Iron Rose Sister Ministries

Written by Francia Oviedo, Creative Assistant with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Honduras

I have heard that women use 20,000 words a day and men 13,000. I can assure you that I hit that mark (haha). Wow, but how many problems have those 20,000 words gotten me into when I don’t use them wisely, when I allow my words to be guided by the flesh and not by the Spirit? This reminds me of Balaam.

Balaam was a words guy, so much so that three chapters are needed in the Bible to tell his story, found in the book of Numbers, chapters 22-24. Balaam was a man known to use his words to bless or curse peoples. He was just the man Balak, the king of Moab, needed in order that his words might be used to curse the people of Israel.

22:5 sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the Euphrates River, in his native land. Balak said:
“A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. 6 Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed.” (Num. 22:5-6)

But Balaam pledged to go to that place and do that deed even when God had not allowed it. Such were the circumstances that God had to give him a lesson and make his donkey talk! Finally, Balaam obeyed God and was unable to pronounce any words that God did not allow him to speak.

But Balaam answered them, “Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God.” (Num. 22:18)

Fortunately, he obeyed and used his words in accordance with God’s will. Instead of cursing the people of Israel, he ended up blessing them three times. Thankfully, God led Balaam to use his words wisely, and we all have that power in our mouths. Most of us use 10,000, 20,000, or even more words per day and, like Balaam, we should seek God’s wisdom to choose well whatever we say.

Every word that comes from our mouths has the power to create, to give life, to encourage, to bless, but also has the power to darken, to discourage, to hurt, to curse others or even ourselves. Proverbs tells us, “The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly” (15:2) and it also says, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (18:21).

Like me, I’m sure you can remember a personal story when you used your words in the wrong way, but like Balaam, we always have the opportunity to choose the right words, ones that reflect the love and wisdom of God, ones that create, encourage, and give life. It is a daily choice. I encourage you to remember, the next time you think about how many words you say a day, that you can choose ones that will be a blessing to those around you, and also to yourself.

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Written by Kara Benson, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Arkansas

We are messengers. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:17-20).

We need to use our tongues. As messengers, we use our speech to carry God’s message of truth, hope, love, and redemption to the world. There is a popular quote that says, “Teach the gospel at all times. And if necessary, use words.” However, at some point, the words have to come out of our mouths. Paul writes in Romans 10:14, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” We should use our tongues to share the good news with those around us. Living a good, moral life simply is not enough. Being described by our neighbors and coworkers as a nice, hardworking person who doesn’t cuss simply is not enough. If we do not share the gospel, then those around us might not come to know our Creator and His message of reconciliation. If we are waiting for someone to notice our good, moral life and ask us about it before we share the message… that day may never come. We are called to be a city on a hill, the light of the world, and the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13-14).

Reflection question: Do your neighbors know that you are a Christian? Or could you be confused for a “good, moral person” who happens to be gone on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights?

As messengers, we need to be careful how we use our tongues. Recently, I had an interesting encounter with someone at work. When I approached the front counter, I welcomed an individual to our café and asked what he would like to order. He replied that he was not there to order, but instead handed me his daughter’s uniform. I thanked him and wished him well. “Have a blessed day,” he said before turning and walking out the door. Little did I know that just before walking into our café, he had cursed out someone over the phone. I share this anecdote as an example of the danger of hypocrisy. We should examine ourselves and ask the question, are we silencing our witness with our own words?

James writes, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water” (James 3:9-12).

Many of us may not struggle with profanity or cursing others. But do we struggle with complaining? I, for one, am certainly guilty of complaining. A few months ago, I listened to a sermon on this topic. The world does not need more complainers; it needs more light and joy. Philippians 2:14-15 says, “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.” In these verses, complaining is contrasted with being pure, unblemished, and shining like stars.

Reflection question: What is the message we are bringing? Are we consistently bringing a message of hope, joy, and peace, or are we frequently bringing a message of frustration, worry, and annoyance?

Let us remember that we are Christ’s ambassadors and we carefully use our tongues to deliver God’s message to the world.

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