Enjoying the Journey

Put Up Your Sword

Our world and our churches are full of hurting people. Far too often those hurts have come from those who are supposed to be fighting in the same army. Friendly fire. The sword of another brother in arms. There is a spiritual sword that we are commanded in Scripture to use. “The sword of the Spirit” is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). This sword is not to be admired and held – it is to be used! We use the sword of the Spirit on the enemy as Christ did when tempted by the Devil. And, yes, the Spirit uses it on us (Hebrews 4:12). It cuts deeply, severing from us those things that do not honor God. This…

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3 Things I Am Praying for My Words

Words are powerful things. Spoken, written, typed, or texted – they are vehicles of communication that tend to last. If not on paper, in the hearts and minds of others. With our words we build up, and with our words we tear down. Solomon declared, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21). James said that with the same tongue we “bless” and “curse” (James 3:19-20). Many a marriage bears the wounds of a word that never should have been spoken. Children carry the powerful words of their parents with them their entire life. Churches are often divided, fellow children of God alienated from one another, because of senseless words. There are three things I have…

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Sarcasm is Not a Spiritual Gift!

The wisest man who ever lived wrote, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21).  Death is mentioned first because it is what naturally comes out.  Only the grace of God can enable us to speak life. Those of us that basically talk for a living are always in danger.  I was recently reminded of yet another of Solomon’s proverbs, “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin” (Proverbs 10:19).  The more we speak, the more apt we are to say something that is hurtful to God, to others, and to ourselves. Perhaps one of the most cutting types of language is the use of sarcasm.  Some of us have perfected it and assumed that…

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