Words

"But I say to you that for
every idle word men may
speak, they will give
account of it in the day
of judgement."
Matthew 12:36



Jesus spoke plainly about our idle words, yet
His warning often goes unheeded. Idle words
are things we say carelessly, without concern
for their impact on others. We too quickly
assume that the sins of our tongue are minor
sins, sins that God will overlook. Yet, Jesus
was fully aware of the devastating nature of
our words, for the idle words that come from
our mouths give a lucid picture of the condition
of our heart (Matt. 15:17-20).

The more time we spend in idle chatter, the greater
the likelihood that we will say things that are
harmful. We are in much less danger of saying
something offensive when we are listening than
when we are speaking! Christians should speak
only words that uplift and bring grace to others.

~Henry T. Blackaby & Richard Blackaby~
From: Experiencing God Day by Day

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,
but only what is helpful for building others up according
to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Ephesians 4:29

God has given us two ears, but one tongue, to show that we
should be swift to hear, but slow to speak. God has set a double
fence before the tongue, the teeth and the lips, to teach us to
be wary that we offend not with our tongue.

-- Thomas Watson

Obedience

And this is love:
that we walk in
obedience to His
commands.
II John 1:6




Perfect obedience would bring perfect happiness,
if only we had perfect confidence in the Power
we were obeying.

~unknown~

Praise

Praise be to
His glorious
name forever;
may the whole
earth be filled
with His glory.
Amen and Amen.

Psalm 72:19




Through praise you give God something no one else in
heaven or earth can give: the love and adoration of
your heart. He chose you before He created the earth;
He designed you as a unique individual, so that you
would be a special person unlike any other; He made
you for Himself. And He has made plans for an inti-
mate relationship with you throughout all eternity.
Such a God is not indifferent to your response to
Him. Your praise makes Him glad. Your neglect
grieves Him. As you fill your life with praise,
God will reveal Himself to you in new ways--and not
only to you but also through you to other people.
To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever is our high
calling, our destiny.

~Ruth Myers~
from: 31 Days of Praise

His Joy Refreshes

Do not sorrow,
for the joy of
the LORD is
your strength.

Nehemiah 8:10



Happiness is usually caused by circumstances.
Supernatural joy, however, enables us to
experience a deeper joy that is not so
dependent on our circumstances. As we live
by correct priorities, cultivating our
relationship with Christ on a daily basis,
we will begin to experience a quiet joy
resulting from a sense of security that we
belong to God, and He is indeed in control
of our lives. When we focus on this security,
we will be free to relax and trust Him in
whatever situation we find ourselves. We will
not always feel happy, but we will have a
deeper sense of joy that we belong to Christ
and that His plans for us are good.

~Susan Alexander Yates~
from: A Gentle Spirit

Gifts

Every good
and perfect
gift is
from above.
James 1:17




God's most beautiful gifts are often delivered
in rough packages by very difficult people.

~A. B. Simpson~

D's

Be self-controlled
and alert. Your enemy
the devil prowls around
like a roaring lion
looking for someone
to devour.
I Peter 5:8


Satan uses these:

Doubt - to make us question God's word
and His goodness.
Discouragement - to make us look at our
problems rather than at God.
Diversion - to make the wrong things
attractive to us so that we will
want them more than eternal things.
Defeat - to make us feel like a failure so
that we don't even try and give up.
Delay - to make us put off doing something
so that it never gets done.

For every child of God defeats this evil
world by trusting Christ to give the victory.
1 John 5:4

Crisis

Turn us again
to Yourself,
O Lord God
Almighty.

Psalm 80:19






Our culture's anxiety level has reached such
a height that people shoot and kill others
and never give it a thought. We're so full
of anxiety and fear that we can hardly live
with each other. How did our national feeling
of peace and safety go away?

The reason is clear. Somehow we have decided
we are so smart that we don't need God. We have
taken Him out of the school, out of the home,
out of our government--what do we have left?
The result is a society minus the benefits of
God's provision.

~Charles Stanley~
from: God is in Control