and it made me think about how many times I "just keep my mouth shut" because "what difference would it make anyway?". There are so many times I have an instant reaction to words that are spoken or written to me or in front of me, and I am stunned...by the ignorance, by the disappointment, by the anger, by the fear...very seldom do I answer instantly...outside of our home. Thought and prayer go into when I speak, what I speak, why I speak, and how I speak to things...and there are times the Holy Spirit won't allow the words...and I am so thankful! I don't have to "weigh in" on every topic or give my opinion for the world to see on things that don't matter in eternity.
"Speak only when you feel your words are better than your silence."
I think more often than not, satan uses these times to throw darts when I am "unprepared" in my mind...when I least expect to be ready to give an answer. Sometimes...I know the Holy Spirit is keeping my mouth shut. But I know there are other times...when I should or need to speak up for what is right...and cringe knowing the reaction to what I say will not be the popular thing and I will get back-lash. I have spoken before and all it got me was a blot...just like Proverbs states. Proverbs 8 I guess what is hard for me to understand, it usually happens from people you "think should know better" or "have been taught God's Word". Then I stop short...everyone has a choice. Proverbs addresses that too! Proverbs 9 and 10.
So many people have so much to say about everything all the time, and usually it is just ignorance feeding ignorance. Proverbs 11 I guess that I have been through some testings and trials that have made me "grow up" faster than others through my forty-two years. I think differently...always have...for I have also been "bought with a price" and my goal in life isn't have the most friends and fancy pant titles. My goal is to glorify the Lord in all I do and say...so I tend not to spout off without first weighing the consequences. I've witnessed what happens when people do that. I've been on the receiving end of many rants, and the damage is never undone...and satan uses it to paralyze and defeat me. Both sides of the spectrum are wrong. When I speak, I want my words to administer grace and hope to the receiver...and maybe...hopefully, help them out of the pit of ignorance that they fell into...and others are adding to the muck there. Proverbs 12
Isn't that what friends who seek to follow God's Word are to do? "Iron sharpening iron?"
I think sometimes we need to step back....and read/hear the words we write, type, or speak...and view them from a Biblical perspective. Read or echo the words out loud and ask..."Does that sound foolish? Does that sound like I am walking in wisdom?" "Would Christ speak from that mentality?" "How much am I allowing the world's system to impact my thinking?"
I guess Proverbs is really affecting my thought life...my Daddy and Uncle preachers told me it would! I'm thinking...if more people would spend time in that book...there would be more wise silence instead of foolish babbling.
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