“For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens.” -Psalm 96:45 NKJV
What is your god? Before you answer too quickly, think about it. What is your god? Sports, Cooking Shows, Cell Phone, Television, Internet, Social Media? Is it seeking the approval of men, wealth, prestige, or popularity, or is it something else? An idol is whatever takes God’s rightful place in our heart. Whatever we have set all of our affections and adoration on, whatever sits upon the throne of our life is our idol. God must come first in our lives. God must be the one we seek to live for first (Matthew 6:33), the one we seek to please first, and it is His approval we must first gain (Galatians 1:10).
It is vital that each of us guard our heart because every decision, every action, whether or not we follow God stems from the heart. Why should we guard our heart so diligent? (1) Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Reference Luke 6:45; (2) Your heart will determine the course of your life. Reference Proverbs 4:23; (3) Your beliefs about God and who He is comes from the heart. “But what does it say? ‘The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,’ that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: that if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe in and justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved,” Romans 10:8-10; (4) Wherever your treasure is (what you value and cherish most, what you cling to) that is where your heart lies.
What is your god? Each of us as individuals must decide if we will rid our lives of idolatry and repent for putting other things as first place in our lives. We cannot be a friend of this world and be a friend of God. To be a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God. Nothing is worth losing your soul over. The Lord is to be our First Love always.
“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and for the gospel will save it. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:35-36)
In His Service,
Linda A. Knowles
There are some things that grab my attention in such a way that I cannot let it go. So I thought since my mind won’t let me let it go, why not share it here on my blog.
These verses found in Exodus 20:7 and Deuteronomy 5:11 are just a couple of things that have grabbed my attention.
“Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” -Exodus 20:7 KJV
“Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” -Deuteronomy 5:11 KJV
The English word “vain” in these verses is from the transliteration of the Hebrew word “shav,” meaning “without value, valueless, worthless, frivolous.” To say these verses are pertaining to perjury or lying under oath, not holding to one’s word, and using the name of God to swear falsely when making a vow is an accurate interpretation of the verse. However, it also means that we are not to render the Lord’s name as empty speech, as if His name is futile or insignificant.
We are commanded not to take the name of the Lord our God in vain, and His name is not to be used frivolously. Nowhere will we find in the Scriptures, “I highly recommend that you don’t take the name of the Lord your God in vain,” and we definitely won’t find, “I suggest that you don’t take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” We are commanded, “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.”
This is what the Psalmist declared in Psalm 30:4, “Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.” Some translations state the latter part of that verse as, “and praise His holy name.” God is holy. Therefore, His name is holy. So then we each must come to a point when we ask ourselves how we cannot be concerned or take care of how we use His name? King David said, “and praise His holy name.” If King David recognized the name of the Lord as holy, then shouldn’t we be cautious in not taking God’s holy name capriciously? I would have to say, in accordance with God’s Word, that we must be cautious of how we use the Lord’s name.
To take the name of the Lord in vain is defined as “not a prayer.” While I understand it may be popular and cultural to use “Oh my God,” “OMG,” “Oh Lord, or “Oh my Lord” (the list goes on), culture and popularity has zero clout when it comes to God, His Word, and His commands. Even the name of Jesus is used as a swear to the point where it has become so commonplace that no one even bats an eye. How did we ever get to this point where it is considered acceptable within the churches to drop “Jesus” as a swear rather than calling out to Him in prayer? Just because culture says something is okay to say doesn’t mean that God approves.
The Lord’s name has significance. He is the Living God, Eternal Father, and Mighty To Save. How do we even dare use His name without concern or care of how we use His name. If we are going to claim to bear His name, then we must not bring reproach to the name we claim to bear. Let us remember to always bring honor, praise, and glory to His name.
