Most of the time that makes up our lives is spent proving us…how do we react in a situation, how closely do we follow the scriptures, how consistent are we…and many other tests along these lines.

There is only one place in the Bible where God says, “Prove me”.  That scripture is in Malachi.

I would be so bold as to say that anyone who has consistently, without fail, without doubting, consistently tithed day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, however their income comes in, will not stop tithing because they are aware of the benefits.

When it comes to money people say about churches, “all they want is your money.”  A church or minister would be negligent not to tell you to give to the Lord, just as it can be negligent for a health care professional not to tell you about lifestyle and how it affects your health.

A work-out center offers you weights and equipment to improve your health, but realistically, they are going to talk about your diet as well.

No matter what realm you work in, whatever topic you are talking about, ongoing lifestyle and prevention are important parts of the discussion.

You could buy a $100,000 dollar car, but if you don’t keep the oil changed and the maintenance up, you can trash it just as easily as a car that costs less.  The same goes for a house, or motor home, or boat or anything.

There is a tendency to think that because the things of God are more invisble, that they don’t operate by some of the same common sense principles as the things we see.  We know it costs money to keep a house repaired, to fix the plumbing, to lay down new tile, to paint with a fresh coat of paint, and to repair the roof.  Somehow, when a church asks for money to do the same, it is called “money-grubbing” or “all they want is your money”.

Just as a side note, you have to realize that Amazon and Wal-Mart and all those retailers are after your money as well, but the message is packaged differently.  A church is trying to pay for expenses so it can keep bringing you the Word of God week after week.  A retailer is after  your money for other purposes.

This problem is not new.  Here is an example of the same problem discussed in the book of Haggai.  Notice that after the people worked on the house of God, then the Word of the Lord came…I am with you.   This was an if…then proposition.

Haggai 1:1  In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, Yahweh’s word came by Haggai, the prophet, to Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying, ² “This is what Yahweh of Armies says: These people say, ‘The time hasn’t yet come, the time for Yahweh’s house to be built.’”

³ Then Yahweh’s word came by Haggai, the prophet, saying, ⁴ “Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies waste? ⁵ Now therefore this is what Yahweh of Armies says: Consider your ways. ⁶ You have sown much, and bring in little. You eat, but you don’t have enough. You drink, but you aren’t filled with drink. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm, and he who earns wages earns wages to put them into a bag with holes in it.”

⁷ This is what Yahweh of Armies says: “Consider your ways. ⁸ Go up to the mountain, bring wood, and build the house. I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified,” says Yahweh. ⁹ “You looked for much, and, behold, it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?” says Yahweh of Armies, “Because of my house that lies waste, while each of you is busy with his own house. ¹⁰ Therefore for your sake the heavens withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit. ¹¹ I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on that which the ground produces, on men, on livestock, and on all the labor of the hands.”

¹² Then Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed Yahweh, their God’s voice, and the words of Haggai, the prophet, as Yahweh, their God, had sent him; and the people feared Yahweh.

¹³ Then Haggai, Yahweh’s messenger, spoke Yahweh’s message to the people, saying, “I am with you,” says Yahweh.

¹⁴ Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and worked on the house of Yahweh of Armies, their God, ¹⁵ in the twenty-fourth day of the month, in the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

In today’s world, it is easy to go to Facebook, YouTube, and other online places to hear sermons or listen to audio broadcasts of the messages of God.

I would suggest to you that in the midst of all that, don’t forget to tithe.  Tithe to to those places that you listen to, even if you are not local.  They still have expenses to bring the message to you electronically.

With all the fuss about the separation of church and state, which actually has been misinterpreted in modern times…the state was supposed to stay out of the church’s business, and not the other way around, but in any case, with all of the fuss about the separation of church and state do you think that the church is somehow a welfare arm of the state and that it is funded by them?  No.  Those soup kitchens and clothing shops and various things churches offer are there because of donations of church individuals, and those individuals have to deal with the same higher gas and food prices th at you do.  So don’t think that churches somehow have some “magical” donation button they push with the government to fill their coffers.  They don’t.

They are upheld by the tithes and offerings of those who attend them.  In turn, God blesses those who give tithes and offerings.

