"MAN HOLDS A GUN IN A CROWD- DETAILS TO FOLLOW ... An unknown man is holding a gun in a crowded room downtown. It's unknown at this time who this man is or what his intentions are ... it's unclear if he intends to shoot someone in the room or possibly even himself. Police are setting up an incident command post nearby ..."
Imagine this news flashing across your TV screen. It immediately evokes a level of concern. Why is he there and what's his intention? Does he mean to hurt himself or someone else? We don't know. But what's clear is that he has the ability to inflict serious harm and in an instant someone could be hurt ... or even dead and it gets our attention. It's a life or death moment - a moment of decision in the hands of someone with an obvious intention to do something. What will he do? In his hand, he holds the capacity to damage or even destroy. We're captivated by the drama of the moment. As Christians we're likely going to be deeply concerned and go to the Master in prayer for the safety of everyone involved because we know that the best hope, the best one to deal with this situation - is our Lord. Who is this man with the loaded gun??? - It's you ... and ... it's me.
Every day we live, we're walking among other people while carrying a loaded gun - I can hear it now: "OK brother, now you've lost it!" You might say "I never walk around people carrying a loaded gun. I don't even own a gun!" Yes you do and every time you open your mouth, you pull the hammer back while keeping a finger on the trigger... will you fire?
I'm not speaking out against guns at all. Don't get me wrong. They’re tools and can be used for good purposes. But in reality, a gun in itself, has only the power to destroy. That's what it's made for. The caliber, or size of a bullet is very small, but has the ability to inflict serious, even fatal damage. The size of the bullet that can be fired from a gun is determined by the caliber or size of the barrel. When you look at it, the barrel is pretty small compared to the devastating damage the bullet can do, but what caliber is your mouth?
Every time we open our mouths and words come out ... we're firing bullets into the spiritual realm - our God's realm and He sees and hears every one. But unlike a gun, our mouths have the God given ability to fire to in order destroy ... or to build. Our God opened His mouth and spoke the world into existence with His words - just His words! If we're going to compare guns to see who's is the biggest, make sure you include God. Because there's no question who wins that contest every time and will for all eternity - and that's a key thing to remember. You may have heard the worldly saying "he who has the biggest wins". In this case, it's eternally true and something to remember when you consider your stature or status in life. Always remember to be humble in the face of He who holds the biggest gun and always will - our omnipotent righteous God.
It's with great shame and sadness that I confess that in my lifetime, there have been times when I've pulled the trigger without thinking about the damage I would do ... and there have been casualties. On the other side of that coin, I've taken bullets from other people that laid me so low that they nearly took me out. Our words have power - power that we may not even realize, but awesome power none the less. There's the obvious affect or power we witness in our dealings with one another in every day life, but also a much less visible yet more important power in the spiritual realm. Our very salvation comes through the words of our mouth: Romans 10:9 (NLT) "For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
A very good friend once pointed out a haunting truth that more carefully dictates what I allow myself to say these days- "You can always apologize for something you've said, but you can't make the words unheard." He went on to explain: "Once the words have been heard, they have had an effect. You can apologize and attempt to counter the effect, but you can't erase the words as though they were never spoken. People may choose to forgive you, but you can't take them back." The potentially chilling part of this wisdom is in the fact that our Lord hears our faintest whisper - and our every thought.
A very good friend once pointed out a haunting truth that more carefully dictates what I allow myself to say these days- "You can always apologize for something you've said, but you can't make the words unheard." He went on to explain: "Once the words have been heard, they have had an effect. You can apologize and attempt to counter the effect, but you can't erase the words as though they were never spoken. People may choose to forgive you, but you can't take them back." The potentially chilling part of this wisdom is in the fact that our Lord hears our faintest whisper - and our every thought.
In the big picture, the words we speak here are bullets we're firing off into the spiritual realm and can be for good or for evil and they can have eternal consequences. But every word that we speak has power and consequence. Even the things we speak as idle chatter - Matthew 12:36 (NLT) "And I tell you this, that you must give an account on judgment day of every idle word you speak." Does it sound like I'm trying to make a big scary deal out of just talking? Good! ... I am! Matthew 5:22 (NLT) But I say, if you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the high council. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell." James 3:5-6 (NLT) "So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself." Are you getting the picture???
There's a very important observation to be made in Matthew 12:34 "You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say." And Luke 6:45 (NLT) "A good person produces good deeds from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil deeds from an evil heart. Whatever is in your heart determines what you say." So what comes out of my mouth originates ... in my heart. As a Christian, a follower of Christ, if what I say isn't pure and in love then my heart is in serious trouble. That's where the work is that needs to be done - in my heart. Every time you point that gun and pull the trigger, you're exposing your heart. If you don't like what's coming out, then you need to address your heart. There's only one heart surgeon qualified to help you with this - His name is Jesus and you don't need a referral. Just go to Him.
I've said in the past that Christians have the ability to be the most dangerous people on earth. I still believe it to be true. Why would I say such a thing? Because as Christians, we're dealing with the most powerful and potent ammunition to be found in the universe - the Word and truth of our God. As our faith grows, so does the impact and consequence of our bullets. Luke 17:6 (NLT) "Even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed," the Lord answered, "you could say to this mulberry tree, 'May God uproot you and throw you into the sea,' and it would obey you!" Matthew 18:18 "I tell you this: Whatever you prohibit on earth is prohibited in heaven, and whatever you allow on earth is allowed in heaven." James 5:16 (NLT) "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results."
My friends, our knowledge of the word of our God can be misused even inadvertently and have disastrous consequences and our faith can give power to our words. Our professed faith and belief in Christ makes us representatives of Christ to the world. And some will come to judge Him by watching and listening to us. Even the words we speak idly will be judged by them to speak of who Christ is ... and every word is heard by our God.
Colossians 3:17 (NLT) "And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father"
James 1:26 (NLT) "If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are just fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless."
1 Peter 3:10 (NLT) "For the Scriptures say, If you want a happy life and good days, keep your tongue from speaking evil, and keep your lips from telling lies."
Watch where you point it, and make sure that it represents Christ well. Choose your ammunition carefully and make sure it's loaded with both love and truth!
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