by David Brenneman
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete. You are looking at things as they are outwardly. If anyone is confident in himself that he is Christ’s, let him consider this again within himself, that just as he is Christ’s, so also are we." 2 Corinthians 10:3-7.
"Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:1-3.
"Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." Ephesians 4:29-32.
"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks." Ephesians 5:1-4.
Oh my Dear Reader, what we do when we don't think first.
We often miss, if not have altogether missed, that connection between letting no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth along with the immediately following verse of what it does to the Spirit when we do.
There it is. Now you can see it.
But will it make any difference in your life?
Jesus said specifically that we will give an account of EVERY careless word we speak. All our thoughts and intentions are laid bare before whom we have to do.
How often do we at least try to resist? How often does the prospect of a battle to control our thoughts and actions come to mind?
We are more easily prone to going with the flow of the world with regards to its lusts than to stand firm in the Lord.
We get on a bandwagon with others and enjoy the feelings of being included and don't see what it's done and is doing to our testimony before mankind.
This particular devotional is somewhat personal to me. Mark Wills had a song out a long time ago that, when I first heard it in my car, I almond wrecked because of being overcome with my emotions.
"Don't Laugh at Me" - Mark Wills, 1998
I'm a little boy with glasses
The one they call the geek
A little girl who never smiles
'Cause I've got braces on my teeth
And I know how it feels
To cry myself to sleep
I'm that kid on every playground
Who's always chosen last
A single teenage mother
Tryin' to overcome my past
You don't have to be my friend
Is it too much to ask?
Don't laugh at me, don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
'Cause in God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me
I'm the cripple on the corner
You pass me on the street
And I wouldn't be out here beggin'
If I had enough to eat
And don't think I don't notice
That our eyes never meet
I lost my wife and little boy
When someone crossed that yellow line
The day we laid 'em in the ground
Is the day I lost my mind
Right now I'm down to holdin'
This little cardboard sign
So don't laugh at me, don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
'Cause in God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me
'Cause I'm fat, I'm thin, I'm short, I'm tall
I'm deaf, I'm blind, hey, aren't we all?
Don't laugh at me, don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
'Cause in God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me
Here was a song that hit on much of my childhood school experiences. It epitomizes that passage of letting no unwholesome word come out of your mouth...and gives examples as to why it matters.
In my elementary school days I learned how cruel words could be from the other side of the fence as well. I thought it would make me one of the cool kids to join them in what was known as cut down sessions. Using words as weapons to be wielded in however you can with the object being to get your opponent to break. It had to have been the Spirit convicting me not long afterwards and it resonates with me even today to absolutely stop that...I was hurting people in a place where the damages can go on for decades.
We still have bandwagons today, couched in the form of entertainment of every shape and kind. We laugh it off with excuses that appease our conscience. We give no second thoughts to what should have never happened in the first place.
We can look at our digital world and should realize today's people have the hardest time escaping the words spoken by them in the past.
Promising political figures crushed out of running all because a tweet or video was found of them carelessly speaking a long time ago. Artists of music and video decimated by the same. Careers of sports figures ruined by careless words.
Taking every thought captive is part of the spiritual warfare we are all in. Yesterday alone for me was extremely hard in keeping my thoughts from going straight to discouragement and residing there. I already was exhausted from lack of sleep. I thank God that He saw my weariness and weakness and stepped in to hold the line.
My Dear Reader think before you speak. Look hard at what you allow to come out of your mouth. We are to lift people up not tear them down. There's no Godly 'fun' in weaponizing our words...no matter the personal validation for it. Remember every careless word that people speak they will give an account of before Jesus.
Is what you are going to say going to harm or help? It's something that I try to keep at the forefront of my life.
You can't change what you have said or done but starting today you can change going forward.
All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.
New American Standard Bible
(C) 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation.
A corporation not for profit.
La Habra, CA All rights reserved
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