If you say, I have seen people blessed that don’t give tithes and offerings, consider that “the wheels of God grind slowly, but grind exceedingly fine.”  There was a time during the Great Depression when all those who had money and perhaps no faith in God lost quite a bit.  Some committed suicide.  The time comes when what used to work, like Sampson’s strength, no longer works any more.

Proverbs 10:22  Yahweh’s blessing brings wealth,
and he adds no trouble to it.

Why do I think there is such economic trouble in this land?

I believe it is because the majority of people in this nation, including Christians, did not tithe. (tithing statitics here)  So, the devourer was not rebuked.  Over and over you will see a theme on this site that if there is a problem, rather than blaming God, look to see where there have been sins of omission, sins of commission, or a combination thereof to bring about a problem.

Proverbs 26:2 Like a fluttering sparrow,
like a darting swallow,
so the undeserved curse doesn’t come to rest.

There are varying translations of this verse, and some use the word “him”,  others the word “me”.  I prefer the “me” translations as I think they express the problem more clearly.

Job 19:28  If you say, ‘How we will persecute him!’ because the root of the matter is found in me,

For you say: ‘why do we persecute him?’ For The Good Word has found occasion against me (Aramaic Bible in Plain English)

But ye say, ‘Why do we pursue after him?’ And the root of the matter hath been found in me.  (Young’s Literal Translation)

Remember, as the popular saying goes, “I don’t have a dog in this fight”.  I’m not a church.  I’m just trying to help some of you out who wonder why your prayers for financial help are not answered or slow to be answered.  Consider these things and consider giving to the church(es) where you get your spiritual food.  Tithe to one and give offerings to others.  Just make sure those churches preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and lead people to salvation.

I was going to end it there, but here’s another scripture, at least part of one; the chapter is longer.  This goes back to the question of why are the economic conditions the way they are?  There was a time when the economic outlook of the country was bright.  The good times were “rolling” so to speak.  But during that time, were tithes given?  Were offerings given?   Did people remember the Lord, enough people, that is, not just some, but enough.   Like the history in the book of Jonah, which is a small four-chapter book found towards the end of the Old Testament, it took national repentance for the direction of the nation to change.  And, in the book of Jonah, there was a bright outcome.  They did repent and change.

Deuteronomy 28:47  Because you didn’t serve Yahweh your God with joyfulness and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things; ⁴⁸ therefore you will serve your enemies whom Yahweh sends against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in lack of all things. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you.

 

Natural events are precipitated by spiritual causes.

And I will add this too.  In translation, the Bible is translated often in terms of implying God is going to do some kind of judgement.  And while in some cases that may be correct, there is a certain amount of translation that is more like, you enter into a law (by obedience or disobedience), and the law brings the consequences.

In other words, if someone jumps off of a high cliff (don’t do it), the law of gravity goes into action.  God does not sit in heaven deciding to judge the person for jumping and personally bring a judgement of that person getting squished on the bottom of the valley.  No.  The person entered into the law by disobedience, and reaps the consequences of the same.

The reason I mention that is because the Old Testament God sounds very different from Jesus due to translation issues.  There is a certain amount of translation going on that should be more like “God lets it happen”.  That would change how God is viewed if the translations were consistently like that.

In other words, if you move out of an umbrella of protection by disobeying God, God “lets it happen” that you get wet.  It’s not God doing it.  This is why I continually repeat, “Don’t blame God.”

This group was mentioned in a prior post on alms giving.  They are raising money to drill water wells.  Their cut off date for donations is March 18.

If you are interested in donating, you can copy and paste the url in your browser.

https://lifetoday.org/life-sustaining

Donations are gathered together and every time the combined donations reach a certain amount, they are able to drill another water well.

This might be a good project to present to your church, or children’s church, if they are looking for an outreach, but the window is closing quickly.

https://lifetoday.org/life-sustaining

One ministry from which I received correspondence is in the process of drilling water wells.   If you are interested in that project, here is the link.  (Copy and paste it into your browser.)

https://lifetoday.org/outreaches/water-for-life/

Psalm 41:1  Blessed is he who considers the poor.
    Yahweh will deliver him in the day of evil.
² Yahweh will preserve him, and keep him alive.
    He shall be blessed on the earth,
    and he will not surrender him to the will of his enemies.
³ Yahweh will sustain him on his sickbed,
    and restore him from his bed of illness.
⁴ I said, “Yahweh, have mercy on me!
    Heal me, for I have sinned against you.”

