A good October 1 to you, from Inspiration from a Blind brought to you monthly by www.ShirleyCheng.com !
Here's a riddle for you: throughout the history of humankind, people have been able to tame wolves, chimpanzees, tigers, lions, dolphins, killer whales, seals, and cobras. But there is one thing—one very small thing—each of us have that we have not been able to tame. Do you know what it is?
If you guess, "the tongue," you are absolutely correct.
How many times have you regretted saying something the instant you said it? How many times have your words hurt a friend or a family member without you meaning to? How many times have you said "yes" when you really wanted to say "no"?
Why is controlling this small beast, our tongue, so difficult?
First off, talking does not take much effort. Talking is quite an easy action to do. It does not take much energy to form our words. It does not need much brain power to work our tongue and lips into speech. Because of its simplicity, speaking can be done speedily and absent-mindedly. This is why many of us can even talk aloud while we're sleeping. Not talking takes more effort than talking!
Sometimes, we feel obligated to say a certain something. Have you been asked about how an outfit or hairdo looks? Have you ever said, "It looks great," when you think otherwise?
Occasionally, we say something when we do not even know it. For example, when we get intoxicated after heavy drinking, we may say something completely out of this world. In these cases, we let outside factors control our tongues.
How can you turn this control around, so you can be in control of your tongue? Below are some guidelines to help you tame your tongue.
1. First, get your heart right. Study this verse: "The good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth that which is evil: for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh." (Luke 6:45, ASV)
Your words reflect your heart—your inner being condition. If you're a happy-go-lucky person, your words will be soothing and pleasing to other people's ear; your words will make others around you happy. If you're a miserable person, what will come out of your mouth are complaints, "poor me" statements, pulling down the spirits of those around you.
So if you want to speak delightful, edifying words, make sure your inner condition is clean first. Getting your heart right with God is the best way to tidy up your spirit, for Jehovah is absolutely, 100% holy. Conforming to His holiness will definitely improve your inner nature, and in turn, your words. Ask Him to develop the fruit of the Holy Spirit in you: true love, peace, joy, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (self-control).
2. Avoid confrontational situations. When you feel a conversation will turn into an argument, change the subject. When you're in an argument, leave the room. Calm down first, and return to the discussion later when you have a clearer mind. This will help you avoid saying rash words that may hurt someone's feelings, or worse yet, end up hurting someone physically—or being hurt yourself. Of course, if you need to confront someone about an important matter, state the facts without the unnecessary remarks.
3. Avoid products that may cause you to speak absent-mindedly. This includes heavy alcohol use and illegal drugs.
4. Think before you speak. Before you talk, ask yourself:
Is what I'm about to say necessary?
Is it the truth?
How will this reflect on myself?
How will this help others?
Will I truly mean what I'm about to say?
Will I say this in front of little kids?
5. Most importantly, avoid using "God" or God's name in vain. How would you feel if someone used your name as a part of purposeless interjection or crude expletive? When we speak unmindfully of God and His name, we are showing great disrespect to our very Life-Giver. You wouldn't be here if Jehovah hadn't created humans. So would it be appropriate to say "God bless you" whenever someone sneezes, "Oh, my God!" as an interjection, and "God d*** it"? Is this the way to thank Him for giving you your life? There are many other ways you can use God's name in vain, including making a false oath in His name, doing something bad and saying that God let you do it, blaming Him for our troubles, etc. If you use God's name disrespectfully, without reverence, you would actually be breaking one of the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain; for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." (Exodus 20:7)
6. Always speak words...
*That build people up spiritually
*That are good and peaceful
*That teaches lessons
*That are the truths
*That glorify Jehovah and Jesus Christ
7. Separate yourself from those whose tongue speak rumors, slanderous and filthy words. Often enough, the associations we choose can influence us positively or negatively, so it's always wise to choose your friends carefully. Choosing the right association also includes choosing the various forms of entertainment wisely. If certain activity or media, like books and movies, condone bad speech or behavior, avoid them. The best book to pick out that will guarantee positive influence is the Bible.
8. Filter what you hear or see. It is impossible to hear or read pleasant, good words constantly. Therefore, it's important to not let the bad words you hear or read affect you. I cringe whenever I hear a curse word. I just mentally throw it away, and make sure it will not affect me, that I will not be influenced to mirror it.
9. If you said or did something wrong, apologize and mean it. Yes, saying "I'm sorry" is hard—but only hard when you make it hard!
10. Finally, ask Jehovah to help you tame your tongue. No, by our self-effort, we are really helpless against our tongue. Only when we let God assist us will we have control over our tongue.
Why is it important to speak good words? It is important because...
1. Our words determine our destiny. For example, we say, "I do," during marriage ceremonies. Those two small words determine whom we will spend with for the rest of our lives.
2. Our words can trap us and lead us to undesirable circumstances. When kids experience peer pressure, they may be forced into saying, "Okay, why not?" to trying drugs and smoke.