In His Service,
Linda A. Knowles
“Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.” -Proverbs 21:23 NLT
Practice self-control even in speech. Not everything you are thinking and not everything you feel needs to be spoken. The problem with words is that once you have spoken, you will not be able to take those words back. Will your words edify or tear down? Remember out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
“The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure.” (Matthew 12:35)
“Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket.” (Proverbs 25:11)
Linda A. Knowles
“Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything,” (Proverbs 13:3 NLT). “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences,” (Proverbs 18:21 NLT)
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You are the All-Knowing and All-Seeing God. You are holy, and You have commanded me to be holy. You are pure and wholesome, and You command me to walk in Your ways. Help me to always remember that no matter what I say or do, You are with me, and because I am Your child, I represent You. Help me to never bring shame to You or Your name. Let my speech be seasoned with salt and filled with grace as Your Word commands. Fill me with Your words so I may build others up, and Father, fill me with Your Holy Spirit and work the fruit of self-control within me. Help me to choose wholesome speech, pleasing to Your ears. In words and actions, Lord, make me more and more like You so I may act wisely amongst those who do not believe and be encouraging to my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
“The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly,” (Proverbs 15:2 (ESV)
…And I cry, “Abba, Father”
Mere mortal words escape me;
And I cannot express
nor convey the depths of this soul.
…And I cannot speak
But only in unknown tongue
not known to mere man,
But, You, Abba, and only You
can truly comprehend.
______________
L.A. Knowles
I absolutely love my country, but the people in my country… We hold to our Constitution. We have rights that are given to us as citizens of the United States of America, and as citizens, we exercise those rights; however, we should exercise those rights responsibly. While exercising those rights responsibly sounds like a great idea or something we should already be doing, many times we fail in the responsibly part.
Write your little heart out. Blog your little heart out. Speak your mind, and freely speechify or grandstand as much as you want. Don’t hold back. Just remember words uttered without thought to your fellow man or woman, in other words without an ounce of consideration or courtesy, will be held against you no matter whom you are addressing and by those who are merely spectators.
Freedom of speech does not allow for us to scream “FIRE!” in a crowded theater scaring the living daylights out of everyone to the point where they are stampeding out the door. Freedom of speech does not allow for us to breathe death threats or threats of bodily harm to another. In both those cases, consequences are sure to follow. Admittedly though, people have the freedom to act as stupidly as they want because it’s a free country. They should know they need to own the garbage they created and now have to pay the consequences. Consequences are not something we choose. Consequences happen.
It’s always good to refresh your mind on what your rights are as a citizen. So I got this quote from the site http://www.usconstitution.net: “Amendment I FREEDOM OF RELIGION, SPEECH, PRESS, ASSEMBLY, AND PETITION. Passed by Congress September 25, 1789. Ratified December 15, 1791. The first 10 amendments form the Bill of Rights. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for redress of grievances…”
…but Political rallies bring out the worst in people. I get it. All of us are passionate about what we so strongly believe as individuals, what we consider important and moral, concerned how whatever happens affects us and our families, the communities we live in. The reality is though there will always be disagreements and lack of unity. And there is only one race: the human race; but I digress.
People make choices as to what they say or how they’ll react. <> I had a pastor who taught me never make decisions in the heat of emotion, and refrain from speaking in the heat of emotion. He taught me to step back immediately, to wait until calmed down, and then THINK about what to say or what to do. Yeah, admittedly, I have not always taken to that wise advice even though there are times I do.
Peaceful assembly?… How can an assembly be peaceful when speeches (words spoken) incite violence? I would like to believe the ones making the speeches would consider their words carefully before spouting them. How is the crowd going to react? But then again, those protesting also use words. The responsibility of words falls upon anyone who speaks. “If I say this, will it incite violence?” “Do my words convey hope?” “Am I going to regret these words later on?” “Should I calm down before I say what I can’t take back?” “If I say these words, is there a possibility I could end up in a full body cast or end up dead?” “If what I say infuriates the person and that person responds with an attack, will I end up retaliating or do I just keep my mouth shut?”
Lord, please let election time get here really fast
so the madness can end.
*Sighs*
Much love to all, Diamond In The Rough
Stained Glass Confessions 