 

Matthew 6:1  “Be careful that you don’t do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. ² Therefore, when you do merciful deeds, don’t sound a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may get glory from men. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward. ³ But when you do merciful deeds, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does, ⁴ so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

 

Matthew 25: 31  “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. ³² Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; ³⁵ for I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you took me in. ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? ³⁸ When did we see you as a stranger and take you in, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

 

James 2:14   What good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can faith save him? ¹⁵ And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you tells them, “Go in peace. Be warmed and filled;” yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself. ¹⁸ Yes, a man will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

¹⁹ You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder. ²⁰ But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead?

“Disciple” and “discipline” are similar words and come from a similar Latin root.

A disciple is one who learns and follows.

Discipline is self-control.

You can read more extensive definitions of “disciple” and “discipline” here.

Discipline is a friend.  Discipline is a good thing.  It may time time and effort to get disciplined in any area of life, but once you have a discipline in place, it will work for you, not against you.

Hebrews 12:11  All chastening seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Another way of talking about discipline is to talk about forming a good habit.

You can pick anything in life.  If you have a problem and form a good habit or solution to overcome it, the discipline to create that good habit is worth it.

That covers so many arenas that it is only possible to give a very few common problems that people seek solutions to.

• Eating correctly
• Exercising on a regular basis
• Finding lost keys or cell phones
• Not taking a shopping list and forgetting what you needed and having to take a second trip
• Not calling in a presciption on time

The solutions are varied and books and webinars have been given on the topic of overcoming bad habits so that will not be addressed here, other than to suggest one possible solution.

• Write down one problem you are dealing with.
• Think about it and pray about it, ask for God’s wisdom and help
• Write down some ideas that come to you and see if you can at least find a first step among those ideas.

When you are praying it is easy to get distracted.  While you are thinking and praying about how to solve a problem, while you are asking God for help,  you may start thinking of things you need to do such as buy lettuce at the store, or write out a bill, or get the car filled up with gas the next time you are out.  Write those things down because in the act of writing them down, you will clear them from your mind.  It will free up your mind to stay focused on what you are praying about and your mind will stop going over and over what you need to remember to do.  And, of course, since they are written down, you will not worry about forgetting them.

It is possible, not only possible, but likely  that you will only get a first step idea or solution and not the whole picture or final solution.  In other words, if you are thinking of finding a new apartment to rent, you might think of talking to the property manager you met the other day.  Or, once you pray about it, you may end up talking to someone in the lunch room at work and they mention a room they know is for rent.  You might see a for rent sign as you drive to work and feel like you should stop in there after work.

The point is, pray, ask for God’s help, and then be open to ideas or help coming  in various ways.

If you are thinking of eating better write down the problem and then write down where you fall down.

Do you eat junk food cookies or snacks?  Write that down.

Do you buy a candy bar every afternoon?  Write that down.

Then look at the list.  How can you change?  Don’t buy the cookies and bring them home.  So then you have to decide what you will buy instead.  Apples?  Yogurt?  As for the candy bar, instead of standing in the checkout where all the candy bars are stacked, tempting you, go through the self-check out which usually has less temptation around it.   You might have to get a book on nutrition or learn some things online about healthy snacks.  You might find a group where you can be accountable in your effort to become healthier.  Any improvement for discipline in any area will take effort.

You will never solve a problem unless you look at it, confront it, actually think about how it is derailing your life, and then pray for God’s wisdom and guidance for solutions and follow it.

It is a matter of forming good habits and not breaking them.  It takes time and effort and discipline to learn about what to do and then take the ongoing, consistent effort to do it, but you will be very pleased with yourself and the results if you consistently beat a bad habit.  And you can thank God for His help.

Speaking of accountability, one of the organizations I admire is AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) because of the discipline and accountability there.   People with similar problems help each other.

At the Lindell Recovery Network,  a person is matched up with a recovered person of the same age and problem.

If you are  near Los Angeles, there is the Dream Center.

Accountability is why people of all walks of life have coaches.  People tend to stay more on the “straight and narrow” if they know they are accountable to someone for how they are following through on commitments.

Even the best professional atheletes at the top of their games have coaches.

