Christian Living

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Satan comes to kill, steal, and destroy. One of his main methods is to keep us double-minded in our hearts, minds, and the words we speak. The enemy knows  that words spoken have tremendous power. God created everything by the Word. Jesus is the Word. The Bible states a person is saved by what they believe, and justified, made righteous, by the words of faith we confess. Words are seeds, and they can be good or bad as explained by Jesus in the parable of the wheat and the tares. Whatever is sown will be reaped. In Matthew 5:48, Jesus tells us to be perfect like your Father in heaven. Could it be that the words we speak go a long way in acheiving this goal?

For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. James 3:2 NAS

Recently, God has brought my attention to the words I speak out loud, in my head, and under my breath. I mean, really brought my strict attention to it. Our words are like seeds, and they have tremendous power. With our words, we serve up life, blessings, or serve up death, curses, to ourselves and others. The word minister in the following verse means to serve up, like a waiter. We are called and qualified to serve up blessings and life, not curses and death.

And He has qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 2 Cor 3:6 BSB

To the enemies delight, so many of our words are filled with defeat and death. “I am sick and tired.” “I’m dead tired.” “I will never get out of debt.” “I will never find the right person.” “I guess I will always be stuck at this dead-end job.” ‘You will never amount to anything.” “I hate my job.” “ I hate my life.” Even many clichés we take for granted are filled with curses and not blessings. ‘I just love him to death.” “I would kill for a cup of coffee.” While these may seem like harmless expressions and some might argue their just being honest, words have power. The old adage, sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me, is a lie.

For many years we have used our own words to plant bad seeds in our hearts and minds, and the harvest cannot help but arrive. With our words, we bless or we curse ourselves and others. God tells us this should not be what we are doing. Consider the folowing verses in the context of asking God to help and bless us and then in the next moment speaking defeat and curses over the same topic to a friend. 

With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men (including ourselves), who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh. James 3:9-12 NAS (emphasis mine)

Consider some of the words you speak just out of habit that curse yourself and others instead of blessing. If we want God’s power to move mountains in our lives, the only thing that should be coming out of our mouths is faith, blessings, and life for ourselves and others. Good seed planted deep and repeatedly, guaranteed to bring forth good fruit by God, we will reap what we sow. Once we realize that we are now reaping what we have planted for years, we realize there is work to do with new words of life planted in our heart. Results do not happen overnight but they do happen in a big way over time. If we have planted bad seed for years, that seed will still produce in our life for a time. Good seed takes time to grow and mature, so we should not expect to plant good seed for a couple of days and see immediate results. We do not walk by feelings; we walk by faith, and look forward to the guaranteed harvest from the good seed we are committing to plant from this day forward. We faithfully plant good seed in our hearts every day and leave the rest up to God. Good seed like our identity in Christ and the new creation God has made us spoken of in the New Covenant. The good seed produces good fruit.

The Divided Mind

Can you imagine a ship with a captain who has a divided mind, they are out in the ocean, and one moment he tells the helmsman to turn the rudder east and then the next moment west, then north and then south. Never getting anywhere, the ship goes in circles in the middle of the ocean. Does it ever feel like you are going in circles? Our tongue is like a rudder of a ship, with our tongue and the word’s we speak, the Bible teaches we set the whole course of our lives.

Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires.  So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. James 3:4-6 NAS

Our words reveal if we have a divided mind and a person with a divided mind cannot expect anything from God. Words of faith, mixed with words of doubt will just keep us stuck.

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:5-8 NAS

We pray for life and health over ourselves to our heavenly Father who gives generously, one moment, and in the next, we speak doubt, decay, and death, seeking out anyone who will listen to our story of pain, poor health, struggle, woe and how terrible we feel. Often done to get a bit of love, compassion, and caring from others, but done with a lack of understanding.

The blessing of life requested from God in prayer and the curse of death spoken over ourselves to our friends and family. “I feel so terrible, I could just die.” “I don’t know if I will ever get better.” Jesus might very well ask us, “do you really want to be healed?” If we really want to be healed, this especially requires an all-out effort to only speak words of blessing, life, faith, hope and a clear confession of healing from the word of God, at the very onset of any illness until it is gone. We cannot ask for healing and speak doubt and death in the next moment. God does not know what we want from him when we don’t know what we want for ourselves. Do you really want to be healed? Or is there some part of you that does not? Maybe you want sympathy from others more than healing? Do you sense a double mind within? If so, you need to deal with this issue before anything else. A firm decision must be made. All progress starts with us making a firm decision. The squirrel who gets run over in the middle of the road does so because his double-mindedness freezes him there. He questions if he should move forward or go back, much like Lot’s wife who looked back with doubt and died fleeing Sodom. Only a firm decision made will get the squirrel and us to the other side of the road.Before we make a decision is the time to look at our options and weigh what looks best, but then we decide and do not look back or question it.

