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March 30, 2008
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
Keep on Speaking, by Tom Norvell
A new week has begun. You're heading back into the workplace tomorrow.
Like every other week, it's a battleground. You know you'll be tested.
It is part of the life of a follower of Jesus. You know there will be
those moments when you feel the nudge from God telling you to speak up,
stand up for what is right, stop listening to the gossip, say
something. But you hesitate.
You want to speak up. You know you need to. But something stops you.
Sometimes it feels like your mouth is wired shut. Every time you try to
open your mouth your mind starts playing tricks on you, "Be quiet."
"Keep your mouth shut." "You'll sound silly." "Everyone will laugh."
"You will be rejected." "It's not a big deal. Just let it go. It won't
make any difference anyway."
Or, maybe you have been feeling compelled to talk to your neighbor, or
your co-worker, or your son-in-law about their walk with the Lord. You
really care about them. You notice things that concern you about the
life they are living, but you are afraid of "Turning them off." Every
time you see them you say to yourself, "Today is the day." You even
pray for the right opportunity. Suddenly there you are standing in the
middle of the frozen food section at the grocery store, and look up and
there they are. Not another living soul in sight. Just you and them.
One on one. You greet each other. You talk about work, the kids, and
the weather. In the back of your mind you are thinking, "Say something!
Invite them to lunch. Set a time to meet." But you don't. You smile and
say, "It's great to see you. See you later." They head off down the
aisle toward the dairy products. You head off to the checkout line
feeling like you blew it.
Why do we do that? Why are we reluctant to talk about the things that
matter most to us, to the people that matter most to us? Why is it so
difficult to say the things you know you need to say about God, about
Jesus, about His love for us, and our love for them?
The simple answer? Probably fear. Fear of embarrassment. Fear of
rejection. Fear of sounding foolish. Fear of being misunderstood.
The solution? Remember that God understands those fears and is already
thinking ahead of us.
Here's a good example. The apostle Paul is preaching in Corinth -- not
the kind of place where faith and holiness and living for God are the
common conversation. Nevertheless, he's doing pretty well. People are
listening. People are hearing him. People are responding to the message
of the gospel. In fact, we are told that, "In the course of listening
to Paul, a great many Corinthians believed and were baptized" (Acts
18:8 NIV).
Great! "Go Paul!"
But, obviously God knew what was ahead for him because the next verses
read:
One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid;
keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one
is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this
city." So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word
of God (Acts 18:9-11).
If you read ahead, you'll see that things were about to get more
difficult for Paul. He eventually left Corinth for Syria, but he kept
on speaking. He did not allow his words to be silenced.
"For I am with you!"
Three quick thoughts from what the Lord said to Paul in his dream that
might help us to keep on speaking:
We need to speak up:
The Lord said, "Keep it up, and don't let anyone intimidate or silence
you."
We need to speak for Him:
Sometimes we need to speak with our words; always with our example.
We are not alone:
The Lord said, "I am with you" and "I have many people in this city."
Another way to say this is, "You have no idea how many people I have on
my side in this city."
If you are serious about living like a Christ follower, there is a good
chance that before this week ends, maybe before the day is over, you
will have an opportunity staring you in the face when you will hear the
Lord say, "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent." When
you hear Him say those words, don't stop listening, before you hear the
rest of His message, "For I am with you, and no one is going to attack
and harm you, because I have many people in this city."
Keep on speaking.
---------
(c) 2008 Tom Norvell <tomnorvell@mac.com>. Used by permission. A
Norvell Note <http://www.anorvellnote.com> is a weekly email
message from Tom Norvell. Check it out!
RELATED LINKS:
* Willing to Die
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200602/20060211_willingtodie.html
* Handling Rejection
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200503/20050311_handlingrejection.html
* Suffering for the Lord
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200405/20040511_suffering.html
* A Norvell Note
http://www.anorvellnote.com
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200803/20080330_keeponspeaking.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
HOUSE, by Frank Peretti & Ted Dekker
Best-selling authors Peretti and Dekker join forces for an
adrenaline-laced thriller!
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?252
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