Ephesians 6:16 In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one.
I have been thinking about how our words carry weight, whether the person is in our company or not. Words can bless and encourage, or words can tear down and hurt.
When I was 15, I got dressed to go on a date with my boyfriend, Richard. I had on a crinkle material orange maxi skirt. It was the pale orange of the sky after sunset. I felt pretty. Richard showed up and I guess you could see the outline of my legs. He laughed and said, “Your legs look like drumsticks.”
I was crushed. After that, I would cover my legs as much as possible. After I met the Lord, I began to work on heart hurts, including this one. These strong legs have carried three children, 100 pounds of gear when I was in the military, a personal record of a 21 minute 5K when I was 38 years old, my grand babies is my arms and many, many other light and heavy things, not to mention, the rest of my carcass.
Who needs the devil when he’s got us to do his work for him? Please think about that. The child’s taunt ‘Sticks and Stones’ has been misquoted. Look it up. This poem by Ruby Redfort starts: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can also hurt me.
The Lord spoke things into existence. Are we saying what He says?
Isaiah 50:4 The LORD GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
When we met Jesus, according to Galatians 2:20, we were crucified with Him and it’s now Him living in us. Are we saying what He says?
Proverbs 18:20,21 With the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied; He will be satisfied with the product of his lips. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.
I looked up ‘death’ in the concordance and it means to ruin; destruction;slay and destroy. I then looked up ‘life’ and it means to revive; keep;make alive; give promise; nourish up; restore and recover. I also looked up ‘power’ and it means as a hand open vs closed. I had a vision of an open hand helping someone up and a closed hand, as a fist, knocking someone down.
What Jesus spoke in Matthew 12:33-37 sums it up. Are we saying what He says?
We blame everything on satan, or hasatan, which means ‘the accuser’ which is human adversaries as well as supernatural. He’s not the only one who throws fiery darts. ‘Evil one’ in Ephesians 6:16 means vicious; mischief; malice; harm; lewd; anguish and pain. Sounds like gossip to me. Satan means contrary; adversary; enemy and accuser. In James 3 we read about ships and rudders and us with our tiny tongues.
Luke 6:45 Jesus said, “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.”
I’m not calling people evil, however, we can all say things that are contrary to what Jesus is saying. I want to ‘Life’ people, not tear them down. We’re all still growing and need each other to say what He is saying.
Matthew 4:4 But He answered and said, “It is written, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
John 3:34 “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.”
Don’t you want to say what He says and encourage and lift one another up?! I do!
Proverbs 15:23 A man has joy in an apt answer, And how delightful is a timely word!
Proverbs 15:30 Bright eyes gladden the heart; Good news puts fat on the bones.
Proverbs 25:11 Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances. Like cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a distant land.
Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person.
Faith in Ephesians 6:16 means assurance; belief; believe; trust and reality. To me, the shield of faith is me believing what He says over those fiery darts, effectively keeping them from their aim, my heart. May we say what He says. Check out my posts: ‘No Ragrets’, ‘So I Speak’, and ‘Holster Those Rascals’.
As for my ‘drumsticks’, my husband says, “I like your legs, they’re nice.” My daughter Gabi says, “You’ve got nice gams, Mom.” Apples of gold in a silver setting!
Abba, help us to say what You say, to lift others up and not tear them down. Show us the place in another’s heart that needs to hear what you’re saying and give us the words, just for them. Thank You, Aba ne ’eman, Faithful Father, for always showing us Your love. Help us to be that for others. Amen and so be it.
