I was once told we should say things in a way that others will be receive it.
The more I studied God's word and the more I know about the "narcissist" as described in 2 Timothy 3, the more I realized that our delivery has little to do with the response from the hearer.
The response from the hearer reveals their own heart. It won't matter how we deliver a message, no matter how mild or friendly, if the hearer doesn't want to hear it they will rage in response to what they perceive in their own mind as an attack.
The Holy Spirit gives us what to say and how to say it. Some people need a gentle delivery and others need a strong rebuke. God tells us this in His word.
We do not have to figure out which is need in each encounter, we only have to be led by the Holy Spirit
Proverbs 27:5
"Better is open rebuke than hidden love."
An open rebuke is a show of love, when we will not rebuke when it is necessary then we are withholding love.
1 Timothy 5:20
"As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear."
2 Timothy 4:2
"Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching."
The world preaches love, the apostate church preaches love, but they don't know what it looks like. They think love is all about making people feel happy and accepted.
God says love is many things, it is encouragement through instruction, it is correction to resolve problems. The world wants to define love as giving someone whatever they want to please them. God says love is imparting to the hearer what will help them live holy and righteous lives. There is no greater benefit to the hearer than truth told that will give them God's peace through obedience to Him.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."
James 5:20
"Let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins."
Luke 17:3-4
"Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
The goal of the believer ought to be to hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit to speak truth God's way for the edifying of the saints and for the salvation of those who do not yet know Him,.
This is God's love, it snatches people from the fires of hell and brings glorious peace and joy to those who have trusted in Him.
Encouragement is not praise and it is not flattery as so many people in the apostate system have believed.
Far too many people have been praised and flattered as they continue in laziness and rebellion. They are told they did a good job when they did little or nothing that brought solutions.
I witnessed a young mother who told her small so to tie his shoes. She railed and railed at him for not doing it right. Then she praised him ad nauseam when he finally go it. She goowed with such intensity I thought I was going to be sick.
Here's what encouragement looks like: "Son tie your shoes so we can get going." When the son ties his shoes, calmly look at him and say; "good let's go." Praising incessantly for a job well done embarrasses the child as well as everyone around the encounter.
There are those who count themselves as good mothers for their constant praise and adulation over the smallest matters.
Notice in the word of God we see the instruction from God, the result of obedience and the consequences of disobedience. We never see continual praise heaped on anyone.
Constant flattery and praise only creates expectation of it and resentment when it is no excessive.
Proverbs 1:23
"If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you."
Proverbs 27:6
"Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy."
We wonder why narcissism is growing when the culture destroys children with flattery and praise. When a child has been raised with excessive praise, flattery and attention they tend to believe they deserve it all the time and that everyone else should treat them this way too.
When we are attempting to figure out how to talk to someone so they won't be mad at us, we are making them more important than Christ is to us.
When we think we must figure out the right way to talk to someone we are not trusting Christ to speak through us.
All that is necessary in our witnessing is to know the Word of God well and trust the Holy Spirit to use our mouth.
2 Timothy 3:16
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,"
Revelation 3:19
"Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent."
Matthew 10:19 "19 But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to respond or what to say. In that hour you will be given what to say. 20 For it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.…"
The bottom line is that most Christians in our day give no trust in the Holy Spirit. They are living in the flesh for their witnessing and even for their daily lives while wondering why their prayers are not answered.
Isaiah 1:15-16 " 15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. 16 Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil!…"
It is sinful to trust in ourselves for delivery of a message. God will not hear the prayers of those who do not desire the counsel and working of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment