Tag Archives: Bill Cloud
Yahweh Alone
Yahweh Alone
(#355 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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My soul finds peace in the Mighty One alone. My hope is in Him. (Psalm 62:5)
These are more than just words, more than lyrics to a song. “In Yahweh alone I find my peace, in Him I place my hope!” These words carry the essence of life. And with their utterance we must stop and consider what they really mean and who we really are. Believers around the world, millions of them, join and sing, some with voices so beautiful, almost heavenly…
“Blessed be Your glorious Name,
Which is exalted above all blessing and praise!
You alone are Yahweh;
You have made heaven,
The heaven of heavens, with all their host,
The earth and everything on it,
The seas and all that is in them,
And You preserve them all.
The host of heaven worships You.”
(Nehemiah 9:5-6)
…and when the song ends?
Are they just words in a song? If you believe the words, then why the sadness, why the fear and all the longing? If He is Yahweh, and He does not change (Malachi 3:6), then what He says stands forever! “My soul finds peace in You alone.” Is it just a song, or is it the very essence of life? “You are the preserver of everything!”
Think about it; if He has declared that it is in Him alone that you have peace, then will He allow you to find true peace in things of the physical world? Can you find real hope and peace from relationships, even marriage? How about the “perfect” career or ministry? What about children and family? To the contrary, He gives us a stern warning about looking for glory in the corruptible things of the world. (And yes, this means humans too.) Moreover, if you are insistent on exchanging the truth for lies, He will give you over to the lusts of your heart, to vile passions, and to a debased mind. (Read Romans 1:18-32)
You will find no ultimate hope or peace in anything outside of Him; so what’s left? If you acknowledge that searching for peace in other things has repeatedly failed, but still struggle to find peace in Yahweh alone, then we can begin. Confess: “I know the words Father, but my mind still tells me, and more often hides it from me, that I believe You are not enough; I just don’t trust You for everything.” And with this, the healing can begin, loved one. Your honest vulnerability before Him will begin to release His peace over you. Let us pray the [royal] priestly blessing over you:
“Yahweh bless you and keep you;
Yahweh make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
Yahweh lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”
(Numbers 6:24-26)
So [we] put [Yahweh’s] Name on the children of Israyl, and [He alone] will bless [you]. (Numbers 6:27)
Yes, Yahweh alone!
There you are
There You Are
(#354 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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The Messiah in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)
When you meet a man and you inspect his every word, it should not take long before a determination can be made. Every loose word reduces the possibility; every untamed utterance lessens the likelihood that his tree (“truth”) produces good fruit. What are you listening for? Every word must align with the word of Yahweh (that vernacular we recently spoke of in #351). Mosheh said, and Yahshua agreed; “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Almighty.” (Deuteronomy 8:3 and Matthew 4:4) When men are living, or not living, by the words of Yahweh, “You will know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:16)
You can easily distinguish the quality of fruit because it is determined by the words oft spoken. Sadly, most of the time it takes only a few words, perhaps no more than a sentence or two, to discern that the quality of the fruit is poor. Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit… (Matthew 7:17-20)
And so you listen with spiritual ears. You filter the words of men through the Father’s voice and by knowing His Word, by knowing Yahshua and the scriptures. With each new person you contact, you look and you listen; “Can they sense my desire to know if You are in them Father? Can they hear You? So many presume to speak for You Abba; I long to meet the ones who do.” Each new opportunity is like a quest for the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:45-46). I listen to their voices, but it’s the source of the words that I am most interested in. And with each word I hear, I am reminded of His promise; “Therefore by their fruits you shall know them.” (Matthew 7:20)
Longings burn within me; “Where are they Father; where are the others like me, the ones who have seen and heard You, the ones who know You?” I plead and rejoice with the Father in these moments. In my aloneness I cry out, “The trees speak for You; and the wind whispers about You. As the sun rises and sets, the brilliant colors shout through the clouds; ‘Does not our beauty praise the Most High?’” I too cannot stay silent; if I did, the rocks would cry out. (Luke 19:40)
I dream of finding Him in another, in their words. I dream of the day when even one soul would speak, and as I listen, the words expressed and sentences formed would prick my conscience. Thoughts would pour forth from my soul; “There You are Father. There You are.” And I would embrace You in my brothers and sisters.
Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity! (Psalm 133:1)
Every Woman at the Well
Every Woman at the Well
(#353 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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She brings to life another characteristic of Eve that personifies the longing within every woman. Born in Samaria (the root which means to keep watch, preserve, or guard; to protect or believe in human intellect or self); in the habit of retrieving from Jacob’s well (depending on earthly existence or provision); yet seeking for her true husband.
She represents the deep longing within every female soul; “I know the Messiah will come, and when He comes, He will tell us all things.” (John 4:25) She yearns for inner completion, for peace in her soul. She has hope that one day the desires within will no longer need to be fed by what is tangible, by what satisfies the physical senses. “For you have had five husbands; but the one whom you now have is not your husband.” (John 4:18) Her five husbands each represent her primitive attempts to satisfy her thirst, to fulfill herself with what the world (kosmos) offers.
Touch, taste, sound, sight, and aroma, all five (husbands) are sensual connections to earthly provisions. They provide input and feedback, but only as shadows of the heavenly (Hebrews 8:5). She is searching for who will tell her all things; she is looking for what is real and not weightless vapors (James 4:14). Yes, she has engaged with yet another imposter, but this time she has not bound herself in marriage; she has not committed and is therefore open to finding the One. When she finds Him she will be truly fulfilled; “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” (John 4:29)
“In that day seven women will take hold of one man, saying, “We will eat our own food [keep the Feasts] and wear our own apparel [provide our holy garments]. Let us be called by your name so our shame is taken away from our reproach [from being unmarried].” (Isaiah 4:1)
Yes, she is unmarried because she recognizes that she will no longer be satisfied by the counterfeit. She is longing for Living Water, to be identified in marriage to Him. Yahshua answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” (John 4:13-15) She no longer desires to be fulfilled by what the well [the world] offers.
She is also longing for a man who can represent this Living Water on earth. She is every woman, and every woman is longing to see the Messiah in you, men. But woman, you will need to look past the flesh. The decree to men: “Husbands love your wives as the Messiah does.” “How?” you ask. “He gave His life for her.” (Ephesians 5:25) She will continue to look until she finds him. “The one I am with now is NOT my husband; come see the man who might be!” In order to find Him, the Living Water, both man and woman must surrender the need to be satisfied by sensual desires (the five senses). Whoever drinks of that water will thirst again.
Within every one of us is that woman at the well. “Come and see the Man.” Know that in Him alone is the answer to every question, the fulfilment of every longing. To find Him, look within each other, not at each other. Whosoever drinks of the water you find there will never thirst again.
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of the Mighty One and of Yahshua our Master, as His supernatural power has given to us all things that pertain to life and holy reverence, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the holy nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust [sensual desires]. (2 Peter 1:2-4)
What’s Your Vertical
What’s Your Vertical?
(#352 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
www.sufferwell.org
Progression or stagnation, transformation or deterioration; it’s up to you. Don’t be fooled loved one; it is in your subconscious thought realm even if you tend to suppress it consciously. What is in your subconscious? It is the need for confession in order to change. Confession has everything to do with whether you will progress and transform or stagnate and deteriorate.
The Spirit (Ruach) of Yahweh is the great mind stimulator who will inspire you to bring forth your confession, which first must happen to your “self.” Let’s call it complete transparency during which you no longer hide things from yourself. Consider David; “I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.” (Psalm 51:3) Of course, you cannot hide anything from the Mighty One, but it is not possible to “Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed,” (James 5:16) if you are lying to yourself. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
It is your attitude about confession that will either hinder you (cause your mind to stumble), or set you free (unleash your Spiritual imagination). If you consider confession as a prompting of the Holy Spirit, designated to cause you to leave behind old ways of thinking, then confession becomes a thing of beauty. It allows progression and transformation. With each confession inspired by the Spirit, a new level of understanding (open doors to the mind) is available. It brings healing to the soul! Again, hear David; “Yahweh, be merciful to me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.” (Psalm 41:4) The opposite of this, energized by the hidden ego deep within your subconscious, brings stagnation and deterioration. “I’m not that bad. I do good things. No one’s perfect!” This is a recipe for death, a death of the conscious and subconscious mind, which is a thought life completely void of the Spirit of Yahweh! If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, Yahweh would not have listened. (Psalm 66:18)
Make no mistake about it; as you near the mind of the Messiah, the awareness of sin and your confessions become more heart (mind) wrenching in every possible way. “I am as good as I can be,” or “I am as holy as possible,” are finally recognized for the lies that they are. They are renounced as compromise that draws you away from the spiritual perfection commanded by Yahweh. “Be holy because I Am holy!” (1 Peter 1:16 from Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7) This holiness can only result from uninhibited confession. Keep confessing love one. Keep progressing. Keep transforming.