Life is a lifelong process of improvement through more discipline and discipleship.  And, it is not a luxury, it is a necessity.  There are plenty of stories about when someone reached the top of their game in business or sports through hard work and discipline, only to lose it all through a lack of discipline in another area of life.  Being a disciple of Jesus and learning discipline is not a option, it is a necessity.

Proverbs 3:13  Happy is the man who finds wisdom,
    the man who gets understanding.
¹⁴ For her good profit is better than getting silver,
    and her return is better than fine gold.
¹⁵ She is more precious than rubies.
    None of the things you can desire are to be compared to her.
¹⁶ Length of days is in her right hand.
    In her left hand are riches and honor.
¹⁷ Her ways are ways of pleasantness.
    All her paths are peace.
¹⁸ She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her.

There is a phrase “it will catch up with you”.

Usually, this is used in a negative sense.

For example, if you don’t eat right and take care of your body, “it will catch up with you”, meaning that you open yourself up to sickness by a faulty lifestyle.

If you don’t maintain your car, change the oil, make sure everything is fixed on time, “it will catch up with you”, meaning you will probably end up with some type of car repair since you did not do regular maintenance.

“It will catch up with you” is in the same colloquial proverbs department as “a stitch in time saves nine” or “prevention is the best medicine”.

It also fits in well with this thought below.  I don’t know who first said this.

God will fix a fix.  And if you fix the fix that God has fixed, God will fix another fix to fix you.

Basically, we can’t run and hide from those things we need to deal with.  We may try, but the day of reckoning comes.  “It will catch up with you.”

We all know where we can improve, or should.  And we should try.  It is an ongoing process.

If there is something that needs to be changed, it is better to change it sooner than later, because otherwise, “it will catch up with you.”

The Good Samaritan is a story of someone who helped someone else out that would probably never  help  him in return.  Jesus commended the Good Samaritan.  There are hospitals that incorporate “Good Samaritan” in their names, or have statues of a good samaritan outside on their grounds, indicating their willingness to help those who have fallen to the thieves of sickness.

Here is the story of the Good Samaritan.

Luke 10:25 Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”

28 He said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live.”

29 But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”

30 Jesus answered, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, 34 came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the host, and said to him, ‘Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.’ 36 Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?”

37 He said, “He who showed mercy on him.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

If you have followed this blog you have probably seen at least one post on tithing, one of my favorite topics.  If someone is having troubles, I would probably start there, and ask, “Are you tithing?”

Your tithe goes to your local church to help pay the expenses.  The message of the gospel is free, but the cost for the lights and building repairs and such is not.  To have a place to preach the gospel, local churches  have local expenses.  The same goes for you in your home.  You need a place to house yourself.  A church needs a place to “house” that which it uses to preach the gospel, including the equipment and other resources required.

Offerings can go to your church or another ministry.

Alms are separate from the tithe.  Alms are giving to people in need.

I’m not going to say that this is the definitive word, and I think I heard someone say this at some point, and I tend towards this understanding myself.   If you are giving your alms, or the money you would give as a tithe, to help a poor family member or just to anyone who is poor,  and calling that “giving your tithe”, it will not have the blessing of the tithe spoken of in Malachi.   If you give your tithe to the poor, the poor cannot give you the blessing of the tithe.   Give the poor alms, after giving God your tithe.   It is not something you hear preached about, and probably won’t be preached on due to possible pushback from the congregation (and media), but it is something to consider.  Read it in the Bible yourself and decide for yourself.

Malachi 3:7  From the days of your fathers you have turned away from my ordinances, and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says Yahweh of Armies. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ ⁸ Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In tithes and offerings. ⁹ You are cursed with the curse; for you rob me, even this whole nation. ¹⁰ Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and test me now in this,” says Yahweh of Armies, “if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there will not be room enough for. ¹¹ I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before its time in the field,” says Yahweh of Armies. ¹² “All nations shall call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,” says Yahweh of Armies.

Give your tithe to God.  Give your alms to the poor.

I absolutely believe in tithing.  I have seen God fulfill his promise over and over.

It comes down to this.  1.  Do you believe God is real.  2.  Do you believe God will do what He says He will do?

If you do, then I recommend you believe what God says about tithing.

If you tithe, it should be the first thing you do.  When you get paid, tithe.

