"Do you think God's Commandment, 'Thou shalt not kill (Exodus 20:13)' applies only to taking someone's life by inflicting stab-wounds, a gun-shot, or stick and stones, or could it apply to 'words' that really c-a-n hurt, too? The truth changes lives, forever."
In Matthew 5:21-22, Jesus Himself said, "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca ('empty-headed, vain, fool, a godless moral reprobate' as defined in Vine's Expository Dictionary), shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire."
You see, you do not need a knife or gun, sticks or stones, to commit murder! All you need to do is "sow harmful word seed" into the life of a person, and death will follow. Luke teaches us that, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil: for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks (Luke 6:45)."
You see, you do not need a knife or gun, sticks or stones, to commit murder! All you need to do is "sow harmful word seed" into the life of a person, and death will follow. Luke teaches us that, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil: for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks (Luke 6:45)."
Now is the time to make things right!
If there is anyone in your life that you have "murdered by using your words", either to his or her face or behind their back, go to them now and ask them for their forgiveness. Or, is there somebody that has, in the eyes of others, "murdered you with their words"? Go to him or her, ask them for their forgiveness for what may have led them to have negative feelings toward you, and watch God's Healing begin to free you to move into the wonderful things He has planned *for you a-n-d Him* to do together.
If you sow good seed, by speaking "word-seeds of life", you will reap a harvest of "life." Sow weed seed, by speaking deadly words, and what do you get? Weeds, choking the life out of the harvest that, instead, needs nurture and cultivating! It IS really that simple. Practicing godly integrity where our speech is concerned will always minister life to the hearer.
Check out a statistic I learned from a Pastor friend of mine some time ago. He shared with me where he read the results of a study explaining how it takes, on average, seventeen words of encouragement to cancel out just one discouraging word spoken into the life of a person. He said that you can find some cases where the discouraged person never recovers at all like when a certain discouraging word is repeated over and over in life, inserted time and time again. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. (Proverbs 18:21)."
We all have a wonderful opportunity to turn the tide of destruction in the lives of those around us. When we truly understand how, by speaking thoughtfully, with carefully-chosen words, we can help to make a difference in a hurting area of a person's heart and life, we will eventually bless the lives of whom we speak. Be conscious, choose carefully, and think first before speaking, what you choose to say.
Remember, before you speak, ask yourself, "If I say what I'm thinking, will I commit 'MURDER BY WORDS'?" If your answer is, even remotely, possibly "Yes", reconsider and choose, instead, to "SPEAK LIFE!"
If you haven't invited Jesus Christ into your heart to be your Lord and Savior, right there where you are, pray this in prayer to God, "Father God, in the precious Name of Jesus Christ, the King of kings and the Lord of all lords, I lay my life at Your Feet. I come before You, confessing that I am a sinner, and I ask for You to forgive me of all my sins - those that I know I have committed, as well as those that I am not even aware of. I ask that You come into my heart and be my Lord. I lay my life, and everything in it, at Your Feet, and ask that You please take me and begin to change me to be like YOU. I ask that You redeem the time that has passed, and allow me the opportunity to become exactly what You have predestined me to be, from before the foundation of the earth. I commit my life to You now, and thank You for receiving me as Your own. In the wonderful Name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, I pray, Amen." And AMEN!!!
WELCOME HOME!
If you have just prayed this prayer, we want to congratulate you for making the greatest decision that you'll ever make! By accepting Jesus Christ, or rededicating your life to Him, as your personal Lord and Savior, you have begun the wonder-full process of being grafted into the family of God, and we welcome you "Home" to God's Family. We would also like to invite you to contact us so that we can send you information that will help you begin growing in your relationship and daily walk with God. We would encourage you to begin attending a Holy-Spirit-filled, Bible-believing church right away.
We advise you to begin reading The Holy Bible daily, whether you understand it or not. Always remember, God's written Word in The Holy Bible is like no other book that has ever been written! When we rendezvous with The Person of The Holy Spirit as we read what God has written there, it becomes stored in our heart for The Holy Spirit to access it to bring to our remembrance. You will find that the Scriptures will become applicable to whatever you are going through, at any given time!
