Word of the Day
When it all comes down, the enemies chief desire above all else is to kill, steal and destroy?to divide and conquer…to cause dissension which separates you from Me and those I love (John 10:10). He does this in any way he can. How he loves reckless and harmful words.
To be reckless is to be irresponsible, thoughtless, inattentive, hasty, careless and rash in any way. These are all his characteristics and he wants you to embrace them, to join him in the defeat of others.
The enemy knows if you consciously believed you were walking in any of the above definitions of reckless you would be heartbroken. Therefore, he goes about his offensive behavior in more subtle ways, convincing you that little seemingly innocuous words don’t matter…but they do.
Not only do they matter but they release death and build a foundation in your own thinking which, and your thought life produces more spoken word. What are you thinking…what are you saying?
The more you say it the more you believe it and faith is decimated in reference to those you are praying for. Yes, this applies to what you say about your own self as well. Don?t be your own worst enemy. It is not pride to agree with Me about who you are. It is false pride not too.
These cycles, in reference to yourself and others, left unchallenged, hardens your heart brings about callousness, guilt, and shame, causing you to elevate yourself above another in order to preserve your own sense of well-being. This is called self-justification at the expense of another. This is pride, the enemy of humility, and the foe of forgiveness and disparager of grace. It is a vicious cycle of the enemy aimed at getting your focus off of Me, causing you to judge one another…to judge yourself. Judgment, resentment and bitterness render your faith impotent. Mercy triumphs over judgment. I have not judged you so take courage in all things.
In a sense, you cut off your nose to spite your face. Beloved, I say all these things for your own good because I love you too much. I love them too much. Let My Word settle down in the depths of your heart and be made new in all respects (Colossians 3:16). I am here right now to deposit new measures of grace and to build up your overcoming spirit.
Let the word [spoken by] Christ (the Messiah) have its home [in your hearts and minds] and dwell in you in [all its] richness, as you teach and admonish and train one another in all insight and intelligence and wisdom [in spiritual things, and as you sing] psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody to God with [His] grace in your hearts (Colossians 3:16 Amplified)
Prayer
Lord, the enemy is a liar and a thief who loves to steal, kill, and destroy, whose desire is to divide and separate us from You and each other. Forgive me for listening to him in any way, shape or fashion. I choose to tear down any foundations of wrong thinking, wrong mindsets, or wrong speaking. I surrender my thought life to the living Word. I dismantle every lie with truth applicable in my own life. There is no situation, no circumstance, and no way of thinking that incapable of being changed by the released living Word.
Expose every cycle in my life leading to a hard and calloused heart which births shame and guilt within my very core being. I reject shame, guilt, and hardness of heart. I embrace the truth that sets me free and I am changed. Help me to see where I justify myself at the expense of another. I let go of all unforgiveness, bitterness and resentment. They are foes of freedom and change. They are foes of a humble and submitted heart. I choose instead to let the Word settle down into any empty place, any hurt place, any judged place and I am made new in all ways. Amen
Reflect and Journal
- Are there any areas of your heart hardened by circumstances? Reject the hardness and invite Him to make them places of malleable soft clay fully submitted to the Potter’s Wheel.
- Is there anything you have been saying so long, even though it might be just a small thing, you have come to believe it in full measure?
- In what areas do you need new measures of grace?
1. This is not easy to write about, but I do not think that I am alone with the disillusion of grown children not communicating as you think they should. I have one son who does keep in contact, but then the other two are haphazard and the oldest, all of a sudden, is mum. You wonder why. I use to harden myself against this and not care, but how can you not care? I now put Jesus in my heart and cast “love” in place and feel my burden is lightened because someone does care. Love says it all, even if it is not returned as expected.
2. I have been saving my Mother’s wedding rings, necklace and bracelet and her jewelry boxes. It is a memento of a wonderful Mother. She was so special in many ways.
3. I need God’s grace in just living my life righteously and when I go wrong, to know that he cares, loves me and forgives me.
Humility to accept our weaknesses and lack make us more cautious in our speech. An undesirable word once spoken cannot be taken back. It is by grace that we are able to hold our tongue from saying undesirable and harsh words. How beautiful life can be and how loving relationship can be preserved and valued if only we can tame our tongue!
May God anoint my tongue and give me clarity of mind to speak only what is good, true, fair and just. Bless me with good speech that will mirror my thoughts and my soul….Only by Your grace my dear Lord!