WHAT YOU HEAR SHOULD DRAW YOU CLOSER TO JESUS

“But now you yourselves are to put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do no lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.”—Colossians 3:8-10

 

Have you ever noticed that for most people it is easier to gain weight than to lose it?  It is also easier to destroy things than to build them, and to ruin a relationship than to work to maintain one.  It seems that the things we desire are harder to come by than the things we wish to avoid.  It is the same way with what we hear.

 

Values and attitudes that take a long time to build can be easily destroyed by just a few words.  Certainly, everyone has had their enthusiasm quenched by the disapproving words of someone else.  Our words are important but so are the words of every person that we hear.  To succeed in the kingdom of God, we not only have to watch what we say, but also we must guard what we hear.

 

In our day and age, Christians are exposed to the negative words of this world as never before.  Most of us allow these words right into our homes, automobiles, offices, and wherever we are traveling.  In seconds, we are aware of all the terrible things going on around the world.  Some people even listen for entertainment to songs that wail about the miseries and sorrows of mankind.  A few years ago, the Holy Spirit spoke these words to me, “A wave of occult music is coming into America to take the children.  It is a Luciferian Music Club which is a Satanic Juilliard.”  Across our nation young children are listening to this music, and it is being merchandised as innocent, cute and charming. 

 

Negative words have power—evil power.  “Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you” (Proverbs 4:24).  They have the ability to depress, and to cause fear.  We do not need that!  We are to be a people of faith and hope!  “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.  And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:29-32).

 

Think about the words you hear today.  Do you really need or want what you are seeing and hearing?  Choose life instead of death (Deuteronomy 30:19).  If a word spoken to you does not increase your faith and draw you to Jesus, rebuke it and reject it.  Then turn your thought to His Word and be glad. 

 

Prayer—Father today I purpose to guard what I hear and I choose life. Please forgive me for the times that I was lax and lazy in choosing to hear words of death.  I ask that by the power of Your Word and Your Blood that every negative word that was sown into my spirit to cause death and defeat in my life be uprooted in Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

AS A BELIEVER, EVERY FAILURE CAN BE A STEPPING STONE TO SUCCESS

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”—Galatians 6:7

 

You may have heard the expression that God does not create any failures; however, when we look at the world around us, we can see failure.  Financial institutions have failed, a variety of types of business have been forced to close there doors, and all around the world we see relationships that have failed.  Failure can be a dreadful word.  No one likes to the think about failure, or experience it.  However, everyone can be subject to the attacks of failure.  Throughout the Scriptures, many of God’s servants suffered failures.  Some of the most successful men and women in history have experienced failure.  If God does not create failures, why then are we seeing so many of them?  I believe that there are times that God allows failure because we as humans are not perfect, and those individuals who go on to eventually succeed are the ones who understand the difference between temporary defeat and failure.  These are the ones who look beyond life’s occasional setbacks, and refuse to give up, no matter what obstacles that confront them.

 

Jesus’ parable of two men who had built a house is a vivid picture of both success and failure.  One of the men built the foundation of his house upon rock, the other on sand.  When the storms unleashed their fury, one house stood and the other fell.  “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fail, for it was founded on the rock.   But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.  And great was its fall” (Matthew 7:24-27).  In this parable, we can find two principles that can protect us from lasting failure in our personal, family, business, and spiritual lives.

 

First, always build upon the strong, immovable foundation of truth.  Any aspect of life that violates truth is doomed to failure.  It may stand for a season, but eventually it will collapse.  The truth of Scripture should be our guide in business, as-well-as in our family life.  Detours around truth and honesty will always lead to disappointment and ultimately failure. 

Second, build for the storms of life that come.  What you build will be tested.  The consequences of shoddy work, laziness, dishonesty, though it may be well-hidden, will surely bring failure tomorrow.  You cannot escape the eternal principle: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that will he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

 

God is not the author of our failures thought He does allow it.  Even though we are His children and want what is best, we do not always know what is best: therefore, we may experience what looks like failure.  There are times that we allow ourselves to become sidetracked. Our priorities get out of order; our motivation becomes selfish; Christ is no longer the center of our lives.  These are times that God uses failure as a way of getting our attention; humbling us, and bringing us back to Himself. 

 

Always remember that there is a difference between failing and being a failure.  God does not make failures; however, sometimes He allows us to fail today in order to bring us success in our tomorrow.  God has planted in your every defeat the seeds of your future success.  Successful people are those who apply God’s remedy: humbling themselves before Him in repentance, surrendering to His will and His goals for their lives.  For the believer, every failure can be a stepping stone to success.

 

Prayer—Father I thank you that You have not made me a failure. Today I humble myself before You, and repent for doing things my way. I ask you to help me turn every situation in my life into a success, in Jesus Name. Amen.