Situations that Require Silence

Author Unknown

As the adage goes; ‘silence is golden’, the following is a list of 20 situations where it is better to be silent:

1. Be silent – in the heat of anger.

2. Be silent – when you don’t have all the facts.

3. Be silent – when you haven’t verified the story.

4. Be silent – if your words will offend a weaker person.

5. Be silent – when it is time to listen.

6. Be silent – when you are tempted to make light of holy things.

7. Be silent – when you are tempted to joke about sin.

8. Be silent – if you would be ashamed of your words later.

9. Be silent – if your words would convey the wrong impression.

10. Be silent – if the issue is none of your business.

11. Be silent – when you are tempted to tell an outright lie.

12. Be silent – if your words will damage someone else’s reputation.

13. Be silent – if your words will damage a friendship.

14. Be silent – when you are feeling critical.

15. Be silent – if you can’t say it without screaming.

16. Be silent – if your words will be a poor reflection of the Lord or your friends and family.

17. Be silent – if you may have to eat your words later.

18. Be silent – if you have already said it more than one time.

19. Be silent – when you are tempted to flatter a wicked person.

20. Be silent – when you are supposed to be working instead.

Meditation: Whoever guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from troubles. – Proverbs 21:23

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Purpose: Sent to Save Sinners

Purpose: Sent to Save Sinners

This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. – 1 Timothy 1:15

We probably have considered this all-important purpose of Jesus in one of the previous editions of our Purpose series. It is one purpose that cannot be overemphasised, as the understanding of it is at the core of our well-being and optimal manifestation. It is true that Jesus came to the world primarily to save all sinners. The apostle affirms that it is not just true, but is a faithful saying that is worthy of acceptance by everyone.

Sin became the second nature of humans after the fall in the Garden of Eden, while subsequent activities and descendants of man were all enmeshed in sin and marked with imperfection. Eventually, God decided it was enough seeing humans operating in the fallen state – deprived, denied and reduced on account of sin. So there was a need to upgrade humans from the level of sin to the heights of glory, where communing with God and functioning on earth would be with ease, as God intended it to be in the beginning.

To achieve that, certain things must be done: there must be a judgement, there must be suffering and there must be death, as representations of what each individual would need to experience in his/her individual capacity as a sinful soul. But, instead of handing over humans to be punished as deserved, God decided to send His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world so He could stand in the gap for humans and take the judgement, the suffering and the death due to everyone; thus nullifying the power of condemnation over us and positioning Himself as the propitiation for our sins.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Purpose: Sent to Deliver From Wrath

and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. – 1 Thessalonians 1:10

This passage highlights another purpose of Jesus Christ – He came to deliver us from the wrath to come, the wrath of the sure judgement of God.

By virtue of our human nature, we tend to fall into sin either consciously or unconsciously in our thoughts, words, actions, attitudes, and other bearings. Meanwhile, God has an uncompromising posture to sin; as He cannot behold it, talk less of having anything to do with it. Yet He craves intimate fellowship with us, even as He has stored up wrath to unleash on sinners at the appointed time.

But Jesus came in as a bridge between the divide of the way we are and the way God wants us to be. He that had no sin became a physical emblem of sin for the whole world, and by so doing exchanging His own sinlessness for our sinfulness. And since sins have grievous consequences, He symbolically bore the consequences of all our sins by the things He suffered before and at the crucifixion. He was flogged with searing whips many times for offences He did not commit; His head was pierced with thorny crowns which they jerked there in mockery; His body was bruised from the fangs of the whips they used on Him; He was made to carry the cross for some distance until His frame could bear the burden no longer.

Indeed, He suffered many things in the course of standing in the gap for us, and these served as the representation of the divine judgement that is awaiting each individual sinner. Jesus took them all upon Himself; thus saving whoever cares to accept Him from the certain wrath of God on the day of reckoning.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Purpose: Sent to the Blind

He has sent Me…to proclaim…recovery of sight to the blind
– Luke 4:18

The eye is one of the most important parts of the human body; it is the organ that provides the brain with the most information needed to make informed choices and decisions. Other senses are secondary and complementary to the eyes in evaluative functions. Perhaps, that is the reason Jesus affirms, “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness” (Matthew 6:22-23).

One of the missions of Jesus was to minister to the blind so that they could see. Now, the blind are not necessarily those who have impaired eyesight alone; a popular saying holds that even those who have no vision for their lives are not better off than the physically blind.