There are wonderful Bible teachers on television and on the radio that can, especially early in your walk with God, help you to begin receiving good teaching, and encouragement, right away. Although very informative, these programs are never to be a substitute for close relationships with people who love and serve God. At times, the transformation process that you have now begun will be difficult, and you will be tempted to go back to your old ways of living your old life. It will be during times like these that hanging out with strong Christian friends and mentors will be crucially important. There really IS strength in numbers!
CONGRATULATIONS!!! We would like to be among the first to welcome you into the Family of God... right where you "belong", now and always! (Selah)
And, remember, no matter what, KEEP PRESSIN' IN... and learnin', and growin' w-i-t-h our Lord and Savior, using Keith and Brenda Shealy & Toward The Mark's book XII SMOOTH STONES - the collection of these 12 most-requested Teaching Titles:
No Matter What!
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The Magnetic Mantle or Why Cats... Have Kitties;
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Fire, Pressure, and Them Slithery... Snakes
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The Ultimate Home Gym
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Vampires In The Church
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STOP...
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The Great Deception
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The Invisible Man
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God Is So Much Bigger Than You Think!
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Die Empty!
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Building Godly Friendships
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The Secret To A Happy Life
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Twelve of Keith's best lessons-learned that are most-requested by friends and fellow-readers are printed in our book, "XII Smooth Stones" available at TowardTheMark online.
We pray God uses this message to fan the flame in your heart for Christ Jesus, His wonder-full Ways, and His Plan and Purpose for you in this life. If you have any questions about our work, or if you would like to make a special tax-deductible donation, place a special order for any of our books, magazines, or CDs, or to share a testimony or prayer request with us, please e-mail us. Also feel free to write a letter and mail it to TOWARD THE MARK, P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152.
May God bless you greatly as you carry this truth in your heart. We are eternally grateful for our loving Toward The Mark Family of sponsors who make this blog, and all of our resources, possible by their faithful prayer and monthly financial support!
Your friends and servants in Christ,
To Show GOD BIG in
a World that Sees Him small…
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc. Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products.
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc. Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products.
We couldn't do
this without the help of our friends!
This blog message, along with the complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other Bible-based resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. is made possible by the faithful prayer and financial support of the TTM Sponsorship Family. We'd like to invite you to come on-board, to become a part of the TTM Family as well by becoming a monthly financial partner? Your support will go toward fulfilling our God-given calling to help provide effective, contemporary outreach tools that are available to everyone, the churched and un-churched alike, who desire to know more of the love, truth, and salvation of Jesus Christ. We invite you to partner with us as we "press Toward The Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)
This blog message, along with the complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other Bible-based resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. is made possible by the faithful prayer and financial support of the TTM Sponsorship Family. We'd like to invite you to come on-board, to become a part of the TTM Family as well by becoming a monthly financial partner? Your support will go toward fulfilling our God-given calling to help provide effective, contemporary outreach tools that are available to everyone, the churched and un-churched alike, who desire to know more of the love, truth, and salvation of Jesus Christ. We invite you to partner with us as we "press Toward The Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)
Keep PRESSIN' IN!
We INVITE You ... to follow and share these resources that are also available, for
helping build your faith in God, His Will, and His Ways:
~ "Between The Lines PODCAST" on TTM's Libsyn Channel
HEAR (podcast): PRESSIN' In With God... Trade Anxiety & Fatigue for Confidence & Strength!
+ Keith's song *WON by ONE*
~ "Between The Lines PODCAST" on TTM's Libsyn Channel
HEAR (podcast): PRESSIN' In With God... Trade Anxiety & Fatigue for Confidence & Strength!
+ Keith's song *WON by ONE*
Every gift is tax-deductible and helps, and we thank you for it!
Mail tax-deductible contributions by check or money order made out to:
Toward The Mark, Inc., P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152.
Thank you in advance for sowing your financial seed into the fertile soil of this ministry! We pray God bless you with a 100-fold return for your generosity!
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