Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Say And Do
Growing up I heard many phrases that my parents used that today we call cliches. Yet, they seemed to live by them. “Your word is your bond” was one of the ones my father taught me all the time. He grew up during the depression and learned the hard way that people did not always do what they said. His folks lost their home to a wealthy person who claimed to help them out when they could not pay back some money owed. That story stuck with me, and I thought that all people stuck by their word. The scriptures speak of this as well.
James 5:12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
James was saying, amongst other things, that we should either say we will or will not do or agree to something. If we say one thing and do another, then our words become meaningless. One of the problems with that is we use our words to pray. If our prayers are meaningless, then it will be difficult to defeat our enemy. James talks about the power of the words.
James 5:17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
18And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
James was saying that Elijah had all the same faults as us. Yet, when he prayed, his words meant something. It is because our words and actions define us. In fact, the words take on meaning by our actions. The most important message here is that Elijah trusted God and knew that as a man he, Elijah, had faults. Lastly, God gives us an example about our words.
Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
God always makes what He says come to pass. If He says something He does it. If we say something and do not do it, it becomes difficult for us to believe that God would be any different.
Today, let’s pray and ask God to help us do what we say, and that what we say and do are in line with His ways.
Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. You alone are worthy to be praised. We so want to see Your kingdom in this earth. Sometimes we say one thing but do something else. Please forgive us when we do not do what we say. We know that people count on us to do what we say. We know it causes harm when we don’t do something we said we would do. Please help us to keep our word. Please send today Your healing, deliverance, and overwhelming provision that all men might know that You alone are God. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.