Blindness can also be considered at both literal and metaphorical level. Literally, the blind are people who have sight problems and cannot see. Jesus devoted a great portion of his time to restoring sight to this set of people, as recorded in the Bible. The second category of blindness is metaphorical, the one that is beyond physical blindness and covers such areas as personal vision or ignorance. Indeed, every form of ignorance is blindness until the light of knowledge dawns on it and dispels the fogginess. Jesus likewise spent a great deal of time enlightening people who fell into this second category as well.

Like Jesus, there are people called to restore sight to the blind through medical or spiritual ministrations. In the same vein, there are also people who are dispensers of knowledge and insights that will eliminate ignorance and avail people the needed power to live, to perform or to produce maximally. If any of these sounds like you, we should consider ourselves privileged to have you around. But we are blessed to the extent that you fulfill your calling.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

The Wonders of Praise

Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.
– 2 Chronicles 20:21-22

For many people, the idea of singing when confronted by challenges or other forms of resistance would seem utterly ridiculous, if not outright insane. But that was exactly what the Israelites of old did when enemies came raging their way. Guess what? It worked. They practically sang their way to victory, without lifting a sword or shield. If it worked then, that means it will work for us too. After all, all incidents in the Bible are written as examples for us.

From all indications, the battleground is certainly not a place for singing and praising God. It is a place for warfare, of violent exchange and cries of war. But when the Israelites changed the operation mode of their environment through energetic praise, God had little choice but to make it a place of jubilation for them.

How are you handling your own battle? As you begin to praise God concerning those challenges you are facing, watch Him turn impossible situations around to celebration for you. In the place the devil planned to humiliate you, God will make you a celebrity.

When we praise God, He swings into action on our behalf. The devil will do everything in its power to keep you from praising God, because it knows the power of praise. The more you praise, the more you are raised.

Perhaps, you think you have nothing to praise God about? Take a cue from the Israelites. Take some time right now, forget about that challenge and begin to praise God for who He is and see Him at work on your behalf.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

Communication Barrier

Author Unknown

A Professor was teaching from Proverbs 15:1. He asked his students, ‘Why do we shout in anger? Why do people shout at each other when they are upset?’

The students thought for a while. One said, ‘because we lose our calm.’

‘But why shout when the other person is just next to you?’ Asked the professor. ‘Isn’t it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice? Why do you shout at a person when you are angry?’

The students gave various answers, but none satisfied the Professor.

Finally, he explained, ‘When two people are angry at each other, there is a distance in their hearts psychologically. To cover the distance, they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will shout to hear each other through that great distance.’

Then the Professor asked, ‘What happens when two people fall in love? They don’t shout at each other but talk softly. Why? Because their hearts are psychologically close. The distance between them is very close.’

The Professor continued, ‘When they love each other even more, what happens? They don’t speak, only whisper and they even get closer to each other in their love. Finally, they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that’s all.’

So next time you shout on a loved one, know that you are creating distance between your heart and that person’s heart.

Meditation: A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. – Proverbs 15:1

You will succeed in Jesus Name!

One Good Reason to Hang on (1)

I say this because I know what I am planning for you,” says the Lord. “I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future.
– Jeremiah 29:11 (New Century Version)

The pressures of life can be overwhelming at times that you wonder if you will ever get out of this, or will it ever end. You might even have considered calling it quit on life altogether so as to be relieved of all the stress. It can be that bad; but it does not have to get to that point.

Perhaps the vicissitudes of life have boxed you into such a state that you are discouraged from doing anything or taking any further step for fear of aggravating an already bad situation or being misinterpreted. It can be that tough; but you don’t have to let it get the better of you. You cannot afford to stop praying and trying, taking guided steps and making calculated attempts.

Whatever your own issue may be at the moment, be it finance, marriage, family, business, career, health, or other forms of social pressure, it is always good to adopt a long term perspective and see yourself vis-à-vis the challenge in a couple of years time; will it become bigger than you or you would have outgrown it? You can also borrow a leaf from Robert Schuller’s classic that “tough times don’t last; only tough people do.”

Another perspective that can help you to cope with the storms of life is the fact that challenges are part of living; they are not peculiar to you alone. The fact that you are in the midst of storm does not mean that God does not reckon with you or that He loves you lesser than someone who seems to be enjoying all the fortunes of life. God cares for all His children, even the recalcitrant ones. He is a loving Father. He does not scheme and He is not driven by the thoughts of how He might undo you. He says that the thoughts (note the plural) He has toward you are for peace, not evil; to give you a hope and a future.’ Amplified Bible says His plan is “to give you hope in your final outcome.”

This is God Himself assuring you that of all the thoughts He thinks about you, none is to hurt, undo or afflict you. On the contrary, even with your present issues in mind, His thoughts are to give you hope in your final outcome. Now that is one good reason for you to hang on.

You will succeed in Jesus Name!