The Power of Our Words

Recently I have been studying a lot about our confession or what we say and how important it is. Not only is what we say very important it is also very powerful. In Proverbs 18:21 we are told,"Death and life are in the power of the tongue:". Think about that for a moment. We have the power to speak life or death in our lives. That is why David wrote in Psalms 141:3 "Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips." In other words don't let me say anything that I will regret or be sorry for. David knew his words were powerful and that he needed to guard what he was about to speak. In my devotion time recently I was reading about the announcement of the birth of John the baptist and the birth of Jesus. Something jumped off of the pages as I read this familiar story again. In the first chapter of Luke the angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah, a Jewish priest, who has been praying for a son with his wife Elizabeth. The angel told Zechariah that his prayer had been heard and that Elizabeth would give birth to a son. Even though Zechariah had been praying for a son he doubted and asked the angel how he could be sure this would happen. It seems like a fair question. After all Zechariah was old and so was his wife. But he didn't believe the word he heard. The next thing that the angel did is what really amazed me. v19 "Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! v20 But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.” Do you see it? The angel said my words must be fulfilled and since you don't believe you can't speak because your words are so powerful they can negate what I have said. Notice the angel didn't say, "Believe it or not it is going to happen or no matter what you say it will happen." No, he said my words must be fulfilled therefore you must be silent. Zechariah did not believe so his words of doubt and wrong confession could have stopped the word from God being fulfilled. We have to learn to say what God says about us and agree with Him. We must gaurd our mouths from speaking doubt or disagreeing with what God says about us. He says He has great plans for us. He says we are the head and not the tail. He says by the stripes of Jesus we were healed. He says all the promises of Abraham are ours. We can choose to speak life or death. What will you choose?

A few weeks ago I received some of the most wonderful news that I had heard in years. I was told by my precious daughter that my wife and I were going to be grandparents. I can't tell you how excited we were. In just a few days later we were given the worst report that I could have imagined. The doctor told our daughter that it appeared to be a failed pregnancy. We were devastated to say the least. I tried to pray but didn't know how or what to pray for. It seemed too late and there was really nothing we could do. A few days later as I was driving home from work I began to pray while listening to my praise music on my IPhone. Suddenly the Holy Spirit began to speak to me and say, "It's never too late! It's never too late." I just began to weep and pray and trust God for the rest. When I saw my daughter and son-in-law later that evening I told them what had happened and I prayed over my daughter and prophesied over her and the baby. When she returned to the doctor for a follow-up visit she was told the same but then the nurse tried a different location with the ultra sound and behold there it was. The baby had a perfect heart beat and seemed healthy.
What the Holy Spirit said goes for all of us. It is never too late with God. No matter what you have been through or what news you may have been given, remember, it's never too late. When Jesus came to Mary and Martha after Lazarus had died she basically said if you had been here sooner he would have lived but now it's too late. Well, you know how that story ended. Just remember that it doesn't matter how old you are, how bad the economy is, what kind of news you received from the doctor, with God it is never too late.

You Have Influence!

Yes, we all have influence. Whether we choose to believe so or not. Someone is going to influenced by you today in either a positive or negative way. The choice is up to you. Don't underestimate the power of the influence you have. You can make a difference in some one's life. It may not show up until later in their life but you can make an impact.

I was thinking about my father who recently made the comment that he hadn't been a very good dad. I begin to think back on the years as I grew up at home with my parents and just how good a father I had. My dad always provided for all of us (mom & 3 children). He provided stability and safety. I never worried about the necessities of life, although dad may have, I never knew it. He worked hard and loved our mother, and after 56 years of marriage they are still in love. When I laid down at night I felt safe. I knew my father was looking out for me. What an influence my dad has had on me. I learned the value of honesty and hard work. Providing a stable home and how to love my wife and children. I made sure that I told him this in a letter recently. Maybe you should do the same for someone in your life that has had a positive influence on you. And don't forget, you are influencing someone today. Make it a positive one.http://www.facebook.com/

It's a new year.

The calendar says it's 2007, a brand new year. A time for new beginnings and more resolutions. But every day is really the start of a new year. We can start over on any given day and decide that today is the first day of the rest of our lives. The Bible says that God's mercies are new every morning. It doesn't matter if we have screwed everything up before today, we have the opportunity to start over today. I was thinking about the baseball season of 2006, and how that the Stl. Cardinals had ended the season on a down note. That may be an understatement. They barely won their division on the last day of the season, but when the playoffs started their record didn't matter. It was a new season. A new day. The rest is history. They went on to win the World Series. So just remember today is a new day. A chance to start over and press toward the prize.

22It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
24The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. -Lamentations 3:22-24

Companion for life

It had been less than two years and there I was alone with my infant son wondering what life had in store for us. I had come to the conclusion that I would never marry again and chance experiencing the pain of divorce. After five years of trying to raise a son with the help of wonderful parents God sent an angel into my life. Never in all my dreams did I think such a blessing could come my way. It has been twenty-four years and after a beautiful daughter and lots of great experiences I know that God really did have a companion for life just for me.