March 29, 2024

Sanctified

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Sing for joy to God our strength; shout in triumph to the God of Jacob.
Psalm 81:1

This summer I am working through a Beth Moore study called “Believing God”. The current chapter is entitled “Believing God Can Sanctify Your Mouth.”  Say WHAT?!?  Psalm 81:1 shows us what our mouths should be doing—“sing(ing) for joy to God our strength; shout(ing) in triumph to the God of Jacob.”

Each one of us is called to glorify His name.  But…Psalm 10:7 (NLT) also tells us: “Their mouths are full of cursing, lies, and threats.   Trouble and evil are on the tips of their tongues.”  God and satan both desire to have authority over our mouths.

Beth Moore puts it this way:

“A wayward tongue signals a wayward heart.  A clean mouth unplugs a primary pipe of divine power.”

Now take a look at this familiar passage:

Even so the tongue is a little member, and it can boast of great things.
See how much wood or how great a forest a tiny spark can set ablaze!
And the tongue is a fire. [The tongue is a] world of wickedness set among our members,
contaminating and depraving the whole body
and setting on fire the wheel of birth (the cycle of man’s nature), being itself ignited by hell (Gehenna).
For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea animal can be tamed
and has been tamed by human genius (nature).
But the human tongue can be tamed by no man.
It is a restless (undisciplined, irreconcilable) evil, full of deadly poison.
James 3:5-8(AMP)

So, according to this Scripture, we cannot tame our tongues. So, is it even possible to sanctify our mouths?   Are we ever going to be able to “…guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue; <and> will guard my mouth as with a muzzle while the wicked are in my presence” (as David says in Psalm 39:1 NASB).

As Psalm 81:1 reminds us, God is our strength. It is only by daily dependency on Him that we can control that unruly muscle in our mouths. When we develop that intimacy with Him, His Word becomes ingrained in us. Then, “We too believe, and therefore we speak,” (2 Corinthians 4:13b AMP).  As Luke 6:45b (AMP) points out: “…for out of the abundance (overflow) of the heart his mouth speaks….”

Inconsistency in our talk may be common but it is very costly. It deprives us of God’s divine power flowing through us. That is not a price I am willing to pay. (Are you?!)  If not, then let us boldly approach the throne of grace and seek Christ’s assistance in consecrating our hearts and sanctifying our mouths.

All we need to do is lift our faces to Him and ask.

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Father God, we come before You today very much aware of our unclean lips. Forgive us for our wayward hearts and inconsistent speech.  We ask that You set our tongues ablaze with Your Holy fire so that we continually glorify Your name. We ask this in the precious name of Jesus.  Amen – it is so!

16 Day Love Challenge: Chapter 12 – Love Always Protects

16daylovechallengealwaysprotectsOn its face, it seems rather simple – we all want our loved ones protected, right?  I can definitely say that I am protective of my friends and family – physically and spiritually. But I have tried to take the “Love Challenge” outside of just my immediate relationships and think bigger each time, so it begs the question: if I am to be loving to everyone, how do I protect someone I don’t even know?

To make sure I understood what it meant to protect, I once again sought the definition of the word.  As I looked into its meaning, and tried to focus on how I could embody this characteristic in my life, I began to get emotional. To protect means “to keep safe from harm or injury” (Google Dictionary); however, another source says further “to keep someone from being harmed or lost” (Merriam–Webster Online Dictionary).  Synonyms of protect include: save, shield, hedge, shelter, guard.  Any of those words look familiar?  Perhaps because in many passages in Scripture, Jesus is described as being any and all of those things for us.  So, to get this straight – if we are showing love to others, we are to save them from being harmed or lost.  Sounds a lot like what is at the heart of the Great Commission, if you think about it. Love always protects.  To get to the meat of this one was actually a little challenging for me, sisters.

It still seems a bit hard to grasp…how can I protect the person that cuts me off in traffic? The person who is in front of me in line at the grocery store?  How can I protect the person at work who is intent on undermining me?

