Eat Your Words

From an early age, I was exposed to the inherent human principle that what we speak can usher into existence either creation or destruction. "You can't UN-say your words..." was a familiar and altogether wise statement that my Mother spoke into my brothers' and my lives. It was valid, and for the reason of its pristine and apparent truth, I never questioned it. She has always been one of the few constant figures of influence in my life who, with specific regard to aforementioned credo, has always offered positive words of love and affirmation. And, as the Word of God shows us, "Love never fails."-(1 Corinthians 13:8) In spite of the acrid and often condemning environment of negativity that this fallen world offers, and in spite of the circumstances that befell us, my mother rang consistently supportive and nourishing words every day. She still does. And I now do so for my children. Our confession shapes not only our lives, but the lives of everyone we are entrusted as well.

One of my mentors and now Father-In-Law on my wife's side, Bob Harrison teaches a very insightful observation regarding the life of a caterpillar. For its entire life-season as a caterpillar, it produces a silk that will eventually be spun out of its mouth and used to create the chrysalis or cocoon in which the caterpillar will undergo the magnificent metamorphosis into a glorious butterfly. He sites very poignantly, that we create our environments, where we live, and what we will become with what comes out of our mouths. There is a marvelous word-picture of God's perfect example poured out for all creation to simply observe and obtain in that ideal.

We not only live in the environments we create with our words, but we create the environments of our future, or rather our very futures themselves from the confessions we make every day. The Word of God is so very clear that "Death and Life are in the POWER of the tongue, and those who love it shall eat its fruit" or "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love to talk will have to eat their own words."-(Proverbs 18:21) I appreciate the latter "God's Word" Amplified Translation as it cuts to the heart of the matter. The Word of God offers us two incredible exemplary images that literally embody the concept of eating Words. The Prophet Ezekial is given WORDS on a scroll to eat before speaking to the house of Israel: "Then he said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it." So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth."-(Ezekial 3:3) Also, John the Revelator is given a scroll to consume: "So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey." I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings."-(Revelation 10:9-11) We do "eat our own words". It is invariably congruent to the idiom "You are what you eat". For in truth, we will reap the seeds of positive or negative choices in either account. When we make poor dietary decisions, we fare poorly within our physical man. When we make poor choices with our words, we reap the inevitable consequences of what we unleash into the fabric of existence. "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."-(Matthew 12:37)

Did it ever occur to you that through your confession, you create more than your own current state or future conditions? Have you considered that you will have an unwittingly powerful, albeit silent effect on every person who sees, witnesses or touches upon your life? Something to consider... Saint Francis of Assisi influenced literally hundreds of thousands around the world to live for Christ, and yet one of his most famous quotes is "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words. " He chose his words with care and love. Whereas on the polar opposite extreme we find the nihilist, Friedrich Nietzsche, whose words and confessions influenced many, but one in particular who altered the history of mankind, manipulated and misunderstood his words and used them as a catalyst for evil. His name was Adolf Hitler. I will employ the use of an erroneous line of text here, as I personally take issue with ending a perfectly good paragraph with that name.

We underestimate, on a daily basis, the true power of our words. Nevertheless, we are bound to the law of creative or destructive confession. Why? Because precious people, even God is bound by His Words. When remarking on the Purpose of Prayer, our dear friend, Dr. Myles Munroe teaches: "The reason people don't hear God speak very often is because when He does, He knows that His Words will not only become LAW for all creation, they will become law unto Himself as well." "So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."-(Isaiah 55:11) If God speaks, He must accomplish it. That is the very essence of CREATION itself. GOD SPOKE. He used His WORD to create the Earth and all that dwell therein. "And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light."-(Genesis 1:3) If we are made in God's image and likeness, (and we are), then that self-same principle applies to us as well. We create our world, our life and the environment we possess with our confession. The grave difference between God and us is that the Lord cannot fail with His Word, He is perfect. But we who have the power of free-will, can choose death. It is odd, but this is the magnetic path of our innately sinful flesh, to choose death over life. That is why we must choose Christ. Jesus IS life. In that one incredible, eternity-changing decision, we loose the fetters and bonds of the gravitational pull of the flesh, and allow the Holy Spirit to speak for us.

That is why prayer is imperative for ALL believers. Prayer is not an act of religious rite, but in truth the act of communicating with God with our WORDS, with our confession. Jesus Himself gave incredible testimony to the truth of the necessity of personal prayer throughout the example set during His ministry. Jesus prayed for guidance in places of quiet solitude -"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed"-(Mark 1:35) "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed"-(Luke 5:16). But perhaps the most influential moment of prayer to all believers is when the Disciples asked the Master "How should WE pray?" And the Lord answered- "This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."-(Matthew 6:9-13) Jesus otherwise NEVER prays with His Disciples. That confirms that we, individually MUST communicate and confess GOOD and SIN to God the Father, IN THE NAME OF JESUS in order that we might be directed to straight paths. Yes, prayer is meant to be a communication of positive confession. And it must be constant and consistent in order to be effective. The Bible never mentions an "Intercessors Ministry". It mentions times of intercession, but what the modern church has done to almost entirely hedge out the necessity for personal prayer is disarming. Please do not misunderstand me. I love those who have seen the need and follow the call to be in such ministries, but I also must say how unfortunate we are as a body when we rely on a group of stalwart believers to fulfill that which we are either too lazy, too busy or quite frankly too unimpressed by to do. The Word of God says very clearly: "Pray without ceasing"-(1 Thessalonians 5:17) So, lest anyone think that they will see any good thing from the Lord by leaving the future of the Church environment, the future of the members and their own paths to a group of people whose shoulders were never meant to carry that heavy burden. "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves"-(James 1:22)

