spiritual

On Speaking the Truth, Part 2

/ Kimberly Gordon / Leave a comment

Last time I shared my thoughts on Christians being silent where we really need to speak up. 

Today, after spending several days in Job in my daily Bible reading, I want to share on the opposite side of that: I think we’re too loud where we need to learn to be silent. 

Here’s a short overview of the first half of Job in case it’s been awhile (or never) since you’ve read it: 

Job is recognized by God as being a righteous man who fears God. Satan, the accuser, recognizes this and asks to destroy all he has to see if he’ll still fear God. God agrees, except satan can’t kill Job. Satan goes forth, killing all of Job’s children and his livelihood and afflicting him with sickness. Job’s friends come to him to mourn with him, but because Job won’t admit to any sin that has caused this, eventually these friends speak out, saying they “heard from a spirit” all these ways Job has sinned and is in the wrong and needs to repent. They say the spirit told them that’s why all this trouble has come, and that there will be more if he doesn’t repent. 

This is where we need to learn silence. These friends assume the “spirit” they heard from was the spirit of God telling them these things, and that because of that they need to tell Job what it said. There are some problems with this. First, the spirits these men heard from never identify themselves as the Lord! Second, the Lord does not tell these men to tell Job what this spirit has said. And third, what these spirits have said to the men counters what we know God Himself has already said about Job (even though these men don’t know that at the time)! 

I fully believe that we as believers can hear from the Holy Spirit. I believe we are led by Him. Romans 8: 14 says that the sons of God are led by the Spirit of God. Elsewhere the Word says that the Spirit will lead us into all truth (John 16:13). I know God speaks to us. However, if we think we have insight into someone else’s life, I firmly believe that discernment is necessary. We need to discern whether or not what we think we feel is actually from the Lord. Does it sound like His voice, His character? Is it something He would speak over one of His beloved creation? Or is it something that is coming from our own sin nature, from jealousy, or even from a demonic spirit whispering to us? Discerning Who we are hearing from is of first importance. Then, if we really believe the insight we have IS from God, then we need to pray and ask the Lord about what we have been given insight on, to see whether or not it needs to be spoken, or whether that insight has been given only so that we can intercede for the person about which it has been given. 

I think too often we speak too soon “words from God” without stopping to discern whether or not it’s really His voice and what we’re supposed to do with it if it is. 

Let us be careful what we speak to each other when we think we have insight. Let us not guess at secret sin, but only call out sin that has been seen or confessed. Then we do have a responsibility to speak truth from the Word of God and call our brother or sister to repentance (James 5:19-20).  

Let us be discerning in speaking the truth in love to one other in Christ. 

On Speaking the Truth

/ Kimberly Gordon / 1 Comment

Are you ever afraid to say something for fear of being wrong? I am. It feels like there’s so much pressure in our culture right now to stay silent, or to say something so generalized that you’re not really saying anything at all. Truth has a bad rap, because heaven forbid you offend someone by speaking something true for you that isn’t true for them. We have this mindset that there isn’t any universal truth anymore. And for sure no spiritual truth. Like, maybe I see that as a tree, but you say it’s a mountain. Or I see a woman, made in God’s image, but you see a cat. Or what if I say I believe Jesus is the only way to have a relationship with the true God? And not just that I believe that, but that it’s the Truth. Would you say that’s fine for me but not for you? OR that’s fine but that I shouldn’t push my beliefs (merely by speaking them) onto someone else? Are we not allowed to speak our minds anymore? Say what’s on our hearts? Are we not allowed to call people to repentance, or call brothers and sisters to account? Some days I feel like I’m going crazy when I look at our world, when I think of relationships I have, even with believing friends, and I think How can you believe what the Bible says and hold these beliefs about the world? 

And, to be bolder, Black lives do matter. Do you know what else matters? Every other life. Of every other skin color. And those forming in the womb, at any stage. Removing a living baby from the womb and killing it is wrong. 

I’m tired of the fear of man being allowed to control how I speak, and that I stop myself from forming or speaking a full thought in order to not offend someone. I need to speak the truth, because that is what God has called me to. But more important than writing it here, or on social media, is the willingness to speak the truth in conversation, especially with people who don’t agree with me, so that we can work to understand one another and still have relationship. 

Screenshot

Let’s stop this awkward silence. Let’s stop not talking about everything we don’t agree with with people. If we don’t, pretty soon we won’t talk to each other at all, and that’s exactly what our spiritual enemies want: for us to live isolated rather that in real relationship and community that God made us for. 

Worship

/ Kimberly Gordon / Leave a comment

Worship is warfare. But not against one another.

We as believers come together to give praise, honor and glory to the Lord of Creation- giving worship to whom it’s due- and in giving praise, we take ground. We push back the enemy. God opens our eyes to areas where we’ve given Satan room to move in our lives and invites us to let God take those areas back.

But it’s so easy to be distracted. Is anyone looking? What will they think if I get on my knees? Or cry? Or jump? Can I walk the aisles praying for our church? Will anyone hear me and think it’s weird if I’m praying in tongues? Am I being distracting? Sometimes we use those things as an excuse to not follow the Spirit’s leading.

Recently I’ve been challenged to step out more in worship to give people the gift of going second. This has been an almost constant battle for me. I feel engaged. I get into the songs. I make sure my heart is aligned with God and open to how He wants to work. And then I want to move. I don’t want to stay in my place- I need space. I want to dance. But it’s not just for me. I need to move because I need to pray. For our team. Over the people. I want to walk the aisles with my hands stretched out, pouring my heart out in intercession.

But many times I don’t because I feel like I would be too distracting. Voices in my head war against one another as one tells me, Make yourself small. You don’t want people to notice you. You want people to be able to focus on God, while the other quietly responds, Yes. But can my worship direct their eyes and hearts to God? Can I help to bring more freedom into worship by giving them the gift of going second?

Worship is warfare.

The battle is in our minds and spirits. And sometimes we need to do battle by making our bodies do something in the physical that shifts something in the spiritual. We take spiritual ground when we take physical ground by responding to God with our voices, our hands, our feet, when we worship with all of our hearts.

So, I’ll put myself out there. I’ll respond to how to Sprit is leading me to worship God. I’ll move. And if I step out and follow the Spirit’s leading, then maybe that will free you to believe you can step out, too. And together we can take ground for the Kingdom of heaven.