The Power of Words

“In the beginning was the Word …” (John 1:1). “The plainest reason why the Son of God is called the Word, seems to be, that as our words explain our minds to others, so was the Son of God sent in order to reveal his Father’s mind to the world.” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary).

Every transaction in life between man and man is carried on by words whether it is spoken or written. As long as our words are used as God intended them to be used, we live in peace, but when we in our sinful nature communicate, words have the power to destroy. Of what persuasion are your words?

It is so easy to react badly in situations where we have been offended, or we have been abused, or we have been treated unkindly. As a result of an offense, many of us get into a war of words. Whatever the offense against you, it has its way of taking the life out of you, taking your health, and especially your fellowship with God.

So what then must we do when our emotions get in the way? Words spoken in anger or hatred for instance can have a crippling effect on you, so much so that it can cause you panic, cause you confusion, despair and hopelessness; it can cause you undue duress; cause you emotional sickness and instability; and you can also feel physically sick. Do you let another person’s words dictate your actions and attitude, or do you move in the opposite spirit? Are you quick to listen and slow to speak, or do you get sucked into the person’s war of words by reacting in the same way? It’s easy to be nice to people who are nice to you, but it is not so easy to react in a sweet spirit to people who are mean and hurtful. I think, in all honesty, most of us would say that we have lashed back, insult for insult.

Here is a story of just such a confrontation. I am sure that all of you can relate to it in some way. Justin had just gotten off the phone with a colleague of his, and with whom he had just completed rolling out a successful software release for his company. The colleague was happy the project was completed, and was in a good mood. Kudos were in order. Everyone would be celebrating. But the next day, Justin’s colleague Patricia became entangled in a vicious war of words with another colleague on the project team, Samuel Remington. They called him Remi. Remi, short for Remington, and appropriately nicknamed for his explosive temper (Remington Arms Co. is the largest producer of shotguns, rifles and ammunition in the U.S.), was in a shouting match (or should I say shooting match) with Patricia. Apparently, Remi thought he was not given proper credit due him for his work completed on the project, whereas Patricia was receiving much of the commendation and credit for the successful rollout. There was nothing private about the brawl either for a good many in the office were witness to it. It was a downright ugly blow for blow slugging match between the two trading insult for insult. Justin’s colleague Patricia checked herself into the hospital shortly thereafter with chest pains. Patricia, fortunately was okay. It was all stress related.

Because many of Patricia’s colleagues were privy to the confrontation, Justin tried to intercede on behalf of Patricia and Remi to see if he could contain the conflagration from spreading to upper management. Was Patricia the only victim? Perhaps Remi was also a victim and was suffering as a result of some unresolved hurt unbeknownst to anyone in the office. Perhaps the issue itself was not the real issue. Many of us often engage in a war of words with others for many reasons, and oftentimes those reasons are not apparent. Perhaps it could be as simple as, the initiator didn’t sleep well, or more often than not he was feeling the stresses of life, and was as a result feeling lost or sorry for himself. When this happens, many of us know no other way to express ourselves than by lashing out?

“Psychological projection was conceptualized by Sigmund Freud in the 1900s as a defense mechanism in which a person unconsciously rejects his or her own unacceptable attributes by ascribing them to objects or persons in the outside world (Wikipedia)”. Here is an excerpt from an email to Patricia in which the initiator’s admission reveals a deeper emotion than the original issue itself. “It has come to my attention that you do not want anything to do with me”, said Remi. “You’re not the only one sick of me, but so also is my wife. She has moved out on me and has taken the kids with her. Good, I hope she’s happy!”

What would you have done in this situation? Would you have traded insult for insult, or would you have sought God’s wisdom and have been restrained? Here is what Proverbs 10:19 says – “When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise”.

