Sorry for the long delay. Since the last blog, I’ve gone four-wheeling
across the Mojave Desert and explored old ruins and lava tubes one weekend, decorated
my place and did some fun stuff with my mom when she was in town for a week and
a half, went to Cape Canaveral for a week to have some meetings and get tours
of the launch and satellite processing facilities, had midterms for my masters,
and spent a week in San Diego taking a class for work. Anyways,
back to the story.
I didn’t have to wait long for
the shark to reappear. It came hurtling
out of the depths like a freight train and slammed into the side of my kayak,
teeth slashing. My kayak tipped
violently and sent me overboard, but I kept a hand on it and with my adrenalin
racing vaulted myself back on top almost before I hit the water. The shark’s agility was impressive
considering its massive size, and it kept circling and bumping the kayak. Fortunately, hammerheads have troubling
biting things above them because of the shape of their head. I repeatedly jabbed at it with my paddle and
had my bait knife ready as well, but it was too tough and strong to be phased
by my hits. I tossed my box of bait overboard
and paddled away furiously as the shark turned and started ripping through
bait. I went as fast as I could back to
the beach and thankfully the shark was appeased by the bait or decided
following me wasn’t worth the effort.
None of the last paragraph
actually happened. In reality, after the
shark’s fin disappeared below the surface, I never saw any sign of it the rest
of the day. I thought about making a
beeline back to shore, but realized there was no way for me to cover three and
a half miles if the shark really wanted to attack. So I decided there was no point worrying
about it and went back to fishing.
The reason I made up the attack
ending to the story (besides wanting to give you something exciting after the
wait) is that I wanted to use the shark as a metaphor for fear in our
lives. In areas we have fear and doubt,
we often create and worry about worst-case scenarios of what might happen, just
like I could have started picturing the shark attacking. But these fears may be unfounded, and even if
they aren’t, all worrying about them does is panic and immobilize us. Before we dive into that, let’s try to wrap up
what the Bible says about controlling our words and who we should share them
with.
There are many things we can
learn from who Jesus spoke to and how he spoke.
First, realize that even Jesus, God in the flesh, looked to God the
Father for guidance on what to say. In John
14, Jesus says, “The words that I speak I do not speak on my own authority”,
and “the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.” How much more we need to look to the Lord for
guidance!
Jesus proclaimed truth widely
to whoever would hear it, and he constantly lived out what he preached. In addition to his messages to large crowds,
Jesus also spoke at an individual level to many different people. Sometimes he delivered a message of love,
understanding, forgiveness, and encouragement, and other times it was words of
rebuke. Again, look to the first point
of asking the Lord for guidance, but I think reading the Gospels give a general
trend of which approach should be used when.
Jesus did not speak well to people who outwardly seemed “good” and avoid
or condemn the “bad” people. Rather, his
interactions with people seem to be based on the state of their heart. If someone was open, he would encourage them,
speak to them at a personal level, and point their lives in the right
direction. For example, Nicodemus, the
rich young ruler, and the Samaritan woman at the well were all seeking or at
least open to the Lord, and he talked with them truthfully to help them
understand the state of their lives and how they could better follow the Lord. It is important to note that Jesus met them
where they were at, and addressed the questions or hurts that where most important
to them. It didn’t matter that the woman
was a sinner, or that the rich ruler didn’t obey his instruction to go and sell
all that he had. Jesus just spoke the
truth and trusted God for the results.
Who knows, perhaps the ruler’s heart changed over time? Maybe later he did sell all he had and became
one of the major donors for the early church in Acts. God’s timing is often only understood by Him.
However, the other side of the
coin is how Jesus talked to the religious rulers who thought they had all the
answers and would not listen to anyone who thought differently from them. Jesus, who operated constantly in perfect
love, gave some very harsh tongue-lashings to the Pharisees many times. I think he did this because such harsh
measures might have been necessary to shake their beliefs, or to prevent others
from following their false doctrines. While
he still spoke the truth to them, his statements were usually brief and
impersonal to point out their hypocrisy and bring a quick end to the
conversation. He did this instead of speaking
into their lives at a deeper level because they usually came to him with an
argumentative spirit and were not looking to receive anything.
