WEEKLY MESSAGE
SUN, 27/04/25 - SAT, 03/05/25
ON THE MESSAGE THIS WEEK: USING YOUR TONGUE/ WORDS CORRECTLY
KEY VERSE: “THE LIPS OF THE RIGHTEOUS KNOW WHAT IS FITTING” (PROVERBS 10:32)
When George H. W. Bush was running for president of the United States in 1988, he admitted he’d made an inappropriate remark about American journalist Dan Rather and White House correspondent Lesley Stahl after an on-air confrontation. Bush referred to Mr Rather in an unprintable term, and also took God’s name in vain in speaking about the Columbia Broadcasting System. When confronted, he said, ‘If I’d known the microphone was on I wouldn’t have taken the Lord’s name in vain, and I apologise for that.’ The fact is, he shouldn’t have said it whether the tape was running or not.
Remember, God’s tape is always running! The Bible says, ‘A man’s ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths’ (see Proverbs 5:21). Centuries ago Jesus declared: ‘There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs’ (see Luke 12:2-3).
Take a moment and consider these two Scriptures: ‘The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil’ (see Proverbs 15:28). ‘The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse’ (see Proverbs 10:32). The first Scripture tells you that a wise person will think before he or she speaks, because they realise every word has a consequence. The second Scripture tells you that a righteous person automatically knows what’s acceptable, and keeps in mind the fact that God hears every word.
Instead of foolish talk, coarse jesting or just wrong, pointless speaking, why not use edifying words. Wholesome words. Why not speak God's words or pray? The story is told of 84-yr old Becky Smith, and her sister Christine, who was eighty-two. The years had taken sight from the first and bent the body of the second, so they couldn’t attend church. Yet their church needed them. They lived on the Isle of Lewis off the coast of Scotland, and a spiritual darkness had settled on their village of Barvas. The congregation was losing people, and the youth were mocking the faith, speaking of conversion as a plague.
In October 1949, the Presbytery of the Free Church of Scotland called upon their members to pray. But what could two elderly, housebound sisters do? Quite a lot, they determined. They remembered the Bible says, ‘When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action' (see Matthew 18:19). And so they turned their cottage into an all-night house of prayer. From 10:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. two nights each week, they asked God to have mercy on their city.
After several months, Becky told Christine that God had spoken these words to her: ‘I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground’ (see Isaiah 44:3). She urged her pastor to conduct a revival and invite the well-known evangelist Duncan Campbell to speak. When Campbell refused to come, she insisted: ‘God says he’s coming and he’ll be here in a fortnight.’ And it happened! For five weeks Campbell preached every night to overflowing crowds at 7:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m., midnight, and 3:00 a.m. Sinners were converted, pubs closed for lack of patrons, and the Isle of Lewis tasted the presence of God - all because two women prayed in agreement.
Have a peaceful week in Jesus' Name, Amen.
(Article/ extract from ucb, wordfortoday)
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Did you know: There are almost 20 different passages in the Bible where it is mentioned that we are God's people.
Ref: Jeremiah 32:38 / Ezekiel 14:11 / Zechariah 8:8 / 2 Corinthians 6:16 / Hebrews 8:10 / Ezekiel 11:20 / Ezekiel 37:23 / Jeremiah 7:23 / Jeremiah 31:33 / Ezekiel 37:27 / Jeremiah 31:1 / Revelation 21:3 / Exodus 6:7 / Leviticus 26:12 / Jeremiah 11:4 / Jeremiah 30:22 / Ezekiel 36:28.