WHO IS IN CONTROL OF THE THINGS YOU SAY?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me 
so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel. 
(Ephesians 6:19)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever been guilty of thinking that those who speak publicly for God 
(pastors, teachers, missionaries, etc.) have it all together?
If you have, then remember that they have struggles the same as you do.
In fact, their struggles might be more intense, 
because Satan knows that whenever he can cause them to fail, 
it will have a trickle down impact on many others.

Only One in human form has ever repelled all of the temptations from Satan.
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our 
weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, 
just as we are—yet he did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15)

The Lord knows all of our weaknesses (even some that we might not be aware 
of), and as a result, He pricks our conscience 
to remind us whenever we are being tempted.
When He alerts us that we are being tempted, we have a decision to make.
We can either shutdown and ignore His prodding, 
or we listen to Him and walk away from the temptations.

Can Satan tempt us even when we are doing what God has called us to do?
Sure he can, and he does!
He attacks us in the area of pride 
and creates a desire in us to take credit for what God is doing.
This is a dangerous area and can have severe consequences.
On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and 
delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, “This is the voice 
of a god, not of a man.” Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to 
God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and 
died. (Acts 12: 21-23)

Satan also attacks our intellectual aptitude 
so that we start putting our own spin on the scriptures, 
instead of asking (and relying on) the Lord to keep us on track. 
If we fail to seek His help and guidance, we will speak about things we 
have created in our own minds, instead of the messages God wants communicated.

When we do this individually, we start justifying our sinful actions and 
look for loopholes in the Bible to help us desensitize our feelings of guilt.
Eventually we become experts at taking scriptures out of context 
in order to make them fit our lifestyles and desires.

In essence we are rewriting God’s Word 
so we can sin with less guilt (or without any guilt). 
Imagine the impact when someone speaking publicly about God 
is guilty of these actions.
Not only are they hurting themselves, but they are misleading many others 
about who God is, and what He says to us in His Word.

We can understand why Paul wanted to ensure 
God was controlling everything he said.
Paul was fearful that if he communicated the wrong message, 
then the righteous message from God would be lost 
and fail to penetrate the hearts of those who listened to him.
As a result, they would not be changed by hearing from God, or even worse, 
they might be steered in the wrong direction 
and moved further away from God and His principles.

If any expect to fulfill their mission from God, 
then guarding against pride and intellect is a challenging proposition, 
especially for those He has called to speak publicly.
Since all believers have been called to serve God in some capacity, 
then every individual who loves God enough to be used by Him, 
is faced with the same challenges.
for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his 
good purpose. (Philippians 2:13)

ACTION:
How do you respond when you are tempted to sin?
Do you listen to the Lord, 
or are you controlled by your own desires, pride and intellect?
How often do you ask God for His help and guidance in your life?
Do you pray for those He has called to be expositors of His Word?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I pray that You will protect me from the Satan’s attacks. 
Help me to guard against allowing my pride and intellect to cause me to sin 
against You. Teach me to weigh my thoughts and my words against Your 
principles before speaking. Help me to discover Your calling for me and to 
pursue it with a passion and desire to please You as a contributor to Your 
mission of reaching the lost. Give me the boldness to freely tell others of 
my relationship with You and the impact You have had on my life.”

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