The Power of Spoken Words

Today I read through Proverbs 12 and I thought it was amazing how much it had to say about the spoken word and what comes out of our lips. These are just some of the verses and they are the ones that really stood out to me:

12:13-"An evil man is trapped by his sinful talk, but a righteous man escapes trouble."

When I think of the word trapped, I think of something that is caged and has no way out. It is boxed in and it cannot seem to escape whatever is holding it there. I think that when they say sinful talk with keep you trapped then that is exactly what will happen. You will be trapped in sin as long as sinful things keep coming from your mouth. But the Lord can break us away from that entanglement and when we start living the righteous life, we can evade being trapped by that sinful talk altogether!

12:18 & 19- "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongues of the wise bring healing. Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment."

This scripture speaks directly into the power of what we say and how it can affect people. It says "reckless words pierce like a sword..." I don't know about you, but I would never want to be pierced with a sword. But if we are wise our tongue brings healing. This just shows that if we are aware of what we say then we will see just how we can either mentally and emotionally destroy someone, or we could very well see how we can uplift and affirm the people around us. Am I saying that it is bad to poke fun at the people around you, such as your friends? No! Not at all! I mess around with my friends all the time and make fun of them and they joke with me right back. But I'm just saying to be careful how far we take it and to whom we are speaking to.

12:22-" The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful."

This one pretty much speaks for itself. But I challenge us all, me included, to be honest men and women today and to accept consequences for what happens when we are honest. Many times we are honest though the Lord will bless us. I have seen it many times in my own life and I can assure you that it is a tough challenge at times but it is worth it.

12:25- "An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up."

This shows us how the power of words can be used to encourage. All around us, everyday, probably more than we know, there are people who are hurting and they are down because of certain things that are going on in their lives. But how uplifting is a kind word from a person around you. I have been encouraged many times by how people can speak life into me. Many times by someone I would never expect to talk to me. But today the other challenge is to be an encourager, simply say something to someone that looks like they are hurting or maybe just find a stranger and tell them that God is gonna take care of whatever they have going on. You may be surprised at how God can use you, or you may go on your way simply wondering how your words impacted someone. Either way you are speaking life into the soul of another believer.

Shut up!....for Christ!

So today in chapel, we had a praise and worship day and it was wonderful. It was because:
1- we love to worship here
2- It was our worship leaders last chapel with us as he goes on to get his masters.

But it was a powerful time as we sang together and then people would come in one by one and present scripture in order to present a story of salvation and love and redemption. It was powerful to finally sit there and just listen to what God had to say. So many times we are scrambling around trying to pay attention and take notes on what we are hearing taught. Then we continue on to pray and pray that we can be helped to apply what we have learned to our lives. We pray about things going on in our lives and our wants and needs and the wants and needs of others around us. All that stuff is very good but how often we pray for but do not listen. Sometimes all we need to do is sit down listen to his praises being sung and simply close our eyes and shut up so we can hear him! Block out the clutter of everything going on around and just tune in to what God has to say. The power in doing this was revealed to me today during chapel. I found myself tearing up just at the overwhelming presence of the Spirit in my life. To feel so loved and forgiven and to realize that God is there in everything is a powerful thought and it hit me hard in the face. So I challenge you today to sit down and simply shut up and listen for Christ.

Men of God?

Lately I have been wondering a lot about what it means to be a man of God? What does that look like? Unfortunately there are not enough examples in this world of what it means to be a man of God. Too many fathers are leaving the family alone in today's world. I am currently reading through "Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul" (at least when I can during my busy college schedule!). It has challenged me very deeply so far and all I have read is the first chapter. It has challenged how I act in my relationship with my girlfriend and just how I am as a man overall. John Eldredge describes men in the church today as being "bored". Our society has tamed our men to be safe and manageable while God has designed us with wild ideas and dreams to better his church but we've become so tame that we won't chase after them. This hit me because I have dreams, ideas, and visions for my ministry someday and I don't want to be another "bored" church goer. I want to radically change the way my church acts and serves God. I want us to be so filled that we just overflow onto the people around us. I want a heart of fire for God! That is my prayer today and also my prayer for the men in  the church today. Let us find our hearts again, and break away from the safe and manageable rut we are in! Let's set out on a journey of unexpected results and effects and know that God has it all and his plan is far better than ours!

Insanity!

So I've decided that since I'm not playing football anymore, it would be good for me to find something to do as a workout. It would be nice for me to see a change in myself physically. So I decided to start doing Insanity. I know that it is going to be tough but I'm determined! lol But what is going to be really hard for me is eating right. I have trouble finding stuff that I like that is still healthy so prayers would be appreciated. Prayers would also be appreciated simply because I am impatient with stuff like this and I often want results quicker than they'll come. So here we go! It'll be an interesting 66 days!

