Hey there champs! :)
Since I'm not physically with you guys there in Melbourne, I shall let my wise words precede me lah. :D Only kidding! I just want to encourage you guys with something that God's been placing in my heart this week.
Proverbs 25: 11 - 13"A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man's rebuke to a listening ear. Like the coolness of snow at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the spirit of his masters."So I know that many of you are either conquering the very last remnants of exams for the year (to which I say, hurrah, I know you can do it by His strength!) or are happily partying away. But whatever it is you're doing, I just want to encourage you guys to think about the words you say.
Yesterday, He showed me just how much words can hurt when He brought to my remembrance sharp and cruel words that have been said over my life a few months ago. I was actually incredibly surprised that I could remember the exact words that had been said to me and not only that, I could sense the mean spirit that lurked behind the words so that I found myself crying.
Maybe there have been words said over your life that have caused you pain or that have stopped you from living out your true potential. I've been there before. I just have one simple thing to say to you: Give it ALL to God. Don't give only some and hold the rest back. Self-pity is something that you don't want to live with because it completely and utterly contradicts the principle of forgiveness that God has explicitly set before us in His word and Himself practiced time and time again. Self-pity seeks to make yourself right in your eyes and whoever that comes against you in the wrong when in the very beginning, what made you better than your enemies? It won't be easy and sometimes you'd have to remind yourself that you've given it all to God long after you've done it because the enemy will bring those words back to mind!
And if words of the past are holding you back from the potential that God has called you to, DON"T let it anymore. Move on from those words. Rebuke them in Christ Jesus. Surround yourself with people who DO NOT FLATTER YOU but are ready to build you with good words. And speak out God's promises over your life. Promises such as: I am the apple of His eye. I am a conqueror in Christ and bucketloads more. Moving on to your calling despite words that bring you down, and I speak from experience, opens up a whole new world to you that is just packed full of rewards for you to reap. Granted, the moving on part won't be all fine and dandy, sometimes you'd find yourself remembering the words and feel yourself falter, but no matter! Push on! And ask God for help in doing so! The blessings that await you far outweight the struggles that you push yourself through! You'd see!
Thirdly, words that have been said can NEVER EVER be taken back. The spirit with which they were said: be it in a spirit that seeks to vindicate or to encourage, will be remembered long after they have been spoken. I like to think of words as things that hang around in the atmosphere long after they've left the lips of the speaker. Words create an atmosphere: be it an atmosphere saturated with venom or with goodwill.
Words that are filled with hate or malice are sometimes said on the spur of the moment. And the people who speak them sometimes reel back afterwards and regret what they have said. But you know what? Like I've said before, they've been said, they've been heard and now they will linger in the heart of the receiver, hurting him/her. Words that bless others are, most often, spare and few in between and yet when they are said, they will remain in the heart of the listener, encouraging him/her in days that see the dire darkness. I, for one, still remember words that build me up even though they've been said years ago.
So I want to challenge you with what God has challenged me with this week. Will you watch your tongue to prevent it from slipping and spluttering insults on the spur of a moment so that you'd spare those who're listening the hurt? Will you make it an effort to say or write words of encouragement that are so seldomly heard in this critical world to give a massive boost to the person that needs it?