What we speak in our every day walk will inevitably take form into our existence. If you confess "I am so fat." or "I am just not good with (fill in the blank)", you will most definitely never get in shape, and never be good at... whatever. But on the far opposite end of the scale of choice, if we say "I will get in shape" or "I am getting better with (fill in the blank), we WILL. I know right now someone is saying "That's just the power of Positive Thinking". Well, yes it is. But the truth behind the reason that the Power of Positive Thinking does not offer lasting fruit to most is two-fold. First, if we approach the process with the same consistency that we generally do our prayer life, it will not take root nor become effective. Second, if GOD is not the focus, He cannot move through it. In order for our confession to manifest positive results in our lives, we must remain focused on HIM. Trust is the center of any healthy relationship, and that is a valid truth with our communion with the King of Kings as well. But above even that, if we speak LIFE than the seeds of our speech will bring forth LIFE. That is God's Law, His truth and principle. So, as we open our mouths today, let us all heed that Biblical truth which Proverbs 18:21 declares, remembering that, whether spoken with Death or Life, we will EAT OUR WORDS.

His Eye Is On The Sparrow

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."-(Matthew 10:29-30)

Not one element of one living creation is hidden from or unseen by God. For a non-believer, this is a most daunting idea. But for His children, those who belong to Him, this is a bastion of our faith. I recall thinking at a very tender age, that God, whoever He was, could not possibly see everything. I thought that it must be impossible for Him to know what everyone was doing at all times. Yet, I believed, for whatever reason, that Santa Claus could. As I developed and time passed on, I found myself reaching a precipice of belief. This canyon drop of faith was far beyond my intellectual understanding. I could not release myself to the idea that there was a God who knew everything at all times. Furthermore, I could not conceive of a deity who was cognizant of my existence, let alone my trials and challenges. I wish I could tell you that in one fell swoop, God provided an angelic figure or a deliverer to lead me over that crevasse. I think it most certainly would make for better writing, and quite probably better reading as well. But that is not what happened, precious people. No, quite the contrary . It was a process for me to gain revelation of God's OMNIPRESENCE and OMNISCIENCE.

You see, I was provided with a fairly active imagination, and as one of its more important components, I was also granted an intellect to match. I thought about it. I thought about it quite a bit. But faith rarely receives proving by way of our brains. In fact, it seems to me that it is far easier for someone who has never experienced the power or presence of God, to THINK their way around it. That is why we must renew our minds. "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.- (Romans 12:2) Joyce Meyer once said "We are in an all out war with the enemy, and the battlefield is our minds." If the enemy can control or steer our thoughts we are paralyzed. I was once told by someone (who will more than likely read this), that I had been, since my salvation and entry into ministry, "BRAINWASHED". Young in the faith and still battling my mind and intellect, I seethed for a while over that commentary . But something occurred to me, after reflecting on my understanding of God's sovereign, all-powerful, all-knowing personality, which I had gained revelation of at that point in my life. In my quest to understand the truth of His love for me, I HAD BECOME BRAINWASHED. There was no way around it. My mind was once filthy and covered in the scales of dissappointment and dissolution that the world and an angry, Godless society had imprinted upon me. But because of Jesus' blood, and God's MERCY and GRACE, my brain had indeed been washed, clean and new as driven snow.

But I share this all with you to reach a certain end. I was struggling with my faith as a result of my doubt and lack of understanding of God's ability, and more directly, His DESIRE to know my every detail. I could not fathom why the Lord of all creation would care to know me. I most certainly did not understand why He would want to think of me. But one day I read"-(Jeremiah 29:11)-"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." I was so thankful for that Word when I gained knowledge of it. I could count on the Lord's direct explanation of His omniscient power,and that He was all at once everywhere and aware of all of His creation. It shocked me in the most marvelous way. I was in awe that the same God who crafted the infinity of Space and existence, created me, and knew me. Indeed, it boggled my thoughts that He not only had knowledge OF me, He had love FOR me. He wanted to bless me. That put me into a truly broken state of mind. I felt somehow residually guilty for even questioning His thoughts. But I found solace in the Word once more. "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:"

God knows you. He knows your sorrows, your joys, your comedy and your tragedy. He recognizes your motives, whether misguided or precisely targeted. The key to finding the joy in that prospect is releasing your need to govern the position of GOD over your own life. That can only come with revelation of His Lordship and more importantly, our singular entry into His Kingdom through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. When I received salvation, I also received the assurance that God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit were watching over and caring for EVERY detail of my life and existence. I know that God sees my greatest challenges and my most infinitesimal quirks. He disregards neither my stubbed toes nor my tsunamis. He sees everything. He knows everything. That is a powerful concept for sinner or saint. To the fallen and misled, it speaks of no safe hiding place from evil or sin. But to the righteous and redeemed, it speaks of HIS HIDING PLACE and HIS VICTORY over sin, death and evil. How could one not be overjoyed at the prospect of this powerful truth? "I sing because I'm happy- I sing because I'm free- His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me..."