God instructs us to live in harmony with each other (Romans 12:16). That means taking responsibility for our own actions and attitudes and words. Justin too had been a recipient of Remi’s ire. Although the project was successful, Remi would also find fault with Justin. In an email to Justin he blamed Justin for leaving the office every night on the dot at 5:00 p.m. when additional hours were needed to ensure that the project deadline was met on time. In the email, Remi shared “Once when I regularly ducked out of the office early at another job, I was fired.” Why was he projecting on me now, Justin thought? “We did get the project in on time, and it was a major success”. Justin did leave the office at 5:00 to pick up his kids from day care, but he often came back into the office late at night to finish his work. Justin could have gone on the defense and retaliated with harsh words, but he chose restraint. He immediately defused the situation by simply replying with a soft answer rather than trade harsh words should it stir the pot of anger already boiling (Proverbs 15:1). The next email that Justin received was apologetic, for Remi replied “Sorry for taking my anger out on you Justin. I’ve been pretty stressed-out lately. I knew you were working late. Thank you for your support. Feeling so much better today.” Funny how things work out when we seek God’s discernment, and reply with a soft answer, rather than going on the defense.

The Bible is full of examples concerning communication with each other. I counted over 100 verses. Here are just a few words of wisdom concerning God’s counsel regarding living in harmony with one another and regarding the power of words.

Proverbs 10:19 When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise.

Proverbs 12:18 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Proverbs 17:28 Even a fool who remains silent is considered wise, and the one who holds his tongue is deemed discerning.

Proverbs 18:2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, only in expressing his opinion.

Proverbs 18:22 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 16:24 Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Proverbs 16:32 The wise heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.

Romans 12:16-18, 20-21 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud…. Do not repay anyone evil for evil …. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone…. ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Prayer: Lord, help me to live in harmony with others and not to repay evil with evil and insult with insult. Lord, forgive me for harboring any resentment and bitterness towards those who find fault with me or whom I might have offended, and should they be correct in their assessment of me, please humble me to do what is honorable and right in Your eyes by asking their forgiveness and by making amends. Next time before I act or speak in situations that anger me, may You give me a discerning heart to know when to speak or when to listen; and may I take no pleasure in retaliation, but may You control my feelings and emotions.

Faith Small as a Mustard Seed

Did you ever pray like this? “Nothing is impossible for you God, BUT …..”

I will be the first one to admit that my faith is somewhat of a see-saw at times, going back and forth between my small faith and my little faith (yes there is a difference; I will explain herein). Some days you hear from God and God answers your prayers, and then on other days, God’s promises seem so far out of reach. In the story of the epileptic boy in Matthew 17:14-21, the disciples could neither exorcise nor heal the boy, yet Jesus had previously given them authority to do just such a thing. Jesus gave them the ability, figuratively speaking, to move mountains. So why then did they fail to exercise their faith this time?

I do believe that the disciples believed that nothing was impossible for God, but in the story of the epileptic boy, it says that they could not exercise their faith. It says that the disciples, not understanding why they could not heal the boy, came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”, and Jesus answered them, “Because of the littleness of your faith (Matthew 17:20). In another passage in the Bible it says that Jesus addressed them “ye of little faith”. I cannot help but think that this was a rebuke. The disciples were always around Jesus. They saw Jesus feed the thousands and heal the sick. And in Mark 6:13 it says that this same authority to cast out devils and heal the sick was also given to them.

In previous times the disciples had successfully cast out demons and healed the sick. Had they not prayed and fasted this time (Matthew 17:21)? Did the disciples now take the power given to them for granted as if it belonged to them? Were they relying solely on their own abilities? Pertaining to starting and not finishing, I am also reminded of Peter when Jesus called him to step out of the boat (Matthew 14:29-31). Peter believed (at least for the moment). Trusting in Jesus and stepping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water, but then when he took his eyes off of Jesus he began to sink and he became afraid. “Ye of little faith”, Jesus said, “why did you doubt?”

Jesus first spoke strongly about the unbelief of the entire generation here in this passage in Matthew 17. “The crowds and religious people came to see spectacular miracles but failed to believe in Him despite all the evidence God had provided” (Bible Study Fellowship notes). Jesus, in apparent frustration lamented, “You faithless [or, unbelieving] and corrupt people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you?”

It is interesting, the comparison between the disciples’ littleness of faith (having nothing to do with the measure of faith that God graces all believers with) and small faith (as a mustard seed). “Little faith” in the Greek comes from the word “oligopistos” which means trusting too little (i.e. lacking confidence in Christ). This word is used 5 times in the Bible including here in Matthew 17.

