Something To Say
It's been a while since I've posted anything. If you have been following and anticipating the next post from me, I apologize for the lack of writing! I can't really say that I have an excuse...other than I haven't felt like I've had anything to say.
And maybe sometimes you feel like that too. You feel like you don't have anything to say...
Now that's not always a bad thing. Sometimes our tongues get us in trouble, and if that seems to happen to you a lot, not having something to say means life has been treating you a bit better!
But what about as a follower of Christ?
Should we be silent? Should we feel like we have nothing to say?
As a follower of Christ, you always have something to say...someone to speak to.
So how do you know who to speak to? When to say something? Then there's the big kicker...what do you say?
To answer this question, how about we look at something totally different for a minute.
Take a minute and think about your biggest fears. Maybe it's the fear of heights or a fear of spiders. Maybe it's a fear of being alone...or a fear of the dark.
But maybe, just maybe, it's actually a fear of being laughed at. Or a fear of loosing a friend. Ultimately...is it maybe a fear of rejection?
I believe many people in our culture let the fear of rejection dictate what they do and how they feel each and every day, and this is killing our witness as Christians.
It's keeping us silent...feeling like we have nothing to say.
Now, if you are like me, we tend to shake this off by saying we have to be relevant and it's wrong to offend people and when we offend people we push them away and lose our chance to share Jesus Christ with them.
Well, there is some truth in that...when we push people away and they don't want to talk to us anymore, it's hard to share the love of Jesus Christ with them.
So let's let this lie for a bit and move back to our first topic of thought...
How do you know who to say something to, and when, and then what in the world do you say?
What if we let the Holy Spirit dictate our everyday lives and actions instead of our fear of rejection?
What if we would be so in tune with the Holy Spirit that we knew every person we were to say something to and the feeling was so strong we couldn't walk away from them. And beyond that, we knew the precise moment we were to speak and felt Him then speaking the exact words we were to say and started speaking before we could have a chance to think about the fear?
Now maybe you are thinking, "well yeah, that would be awesome...but I could never have that relationship with the Holy Spirit." or "Things just don't work that way for me."
So I ask you this...why not?
Many times we make things out to be more difficult or a bigger deal than they really are.
If you are ready and really want that kind of relationship with the Holy Spirit, then simply ask for it!
We read in 1 Kings 3 of King Solomon asking God for wisdom to govern the people well...and God grants him that wisdom because he asked for something to benefit the people and not himself.
So are you ready to stop being afraid to speak up? Are you ready to start having something to say to the people around you that need to have a relationship with Jesus Christ?
Ask God for it.
There are no special words to say or way to ask...simply ask Him to connect you with His Spirit so others can come to know Him as you know Him. Ask Him to take you fear of rejection or whatever fear is holding you back.
Then go out and follow the Spirit in His power and boldness as Peter and John did in Acts 4.
And I pray that you have the same response by those around you as they did..."Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, comment men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus." (Acts 4:13 ESV)
And maybe sometimes you feel like that too. You feel like you don't have anything to say...
Now that's not always a bad thing. Sometimes our tongues get us in trouble, and if that seems to happen to you a lot, not having something to say means life has been treating you a bit better!
But what about as a follower of Christ?
Should we be silent? Should we feel like we have nothing to say?
As a follower of Christ, you always have something to say...someone to speak to.
So how do you know who to speak to? When to say something? Then there's the big kicker...what do you say?
To answer this question, how about we look at something totally different for a minute.
Take a minute and think about your biggest fears. Maybe it's the fear of heights or a fear of spiders. Maybe it's a fear of being alone...or a fear of the dark.
But maybe, just maybe, it's actually a fear of being laughed at. Or a fear of loosing a friend. Ultimately...is it maybe a fear of rejection?
I believe many people in our culture let the fear of rejection dictate what they do and how they feel each and every day, and this is killing our witness as Christians.
It's keeping us silent...feeling like we have nothing to say.
Now, if you are like me, we tend to shake this off by saying we have to be relevant and it's wrong to offend people and when we offend people we push them away and lose our chance to share Jesus Christ with them.
Well, there is some truth in that...when we push people away and they don't want to talk to us anymore, it's hard to share the love of Jesus Christ with them.
So let's let this lie for a bit and move back to our first topic of thought...
How do you know who to say something to, and when, and then what in the world do you say?
What if we let the Holy Spirit dictate our everyday lives and actions instead of our fear of rejection?
What if we would be so in tune with the Holy Spirit that we knew every person we were to say something to and the feeling was so strong we couldn't walk away from them. And beyond that, we knew the precise moment we were to speak and felt Him then speaking the exact words we were to say and started speaking before we could have a chance to think about the fear?
Now maybe you are thinking, "well yeah, that would be awesome...but I could never have that relationship with the Holy Spirit." or "Things just don't work that way for me."
So I ask you this...why not?
Many times we make things out to be more difficult or a bigger deal than they really are.
If you are ready and really want that kind of relationship with the Holy Spirit, then simply ask for it!
We read in 1 Kings 3 of King Solomon asking God for wisdom to govern the people well...and God grants him that wisdom because he asked for something to benefit the people and not himself.
So are you ready to stop being afraid to speak up? Are you ready to start having something to say to the people around you that need to have a relationship with Jesus Christ?
Ask God for it.
There are no special words to say or way to ask...simply ask Him to connect you with His Spirit so others can come to know Him as you know Him. Ask Him to take you fear of rejection or whatever fear is holding you back.
Then go out and follow the Spirit in His power and boldness as Peter and John did in Acts 4.
And I pray that you have the same response by those around you as they did..."Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, comment men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus." (Acts 4:13 ESV)
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