Monday, January 26,
2015, 4:22 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “A Still Small Voice.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Proverbs 18 (selected verses).
His Own Desire
1
Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire;
he breaks out against all sound judgment.
2
A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing his opinion.
3
When wickedness comes, contempt comes also,
and with dishonor comes disgrace…
5
It is not good to be partial to the wicked
or to deprive the righteous of justice. ~
18:1-3, 5 ESV
When we are born into this world, we are born with sin
natures. We are naturally selfish, and we seek after what pleases us. We are
separate from God, without hope, and destined to spend eternity in eternal
torment. Yet, when we believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior of our
lives, and we turn from living for sin and self, and we are born anew of the
Spirit of God, our desire should now be for God and to do what pleases him.
Yet, we still live in flesh bodies, and we still have the
propensity to sin, so our flesh often or frequently battles against what the
Spirit desires. And so we must fight off Satan’s evil attacks against us, so
that we can walk by the Spirit of God (See: Eph. 6:10-20; Jas. 4:7-10; 2 Tim.
2:22; Heb. 12:1-3). Thus, we must daily resist Satan and the flesh, and we must
yield to the control of the Spirit of God over our lives. We can be victorious
over the flesh in the power and working of the Spirit within us, as we
cooperate fully with that work.
We will not be victorious over our flesh, though, if we
continually yield to the flesh, and/or if we persist in feeding our sinful
desires by regularly involving ourselves in activities which are sinful. We cannot
get victory over sinful habits, as well, if we justify and rationalize away our
sin, and/or if we call it something other than what it is. For instance, many
Christians would not think of going out and having sexual relations with
someone to whom they are not married, nor would they seriously consider
murdering someone or robbing a bank. And, yet they will lust in their hearts,
dream of romantic relationships with others, view pornography, and watch TV
shows or movies with sexual situations or with love affairs in them. They may
also hate others or cheat on their taxes or on their time sheets at work.
The Power of The
Tongue
4
The words of a man's mouth are deep waters;
the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook…
6
A fool's lips walk into a fight,
and his mouth invites a beating.
7
A fool's mouth is his ruin,
and his lips are a snare to his soul.
8
The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the
body…
21
Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.
~ 18:4, 6-8, 21 ESV
In James 3:8 we read that no man can tame the tongue. “It is
a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” In Luke 6:45 we read: “A good man
brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man
brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks
what the heart is full of.” As well, we read in Ephesians 4:29 that we should
not let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths “but only what is helpful
for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who
listen.” And, in 2 Peter 2:18-19 we read about false teachers who “mouth empty,
boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they
entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise
them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for ‘people are
slaves to whatever has mastered them.’”
Our mouths (tongues/speech) can be used for good or for
evil. They can bring blessing or cursing. They can build up or destroy. They
can wound or they can heal. So, how do we use our words for good and not for
evil? Well, according to what we read here, what we say with our mouths is a
reflection of what is in our hearts. If we have unforgiving and bitter spirits,
it will come out in what we say. If we hate anyone or have resentment in our
hearts towards them, our speech should reflect that at some point or another. As
well, if we are jealous or envious of others, eventually our lips will reveal
what we have tried to keep hidden. Or if we love our Lord, follow Jesus, are
submissive to the Spirit’s work, and walk in His love, this should also be
revealed through the words which we speak.
So, if we want good to come out of our mouths and not evil,
then we need to not be taking evil into our minds and hearts, and we need to
not be holding on to what is evil. As well, we need to not be participating in
evil acts. In contrast, we need to be in the study of the Word each day,
listening to it, meditating on it and applying it, by God’s grace, to our daily
lives. And, if we are saying things we wish we would not have said, and we
wonder “Where did that come from?” then we need to pray for God to examine our
hearts and to show us what is in there that needs to be cleansed so that we can
cut that cancer out by the power of the working of the Spirit within us. Yet,
there are probably many who know exactly what it is in their hearts from which their
mouths speak, but they don’t want to cut the cancer out.