“Master, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16) It’s your vertical!
Not One Step More
Not One Step More
(#350 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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From that time Yahshua began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. (Matthew 16:21) As it was with Yahshua the Messiah, so it is with you. The Father has determined the number of a man’s days; He has decreed the number of his months and has set limits to his life that he cannot exceed (Job 14:5).
Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-30)
Yahweh has dominion over every life. This is an unchangeable pattern. It is not just that He has determined your beginning and your end, but He has orchestrated all the in-betweens. It takes serious spiritual meditation to even consider, let alone grasp, the reality that every single aspect of your life was pre-approved before you were physically created. You might readily declare your great appreciation for the Father’s sovereignty in Yahshua’s life, “that He must go to Jerusalem to suffer…” Or, even your appreciation that not even a “tiny bird could fall to the ground apart from the Father’s will.” But, is there still a disconnect, a glazed over denial that the same is true when it comes to Yahweh’s sovereignty in your own life? He created you for a distinct purpose and when that purpose is complete, you will be “finished.” Yahshua knew of such intimacy.
Can you imagine a life so intimately connected to the Father, that when His purpose in your life is fulfilled, you would declare, “It is finished [fulfilled, completed]!” (John 19:30) Yes, Yahshua knew of such intimacy. This intimacy was born from His continual meditation; “Not My will! Not My will! Not My will.” This guaranteed that only His Father’s will (Yahweh’s thoughts and ideas) would have status within His mind, and on these alone would He act. “I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19) “For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.” (John 12:49)
And finally, there is a powerful tool that Yahshua depended on often. He would withdraw to desolate [solitary] places to pray (Luke 5:16). And what He would do there is wait; He never acted on His own. He would wait until He heard the Father’s voice; and He would walk as the Father spoke, and if the Father was silent He would not take one step more. The Son can do nothing of Himself. Can you?
Our soul waits for Yahweh;
He is our help and our shield.
For our heart [center of intellect] shall rejoice in Him,
Because we have trusted in His holy Name.
Let Your mercy, O Yahweh, be upon us,
Just as we hope in You.
(Psalm 33:20-22)
Abundant Life
Abundant Life
(#349 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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The thief comes only to steal, to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
Through recognition and obedience to scriptural patterns (blueprints), we are uncovering the face of Yahweh. This renewal happens with every re-formed thought, and it brings about the abundant life. And so we ask ourselves, “What is this ‘have life more abundantly’ Yahshua spoke of?” A rich young ruler asked and was told to “sell it all” if he wanted to “perfect” his life (Matthew 19:21). The perfected life is the life given as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1); it is the “hatred” of one’s own life (Luke 14:26). This is what it means to “sell it all.” And what is gained by doing so? You will be perfected, fully grown, mature, and complete in character; you will be perfect and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:4). Does this appeal to you, or will you walk away from this high calling, sorrowful because you have great possessions in this world? (Matthew 19:22)
Certainly riches are not forbidden, although idols are. Yet, His Kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). And you are not of this world, for whoever loves this world is not of His Kingdom (John 15:19). We are, however, capable of enjoying the fruits of our efforts in this world. How so? You can experience the abundant life promised you when you realize and accept how it manifested in Yahshua’s life. It took place first in His mind, His thought world. “Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the stake.” (Hebrews 12:2) No matter what His physical circumstance was, He served with joy because He lived in the finished work. He experienced Himself sitting at the right hand of His Father at the throne of grace, even while suffering in this world (also Hebrews 12:2). Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. (Job 13:15) This is the key to the “abundant life.”
