My husband spoke at church today, which for our church, was Youth Sunday. He spoke about something that we've all heard before, but that is well worth repeating. The topic was The Power of the Tongue.
The power of the words that come out of our mouth is not something to be underestimated. The most amazing thing about this truth is that it is true about the way things work in this world regardless of whether or not you're a Christian. It's a truth that we can't be reminded enough about, as it's easily forgotten as we live our day to day lives.
People create a lot of energy around themselves and others a lot of times under the guise of "joking around." That foolish or idle talk we call "playing around" with our peers can be extremely dangerous. Sometimes we even laugh at the things that people say about us in a "joking" matter that we later find left a "mark" or "seed" in us that can actually take root.
Proverbs 26: 18 Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death,
19 Is the man who deceives his neighbor, And says, “I was only joking!”
19 Is the man who deceives his neighbor, And says, “I was only joking!”
That saying, "birds of a feather flock together," meaning that people of the same mind and/or lifestyle tend to stick together, BECOMES true even if you didn't think you were a certain way when you first started hanging with a certain type of group. For example, maybe you weren't a drinker or smoker, but you love football. You find a group of drinkers/smokers who also love football that you thought were "cool," so you decide to hang around them just to watch football every once in a while. I guarantee that after a while you will start to drink, smoke, or both.
For those in school, you can't call yourself nice and be best friends with a mean or boy-crazy girl without becoming a mean or boy-crazy girl yourself. You can't call yourself a Christian and hang with atheists and not eventually begin to doubt your faith, too. You can't strive to be an A-student and hang out with flunkies, can't maintain a "clean" lifestyle by hanging out with drug users. In order to succeed in this world, on the path that you tell yourself you wish to be on, you have to attach yourself to people who are moving in the same direction. And if your intent is to be a positive influence in the midst of all of that negativity, make sure that you're strong enough in mind, body, spirit and FAITH to do so...which, at school-age, is a rarity...I mean, most adults can't handle negative atmospheres and rise above them.
It is because of this that we also need to be mindful of what it is we allow ourselves to see and hear on television and our surroundings.
Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
Let's be honest, we're not going to be able to avoid absolutely every negative and ungodly vision or word or activity in the world. We have sin thrown at us from every angle being glorified and called "the new normal." Which is why it is SO, SO, SO very important to have a support system of like-minded, like-faith-ded:) people to call on when we're feeling weak and/or tempted. It is also imperative that we don't go to bed at night without asking God to wash and cancel out every ungodly thing we've been exposed to each and every day. And, there's no better way to wash away the "world" than to dive into the Word of God on a very, VERY regular basis (preferably daily, several times a day).
You may think that salvation and right-living are for your benefit alone. I hate to burst your bubble, but God rarely if EVER blesses us without expectation that what He's done for and IN you will also bless others. Even the mere spoken testimony of what He's done can bless someone in a way that you may never know.
People watch us every day. You were made to be a beacon of hope and inspiration to others. When you fail to speak, walk, LIVE as God intended, you also cause a multitude of others to fail right along with you...
Stop being selfish.
Think about it.
Until Next Time,
XOXOXO
Jessika
