Archives for March 2020

But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Matthew 12:36-37

We are to let all things be done unto edification. That is, we need to build up others by the words we speak. Christ created us to speak life giving words. Everything Christ spoke on earth was calculated to do good. He never once threw away His words. He is our example. We are being conformed to the image of Christ. Spending much time in the gospels will help train our lips on what we ought to be saying.

O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? 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.

Matthew 12:34-35

You will speak what’s in your heart. If your heart isn’t right with Christ, then you are bound to speak all kinds of foolish things. When we are diligently following Christ, His Words become our words, because His heart is becoming our heart. If we notice our words are bad, then it’s time to change our hearts by feeding on the living Word of God. It’s a work God wants to do in us. We need only cooperate with how He’s leading us.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Proverbs 18:21

There is power in the tongue. God spoke the entire world into existence with His Word. Words can be terribly creative or destructive. It just depends on the heart of the person speaking. We need to respect the power that is in the tongue. We can cause a lot of damage if we speak foolishly. Speak life. Speak to edification. Speak to encouragement. That’s how God speaks. We want to be like our God in all things, especially our words.

Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.

Psalm 141:3

We should definitely ask for God’s help in watching our mouth. He is gracious to help us live like His Son, Jesus Christ. We also need to understand that we are in control of what we speak or don’t speak. If we refuse to speak, then we won’t. If we choose to speak life, then we will. We can create beauty in fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ. Have a beautiful heart and beautiful lips. When we discipline our hearts to speak the Truth in love, then God is well pleased indeed. Speak what God says. Speak the Word of God.

Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

Ephesians 1:15-16

We are privileged to be part of the body of Christ. We are serving God alongside some pretty special people. Lately I’ve been following Paul’s example of giving thanks for my brothers and sisters in Christ when I pray for them. Each saint is made in the image of God and has value to God. We ought to value them too.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

This verse says we should give thanks in everything we pray for. God is good. Thank Him for that! Thank Him for any good thing you can think of. Thank Him for what He’s doing in your life and in the lives of others.

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Ephesians 5:20

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

Hebrews 13:15

If we want to be fruitful Christians, it starts by being thankful Christians. Giving thanks is a habit, a discipline. Let it come from your heart with all sincerity and God will be pleased!

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Mark 11:24

Christ teaches us to pray in faith. Asking for something in prayer and believing that we receive it right then. He says we shall have what we pray for when we pray this way, in faith. What He doesn’t say is how long to wait between asking and receiving. What do we do if we don’t receive the answer right away?

That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Hebrews 6:12

God gave me this verse when I was going through a trial of my faith. I had lost a car and was standing in faith for God to give me a car without having to go further into debt. It was fall when this happened. I rode my bicycle to work about 2 or 3 miles away from home. All the while I continued to thank God for supplying my need of a car. People in my church and even my dad thought I was crazy. It became winter and was riding my bicycle through the snow to work. Yet I kept standing in faith that God was going to provide. Then one day in January at work a girl I worked with asked to speak with me. She said she had a car for me! She didn’t know that I needed a car but the Lord put it on her heart to give it to me. I drove that car reliably for almost 5 years before God supplied another car. It took faith AND patience to reap that car. If I would have given up my faith in the Word, then I would have missed out on a blessing from God.

For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

Hebrews 10:36

God has made many promises to all of us throughout His Word, the Bible. We need to live an upright, sin free life in order to qualify for His benefits. It takes faith and patience to receive God’s promises. Faith calls those things that be not as though they already are. God made a promise of a son to Abraham when he was 75. It wasn’t until he was 100 that he got the answer of his son Isaac. 25 long years he had to wait in faith. He got off track when he listened to his wife and had a son by the bondmaid. He may have received Isaac much sooner if he hadn’t listened to a voice other than God’s.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1

Faith is trusting God to do what He has promised to do. We ask Him once in faith, and then stand in faith by thanking God and praising Him until we see the answer. The just shall live by faith. It doesn’t matter how long we have to wait. God is trying our hearts to make sure we really believe Him. We shall reap, if we faint not. Your faith in the Word of God is equal to having the answer of what you are believing him for! Don’t give up, but praise and thank Him for His faithfulness to His Word. He is faithful that promised.