If you can’t afford to tithe because you are overextended, then ask God what to cut out.  I can tell you it is far more important to pay your tithe than to own the latest and greatest iphone or TV or more clothes or higher priced car or anything you think is important.  I would rather have the Lord rebuking the devourer for my sake and opening the windows of heaven than material goods.  Matthew 6:33 is true.

I’m not going to give all the testimonies I could on this, but here’s one simple one.  I moved into a place with very limited items, a bed, a small half-size refrigerator, one table, two small demo type tables, the kind you fold, and two chairs.  I was given a leather couch, large rugs, a nice cabinet, a modern stove (there was none when I moved in), a rocking chair and all sorts of things to fully furnish the house, including multiple sheets, blankets, kitchen items and all that I could possibly use.   And these things did not come from one person.  Different people had various reasons to get rid of things, such as moving, and asked if I wanted them.  So it was a process, but God met the need.  And this is just one testimony.  But I am a consistent tither.

You have to take tithing seriously.  You have to do it regularly.  You can’t do it once and say, “Well, I’ll try this and hope it works.”

That would be like going to the gym one time, working out, and then saying that you tried it once and didn’t get in shape like you thought you would, so you decide to quit the gym membership.

Some people, and I say this simply because I am in a position to observe it, treat God like a vending machine.  Put in a prayer, throw in a token gift into the offering, and hope the blessing you need comes out.

But the kingdom of God is a way of life.  A relationship with God is a way of life.

So if you are developing that relationship with God and have not yet found a church to tithe to, to give offerings to, or a place to give alms to, here are some suggestions as you continue to search for a local church.

I am not going to put direct links because trolls might say that a website is fleecing other people by pretending to be some kind of a church.

I have links all the time in these posts and could easily make them, but that is the reason these are not linked.  You can look these places up for yourself and decide if you want to give something to them.  There is much more to each ministry than the short notes placed below.

• Samaritan’s Purse (helping crisis needs worldwide)
• International Fellowship of Christians and Jews  (IFCJ) (helping in Israel and Ukraine)
• Slavic Gospel Association (SVA) (helping in Ukraine)
• Christ for All Nations (CfaN) (ministers particularly in Africa)
• Rhema (Rhema.tv is an online church) (they also have a Bible school)
• Morris Cerullo World Evangelism (worldwide evangelism, ministerial school)

This is your opportunity to be a Good Samaritan.

On this blog, occasional short videos are post.

This link goes to a longer video, but it is a good homily, or sermon.

https://youtu.be/5NbedB3WE60

One of the topics covered  is the power of words and how things can sometimes be expressed correctly or incorrectly.  The book of James covers this in Chapter 3.

James 3:1  Let not many of you be teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment. ² For we all stumble in many things. Anyone who doesn’t stumble in word is a perfect person, able to bridle the whole body also. ³ Indeed, we put bits into the horses’ mouths so that they may obey us, and we guide their whole body. ⁴ Behold, the ships also, though they are so big and are driven by fierce winds, are yet guided by a very small rudder, wherever the pilot desires. ⁵ So the tongue is also a little member, and boasts great things. See how a small fire can spread to a large forest! ⁶ And the tongue is a fire. The world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire by Gehenna.  ⁷ For every kind of animal, bird, creeping thing, and sea creature, is tamed, and has been tamed by mankind; ⁸ but nobody can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men who are made in the image of God. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth comes blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. ¹¹ Does a spring send out from the same opening fresh and bitter water? ¹² Can a fig tree, my brothers, yield olives, or a vine figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh water.

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and don’t lie against the truth. ¹⁵ This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic. ¹⁶ For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed. ¹⁷ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. ¹⁸ Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

The Apostle Peter (also known as Simon Peter and Simon Bar Jonah)  illustrated this common human problem.   One minute he received commendation from Jesus, and then later Jesus said to him, “get thee (“thee” is an old English word meaning “you”) behind me, satan” as Peter did not understand the reference to the coming cross.

Matthew 16: 13  Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”

¹⁴ They said, “Some say John the Baptizer, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷ Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.¹⁸ I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.¹⁹ I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven; and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.”²⁰ Then he commanded the disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ.

²¹ From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and the third day be raised up.

²² Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This will never be done to you.”

²³ But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men.”

