Is Your Mouth a Well of Life?

How are you? Do you realize how many Scripture verses there are that address the use of the tongue, the mouth, and the lips? It’s amazing to realize just how many!

The mouth of the righteous is a well of life. (Proverbs 10:11a) Wow! The words that we speak can actually be life-giving. What a wonderful tool, if only we’ll use it.

Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding. (Proverbs 10:13a) “Understanding of what?” you may ask. I believe this verse means that wisdom is found in the mouth of one who has studied, meditated upon, and understood the Scriptures.

In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise. (Proverbs 10:19) It is wise to be a person of few words. It is wise to listen before we speak.

The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom. (Proverbs 10:31a – See also Proverbs 10:21a, 32a) If we study the Bible and meditate upon it, we will become a wellspring of wisdom. Wisdom will come directly from the heart of God by way of the Scriptures.

Do you see what I mean? And the above verses are just in the 10^th chapter of Proverbs! Studying the entire Bible will give you many, many more. But these verses challenge us and teach us. They teach us what kind of talk we should engage in, and they challenge us to obey these verses and to speak in ways that enrich other peoples’ lives.

Our lives are enhanced by obedience to God’s Word. Watch over the words of your mouth to bring wisdom, blessings, and life to yourself, your family, and all those with whom you interact daily. Try it and see what happens!

Rx for Marriage

Welcome to our study on marriage relationships and how they can be improved by knowledge of the Scriptures and obedience to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

A good portion of spiritual wisdom is contained in my post entitled: Live Peaceably With All. When we think of living peaceably with people, we may exclude our family members from consideration—especially our spouse!

Our goal should be to live peaceably with our spouse whether he/she is a Christian or not! The Bible gives us many verses to meditate upon concerning peace. Here are only a few: Psalm 4:8; 29:11; 34:14; 37:17; 85:8; 85:10; John 14:27; 16:33; Romans 1:7.

Our Savior is called the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6; Judges 6:24), and He lives within each one of us. We can learn to tap into His wellspring of peace, by training our ears to listen to the advice of the Holy Spirit. We may also meditate on Bible passages concerning peace, and ask the Holy Spirit to show us how to moderate our behavior so that we may live obediently to God’s Word, and peaceably with all men.

The Holy Spirit will lead us into ALL truth (John 16:13; Eph 4:15), including: (1) the truth for a husband on how to love his wife and to learn what makes her happy, and (2) the truth for a wife on how to honor and respect her husband! Here are the Bible verses for you to study: Men: Eph 5:25; Col 3:19; 1 Pet 3:7 – and – Women: Eph 5:22; Col 3:18; 1 Pet. 3:1, 5.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21 NKJV) If you feel that your spouse has done something hurtful or said something painful to you, overcome that with good. Repay them with love, kindness, and forgiveness knowing that God will take pleasure in your obedience to Him. He will reward you.

Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. (Rom 14:19 NKJV) We’re encouraged to pursue the things which contribute to peace.

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation . . . (2 Cor 5:18) Jesus was the chief Reconciler. (2 Cor 5:19) The Lord has given to us the ministry of reconciliation. The Lord desires that we lay aside our own hostility; antagonism; and ill will against another person just as He forgave each and every one of us of ALL of our sin! Forgive your spouse, and move ahead.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Gal. 6:2) When spouses show their love by bearing one another’s burdens, that loving affection will become a very powerful glue that holds the relationship together and deepens it.

I pray that these thoughts will assist you and your spouse to draw closer, and to grow in love and respect. Be blessed!

Live Peaceably With All

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another. (Rom 12:10 NKJV)

If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. (Rom. 12:18)

Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way. (Rom. 14:13)

As children of the most high God, we are instructed to be kindly affectionate to one another, to give preference to one another, to live peaceably with all men, and NOT to put a stumbling block in a brother or sister’s way.

Meditate on these passages of Scripture. Be quick to forgive; quickly believe the best about others; and be slow to react to provocation. Think about these verses, and ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you about them, and ask God to give you the grace to obey them.

We don’t know how to live in such a way, but the Holy Spirit is our teacher and helper. He can teach us, one step at a time, to be conformed to the image of Christ. He has wisdom to share. Ask Him to help you to obey these important instructions, and He will do it. Your life will be immeasurably improved and blessed, not least of all, by the marked increase in the number of friends that you make!

Jesus Is Willing!

Greetings, in Jesus’ Name. Whatever your need today, Jesus is compassionate and willing to help you.

Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing, be cleansed.’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. (Matthew 8:3 NKJV)

Jesus said, “I am willing.” Jesus is always willing to defeat Satan; to emulate His Father in heaven; and to heal the sick. Jesus was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil (1 Joh 3:8b). Healing was on His agenda because healing is “the children’s bread” according to Matthew 15:26. We are His children so healing is always FOR US. (Rom 8:16)

Ask Jesus to work in your life and circumstances to destroy the works of the enemy. He will not disappoint you. (Isa 50:7; Php 1:20) Jesus is Faithful and True! (Rev 3:14)

Blessings That Belong to Us

Good day, blessed of God! As a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, you have a bright future and a blessed life. How can I say that? The Word of God teaches us.

