Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
4 26 2024
Prov 11:9 says it straight away. “With his mouth the godless or hypocrite destroys his neighbors.”
We discussed that we live life with this litany of words with no one, not even ourselves, holding us accountable. It is like scooping up a handful of sand. There are so many grains it is impossible to keep them from overflowing or sifting through our fingers. Our words are exactly like that. How many times, have we said a word in anger or without thought and started a war at home? I know I am not alone here. We spout out a sentence…sometimes we aren’t even sure where it came from. We immediately know that it was insensitive and hurtful, but like toothpaste…its out! There is no putting it back. We can see the look on the other’s face. We see their face contorted with first expressions of anger and reprisal or anguish and hurt. All of this is caused by the pain and the hurt of our uncontrollable tongue.
It set off a firestorm that will leave a lasting imprint…a scar.
But through experience we know people get over things. They will be upset for awhile but it will be ok. And we take those past experiences of “time healing all wombs” to NOT make the necessary changes in our life to bridle this wild fire in our mouths.
The Bible says, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks! Matt 12:34-40
Let me quote the whole verse. “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? OUCH… for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things”. Jesus said it in others ways to describe this connection between thoughts, words and what we see. “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Matthew 12:34; Luke 6:45).
Ok Dennis, I get it. I will work on that. And that is a good place to start. This is surely a reminder that we need to be reminded again! And again! And again! How many times do we need reminding for the devil of a tongue that sets fires among our most prized possessions? Let’s dig deeper. Matt 12 33-37 says. “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. So what is this fruit? Words! We are not talking about the work life produces but the words that flow from our mouths.
So, can we MAKE a tree good by making its bad fruit better? The tree is a man’s heart in this analogy, and the trees fruits are the words we speak in abundance. Soooo, in order to speak good words, loving, kind, patient, caring, unselfish… the heart must first be made good…after this analogy Jesus rebuked the Pharisees. Question: Are our hearts still deceitfully wicked after we are born again? First, we ARE given a new heart when we were born again.
Ezekiel 36:26-27 says ”And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations”.
But elsewhere, we are told to guard our hearts. Yes, we have a new heart that is now sensitive to His Holy Spirit and it is able to be shaped by His words. This is where sanctification begins for each of us. David was a man after Gods own heart, but he said, “Create in me a clean heart” Ps 51:10
That is something we are unable to do in our own works. Only God is capable of doing that.
How does that happen?
When we resist the devil. When we mourn our own sin. When we humbly draw near to God in submission. When we abide in His word!
It is said that confession and repentance are like a spiritual shower that washes away the filth of sin,
so we can be clean and renewed 1 John 1: 9
How often have we seen something and responded by speaking our disdain or anger out loud. And granted, sometimes that is required but we need to use wisdom. We need to pause before we speak. Just because we see something that raises our temperature, or hear something offensive, doesn’t mean we should be spurting off at the mouth what liberally flows. The truth is this is where the fruits show or don’t. The more we have reflected on God’s love and compassion the more love CHANGES our heart. The more we reflect on God’s word, the more our heart changes from self-centeredness towards God and others centered. Our words matter but we must mature enough along the way to keep a pure heart as a filter for the things we think need said.
Just because we see it doesn’t mean we should speak it. Be wise! Choose wisdom.
Someone said, the country will become who is speaking the loudest.
God says we can destroy a city with our words. He says the righteous bless the city. (They speak blessing over a city by what they say and what they stand for. That goes for a family, children, any relationship, the workplace, and every casual conversation. A single sentence can end a friendship or a child’s self-esteem or break a heart. Have you ever heard a child saying to their parents:
“I feel bad when you fight?”
So in closing, how do we speak from the heart of Christ within us?
1. Study Gods word daily.
2. Saturate your heart with God’s wisdom and peace
3. Filter what words you use, at all times asking for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Pause.
4. Take a breath and settle yourself with a brief prayer.
5. Soften your eyes, your chest…your heart. Ask the Holy Spirit for compassion for the situation.
6. Take another breath and start speaking kindly.
Lastly it is vital that we do communicate…but in the right way, the right tone, and the right words. Silence is a wall WE build.
Some marriages and relationships are smothered by the words that are unsaid.
Pray… enter into that tough conversation with humility and kindness and trust God for your words.
Do not let fear keep you from talking about the elephant in the room.
But pick the right time. Be humble. Don’t force it. Wait for it. But not too long.
My daughter Danielle graduates from Southeastern University tonight. She finished her 4 year business degree in three years! Please pray for her and all these young adults as they take their faith boldly into the world. Please.
Excerpts are taken from Gun Lap by Robert Wolgemuth
