BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

That was my first revelation that idle words are a big deal to God…and a vicious tool of the enemy. Playing With Fire When the Lord speaks, He creates. He never speaks just to let us know what He’s thinking or feeling. He speaks for effect. As His children, we’re made in His likeness. We’re the only created beings to which He has given a similar ability to choose our words, speak them and release spiritual power. Carnal people will say whatever they feel, letting loose whatever thought flitters through their minds without any consideration as to how it affects the hearers. But, as Christians, we need to be different. We need to make sure that when we speak it’s on purpose. Our words carry weight, and with them we can do good…or we can do a lot of damage. Jesus once said to the multitudes, “Whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:22, "New King James Version"). The word Raca means “empty one/worthless one.” And the word fool can be defined as “morally worthless.” In both cases, Jesus is clearly saying that when we speak words meant to demean and belittle, we put ourselves in grave danger. This is why using profanity toward someone is so bad. Using a curse word against another is essentially a way of calling that person worthless. And doing so plays right into the hands of the enemy. He wants nothing more than to use us to demean and belittle others—because it will get people to think less of themselves. But Jesus found all of us worth so much that He died for us! We mean so much to Him! That’s why it’s nothing short of evil to suggest someone is worthless. Not long ago, I felt the Lord quicken this truth inside of me. He said, 'Every word and every action that makes another person feel less is evil.' Those are strong words, but there’s no way around it: How can we call ourselves Christians and followers of Jesus if we demean and belittle those He gave His life for? It not only brings into question the quality of our character, but it also brings into question our very salvation. If we do that, we’re literally playing with fire. Be Nice Paul speaks to this matter in his letter to the Ephesians: "Neither give place to the devil…. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And BE YE KIND one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:27, 29-32, emphasis mine). In other words, follow your mother’s advice: Be nice. When God says we should be kind, He’s not suggesting that we be weak. We should be strong and firm in what we believe. What’s not OK is to be hard and harsh—that’s ungodly. Of course, we know the world doesn’t give this kind of behavior a second thought. People live completely unaware of everyone around them. They’re only thinking about where they need to go, what they need to do and what’s on their schedules. They don’t even realize how indifferent, rude and harsh they’re being. But, as believers, we should live differently. Years ago, I was in an airport preparing for a commercial flight with a fellow minister. The attendants miscalculated and didn’t have what we needed ready to go, and man, that minister got sharp with them. After berating them, he turned and noticed I wasn’t smiling. “Sorry,” he said with a shrug, “that’s just my prophetic anointing coming out.” I had to practice self-control right then and there! Being sharp with someone has nothing to do with a “prophetic anointing.” It has everything to do with being carnal and impatient and not walking in love. When someone’s sharp like that, they’re not thinking through—or even caring—about how their words affect anyone else. This is important because it’s a big deal to God. It’s simply not the way He is. He is love, and love is kind (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). * * * * article continues on p. 11 * * * * ******************************************* Watch Keith on VICTORY™ (Formerly BVOVN®) GoVictory.com dish® CHANNEL 265 apple tv® 4th Generation Roku® YouTube® amazon fire TV ******************************************* 10 : BVOV

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