It’s time to stop pretending it could be any other way. Obedience to this pattern is what released the conscience of the Father into Yahshua. He received Yahweh’s mind and was one with His Father; when you look at Yahshua you see only the Father. (John 10:30; 14:7) We are also called to be One. That they all may be One, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be One in Us. (John 17:21)
Let us extract the marrow out of this, for it is the key to life. It is precisely what the entirety of this devotional journey has been training you for. The mind (temple) of Yahweh within you overcomes your “self” desires, which transforms your mental existence and defines your destiny (eternity). You, like Messiah, walk as a man, but now with a holy mind. In this state, nothing in the physical world could affect your heavenly citizenship (thought world). If you have Yahweh’s mind in you, could it ever be fearful, guilty, arrogant, or lacking joy? Life is in your mind loved one, and the mind lives forever. Let’s now clarify the above verse:
The thief [ego based thoughts of man’s “self”] comes [derives thoughts] only to steal [take Yahweh’s goodness and call it your own], to kill [destroy all holy thinking], and to destroy [“self” destruct all things pure]. I [Yahshua = Yahweh saves = Yahweh saves your mind] have come [entered your consciousness] that they [transformed minds] might have life [the mind of Yahweh], and that they might have it more [increased spiritual thoughts] abundantly [overflowing by His grace].
The abundant life is found in the mind of Yahweh. For “who has known the mind of Yahweh that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of the Messiah.” (1 Corinthians 2:16) Yahshua has Yahweh’s mind and we have Yahshua’s mind. Therefore, we have Abundant Life!
Kingdom Not Cosmos
Kingdom Not Cosmos
(#348 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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And you shall be to Me a Kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words [Laws] you shall speak to My children Israyl. (Exodus19:6)
What Kingdom is Yahweh describing here? Yahshua said, “My Kingdom is not of this world. If My Kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My Kingdom is not from here.” (John 18:36) Yes, His Kingdom is not of this world. His Kingdom is not a kingdom of politicians, but a Kingdom of priests, royal priests for that matter. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)
How do you become a Royal Priest?
Royal: Yahshua is the blessed and only Potentate (Ruler), the King of kings and Master of masters. (1 Timothy 6:15) And the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of the Almighty, and if children, then heirs—heirs of the Mighty One and joint heirs with the Messiah, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (Romans 8:16-17) He is the King and you are His joint heirs; that gives you royal blood.
Priest: Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, the Messiah Yahshua. (Hebrews 3:1) He is the High priest of our confession. You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to the Most High through Yahshua the Messiah. (1 Peter 2:5) He is the High Priest and you also are being made into a holy priesthood, a Ruling Priest.
Therefore, His Kingdom, and by inheritance as royal priests your Kingdom, is not of this world. This world, the “kosmos” in Greek, means: system or ordered system; adorning or adornment; worldly affairs; or ungodly multitude. The English term “cosmetic” is derived from kosmos (cosmos). It is the ordered system or ensemble used for treating the whole face. It paints the picture of an outer adornment that is used to cover or mask the true face. This world is a masked counterfeit and it has an imitation prince. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. (John 12:31) Yahweh’s Kingdom is not of this… “kosmos”.
His Kingdom needs no re-elections; it has no politics; there is no democracy, and even no republic. His is a Kingdom for purified priests who rule over the politicians of the kosmos.
The “god” of this age [the worship of the might of “self”] has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the good news that displays the glory of the Messiah, who is the image of the Most High. (2 Corinthians 4:4) We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. (1 Corinthians 2:6) The rulers of this kosmos are coming to nothing; don’t try to become one of them.
Instead, why don’t you learn what it means to put on the garment of a Royal Priest, and prepare to step into the office of the Ruling Priesthood. Oh yes, many are called loved one, but few are chosen (Matthew 22:11-14).