In Mark 9:23-24, Jesus addressed the father of the epileptic boy – “And Jesus said to him, If You can! All things are possible to him who believes. Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, I do believe; help my unbelief”, and the boy was cured at once. Then He said to the disciples “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you.” The small faith shown by the boy’s father (in contrast to littleness of faith exhibited by the disciples), is an example of faith that is alive in the believer and that has the potential to mature into greater faith. Answers to prayer and the magnitude of the miracle performed is also not necessarily proportionate to the size of your faith (as evidenced by the father’s small faith) when you have faith as a mustard seed, but according to God’s good grace who has allotted to each a measure of faith when “ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7). And realize also if you are trusting and obeying, and your faith starts out as small as a mustard seed, it’s okay, for it will grow.

On a Saturday in late October last year I broke my wrist preparing for Storm Sandy. And during a worship service the following morning, God very clearly said to me “you are healed”. “If you can”, said Jesus, “all things are possible to him who believes.” My initial response was that of the father of the boy in Matthew 17. “Lord, I believe, help me in my unbelief.” In other words, I did believe that God could do a miracle, but if there was any reason for doubt, I needed God to remove it. I needed to believe. I knew in my heart that God wanted me to trust in Him, although weak in spirit and small in faith, I knew God also wanted me to step out in faith and claim His promise. I needed God’s help. “Help me God in my unbelief.” Help me God to believe and, as the apostles also prayed “increase my faith” (Luke 17:5). God’s countenance shined down upon me. (See full story – “Into the Storm“).

God’s promises are there for all believers, yet so many of us prevent God from working in us for maybe fear of disappointment, or maybe we have not prayed fervently or believed God’s Word. Yet for those who courageously come to Jesus with hope as small as a mustard seed, sincerely desiring God’s touch, God sheds His grace upon them. God wants us to go out on a limb and ask Him for the impossible, for God is a God of miracles and delights to answer our prayers. And those who are blessed “are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:16). Seek God until your hunger and thirst are satisfied, and your prayers are answered. And as we continue to grow in Christ and see miracles and answers to prayer, our faith (as a mustard seed) will also grow, in turn making it easier each time to trust in God and believe that “nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).

Perhaps you have some thoughts on this topic. I would like to hear your answers. Please post your comments.

Prayer: Lord, I do believe. You saved me and gave me faith to believe, but my faith is weak at times. Forgive me for my unbelief. Lord, increase my faith so that I might give glory to You.

A light in every storm

NBRC — North Branch Reformed Church
on a cold and snowy evening

In the picture shown, the sun has gone down and it is dark and snowing outside, and through the trees a church with its steeple is lit. God is calling; God is beckoning us to come in. Do we accept God’s invitation to come in out of the cold and into His presence, or do we huddle around a fire outside that is burning low and just within short distance of warmth and safety? In the song lyrics below, from a song that I wrote entitled “Of Which She Dreams and Prophesies”, a metaphor on life, Aunt Kate is an example of a strong godly person who endures life’s struggles and sorrows and finds refuge in God. She is a survivor. She has great faith in God and has no fears concerning the comfort and health of her family even in the severest of life’s winters, life’s challenges and storms. She provides hope and assurance that the Son will come and melt away their snow. God is there for them in life’s difficult situations, no matter how difficult they may seem. With claims fantastic, she reaches out to God that He might extend His hand to them and bring them sanctuary. To Kate, “nothing is insurmountable for God”.

December sun, where have you disappeared to?
We all sit round the fire mindful of the cold world in our lives
And now the night time fire burns low
We’re off to bed its late now,
and as I move I hurry for I’m cold …

Tells of the coming snowstorms
The north wind blew, we heard the roar
A whirlwind of a blinding storm
Raged all night, Raged all night.

“The white drift piled my window frame
And through the glass the clothes line posts
Looked in like tall and sheeted ghosts”
We’re snowbound, We’re snowbound!

So all night long the storm roared on
“A fenceless drift what once was road …
Low drooping pine-boughs winter-weighed”
We prayed and we prayed
Please Lord let the snow melt. Please Lord let the snow melt.