While it is good to have one or two other believers we can confide in and seek prayer and advice, we cannot expect anything if we go around rampantly speak words of faith and doubt at the same time. So, if you really want to be healed or prosper in any way, the next time you are struggling, instead of speaking words of death to get a fleeting bit of attention, tell them “I am blessed” and leave it at that. Because we are blessed and speaking words of doubt and death is not going to help anything. They just turn our ship's rudder in the wrong direction, going in circles, and perpetuate and reinforce the problem in our minds, bodies and in those who hear us.

Stop Entertaining Negative Talk About Self and Others

As followers of Christ, our goal should be to walk in the Spirit and no longer in the flesh. To walk in the Spirit is to walk in the new creation God has made us in Christ. To walk in the flesh is to continue to walk in our default position, the old creation born under Adam. God sees the old creation as passed away, the new has come. This means God sees the old creation as dead, crucified on the cross with Jesus. He no longer sees us in Adam, He sees us in the Spirit as a completely new creation is Christ. It is only when we walk in the Spirit that the lusts of the flesh will be defeated.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Gal 5:16 NAS

Have you ever experienced negative talk in your head about yourself and others? I have plenty of times in my life. I have experienced it with my spouse, family and friends. This type of talk plants seeds in our hearts and minds that leads to guilt, self-condemnation, worry, doubt and fear and in the end acts of the flesh that are sin. With others this type of talk often leads to outright acts of sin or passive aggressive behavior towards others. With marriage, it is a huge problem, often a marriage wrecker and any marriage would be much healthier if both parties agreed to put an end to it. This type of talk is all of the flesh and leads us to walk in the flesh. If we want to walk in the Spirit, we absolutely must put an end to this type of talk.

God showed me how to stop this type of talk so the enemy could not use it to drag me into the flesh. First off, If I cannot identify what is causing the trouble in my heart, I have a declaration of faith I say from memory. It is filled with statements about the new creation I am in Christ. It is a declaration that tells God I believe I am righteous in Christ and that I believe all He states about me in His Word.

If the trouble or anger is coming from an interaction with another person, the answer is prayer. What I am talking about is specific prayer at the moment we sense any troubling in our heart and mind from another person or circumstance. At the very first sense of a troubled heart, I pray for the absolute best for the person. Often it is someone I know and I sincerely mean what my prayers state. Sometimes, I find resistance within to praying for a person, but I know that comes from my flesh that thinks it deserves to be angry and upset with them. If I agree with my flesh at that moment, I get drug into the flesh and the whole point is to stay in the Spirit. If you make it a priority to walk in the Spirit and have victory, it becomes much easier to come strongly against this negative talk. What I do when my flesh objects to praying for the person, is to pray anyways for their very best, no matter how badly they may have hurt the feelings of my flesh. Do you remember Jesus on the cross praying for those who put Him there? He did not deserve to be there, they were dead wrong for doing what they did, but He still prayed that the Father would forgive them. Jesus wanted the best for those people and He is our example.

Praying for others, will help you much more than it will help them in most cases. It will keep you out of the flesh and its works and in the Spirit and His peace that overcomes all circumstances. In His peace you will discover power and victory and a clear head to make decisions. Praying for a person’s best does not mean you must continue to have relationship with them if they habitually seek to draw you into the flesh by their actions.

Our goal is to walk in the Spirit, by faith and not by sight, where God calls us to walk. He wants us to walk there specifically so we will have victory, blessings and favor in this life. Just think of the Jews who refused to walk by faith into the promise land. They walked by sight in fear instead by faith in what God stated. Did you ever think that the fear in your life may be due to walking by sight in the flesh instead of by faith in the Spirit?

In the end it is really Satan who wants us to walk in the flesh and not the Spirit. He will use people and circumstances to do all he can to drag us into the flesh. He can devour us in the flesh and this leads to sin. He cannot devour us in the Spirit. Our victory in this life is all about where we choose to walk.

