Words

  The Bible teaches us that the power of life and death are in the tongue. The words we speak are power, they're creative, but they can also be death. Every time we open our mouths and speak, or even write, these words have an abundance of power that we cannot comprehend: they're often the driving force behind life itself.

  We must guard and be careful of the words we speak to one another because they could be the words that that heal a heart, or drive someone over the edge. We have to guard what we say and how we say because we will be held accountable for every word we utter and, they way in which we uttered them.

  Several years ago my dad preached a sermon in which he brought out an interesting point. Scientist discovered that our words are floating out in space. Radio transmissions of a speech Adolf Hitler made in 1939 were discovered using a special listening device, in space. This wouldn't have been so special, except that they were found thirty years after his death.

  We must also consider that our actions, the words we say to people will affect them for the rest of their lives. When you tell someone that you love them, then you re-enforce those words with actions indicating your love, you had better be sure that those words are true. You can't tell someone one day that you love them, show that love with acts of affection and then the next day tell them that you were lonely and they just happened to be handy. To do this is like murder. You're killing their emotions, killing their heart and this could take them years to overcome.

  Folks, the words we use, the acts we do must be based on truth. Our words and actions must be rooted and grounded in truth, in God's eternal love and must mean something. We have to be sure that we speak to people in love, that we act toward people in love and that we are mindful of the simple fact: every word we utter is a seed and every word we utter... one day we will stand before God to give account of. We'll also be required to account for the reaction those words had on people.

  One last point, the Jewish sages believe that words are creative and every time we speak we're creating things. Don't forget, God created the heavens and the earth with His words. We're His children and the words we speak create just as His do. What we create, is just as important as what He created,

Believe, Expect and Love

  I was in a bit of a quandary today. I was moments away from my Internet radio broadcast going live and I didn't have a thing to say. I had not heard from the Lord on what I was to talk about, what songs I was to play or anything else. In the past when this has happened, the Lord would often simply tell me to do a music program so, I was preparing to do that. As the clock was ticking down the final ten minutes or so, I heard that still small voice.

  My best friend gave me a Bible called "The Scriptures." I highly recommend this version of the Bible to anyone who is a serious student of the Word. This Bible is always close at hand and the Lord told me to look up 1 Corinthians 13:11-13. For many people, this is a very familiar passage, ofter called the "love passage." As I read this passage for the first time in this version, the eyes of my understanding were opened as I read the 13th verse.

  " And now belief, expectation, and love remain - these three. But the greatest of these is love."

    As I read that verse, the faith walk became so clear to me. For years I've struggled with the faith teaching and how to exercise the faith that God has placed in my being. Like so many others, I've heard a lot of faith teachers teach, but could never quite put all the pieces together in a way that made complete sense to me: those days are now OVER.

  Jesus died on the Cross to seal God's complete and total COVENANT for you and me. By doing so, Christ Jesus became the Lamb that bought back our dominion on this earth and sealed the promises of God for all those who believe in God and are Christians.

  There are a lot of people who believe there is a God, but many who don't believe IN God. Rather than just believe there is a God, we have to believe IN God. We have to look at what His Word says and take it for what it says. We have to place our trust in the fact that God will do what His Word says He will do. If you and I will step out in faith and do our part, then God is bound by His covenant, His blood covenant to do what He said He will do. We just have to believe in what He said and, believe it in our hearts.

  Next, we have to set aside the doubt and the fear, set aside the words of those who are stuck in religion and stuck in disbelief and begin to expect God to answer our prayers and petitions. We need to make our requests known, then we need to run out into the front yard and start looking down the street expecting the answer to show up. If you're praying for lost loved ones to be saved, plant your prayer and love gift to God, then start expecting that the phone will ring any moment with the news that they got saved. If your need is physical, financial, spiritual or whatever; you've got to put your faith in gear and expect God to do what He said He would do and answer your prayer.

  Lastly, we've got to love as God loves. We've got to stop talking about people, stop criticizing people and love them. We've got to stop looking down our religious noses at the lost and look at them with eyes of compassion and great love. We've got to pray for those who don't treat us right and just love them any way. When someone comes into our churches who isn't dress right or who isn't as clean as we think they should be; don't shun them in favor of someone who is dressed better or looks cleaner. We've got to go to that person and welcome them and show them the same love and respect that Jesus would show them if He were in the room.

  Let me say something that may shock some who read this. If you'll run up to a person wearing expensive clothes, a Rolex watch and driving a fine ride, but you won't turn around in your pew to offer your hand to that person who is dressed in rags or hasn't bathed, you are sinning. You're showing favoritism to rich person and rejecting the poor person. You could be rejecting a soul in need of someone to show them the way to the Lord, a soul seeking a place where they will be loved and led to the feet of Jesus. Who knows, you could rejecting an angel sent from God to test your congregation to see if they're worthy of a spiritual promotion.

  Friends, it's time we took this verse to heart and believe, expect and love more than we ever have before. It's time that we do the Word, and not just read it.

  I love you all and thanks for taking time to read this message. I hope God will use it to bless you.