The Cost and His Grace
The Cost and His Grace
(#347 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
www.sufferwel.org
Nineteen devotions including this one; that is how many remain. We didn’t even know this body of work would end at three sixty-five, not until recently. It’s been the most sublime partnership between the three of us, the prisoner (Michael), me (Jeffrey), and the Holy Spirit (Ruach). And as we race toward completion there is yet another supernatural pattern unfolding. It is the recognizable dance between the cost of discipleship and His grace to hide something from us long enough that we won’t pull back.
What do we mean? Ten years ago (2004) Yahweh called me (Jeffrey) to write a book, “The Heart of David.” I took to the task immediately out of obedience, but had I known what the eighteen month journey would have entailed ahead of time, I would have “politely declined.” One year ago (the end of 2013), Yahweh again spoke to me clearly and told me to compile and edit these devotions in unity with my brother; and again I eagerly complied. But, if I could have predicted the time and effort involved, I would have run like Jonah! You see, His grace covered what I did not need to know long enough to allow me to step in so deeply that there was no way out. But, oh how good He is. The fruit of paying the cost has been more than we can ask, think, or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).
But, be not mistaken loved one; you will pay the cost of discipleship; there is always a price for radical faith-based obedience. Yes, come just as you are; but, if you wish to follow Him, be prepared to lose all you are after you come. Pick up your own torture stake, deny your flesh and follow Yahshua. It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. (John 6:63) Imagine knowing from the very beginning of your faith walk that it was going to cost you your life to become like Him, and knowing this you still run to Him. That is exactly what Peter experienced when he cried out, “Master, where else can we go?” (John 6:68)
And now, as this season approaches its completion, Yahweh is again faithful to direct our steps (Proverbs 16:9). The next work will be to unfold the majesty of His Kingdom Courtroom. It will be a season of new highs and new challenges, and most costly, new temptations to quit. Nevertheless, His grace is sufficient to veil, from our imagination, the ultimate cost of obedience. This He will do just long enough to draw us nigh, at which time we too will exclaim, “Master, where else can we go?”
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his stake and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you who plans to build a tower does not sit down first and count the cost, to see if he has enough to finish? So in the same way, whoever it is of you who does not forsake all that he has, he cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:26-28, 33)
It is by His grace that, at times, He hides the cost of discipleship. You would do well to acknowledge when He does, and thank Him. It brings Him glory. Besides, where else can you go?
The River
The River
(#346 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
www.sufferwell.org
The Contemporary Christian band “Delirious?” sings of it so perfectly. “Find Me in the River” is the song’s title. Perhaps you will listen before you read?
https://www.youtube.com/watch…
“Find me in the river; Find me on my knees; I’ve walked against the water; Now I’m waiting if you please.
We’ve longed to see the roses; But never felt the thorns; And bought our pretty crowns; But never paid the price.”
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37-38). Stand in the river of living water. It is cool, clear, and refreshing. Let the vitalizing Spirit’s flow in your mind. Drink of this living water and never thirst again (John 4:13-14).
“Find me in the river; Find me there; Find me on my knees with my soul laid bare; Even though you’re gone and I’m cracked and dry; Find me in the river, I’m waiting here.”
The wilderness is that cracked and dry place within your thoughts that causes so much inner longing. So much is unknown; it is parched, dry, and you are desperately thirsty. The wilderness is meant to reveal all stubbornness, all defiance, all depravity, and all barrenness. “Water, I need water!” Is this not the cry in the wilderness? It is the one place that can take the hardness of your mind (the rock) and break it (humble you), until you desire only your most basic need; living water.
“We didn’t count on suffering. We didn’t count on pain. But if the blessing’s in the valley, then in the river I will wait.”
The valley is in the wilderness. It is in the dry and parched places where your needs can only be satisfied supernaturally. The testing is in the valley but so is the blessing.
This song is so beautiful; we needed to share it with you. We wanted to dive into the river with you and perhaps go deeper than ever before? It’s about the renewed mind loved one. It’s always about the renewed mind.
“He opened a rock and water gushed out; like a river it flowed into the wilderness.” (Psalm 105:41).
