I Believed, Therefore I Have Spoken

I have to give a big shout-out to my good friend Mike. He is an inspiration to me and constant source of faith through scripture reminders. He sent this to me yesterday, and it has inspired what you are about to read today.

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. -- 2 Corinthians 4:8-18 NIV

Do you often find yourself hard-pressed, perplexed, persecuted, or struck-down? Do things sometimes seem to unravel before you very eyes and you feel helpless to do anything about it?

I find myself in a position where I have quite possibly lost a friend, and I really have no idea what I did to cause it. I'm definitely perplexed. Knowing what the problem is and identifying where things went wrong are two different things. It's confusing and I think that is exactly what Satan wants to get out of these situations. He finds a crack and then drives a wedge and the next thing you know things have blown up in your face and you feel pretty helpless to do anything about it. I've tried reaching my friend and I've apologized the only way I know how. I wish he'd talk to me, but I'm doing the only thing I know to do to try and fix it.

I actually think there is a bunch of this going on around me right now. I can think of other relationships, and not necessarily my relationships, that are strained at best. People are hurting, feeling persecuted and struck-down...looking for answers. That's why I love Mike so much. It never fails that when something is really pressing on me and I struggle to find the right path through it, he is there with just the right verse to get my mind switched on. He is truly an answered prayer, and on more than one occasion.

The answer is right there, in that passage. It's an answer for a great number of things. It's the way to heal strained relationships. It's the sure-fire way to get yourself back on track. The answer, as it always is and which should come as absolutely no surprise, is to first seek God's truth through prayer and through scripture and then to speak the truth throughout our lives. We believe in Jesus, therefore we have the power and the duty to speak His truth. It is both a privilege and a responsibility to do so.

Our relationships suffer because we allow our pride and our fears to step in and take over. We don't want to say something because we're afraid things are going to blow up even worse so we just sit on our hands, bite our tongues, and hope it will go away. We let pride blind us so that it's always someone else's fault instead of humbling ourselves before both God and our fellow man (or woman). We refuse to admit our own mistakes but insist on it from others.

The truth is a real bugger. It can seem awfully condemning at times, but it's really the opposite. The Bible says in John 8:32, Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. The truth frees us because it's Jesus' truth and it sharpens us just like I wrote yesterday. It shaves away the dull edges where deception, pride, and fear are constantly lurking. It sharpens us to God's love and to the truth of Jesus in our lives. It empowers us to speak that truth freely and without reservation. It allows us to mend the broken and to heal the sick.

I don't write this lightly, but I do write it truthfully. It's time to examine every one of your relationships, beginning with your relationship with God. Are you being completely honest in all of them? Is your heart really focused on God in every area of your life so that you know you walk in Truth? Is there air that needs clearing? Apologies to make? Tears to shed?

I believe there is, therefore I have spoken. It's time to come together as God's children, in love and in truth, not as prideful siblings who can't help but bicker over every little thing. It's time to tell Satan he isn't welcome and to butt out in the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Remember, without those three nothing is possible and with them nothing can stop us.