FRIDAY, MAY 26, 2023 - WATCH WHAT YOU SAY

 FRIDAY, MAY 26, 2023 WATCH WHAT YOU SAY (SPIRITUAL)

On Fridays, I write about spiritual things - generally from a Judeo-Christian perspective

Proverbs 21:30 states that there is no wisdom, no insight, and no plan that can succeed against the LORD. Believers should be mindful that God’s omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent power eradicates all attempts to conceal truth before Him.

God is aware of your heart, intentions, and words. God even knows what you are going to say before you say it. (Psalm 139:4)

Our hearts and mouths are closely interconnected and require a constant inspection to ensure acceptability in God’s sight. Our words reveal what our heart is full of, which is either the fruit of goodness or wickedness.

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God hears and discerns the heart of individuals who:

Encourage or Mock
Love or Hate
Plot evil or Plan goodwill
Speak harshly or Show Love
Belittle others or Lift others up
Disrespect God-given relationships and authority or Honor loved ones and respect authority.

Notice that all of these are “OR” options - you can Love OR Hate; Encourage OR Mock

What is in one’s heart eventually comes out of their mouth.

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During the time the apostles were testifying about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, some believers were owners of land and houses. The believers sold their property and brought their entire sale profit to the apostles.

In particular, there was a couple Ananias and Sapphira.  From Acts 5

“There was a man named Ananias who with his wife Sapphira sold a piece of property.  With the approval of his wife, he held back some of the proceeds, and he brought the remainder to the apostles and laid it at their feet.

(Okay, seemingly Ananias and Sapphira were believers - and they sold a property.  Then they kept some of the money for themselves and gave the rest to the Christian cause.  The problem wasn’t that they didn’t support the Christian movement, but that they LIED to God.)

The favor, kindness, and love that the believers showed to the apostles supported the apostles’ ministry and needs. Ananias and Sapphira also sold a piece of property and kept back some of the earnings bringing only a portion of the profit and putting it at the apostles’ feet.

(So as I pray about giving, I sense God saying “Give $XYZ to the Caring Place” - a local non-profit food bank, thrift shop, and support for those in need.  But then my human nature says “Hey Karen, you don’t have to give all of that to the Caring Place.  Give them a smaller amount.  They will still be happy that they can support the poor, and you will be happy that you gave them something.  In other words, my devious self is wanting to keep some of the money that God is prompting me to use to support the poor)

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Back to the story (Acts 5)

Both Ananias and Sapphira knew that the amount given to the apostles was not the entire profit from their sale. Although they had complete control over their giving amount, their hearts were deceitful in their actions which exposed insincerity. Ananias died and his body was carried out and buried.

“Then Peter asked, “Ananias, why has Satan so gained control of your heart that you lied to the Holy Spirit and retained part of the sale price of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not belong to you? And after it was sold, were not the proceeds yours? What caused you to contrive this scheme? You have lied not to men but to God.”

When Ananias heard these words, he collapsed and died, and a great sense of fear seized all who heard about it. The young men came forward and wrapped up his body. Then they carried him out and buried him.”

WOW - Ananias lied to Peter.  Instead of saying we sold the property for (say) $100,000, but only wanted to give (say) $80,000 to the Christian community.  But, he said that the $80,000 was what you got for the property. Liar, liar, pants on fire!!!

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Back to the story - now comes his wife:

But when Peter questioned Sapphira hours later about the sale of their land, 

“Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for this much.” She replied, “Yes, that was the price.” Then Peter asked her, “Why did the two of you agree to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Listen! The footsteps of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will also carry you out.”

Instantly, she fell down at his feet and died. When the young men came in, they found her dead. And so they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

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WOW - she lied to Peter (or, if you will, she lied to God) and Zap - she died on the spot.

Sapphira didn’t watch her mouth although allowed to speak the truth and examine her heart. This is a lesson for us that God sees our hearts and hears what comes out of our mouths. What is your heart full of? What is coming out of your mouth? Are your words and heart meditations pleasing before God? Watch your mouth! 

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From James 3:6:

“The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

And, James 3:9

“With the tongue, we praise our Lord and Father, and with it, we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing. 

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The moral of the story - it can be hard to really tell the truth, it sometimes is easier to lie -maybe it is the “white lie”. The message “out of the same mouth comes praise - and cursing”!!!

There was a commercial a few years back where the wife is trying on a new dress and she asks her husband, “Does this dress make me look fat?”.  The implication is that the dress does make her look fat - and now the husband is in a bind.  Should he lie and say, “No, the dress is just right for you”, or say “Honey, I love you and I love you no matter if you might be a little overweight or not.  But, yes, dear, that dress doesn’t look the best on you.  It does make you look fat”.

That’s a tough thing to say.  We’d rather say “You look great” (even when she doesn’t). Ephesians 4:15 says: “speak the truth in love”

It can be a real challenge in this world to “speak the truth in love”.  I write about LOVE WINS, but how does that work when your words of love, spoken in truth can hurt. 

An adage is “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”. 

God, help me today to be loving in ALL I do and to LOVE OTHERS!!

LOVE WINS
LOVE TRANSFORMS
KAREN ANNE WHITE, ©, MAY 26, 2023