Lyrics: Find Me in the River
Find me in the river
Find me on my knees
I’ve walked against the water
Now I’m waiting if you please
We’ve longed to see the roses
But never felt the thorns
And bought our pretty crowns
But never paid the price
Find me in the river
Find me there
Find me on my knees with my soul laid bare
Even though you’re gone and I’m cracked and dry
Find me in the river, I’m waiting here
Find me in the river
Find me on my knees
I’ve walked against the water
Now I’m waiting if you please
We didn’t count on suffering
We didn’t count on pain
But if the blessing’s in the valley
Then in the river I will wait
Find me in the river
Find me there
Find me on my knees with my soul laid bare
Even though you’re gone and I’m cracked and dry
Find me in the river, I’m waiting here
Find me in the river
Find me there
Find me on my knees with my soul laid bare
Even though you’re gone and I’m cracked and dry
Find me in the river, I’m waiting here for you
“Find Me in the River” by Delirious? Written by Martin Smith
These “Minor” Things
These “Minor” Things
(#344 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Let no corrupt communication [foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk] [ever] proceed out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress [edification] of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace [Yahweh’s favor] to those who hear it. (Ephesians 4:29)
Corrupt, as in corrupt communication, is in this case a modifier (an adjective) describing the thing, as in the “type” of language or speech. These are dirty, foul, unkind, rotten, useless, unfit, poor quality, putrid, and worthless words. And yes, this is certainly an accurate depiction of the command. But, let us take a slightly different perspective and instead of modifying the thing, “the communication,” let us speak to the action of what is happening. We are reminded of James 2:18 where we are taught that simply describing faith is not where the power is, but the power is in the action, the doing. The Hebraic perspective is always in the doing. “Hear, O Israel: Yahweh our Mighty One, Yahweh is one! You shall love Yahweh your Mighty One with all your heart [mind, will, intentions, emotions], and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) The Hebrew “Hear” means to listen and obey, to hear the words and then show oneself obedient to them. The action is where the power is!
Let’s, therefore, take another look at the idea of “corrupt”, this time from a Hebraic action perspective. What is the power in the corrupt words, not just the juicy description of what corrupt words are? The words are not simply foul and useless; they possess power that triggers decay, rotting, festering, wasting away, melting, dwindling, and dissolving; they cause a fall. It is not simply that these poor quality words emanate from the lips; it is that they create death! Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]. (Proverbs 18:21) Again we are reminded of James. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell… It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. (James 3:5-6, 8)
Corrupt words caused the fall! “Did the Most High really say not to eat? You will surely not die! The woman you gave me! The serpent deceived me!” (Genesis 3:1, 4, 12, 13) The Adam in us knows that it takes only one wrong thought for the entire cascade to begin. Fallen thoughts are followed by fallen words, which precede fallen actions. They trigger decay, rotting, festering, wasting away, melting, dwindling, and dissolving of everything around them. Corrupt words start an avalanche of destruction. What the mind thinks, the tongue professes, and the physical world obeys. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].
This is a never-ending pattern that must be understood and dealt with. With acceptance of this Holy standard comes the inexcusable reality that there are no idle thoughts, no minor words, and no insignificant proclamations. It is only the corrupt “self” that allows you to think that thoughts and words are minor things. “If I don’t murder or commit adultery, I’m good.” Yet, if you hate your brother in your heart (mind) or call him a fool you have already murdered him. If you undress that woman with your eyes or make lustful comments, you have already committed adultery in your heart (Matthew 5:21-30). There are no idle thoughts, minor words, or insignificant proclamations.
A great price was paid to save your mind. There is nothing worse than minimizing what that sacrifice meant to Yahweh. Giving yourself room to have a sloppy tongue is like trampling His Son underfoot and counting His shed blood as common (Hebrews 10:29). It would be better that you had not been born than to live like your thoughts and words don’t matter to Him.
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Most High. (Matthew 4:4) Your words, like His, have the power of life and death. Why not choose life? Ezekiyl prophesied to the dry bones, “Hear the word of Yahweh!” And they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army (Ezekiyl 37:4-10). Every thought matters loved one, and now it should be obvious that every word that emanates from those thoughts also matters, every word. So, think life and then speak life!