But in her room, my aunt Kate prayed
“With hope each day renewed and fresh,
The Lord’s quick coming in the flesh
Whereof she dreams and prophesies.”

“Faint and more faint the murmurs grew”
In reverence bowed before our Lord,
we prayed for hearts are light and life that’s new
Whereof she dreams and prophesies.

No sooner than we said that prayer
We heard a knock upon our door
and then we knew God caused the snow to melt
Of which she dreamed and prophesied.

(by Bill Hutzel … some quotes from “Snowbound” by John Greenleaf Whittier)

Does God sometimes feel distant? Do our spirits sometimes feel confined by the heavy snows and drifts of life, or are you someone who is more like the stalwart and faithful Aunt Kate who was able to believe God for a miracle; for the Son to come and melt away her family’s feelings of hopelessness, disappointments and sorrows, and return hope and joy back into their life? For many of us, I think, our problems seem so great that even God cannot solve them, God feels distant, and we feel “snowbound”. We pray and it seems as if God does not hear nor answer. Is there no shelter or warmth? Is there no reprieve? I too have to remind myself at times that God is only a short distance away, and that He is within my reach should I call out to Him to rescue me.

Unfortunately, not all of us endure life’s hardships. Captain Robert Scott’s Antarctic expedition of 1910 ended in tragedy with him and his crew perishing. Scott and his crew were frozen, exhausted, and disappointed as they began their return trip after reaching the Antarctic pole and having discovered that Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole first. On March 11, 1912, Scott and his team setup camp for the last time during a raging blizzard. Huddled down in their tent, they succumbed to the elements and hardship. Only had they known, they were only a short distance from their home base where there was food and shelter. We too are so close to God’s sanctuary, yet some of us also fail to realize it. Perhaps if we would only reach out and find Him, for He is not far from any one of us (Acts 17:27). Will you go the distance?

Have you set up your last camp? Have you succumbed to life’s struggles, disappointments, and sorrows, or are you someone who is determined to survive the expedition you are on? Life is full of hazardous twists and turns, detours and pitfalls, but with God as your refuge and strength, He will bring you around and through them. And if you feel like giving up and it seems as if God does not hear nor answer you, know this that God is there contrary to what you might feel or think.

Unlike Captain Scott and his expedition team, take hope in that God is your refuge and is able to keep you from perishing. Believe God’s promise that nothing is insurmountable for Him and that He is your refuge in times of trouble. Psalm 46:1 says “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” It is comforting to know that God is there for me when I need Him, a place of sanctuary. Take hope in that Jesus will never leave you; nor will He ever forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). Don’t give up! Don’t succumb to life’s struggles, disappointments and sorrows for He is a light in every storm.

Prayer: You are my strength when I am weak, You are the lifter of my head (Psalm 18:1-2). May You invite me in to your sanctuary when I feel abandoned and lonely and full of despair. Be my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge. Renew me, refresh me daily.

For as he thinks within himself, so he is

“For as he thinks within himself, so he is.” (Proverbs 23:7)

When I was a very small boy, I wanted to be “Davy Crockett”. I was so captivated by the person of Davy Crockett, that I not only would look forward to watching the Walt Disney television series about him with Fess Parker in the leading role, but I would also dress up like him and act out the role as a child. I can also remember my Dad taking me down to our local record shop and buying me the hit single, the Ballad of Davy Crockett” – “Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier.”

One day, my grandfather, who was a barber, asked me, “Billy, do you want me to cut your hair so that you look like Davy Crockett with a raccoon tail?” Of course, he was only kidding, but I don’t know if at the time I thought he was kidding as I was only 5 or 6 years old, and very gullible. Everyone thought, I am sure, that that was adorable, but as we mature into adults, many of us today, because of dissatisfaction with who we are, also dwell on and cast ourselves in roles that are not particularly suited to us.

The notion that we are what we eat or that which we dwell on is portrayed humorously in the following conversation between Basil, a middle class English writer, and Zorba, a Greek peasant, from the book “Zorba the Greek”. The phrase you are what you eat, however, is not to be taken literally herein, but rather connotes that which the mind ingests has a bearing on one’s state of mind.