3. Are words are example for others to follow. As with everything we do, the way we speak and what we say can be examples after which others can model. Would you like your kids or grandchildren talk the way you do? If not, you have to change the way you talk first, in order to set the example you want them to follow. Remember, be the person you want others to be!
4. Above all, we will be judged on what we say. When Judgment Day comes, each of us will have to be accountable for what bad things we've ever said. To avoid being judged for bad words we say, we should not speak them in the first place, starting now!
~*~Q&A with Shirley~*~
My friend whose question I featured last month has another one for me, so here it goes:
Question: Lately I and my friends have discussed about Vanga's prophecy of World War III and things afterward. Most of her foretelling happened. Do you think all the predictions would come true?
Answer: It doesn't matter whether all of Vanga's future predictions will come true, because she wasn't a true prophet from God. She might have been a true fortune-teller, but that is different from being a prophet of God. Fortune-tellers are possessed by demons, and God specifically warned us about this. Please read Deuteronomy 18 and Acts 16.
What is a prophet? A prophet is a person who receives a prophecy, message from God, and then communicates that message to others. A divinely inspired message is always direct, specific, and tells exactly what will happen, to whom, and precisely what people should do. Moreover, a true prophecy from God always comes true in every detail. Predictions that "mostly" come true are not good enough.
Two opposite forces operate in our world: the good force and the evil force. The good force is lead by the one and only true God Almighty, whose personal name is Jehovah; His Son Jesus Christ, our Messiah; and the Holy Spirit, which is God's active force that He uses to perform every and any miraculous sign. Angels also belong to this good group, as they do the will of Jehovah both in the heavens and on Earth.
The evil force is run by Satan, the devil, and his demons, which were originally good angels who chose to rebel against God. Many people laugh at the idea of demons, dismissing them merely as part of children's ghosts stories. But demons are no laughing matter; they're real, and unless we take them seriously, we will fall victim to their schemes. These evil spirits' purpose is to go against God in every way, so it is important to know their tactics lest we are deceived. And one of their tactics is imitating God's prophets and prophecies.
How can you tell a true prophet of God from the false prophet of Satan? The below basic guidelines will assist your discernment:
• True prophets always speak in God's name with the authority given by God. False prophets speak in a name other than Jehovah's. This is the first and foremost test whether a prophet is from God or Satan. If someone cannot pass this test, there's no other reason to go on to the other tests. Vanga did not indicate that she spoke messages from God; instead, she said that other spirits and "creatures" gave her the messages. Therefore, she failed this first test.
• True prophecies, as mentioned, always come true exactly as they are told. False prophecies, on the other hand, do not come true, even if they are spoken in God's name. Some prophecies may appear to be fulfilled when they are told in an ambiguous way. For instance, if I say, "A dog will bark in two hours," and a dog does bark two hours later, does that make me a true prophet? No, because I did not indicate a specific dog. What I predicted could have spoken by anyone. A true message from God would have named a specific dog, giving no doubt to whether the prophecy had come true when it did indeed come true.
• True prophets exhibit godly qualities: true love, peace, joy, longsuffering, faith, goodness, gentleness, meekness, and temperance, which are the fruit of the Holy Spirit working in believers. (Read Galatians 5:22-23 in your Bible.) True prophets do good works and speak good words. False prophets do not possess this good nature. Even though Satan and the demons can perform miracles, they do not imitate God's good qualities, so this is one of the best ways to differentiate the true from the false prophets.
• True prophets glorify God through their words, action, and any supernatural signs they perform. They credit Jehovah for the power they receive. False prophets glorify spirits other than God.
• True prophets lead people to God and His teachings. False prophets do not.
If you would like to learn more about Jehovah and His ways, I strongly advise that you pick up a copy of the Bible. If you need a bit of guidance before and during your Bible study, you may enjoy my inspirational, non-denominational book, "Do You Love Jehovah? God Almighty's Infinite Love & Wisdom to Propel You to Greatness," which can be ordered autographed directly from my site www.ShirleyCheng.com
~*~Shirley's Corner~*~
I'm here to help! Are you concerned about life in general? Do you have questions about our Heavenly Father and His Word? I would be more than happy to best answer your questions and give you a bit of direction, so please don't hesitate to e-mail me by replying to this newsletter. I'm merely a student, so of course, I don't have all the answers. But what I don't have, I'll lead you in the direction so you can find the answers yourself—or at least peace of mind.
I'm pressed for room, so I'll end this issue here. Remember, if you want to yield right words, get your heart right, right now. "For there is no good tree that bringeth forth corrupt fruit; nor again a corrupt tree that bringeth forth good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes." (Luke 6:43-44)
Enjoy your October!
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Award-Winning Author with 20 Book Awards
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Miracle survivor, inspiring author and contributing author of 25 books by age 25, poet, motivational speaker, self-empowerment expert, advocate, and a co-author in the bestselling Wake Up...Live the Life You Love book series
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