This past week has been crazy (2nd week in Ethiopia). One week ago today, I had a one-on-one with my squad leader, Luis about how for the past four months I had been holding back about how I didn’t like how our team, our squad and honestly, our culture miss-use our words.
Most of my life I’d never been a fan of sarcasm or using words to tear each other down but I always thought it was me but Luis brought to light that it wasn’t just me and that he completely agreed. He showed me scripture to back up how we are supposed to use our words, to uplift one another. We often find ourselves finding humor in laughing at one another but there are several other ways to laugh that don’t include bringing someone down.
Tuesday night, I sat my team down and I had a really hard conversation about how we need to start uplifting each other.
All week I practiced myself what it means to guard my tongue and it’s hard. Really hard and to this day (4 months later) I still struggle.
After I spoke to my team God revealed to me that he wanted me to speak in front of the whole squad and I was terrified. It was a Friday when he told me to talk to the squad and I had until Sunday night to mediate on what God wanted me to say. I was a ball of nerves pretty much leading all the way until an hour before. I prayed fervently and God rained down peace over my whole body. I wasn’t nervous at all which was a complete God send.
Anyways, this is what I said & why each of you should read it:
(Replace my squad with your community)
THE POWER OF WORDS
Hello everyone!
So, this past week God has really revealed and taught me on how powerful the words we use are.
He has asked me to share what I’ve learned and I think that’s because this is something every person struggles with or needs to be more aware of. I’m only the vessel, bring all of this back to God, ask him how this relates to your life.
Words are powerful. In fact they are most powerful tool God has exemplified for us. if we look at creation, God uses his words to create the earth, in genesis 1:3 “ God said, “Let there be light,” or in verse 9 “Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds”. Or we can go to Jesus’s preaching, if we look he definitely could have used anything to heal but he uses his words. Matthew chapter 12 when Jesus is showing the Pharisees that loving and helping others is allowed on the Sabbath;
“Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other.”
Matthew 12:13
God has shown us how Powerful words are, and in Matthew 12 verse 33 Jesus states
““Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers (Jesus referring to the Pharisees), how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.
(Let’s stop here and pause on this line, for the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” that means if you are gossiping. If you are being negative. If you are laughing at others. These are all overflows of the heart. We really need to stop and check our heart posture and how we talk to one another. When we speak it should be out of love. Uplifting God and one another. This goes against the culture we were raised in, it could be the easiest route for us to adopt that culture into this one but God asks more from us. He asks us to stand up and apart from the world and to follow him. To deny of our selves, our flesh, our wants, and to folllow what he says is true.
Continuing Matthew 12: 33-37-
“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.””
Matthew 12:33-37 NIV
Every word we say will come to light on judgement day. Every single word.
Why do we spend time with God? So, we can learn more of him so we can become more like him. Mean words are not of him. Not even mean words dressed funny by the American Culture (sarcasm).
I’ve noticed as God has revealed to me, the culture of our squad. How I often find myself questioning how we treat each other. Our brothers and sisters. The ones who we fight side by side to bring salvation to the people around us. We need to treat each other how Jesus would treat us. Kindness. Gentleness
We represent Christ. If we say we are Christ Followers then everything we say should reflect him.
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
James 1: 19-27
It’s hard because we live in the world but we are called to be set apart. Something Todd White said once, “when people prick us, only Jesus should ooze out”. If you find yourself not able to do this then you need more one-on-one time with God. What would it look like if we were to spend 10 hours with God and 30min in the world vs 10hrs with the world and 30min with god?
And as each other’s brothers and sisters we need to hold each other accountable and call each other higher.
“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
Ephesians 4:25
So, I challenge and encourage each of you to practice self-control on your tongue and to keep everyone around you accountable for their words as well.
Keep yourself and each other accountable to not gossip and complain. In those moments when all you want to do is scream at your teammates or complain about your ministry, pray to God and ask for Peace. The first person you should be turning to when you feel upset is God, never let your emotions get to you, never give Satan the opportunity to miss use your emotions. Have self-control. And we will all mess up, we are humans but what counts is what you do when you realized you’ve messed up. Did you apologize to that teammate, did you apologize to God? Did you ask God how he can help you improve through your struggles?
God only asks of us to obey two commandments to love Him and then to love others like himself. Ask yourself, am I loving the people around me like Jesus loves me? Am I using words that are powerfully uplifting or powerfully destructing?
I believe that if each of us starts with our own hearts we can change the culture of this squad where love is overflowing out of each us. An atmosphere where people see us and KNOW we have Jesus in our souls, hearts and minds.
God really moved in my heart by speaking this out. Words are so powerful and can never be taken back. It’s ultimately a good reminder for us all!
ADOPT A MONTH!
SEPTEMBER (TAKEN!!! YAYAYA!!!!!)
OCTOBER (TAKEN!!!!! WAAHOOOOOO)
NOVEMBER (TAKENNNNNN!!!)
DECEMBER (taken!!! Whoop whoop!!)
JANUARY (taken!! THANK YOU!!!)
FEBRUARY (TAKEN!!!!!!!)
MARCH (NEEDED!!!)
APRIL (NEEDED!!!!!!)
MAY 31st flying into Florida
June 3rd flying H O M E !!
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Ways YOU can Join me on my Spiritual Journey:
1. Pray. I will need a multitude of prayers ranging from strength, wisdom, clarity, love, joy… The list goes on. Whatever your heart desires and feels right, pray. Here in Ethiopia we have a little boy at the orphanage who’s legs don’t work, pray healing over his body please!
In Nicaragua pray for jobs, most of the country is unemployed and it’s really taking a toll on families, pray for God’s provision to these people.
- SPREAD THE WORD! Tell everyone about my trip and show them my blog.
- SUBSCRIBE! When you subscribe you will get all notifications when I post on my blog about my trip and any updates!
- If you would like to donate to me still, please donate directly to me and not World Race. I AM FULLY FUNDED but I am now raising money for flights!! I need to buy 3 plane tickets for my trip home on June 3rd and for PSL which is a week long “after the race” conference in Georgia at the end of June. Thank you for everyone who has donated already, it’s been an incredible journey!
Venmo me : Marguerite-SanMartino