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation! (Psalm 68:19 NKJV) This verse points out that we are DAILY filled up with blessings! Are you still struggling to see the point? Let me get specific.

The Lord pours out blessings upon you, every day. Here are just a few of those blessings:

Food, clothing, and shelter (2 Peter 1:30)
Health, peace, joy, mercy (3 John 1:2; Romans 14:17; 11:30-31)
His love and His presence (John 3:16; Hebrews 13:5)
His Holy Spirit to teach, counsel, and guide us (John 14:26; Isaiah 40:13; John 14:26; John 16:13)
His anointing and favor (1 John 2:27; Psalm 5:12)
Wisdom and knowledge (Daniel 2:21; Colossians 2:2, 3)
Miracles—prosperity, healing, and restored relationships (1 Chronicles 16:12; Job 9:10; Acts 2:22; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Hebrews 2:4; 2 Corinthians 5:18)
His Word, the Bible (2 Timothy 3:15-17)
His Word, Jesus (John 1:1; John 1:14;1 John 1:1-3)

You’re blessed! You’re loaded with blessings and favor. Live like it! Rejoice in it!

Words of Jesus

But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. (Matthew 12:28 NKJV)

Jesus cast out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit. He also was enabled by the Spirit to heal.¹ The same Holy Spirit enables us to do the same works as Jesus did, and even greater works! ²

Are you prepared to be a witness for the Kingdom of God who operates not just in human words but in power? ³ How can a natural human being perform miracles? We must use the spiritual discernment⁴ that is available to us because we have the mind of Christ.⁵

This type of living requires faith⁶—and faith operates by love.⁷ We, ourselves, must be aware of how much God loves us. Once that we’ve inundated ourselves not only with a knowledge of His love, but experiences in receiving His love, we are then ready to share that same powerful love with others. And our faith for the supernatural will operate out of love. Glory to God!

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¹ Mat 12:15-21

² Joh 14:12-14

³ 1 Cor 2:4

⁴ 1 Cor 2:14

⁵ 1 Cor 2:16

⁶ Rom 10:17

⁷ Gal 5:6

A Balancing Act

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless [innocent] as doves. (Matthew 10:16 NKJV – parenthetical definition added)

As believers, we are all sent out as ambassadors to spread the Good News of salvation. But we’re sent as sheep! Yes, Jesus compares us to sheep sent into a world that contains wolves. Sheep have no survival skills, and are not smart or cunning when it comes to safety. They rely completely upon their shepherd to lead and guide them, to feed and protect them. Sheep respond to their shepherd’s voice, but they tend to get restless when food is scarce.

Jesus compared us to sheep because, like sheep, we need our loving Shepherd’s wisdom, protection, the food of His Word, and the living water of the Holy Spirit. We also recognize our Savior’s voice and respond to it.

We are sent among wolves¹ who want to make prey out of any vulnerable sheep. So, as believers, we must trust God to protect us and guard us, even as He protected Daniel in the lions’ den.

We must be wise like a serpent, who has keen eyesight and is quick to learn. Yet we must be as innocent as a dove, who is meek and gentle. (When the Holy Spirit appeared, it would be in the form of a dove.²) This balancing act is only possible by God’s grace.

How can we share our own, personal story of salvation without offending the unsaved or coming across as confrontational? We should allow the Lord to control the situation, as we listen for His wise voice and obey it. We need to be vulnerable, non-combative, and yet courageous in our witness. The Lord will give us an understanding of the person and the situation as we allow ourselves to be guided by Him.

When we follow the instructions of the Word, we can harmoniously use the traits of both serpents and doves and be a witness of calm discretion!

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¹ Mat 7:15

² Mat 3:16; Mk 1:10

Kingdom Mysteries

And He said, “To you, it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ (Luke 8:10 NKJV)

The word mysteries doesn’t refer to religious secrets or things that are hard to understand, but rather about divine revelation that, in the past, has been dismally and joylessly understood.¹ These mysteries are now fully published in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Parables are given to reveal and to conceal, presenting mysteries to those who are spiritual who know and relish them, but not to those who are insensible to spiritual things—who may think them merely an entertaining story.¹

According to one Bible teacher: “While many of the illustrations which Christ used were designed to make plain the truth, parables were intended to reveal the truth only to believers and required explanation in order to understand them. In a sense, they were riddles which required a key, but supplied with the key, the truth became prophetically eloquent.”²

And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.”³

In order to hear and understand the mysteries of the kingdom, a person must love Jesus and come alive to the truths of life in Christ. We must love the approval of God more than the approval of men.

As Jesus’ disciples, we won’t learn everything all at once. We come to understand the mysteries of the kingdom as we walk in fellowship with the Lord, and as we serve Him. We also may come under criticism or ridicule for being a Christian. In the midst of these types of life experiences, we must keep listening to the Lord.

Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit, and He told us that the Spirit would guide us into all truth.⁴ His divine power has given us everything that we need for life and godliness.⁵ This is truly a divine mystery!

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¹ Jamieson, Fausset & Brown commentary on Mt 8:11 and Mt 11:25
² From the series: Matthew Thy Kingdom Come, Article contributed by www.walvoord.com
³ Mark 4:11-12
⁴ John 16:13
⁵ 2 Peter 1:3

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Month: April 2016