Tag Archives: Words

Words by Peggy

I have always felt that words are the most inadequate form of communication.  Both speaker and listener are responsible for the analysis of what is spoken, and the margin of error is huge.

Words are easily misinterpreted, flowing unchecked like a swelled river.  They are sometimes elusive and hard to find, frustrating both speaker and listener. They are hurtful, bullying, encouraging, loving and comforting. They are what we have, and they define who we are. They are the most powerful contrivance in mankind’s tool box.

My favorite is the written word. It is poetic and personal, putting far more burden on the writer than the reader.  A well-written tome can transport the reader into its world, seemingly making him or her a character in the story. It’s experiential, expanding the realm of one’s consciousness into places not yet thought of.  It’s exciting, consuming, and can be somewhat annoying when the reader comes to the end.

Then there is also the penned word that is not well-written.  Oh, I don’t mean a boring novel or an article that holds no interest to the reader.  I’m talking of the assault of words that is vomited on a daily basis on social media.

The constant barrage of opinions about everything and anything is a clanging gong inside the head of the reader.  You know of whom I speak: the feckless thugs who mess with the delicate minds of young people, or the bullies who would have us believe if we don’t share the same political views then we are surely mentally unequipped to be a part of society, so we should somehow be annihilated. Those who seem to be yelling and berating everyone who is not they.

I, for one, have grown weary of it. Of course, we can scroll past such ninnies and just ignore them, which is normally what I do. Sometimes though, it becomes personal and hard to ignore.

As an example, I have been told that I am not a good enough Christian because I don’t choose to proselytize on social media.  I find that odd, since most people who get to know me learn exactly who I am and what I believe, in a non-confrontational way.  I recently asked someone who was kind of castigating me for not being more vocal about Jesus if they even read my book.  They had not.  Interesting that I would be judged for not writing a flash-in-the-pan social media post, but the judge had not even read the book that I penned which points the reader to Jesus in every single chapter.

I believe there is a five-fold ministry in the church (apostle, prophet, teacher, evangelist and pastor),. Billy Graham functioned under the calling of evangelist, and he did it well. I so admire him. I am not called as an evangelist; I am a witness.  I do not compromise.  I choose to love. I choose to pray.  I try not to judge as if I’m God. I believe in Jesus and I know Him to be true.

Yet, somehow, I don’t measure up because I don’t join in with the religious talking heads on the facebook.  Truth be known, I find I don’t even agree with most of what the right-winged screamers are writing.  I find many attitudes and opinions that fly around under the banner of Christendom are anything but loving and seem more self-serving.  Maybe they are just poorly written, but that is this reader’s interpretation of the posts that I see.

I have been told that I should use the social media forum and join the political persuaders, for or against whatever issue is trending.  Seriously?  I feel bombarded by explosive and contentious debates seeking to leave me wounded with shrapnel that burns its way into nightmares of rage and insanity.  Good heavens, why would I want to jump on that bandwagon?  I find myself running for cover. Stop screaming at me!  Geez louise!

In recent months we have once again followed the reports of mass shootings of our babies.  Social media has risen to epic proportions debating “could have, would have, should have” scenarios.  The gun toters and gun controllers have taken over the facebook with their rants.  The politicians are scrambling to hold on to votes from every sector.  The screaming is getting louder, and, I fear, the solutions further away.

I weep for what we are becoming as a society.  I pray for our safety and protection and for divine intervention to stop the madness. I pray for the world we are leaving our grandchildren and their grandchildren.  I pray for those that don’t know God to learn of His grace and mercy. I pray for forgiveness for my own shortcomings.  I pray for the leadership of this country. I promise you, I pray. But my opinions on it all?

I find I have no words.

 “ Words  kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.”

Proverbs 18:21 The Message (MSG)

Words by Barb

In all my years as a Christian what has become most valuable is the Lord teaching me how important my words are. The Bible says in Proverbs 18:21 the tongue has the power of life and death and we will reap the fruit of it.  Our words can bless or curse ourselves or others.   Words have the power to bring destruction or edify.  Those who have been reading the blog for awhile know my beliefs on what Christ’s death on the cross did for us. It is not just about getting into heaven but also a restoration of all we we lost when Adam and Eve fell.   It pains me to hear the way that some Christians talk especially when it comes to health and the future.  They will converse about conditions in their blood line, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, addictions and the list goes on.  I hear comments like “Well you know my parents and grandparents had it, so I guess I can expect to have it too,” and “I am getting up in age, therefore I can expect all the aches and pains that go with it.”  STOP!!!! SHUSH! This is not the way it is supposed to be.  This is cursing ourselves.  Luke 10:19 States, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” In these cases, our generational bloodline and failing bodies are the serpents and scorpions that Christ has redeemed us from through his blood and has given us power over.

Romans 4:17 tells us that God called into being those things that were not. When He created the world, He used words to do it. You may say yeah, but He is God we are not. Didn’t God say, in Genius 1:26 Let us make man in Our image and then He gave us dominion over all the earth?  Am I saying that all we need to do is speak something and it will come to pass?  No, our words must be mixed with faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. The Bible is filled with promises and we can have those promises if we believe.  We need to proclaim a promise of God till we believe it in our heart. For encouragement read Hebrews 11 regarding the great faith of men and women.  Bear in mind that God wants what is best for us.  Some issues have to do with the will of God, but when it comes to conditions such as healing and addictions we can rest assure the Lord want us healed and free.

I’m sure we all know the rhyme, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”  What a load of crap that is!  Of course, they can hurt.   Suppose we had hurtful, negative words spoken over us or even said them about ourselves, for example, “You will never amount to anything” or “I’m not good enough.” How do we combat statements like that? We look in the Word of God to see what He says about us.  We will find in Psalm 1 about delighting ourselves in God’s laws (His teachings.) We will be like trees planted by the water, who leaves do not wither and everything we touch will prosper.  In Jeramiah 29:11 we see how the Lord has plans for us, good plans, plans to prosper us to give us a hope and a future.  Speak these words of life until you believe it in your heart and watch it come to pass. 

We can change the atmosphere just by being positive and speaking words of encouragement to those who need it.  Philippians 4:8 tells us to fix our thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. To think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Subsequently if we think good things we will speak good things, which puts us in a position to be an inspiration to others.

In conclusion, remember words can either work for us or against us.  I want them to work for me and I’m sure you want that for yourself.  Let us imagine our words as seeds, seeds of life. We then water those seeds with faith.  Together we will see the promises of God reap a harvest in our lives. God Bless!