A Strong Tower
10
The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
The
righteous runs into it and is safe…
12
Before destruction the heart of man is haughty,
But
humility goes before honor…
15
The mind of the prudent acquires knowledge,
And
the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16
A man’s gift makes room for him
And
brings him before great men. ~ 18:10, 12, 15-16 NASB
So, what can we do about sin, selfishness and the taming of
our tongues? Well, first of all we must believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and as
Savior of our lives. We do this by humbling ourselves before God, by believing
in what Jesus Christ did for us in dying on the cross for our sins, and by agreeing
with God about our sin by turning from it and by turning to God via faith in
Jesus Christ. Then, when we believe in Jesus, we are thus crucified with Christ
to our old lives of living for sin and self, we are born anew of the Spirit of
God, and we are given new lives by God to be lived in the power and working and
strength of the Spirit of God within us. By us making this decision to make
Jesus Christ Lord of our lives, we choose to no longer live for ourselves but
for Christ who gave himself up for us. We choose to no longer live to satisfy
the sinful desires of our flesh, but to walk in the Spirit in Christ’s
righteousness and holiness. Our desire is now for God/Christ, to walk in his
ways.
If this does not describe your salvation experience, though,
then I would ask that you go before God in prayer, that you humble yourself
before him, repent of your sin, and allow the Holy Spirit of God to transform
your heart and mind away from living for sin and self to walking in the Spirit
in Christ’s holiness. So many people these days are teaching a false grace that
says you don’t have to repent, and that you don’t have to obey Christ, and that
God is pleased with you no matter what you do, yet that is not what scripture
teaches. You don’t want to trust in this false grace and then one day hear God
say that he never knew you. Make sure of your salvation today. God’s grace
teaches you to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live
self-controlled, upright and godly lives while you wait for Christ’s return.
Jesus Christ did not die just so you could escape hell and go to heaven when
you die. He died “to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a
people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (See: Tit. 2:11-14).
Yet, if you are sure of your salvation, but you have been
giving in to the flesh, and you have been playing with sin, and you have been entertaining
sin in your mind via your own imagination or via the things you watch or listen
to, then I pray today that you would repent of your sin and trust in Christ
Jesus, that he has given you all that you need to live a godly life, and then to
believe that he has set you free from the control of sin so that sin no longer
should be your master.
And, if your mouth is speaking things they ought not to
speak, then I pray you would go before God in prayer, seeking his face, and
inquire of him as to what is in your heart, for our words reflect what is in
our hearts. I also pray you will be willing to hear what the Spirit says to
your heart, that you will not resist his voice, and that you will obey him by
taking care to get rid of all bitterness, rage, malice, and/or unforgiveness,
etc. Or, if you already know what is in your heart, but you have been unwilling
to let go of a particular sin, then I pray you will yield to the power and
working of the Spirit of God in your life and that you will leave that sin
behind you. Jesus is calling each and every one of us to follow him in
obedience. Will you listen to his still small voice and obey him today?
A
Still Small Voice / An Original Work / May 23, 2011
In
a still small voice He calls you.
Won’t
you hear and let him in?
He’s
still speaking, oh, how gently.
He
died to save you from sin.
Softly
He speaks to our hearts.
His
mercy and love imparts.
Won’t
you come to Him today?
Let
Him wash your sins away.
In
a still small voice He whispers,
Kindly,
calling you to Him.
He
loves you so much, He’s willing
You
not die, but live with Him.
He
keeps prodding, gently so,
For
His grace, you come to know.
He
died so that you’d go free;
Live
with Him eternally.
In
a still small voice He hastens
You
to turn your lives to Him,
Humbly
walking in obedience,
Making
Him your Lord and King!
Turn
from your sin, turn to God,
Put
your trust in Christ, His Son.
Invite
Him into your hearts.
He’ll
give you a brand new start.
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