very parts and impacts that are left with people.

It is easy to say that if people come to church to hear me speak that the next day they will think of me as that speaker, right? What about someone who never comes inside the building and just talks to you in passing? When they leave your company, what is it that they say about you? Does it include the influence Jesus Christ within you? Is the witness and spirit of God evident in your life? This is something that all of us need to work on more and more as we venture on in life so people can know of the impact God has had on each of us. Remember to be keen to what is going on around you and to always operate in love. Let God shine in your life no matter the surroundings or circumstance. Allow yourself to lead by example and not a worldly spectacle. Lead by what God’s spirit teaches you and not by your own understanding. God’s instruction, as given by the word of God, will never lead us astray. God’s spirit, as given to every living being who will believe, will never leave you comfortless. God’s salvation, as given by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, is the message we given by the life we live! Let that message live in you so people will remember God in you!

PUT INTO PRACTICE

Perform an act of kindness that you often overlook (aka open a door for someone; offer to pay for something, etc.). Use the opportunity to simply invite them to the church you attend. It does not have to be complicated to be an effective opportunity! It works!

Consider Your Environments

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Psalm 139:7-8 – Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

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I know people think I made a mistake with the title, but I truly meant to say the word “environments”. As we go about each day, we are in more than just one place in an ideal world. And in every setting are all kinds of things that you have to face. Some of these things might be encouraging to you, and some of them may attempt to pull you down.

If and when you are in control of being able to eliminate the vices and things that are hurting your walk with God, then I suggest you cut them loose. This may mean an item, a person or a place, but it is well worth the sacrifice. Sometimes we have to pay a price to draw closer to God, but it will always humble us and put us in a better place. Try not to think of it as losing things, but more along the lines of gaining better surroundings for God to exist in your life.

It’s a tough subject, but it’s one we have to remember. You’ll be surprised what you will see if you just take a minute to look around. God will help you with this, and you are not alone!

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Put Into Practice:

Examine the day that you just went through today or even the one you had yesterday. Think about all parts of the day that was leading you into a place that was discouraging or disheartening. It could have been a topic of conversation or even something that you may have been doing without even knowing what it would end up doing in the long-run.

Take just one part of anything that you found and dedicate your following day to focusing on not allowing this to occur again. Remove yourself from the conversations or the objects that would hinder you from being in joy or at peace. Begin to pray and seek for the comfort and leadership of God to lead you through the times that we find difficult.