Generous Givings Reap Generous Blessings

"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in the temple. "If you do," says the Lord of Heaven's army's, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!"
                  -Malachi 3:10

I feel as though this is always a challenging subject for people because our culture places such an emphasis on money and the importance of having it. But our first priority should be to give our ten percent to God before we worry about paying anything off. Yes, I am only a sophomore in College and I don't yet know the stress of paying off a house, my own car, my own phone bill, and random bills that come in from the unexpected things in life, BUT I have seen way too many times people that even when it seems like they are broke and wont' be able to pay anything they give what they owe back to God and they give it gladly and the result is always that God provides for them in some way. But it is not always just money that we have to offer. As an RA, I give ten percent of my paycheck for sitting desk every week. But once I give my ten percent, what do I have left to give? Time. Talents. Gifts that God has given. I mean that is really what tithes are, isn't it? Giving God back the gifts he has given us. He has given us life and so we give our lives to him. He has given me the gift of singing so I give my time and talents to him in such a way as to bring glory to him.

We are told never to test God but here in Malachi, it seems as though we are to be giving in such a way that God will have to prove himself to us. Time and time again, I have seen God prove himself when people and myself on some occasions give to him happily and willingly. We serve an awesome God who wants nothing but the best for us and is ready to bless us generously but first we must give generously and happily.

"How are you using what God gave you? It may be a tithe of time, talents, or treasure. How can you help those whom God has brought across your path? What about that single-mother waitress struggling to care for her and feed her children? Does a coworker going through a divorce need an encouraging word? What about that neighbor who can't pay the electric bill this month and is in jeopardy of having the power turned off?"
        -Tony Dungy; The Uncommon Life Daily Challenge

Peace within the Craziness of Life

"When you are joyful, be joyful; when you are sad, be sad. If God has given you a sweet cup, don’t make it bitter; and if He has given you a bitter cup, don’t try and make it sweet; take things as they come."
   -Oswald Chambers

This was part of my devotion today, and I love it because it reminds me that no matter what life throws at us we are always in that situation for a purpose. God will never give us more than we can handle. I was pretty challenged by this quote actually because when I get placed in a situation that I would label as a "bitter cup", it is easy for me to try to change it or to be really unhappy with where I am. But now I am thinking "what if I can grow from this?" and whenever I ask that, I almost always find a way to grow. Paul said in one of his letters that he has found a way to be content in all situations. Oh how glorious that would be! So many times, I struggle to find contentment in one day of college classes, and I feel as though many of us have that struggle. But suppose for a minute you took some time out of your day when times get rough, and you simply thanked God for the trials. You sat down and said "God, I don't know why I am being put through this trial but thank you so much for the adversity! Grow me through this!"

I've actually said something along these lines to a couple of my residents on my floor. They had come to me because their girlfriends had broken up with them and they were beaten up about it. It was hard to see my guys so down in the dumps but the Lord spoke through me to them and I was able to build into their lives and slowly, even just through one day, I began to see them become joyful again. It got me excited to see God working not just in my life but the lives of others also. One scripture that I gave them and that I give many people is Romans 8:28:

"For we know that in ALL things, God works for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose."

I love this scripture because it reminds me that God works in ALL things. Not some, not a few, ALL. The good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful, the fun, the sad, the angering, the hurting, the joy, the peace, the turmoil, the worry, the mistakes of the past, the glory of the present, and the hope of the future! Praise be to God for all he is doing and what he has done already in my life and many others.

So today when you are going about your business, if God gives you a sweet cup, don't make it be bitter. Be joyful when you are joyful! The Lord has blessed and gifted you! If God gives you a bitter cup, don't try to make it sweet! Learn and grown! Be sad when you are sad! Angry when you are angry! But tell the Lord because he wanted to hear from you! Even in these times, you are blessed, gifted, and loved!

Diving In

Well, this is obviously my first blog post. I was told by a few friends that when you go off to college you are supposed to create a blog. It is the collegiate thing to do lol So here it is! Basically this is just a collection of my random thoughts and experiences as I go throughout my college days. I actually attend a Christian College so there won't be many crazy, wild party stories. But rather simple yet fun humor! I am an RA in my building this year and I can't wait to share all the crazy stories about our random shenanigans that we have around the floor! Just to give you a bit of background info though, I am a sophomore in college and a Music Ministry Major. I am originally from Crawfordsville, IN and ran crazy while I was there. But now of course I am a grown, mature college student.......yeah right! I'm crazy kid just looking to have a ton of fun while he does his schooling!