Here are a few things that I was shown:

  • Guard your tongue.  Proverbs 18:21 tells us that “the power of life and death are in the tongue.”  There are many more Scriptures about guarding our tongue and watching what we speak, but let me try to be more specific.  What comes out of your mouth when that person cuts you off in traffic? Be honest, sisters.  Are you speaking life or death over that person? I’ve started trying to pray in those situations that God will watch over the reckless driver and keep him from bringing harm to him and others on the road. What we say holds spiritual power, sisters!  Guard your tongue and choose to speak life over a situation or a person.
  • Intercede. Prayer seems to be a natural partner with guarding our tongues.  However, I am asking you to take prayer a step further.  I am suggesting that if you want to protect someone that you not just pray for them, you intercede for them.  To intercede means that you plead someone’s case – almost like a lawyer.  In Exodus 32 we see that Moses has been in the Presence of God for so long that the Israelites decided to worship a golden calf. God is so angry that He told Moses He was about to destroy everyone and start over!  However, the Bible says that Moses sought favor from God and pleaded with Him to spare their lives—and God relented. Live on a street with crazy neighbors?  Pray that God reveals Himself in such a way that they come to know God. Pray for our nation.  Have a friend or acquaintance that refuses to acknowledge God and ridicules you on top of that? Don’t be angry or offended – pray that they come to know the truth – you may be the only person praying on their behalf!
  • Be merciful.  There is a particularly sobering passage (at least it is to me) in Jude – in verse 23.  Jude says “Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them…” (NIV). Sisters, let me plead with you – show mercy to all. As believers, we have no right to be self-righteous – the only reason we are saved is because Jesus showed mercy to us – extend it to everyone. How can you practically show mercy? Can you donate to a food bank? Give a homeless person a blanket? Can you hold your tongue when you’d really like to give someone a piece of your mind? Can you forgive? Can you reserve judgment? Donate your time? Can you step out of your comfort zone and ask God to show you what it really looks like to be the “hands and feet” of Jesus – and then act that way?? Would you allow God to open your heart to love someone (anyone!) in such a selfless, potentially heartbreaking way that you “snatch them from the fire??”

Will YOU be protection from harm?

 

Let’s pray:

Dear God, I have been challenged so much and in so many ways.  Help me, God, to dig deeper. Help me to love more fully. Help me to see all people as You would see them. Thank You, God, for being my Protection, my Shield, my Rock and my Fortress. Thank You for sending Your Son to die for me to protect me from evil and your angels to stand guard around me. I want to live my life in such a way that I protect and guard not only those that I love, but those You put in my path. Help me to decrease so that You may increase in my life. Help me to walk in love all of my days!  I love You, Lord!  Help me show it. In your Son’s name we pray, Amen.

Resolution for Women — Chapter 6 – My Blessing

This week in The Resolution for Women, Chapter 6, we learn to esteem others with our time, concern, and full attention.

We’ll learn how to really listen to others, so they “know” we are truly listening.

We’ll learn about the power of our tongue, and how it can produce life or death.

We’ll learn how to control our tongue, to bring life into others and situations.

I’m very excited about this chapter, and what Priscilla has to say this week.  The power of the tongue is a subject that we learned about the week before this study began.  This chapter will reiterate what Robin Packer taught us during that week, and more!

So with that, are you ready????  Here we go!!

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Your Reading Assignment

for the Week of Aug 6th – 10th:

Aug 6th:   My Blessing – Christi

 Aug 7th:  The Gift – Megan

Aug 8th:  Shhhh – Kelley

Aug 9th:  Underneath It All – Beverly

Aug 10th: Week Overview – Christi

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THIS WEEKS CONFERENCE CALL!!

Don’t forget our FREE Conference Call this coming TUESDAY night, at 8pm CST.  Our Guest Speaker will be Connie Moss from Mesquite Texas.  Connie is going to share her amazing testimony on how God delivered her from clinical depression! This call is for all of our Facebook Online Bible Study members.  If you are not a part of our FB OBS Groups, and would like to be, please email us at GirlfriendsCoffeeHour@gmail.com!  We’ll be glad to add you to a group!!

Let’s Pray:

Father, we lift this weeks chapter to You, Lord, and we ask for Your anointing upon our ears and eyes, that we may hear from You directly and also see what  You are trying to teach us this week.  Lord, we choose to put aside all distractions so that we can learn to become a blessing to others, with our words and actions.  We pray for our Conf Call Guest Speaker, Connie Moss,  and I ask that You guide her words and give her peace and boldness during her time with us on this call.  I pray for hearts to be prepared before this call Lord, to be ready to receive what You have for them.  Bring those Father, that You want on this call, In Jesus’ Name, AMEN!!

See You Tomorrow!!

Be Blessed & Be a Blessing to Someone Else!