Walking in the flesh, the old creation born of Adam is our default position. Once a person is born-again, they do not automatically start walking in the Spirit. The vast majority of believers still identify themselves and walk in the flesh by sight, by what they see in the mirror. It takes a renewed mind and a conscious choice to walk in the Spirit, but I will tell you it is the best choice you can make as a follower of Christ. It really solves every problem a believer can have. Stopping negative words coming from out of our mouth and negative head talk is not the main thing that transforms us, but it is an essential part of the process. The main thing is a renewal of the mind to see ourselves as God sees us, in the Spirit, not in the flesh. To agree with God the old creation, born under Adam, died on the cross with Christ. To see ourselves by faith in the new creation God has made us in Christ. That is the only identity God recognizes us in now. The old is passed away the new has come.

Repentance of Careless Words Spoken

I want you to consider the following verse in a way you may have never done. Based on the context, I firmly believe Jesus is talking about words of faith and blessings that justify and build up our faith in God’s promises. As opposed to careless words that tear down the faith and curse ourselves and others by bringing doubt, worry, fear, guilt, condemnation. Remember, words are good or bad seeds and bring forth good or bad fruit, sometimes a 30, 60 or 100 percent return.

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. “You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. “The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matt 12:33-37 NAS

The word repentance means “change mind.” There is repentance going on all the time in the body of Christ. First, we change our mind from unbelief to unbelief in the gospel. This change of mind is actually an initial step in renewing our mind to the truth God reveals to us in His word. There is so much more. For example, do you now believe that our words have tremendous power and that only blessings should come forth from our mouth? Do you now believe that a firm decision must be made in anything we do because a double-minded person cannot expect anything from God?

Do You Believe God Wants the Best for You? He Does.

Do you believe that above all things, God rewards those who seek Him by faith and wants us to prosper and be in good health?

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.Heb 11:6 NAS

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. 3 John 1:2 KJV

If we do believe, that above all, God rewards those who seek Him and wants us to prosper and be in good health, and we do not see this in our life, could it be because of the words we have been speaking.  If we believe God’s Word, our words should reflect our belief. Let’s worship God in Spirit and Truth by agreeing with Him. Let’s make sure only blessings come forth from our mouths as we use our tongues to steer our ship, and lead others, to the promised land in the here and now. Let’s remember that seeds take time to grow and we have to overcome the many years of bad seed planted. Let’s agree to start planting good seed today and every day, by faith, like the farmer does every year and patiently trust God. We will certainly reap what we sow. We do not give up.

I have many studies on the New Covenant that Jesus ratified with His blood on the cross. The new Covenant of grace and truth began after the cross and totally replaced the Old Covenant of the law of Moses. My suggestion is not to try and catch bad words or thoughts and simply change them; I recommend changing the entire record in your head so that we are always thinking of higher and loftier things as God tells us we should be doing. This is how we captivate our minds, thoughts, and hearts to the finished work of Christ and the new creation God has made us in Jesus. Then out of our renewed mind and new heart, the mouth will speak. Study your identity in Christ and the New Covenant that Jesus placed in effect when He shed his blood and died for our sins and was raised for our justification. Believe that you are, right now a new creation in Christ, in the Spirit. Learn all you can about the new creation God has made you and be transformed more and more into His image for the world to see.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Phil 4:8 NAS

Here are some great seeds to plant and some to avoid planting in yourself and other believers: 

I Am a New Creation IN CHRIST 

I Am Holy, I Am Sanctified, I Am Perfected

God Said a Believer Can Never be Considered Unholy

Why Don't I look Like a New Creation in Christ in the Mirror?

We Must Always Encourage Each Other in The Faith

How the Curse of the Law Can Still Affect Believers

Preaching the Law is Preaching the Curse

How to Stop Making Bricks for Satan and Walk Freely Into The Promised Land

How to Take Thoughts Captive to The Obedience of Christ

How to Defeat Satan on the Battlefield for Your Mind 

How to Defeat Sin, the Lusts of the Flesh

Live Like the Work in Done and See Fruit Christian

How to Walk in the Spirit Instead of the Flesh

How Christians Dilute the Power of the Gospel in Their Lives

 

Many more New Covenant Bible Studies HERE. Jesus poured out His blood for the New Covenant of grace and truth, replacing the Old Covenant law of Moses. Believers are exclusively under the New Covenant, the last will and testament of Jesus that began after the cross. 

And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood. Luke 22:20

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