²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.²⁵ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.²⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?²⁷ For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will render to everyone according to his deeds.²⁸ Most certainly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste of death until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”

 

In today’s world, it is particularly important to understand the power of watching words, not only from the side of “us” watching our words, but also from the side of listening to other’s words.

You want to know if “someone is lying”.

You want to know if someone is lying about a car you are thinking of buying…particularly if you are buying it from an ad in Craigslist or Facebook and not from a dealership that would become legally responsible for lying.

You want to know if someone is lying about a house you are thinking of purchasing or renting.  Are there any problems that you need to know about?  Going through certified real estate agents provides some protection due to laws in place.

You want to know if someone is lying to you about something that will affect your health.

You want to know if someone is lying if he says there is no God (Jesus is real) or that there is no hell (heaven and hell are real).

You want to know if someone is lying about many things.  You only have so much time, energy, health, talents and money and you need good information to make good decisions on how to use everything God has given you.  And, you only have one soul and you want to make sure it goes to heaven after death.

When it comes to making decisions about natural things, this is why people read reviews.  People are more than happy to give their opinion about something.  And, by reading multiple reviews, you get a good sense about the topic.

There are two things to watch out for.  One is the one negative person that no matter how good a “whatever” is, a product, an event, “whatever”, there is that one reviewer who gives a terrible review in spite of multiple positive reviews.  Watch out for that and question “why”.  Did they get the one lemon in the batch?  Are they getting paid to give a negative review or paid to give information that contradicts so many other people?  Is the reviewer seeking honor from someone or a promotion and afraid to tell the truth?

Proverbs 11:14  Where there is no wise guidance, the nation falls,
    but in the multitude of counselors there is victory.

 

Sometimes we are not seeking information about something that we want to purchase, but rather, we are seeking information about something that will affect our lives.

This is where we have to watch out for “group speak”.  This happens a lot in the mainstream media.  There have been videos made placing 20 or so newscasters up against each other and they all appear to be reading from the same teleprompter saying virtually the same thing.

God made man in his image.  And so we have the ability within us to sense if we need to be careful.  People call this different things…intuition, the gut feeling, go with your gut, common sense, or in scriptural terms for believers who have been born again by the Spirit of God, the word of knowledge, the word of wisdom, and gifts of discernment.

In terms of regarding and analyzing the many words we hear a day, we need to employ this sense of discernment using the Bible as our foundation.   If we hear words like “a man can be a woman or a woman can be a man”, we can say,  No, because God created them male and female.  There weren’t 57 varieties.

And so, sanctified common sense, intuition, go-with-your-gut knowledge, based on the knowledge of the Biblical scriptures can get us through, as well as godly counsel.  If we don’t feel peace, we need to find out from God, why?  Am I about to make a bad decision?  Is this not the right course?  Why do I not feel peace basing my decision on words that were spoken to me?  Am I off track with God?  Is God warning me?  This is the purpose of prayer…to talk to God and to listen to his answer.  This is the purpose of the Bible…to read and find answers in Words that were spoken by Jesus or words that were spoken by holy men inspired by the Holy Spirit.   You can find the answer in prayer, in the Bible, or you may be directed to an answer that comes another way…through a person’s sermon or conversation, a writing, a godly book or some kind of information that comes to you some other way that may give you the answer.  If it’s a car, you might be directed to a good mechanic.

Even beyond what has been said already, some people are very capable of deceiving others.  In the garden, Adam and Eve talked with God.  They were as “in synch with God” as could be, so to speak.  And yet satan deceived them.  They were “as in tune” as they could be, yet they fell.  How much more so should we be careful today.

Words matter.  Pay attention to words, your own and others.  And if something seems questionable, find out why.  It some cases, it might pay to do an actual background check, particularly if you are thinking of taking on another individual in a significant role, such as a business partner or a babysitter for your child.  If it is important enough, it is worth the time and money to do the check.

In real estate there is a certain level of question that, if a person asks it, they are instructed to talk to an attorney.  In life, if the questions are important enough, you might want to do some significant checking to find out if the words spoken to you are true.

Regardless of things others have told you, about Jesus, the New Testament tells us about Jesus.  Read it through.  Start with the book of John.  Start with the New Testament.  Read John Chapter 3.  Read Romans Chapter 10.

Words matter.  Be sure you have listened to and understood the correct ones.