The takeaway for us from Jesus’
example is that we should look to the Lord for guidance in our words and our
lips should be overflowing with love. Like
David in Psalms 19:14, ask to “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of
my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.” In general, be more willing to talk deeply
with those who have a soft and open heart, and wary around people who are
self-righteous or hard-hearted. Note
that the first group may include people who are pursuing all the pleasures of
the world, and the second group may include people in your church or Bible
study.
With that said, Jesus did have
his twelve disciples who he shared more openly with, and his inner circle of
Peter, James, and John who he was the closest with. While it can be good to be close with open non-Christians,
it would be wise to have your closest friendships with other believers. Until your non-Christian friends are saved,
realize you are still serving different masters.
Also, it is important for us to
approach the Lord with a humble and open heart.
He loves to help us, but if we are prideful or think we have the
answers, we won’t be able to receive from him.
Lastly, Proverbs 17:27 says “He who has knowledge spares his words, and
a man of understanding is of a calm spirit”.
Likewise, 1 Peter 3:4 says a women’s adornment should “be the hidden
person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is very precious in the sight of God.”
These verses don’t mean extroverts should pretend to be introverted. But it does call into question the trend in American
culture to be loud so everyone knows you’re there and thinks you’re “cool”. As servants, we shouldn’t constantly strive
to be the center of attention. In
addition, if you think about people who are loud and obnoxious, they often say
little worth listening to. It is all
wind and no substance. While being
outgoing is equally as good as being quiet, I think the Bible points to the
importance of having strong character and actions that speak louder than our
words. We should also consider what we
say and limit our words in some situations.
For some this comes naturally and for others it may take more
discipline. Speaking just to make
yourself heard is not generally wise.
Now back to the shark story and
facing our fears. This could be any type
of fear, but the reason I wanted to write about it in this blog is that
sometimes fear can prevent us from building relationships with people God has
placed in our lives. As Proverbs 27:5
says, “Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed.” I was going to go into more depth on how to
overcome your fears, but decided some of it was better left to the Lord to
teach people.
If you’ve run from a fear over
and over or your worst fear has been realized, how do you overcome your past
and move forward? There are many
different tactics you can try, but in the end there are times when we just aren’t
strong enough and realize it is impossible to do in our own strength. We should always do this, but especially at
these times, the only thing we can do is look to God for deliverance. Come to him with the heart of a child trusting
in the strength and goodness of a father to help and comfort them when they are
scared or hurt.
David and Peter both modeled
trusting the Lord to bring them success despite their circumstances. David didn’t look at how much bigger Goliath
was than him, but at how much smaller Goliath was than his God. His supreme faith in the power of God enabled
him to step into the valley with confidence and defeat Goliath. His relationship with the Lord was so close
that he was able to move out in faith immediately, rather than having to build
up courage and pray about the situation.
In fact, his immediate action was probably better than if he had paused
to think about it, because fear can build over time, and God sometimes acts on
your behalf only after you step into the valley to face your giant. Likewise, Peter looked to Jesus and was able
to walk on top of the water in the middle of a storm. It was only when he took his eyes off Jesus
and saw the ferocity of the wind and waves that he began to sink. This shows how we need to keep our eyes fixed
on Him and believe in His miraculous ability to walk with us over the storms of
our life, and not give in to the strong temptation to look at our situation and
be filled with fear and dismay. Usually our
fears and doubts are fueled by lies from Satan, and the “shark” we imagine
getting ready to attack under the surface has long since ceased being a threat. Listening to these doubts immobilizes us and
keeps us from receiving the victory and blessings God has in store for us. With that said, there are also times when God
tells us to wait on him to bring the victory, so we have to be patient, trust
his perfect timing, and fight the doubts that if we don’t act now, we will miss
out. If God has something in store for
us, believe He will bring it “at just the right time”, and praise Him today for
what we know He will do tomorrow.
Finally, like when David talked
about God helping him kill a lion and a bear, look to times when God helped you
overcome difficult situations in the past and how he has prepared and equipped
you for the challenges ahead. Also,
remember and trust in reassurances He has given you regarding a situation. Journaling is important so we can look back
and remember what He has said and done for us.
Otherwise we can be just like the Israelites and quickly forget how He’s
continually been guiding and delivering us.
And remember Joshua 1:9: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good
courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you
wherever you go.
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