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silence

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!

Where Do You Find Yourself In Meditation To God?

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With life increasing its pace and decreasing the amount of time we have to accomplish all of our goals, there has never been a more dramatic attempt to work tirelessly to meet every expectation. And as we all know, finding this sort of situation for all of us is pretty easy to find: falling asleep at your laptop close to midnight pushing a deadline, hearing the alarm go off and getting up when you know you only slept a couple hours, continuing to perform hard labor even though you are in dire straits of pain, etc. These sorts of visual descriptions should indicate the extremes that you can find yourself in most of the time.

My question for you to think about today: Where Do You Find Yourself In Meditation To God?

My answer? I heard a person a while back preach about finding a secret place early in the day, so I thought I would try it out and dedicate more time for God. The Results? For my own personal life today, one of the few moments I have now to be in silence and open up my mind for God is when I am driving to work in the morning. It is truly a perfect setting for me; for it’s early and light is just breaking on the day. I have no distractions and have not had the weight of an entire day attempting to hinder me. For me there is definitely something special about seeking God early.

The word of God makes reference to being separate and stealing away to a secret place (aka like a closet) to accomplish 2 goals: producing a calming environment for your mind and creating a place where you will not be pulled by temptation or distraction. These factors create an opportunity for you to not only be comfortable in prayer but to present a chance to hear God without all the noise of life!

So where do you find yourself? Where is a place you have dedicated to steal away?

It’s Not About Looks, It’s About Heart

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Some of the hardest struggles of a ministry is not acquiring the resources that you need to do what you need to, but actually doing it. There can be a vast abundance of things available to a person to perform what you need to be done. I have learned in recent months that without the willingness to step out and do it regardless you will find yourself in just as tough of a spot as you would be without the things you think you need.

You could have one, ten, or a hundred people supporting you and that is wonderful as long as you are following the will of God. I say that because there will be times when you follow the will of God that all the support grows silent. I have been there before and stood wondering “what’s going on” and “what did I do wrong”, leaving me at a crossroads. Luckily I came to a great realization through prayer and the word of God! What finally came to me (as led by God’s encouragement) is that it is not about the looks on their faces (their countenance) that we should base the progress or fruition of our ministry, but the condition of the heart that you aim for.

I am reminded today but have forgot so often that I have ministered to smiling faces but inside were broken. I have seen people that looked completely unhappy but needed a word of confirmation or direction from God. Sometimes it’s not easy to deliver to tougher things, ESPECIALLY things that involve the direct changing of our lifestyle! Trust me, it’s hard but when you obey God you will not be forsaken! There has not been a time in the silence that God has not fought the battle (of the condition of the hearts and souls) with me! It’s not yours to fight! If we are trying to fight for approval, we missed it already. It’s not about approval, but faith and belief. It’s about agreement in Him (God)!

So always remember, obedience is greater than sacrifice (both are needed)! You’ve got to sacrifice facing some persecution putting yourself out there to obey God, but people need you to do it! People need need a strong witness of God today. Are we that people? Let’s strive to be! Let’s strive to make a difference!

Sometimes Silence Is Golden

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THE WORD

Job 33:31, 33 – Mark well, O Job, hearken unto me: hold thy peace, and I will speak. If not, hearken unto me: hold thy peace, and I shall teach thee wisdom.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

I could not tell you about all of the hundreds of times when I have been tempted to offer my opinion or to state my mind on a matter that someone asked me about. Without proper care of have a good conversation we fail to realize that being opinionated to one another can turn bad quickly. It is in those moments to which God (through the spirit) is continually teaching me when to hold my peace and keep my silence about something. I never thought that I would be able to conquer this in very touchy situations where it gets tough, but through God it IS possible to have the temperance (self-control) we need to make it through opening our mouths about things!

There is value in your silence. Sometimes silence can be golden. It keeps you in a place where you can still be a witness of God without stepping out too far on words that you speak. More often than not before we realize the consequences we forget to consider how powerful wielding life and death through our tongues really is. Through silence you can help to create a gap that gives you a chance to get your mind on God and allow the spirit to show you what to say. It reminds me of a spiritual spinoff of the clichéd phrase “think before you speak”. Just remember to include God in your emotional battles and He will always keep your words in check!

PUT INTO PRACTICE

I can definitely assure you that there will be another argument sometime in your near future. Especially when we are attempting to let God take control of our thoughts and words in a greater way. The next time someone gives you a chance to offer your opinion, remember to either choose positive words or to let silence keep you from causing harm. It may be hard the first few times but I testify that it gets easier! Words are just as damaging to our spiritual and emotional being as much as a weapon is harmful to our bodies.