(Zorba) “Tell me what you do with the food you eat, and I’ll tell you who you are. Some turn their food into fat and manure, some into work and good humor, and others, I’m told, into God. So there must be three sorts of men. I’m not one of the worst, boss, nor yet one of the best. I’m somewhere in between the two. What I eat I turn into work and good humor. That’s not too bad, after all!’

(Basil) He looked at me wickedly and started laughing.

(Zorba) As for you, boss, he said, ‘I think you do your level best to turn what you eat into God. But you can’t quite manage it, and that torments you. The same thing’s happening to you as happened to the crow.’

(Basil) ‘What happened to the crow, Zorba?’

(Zorba) ‘Well, you see, he used to walk respectably, properly – well, like a crow. But one day he got it into his head to try and strut about like a pigeon. And from that time on the poor fellow couldn’t for the life of him recall his own way of walking. He was all mixed up, don’t you see? He just hobbled about.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek
How many of us are dissatisfied with who we are and our circumstances, and also try our level best to change things but can’t quite manage it? Because discontent lurks in every person’s heart, we oftentimes try to change who we are, our God given talents, brains and physical appearance, and also our situations, and sometimes it is at grave cost. Unfortunately, many of us who look in the mirror and wish we were someone else, end up tormented like the crow, and hobble about, all mixed up.

But don’t misunderstand me. There is nothing wrong with aspiring to be something or wanting to change our circumstances, just as long as it is a realistic possibility and ordained of God for me as a person. Regardless of who I am and my circumstances, the Bible teaches that I should be content. In Philippians 4:12-13, Paul learned to be content in whatever his circumstances and even with his physical infirmity for he says “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” Note: the secret of Paul’s strength was not in himself, but in knowing that Jesus Christ was the source of his strength. Paul was content because Jesus was his all sufficiency.

Whatever your situation, whatever your dissatisfaction with life, whether it be self-esteem, your job, your spouse, etc., rat C.-S.-Lewis-Believe-Quotes-1 her than begrudging these things and wishing you were someone else, choose to look in the mirror and focus on “whatever is right, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is fair, whatever is pure, whatever is acceptable, whatever is commendable, if there is anything of excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—keep thinking about these things.” (Philippians 4:8, ISV). The Bible teaches that we are changed by the things we behold or that which we dwell on. C.S. Lewis said- “We are who we believe we are”. Believers in Christ who behold in the mirror, or who “contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV).

Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas?

Google’s illustration yesterday kicked off Christmas Eve 2013 with a bucolic scene of a couple in a horse-drawn sleigh making their way through a snowy, winter wonderland. It was their way of avoiding a “war on Christmas rumpus”. If you hovered over the image with your mouse, the caption said “Happy Holidays from Google”. If you clicked on it, it brought up a “Happy Holidays” search.

I grew up wishing all a Merry Christmas and going door-to-door singing Christmas carols and celebrating Christmas in public school, however, as a nation today, for many it has become politically incorrect to wish others a Merry Christmas for fear of offending them if they are of a different persuasion. Many public schools today celebrate a holiday break from school now rather than a Christmas recess. In today’s news, a military diversity training officer instructed a group of U.S. soldiers at Camp Shelby, Miss., not to use the word ‘Christmas,’ according to Fox News. “They’re treating Christmas like it’s pornography. As a matter of fact, the Army actually treats pornography better than it does Christmas”. In fact, some organizations have gone so far as to label some Christian organizations as extremist hate groups. How is it that “Men and women of faith – who have served the Army faithfully for centuries – have been likened to those who regularly threaten the peace and security of the United States,” said Ron Crews, executive director of the Chaplain Alliance“? On the contrary, Christ did not come to spread hate, but to spread love and joy. It is a time of celebration, a time to rejoice in the birth of our savior Jesus Christ.

Luke 2:7 “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”

Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Let’s pray for our nation, that we might continue to have the freedom to worship as in years past, and as our nation’s forefathers had and who acknowledged the authority of God and were committed to obey His commandments.

Inspiration and Hope

The Power of Words

Faith Small as a Mustard Seed

A light in every storm

For as he thinks within himself, so he is

Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas?

Merry Christmas everyone!