Two Keys Open a Bank Box
God has given us keys that unlock the Kingdom riches. Some of them, however, seem to me like bank safe-deposit boxes. The bank retains a key and the owner must retain his key. I can think of the drama in movies when this happens. A key is entered into the lock, then the bank key is inserted and turned. The door to the riches opens! This is the drama of Isaiah 58 in pictures. Both keys are held with great security measures since they open up riches. Be sure and meditate on the entire chapter.
God gives us some promises so staggering that we cannot pass them up. However we carry one key, and then He unlocks the riches for us with His key. This week, to illustrate this, I heard of a group of Christians who were going to fast. Yet, this fast was not a Daniel fast, or a water fast-it was a “negativity fast.” These people are going to forego any destructive words from their mouths for 40 days. God says in the passage in Isaiah 58 that this is the fast He wants: for us to bless the unfavored and then He will bless everyone with amazing spiritual riches.
How do we bless the “unfavored” in the world? “If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness…” So this is a key we can hold in our hands-to stop pointing fingers at anyone and stop speaking wickedness.”
In the New Testament it is worded like this: “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only those words that build up, that edify others.“(Ephesians 4:29) Stop right here and let me digress one moment: whenever I start this line of talk, there are always people who feel appointed by God to judge. They usually tell me I am wrong. If you are one of these, then know that you are not off the hook from this. You might say, “But (which negates Isaiah 58 and all said before whether true or not) we have to make judgments every day. We have to speak against evil!” Perhaps, but we are not to judge evil people nor any other people. Also, this passage is especially for people who justify hurting people, causing disharmony and disrupting the flow of the Holy Spirit among believers. Stop it, Isaiah says, and you will open up the floodgates of revival. Stay with me here…
God knows politicians are corruptible. He even put the corrupt ones into office. He gives us what we deserve. However, he told us to pray for them and to cooperate with them-not their corruption but the service of helping the governed. Pointing the finger and speaking evil of anyone for any reason is not what God wants from us. He wants a “fast” of this. He said, “This is the fast I want: “…pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted (your key into the vault,) then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday (God’s key enters and opens this.) The Lord knows your boss is a tyrant, and that the lawyer opposing you in court is evil. Yet try a 40 day fast of speaking only words that edify, that build up. The mean dog that guards a junkyard seems to have good traits to the owner but bad ones for the thief!
The word for edify bears more scrutiny. It is the word for constructing, for building. A stone mason builds, along with carpenters and others, an edifice. Every action by the craftsmen must edify. If anyone tears down, then no building. It is simple. This meditation is simple. If you bless people with words of life, you sow life, then you reap abundant life- life times 100. These are not “positive thinking” ideas empty of substance spoken as a chant. These are words of blessing taught and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
I want to make a modest proposal. This is supposed to be part of our spiritual service, but it is not and I know it and you know it. So, lets see if we can do this together. I am hoping you will come back and report the amazing, even miraculous results from just 40 days of not saying anything that does not build up everyone. Please interact, as this is so important and this is part of what is holding back awakening.
OK-for you “judgers” by nature and personality, I am going to speak to you now in an edifying way I hope: God does not say that you cannot be a person who divides truth from error, or who sees problems in people. He says we are not to speak destructively about them. He knows who you are thinking about right now and He will deal with them. He is saying you have perhaps overlooked that you have not arrived and this area, which you consider a strength, perhaps contains a huge blind spot. You have power in your words: you can speak words of life or words of death. Speak life into others and God gives us some promises so staggering that we cannot pass them up. However we carry one key, and then He unlocks the riches for us with His key, too. You might be a person who is bitter about a past offense. Release your bitterness. This key causes us to deal with unwholesome and destructive things that do not belong in our hearts. Enjoy the cleansing of the heart that this fast brings.
Also, expect that God has promised that the way to bring change in government and in employment, and especially family and friends, is to speak words of life about whomever needs it. This gives favor to those people. This favor will empower them to be what you hope, not what they are or “deserve” to be in your opinion. Did you get that-your words can transform people like Jesus intends.
Again, let me know if you or a group of you decides to join this type of fast, especially for 40 days? Interact with us, as this is really important-comments and followup are encouraged.
Bob
Bob,
In your understanding of the word of God, does he say expose yourself to harm, place yourself where you are disrespected and verbally assaulted and continue to remain in the presence of those who with intent and with malice knowingly direct language designed to cause you to react unfavorably? Do we not have an obligation to care for the mind and heart that God gave us? Are you suggesting that to be in service of God is to be passive where it would be to our detriment?
You say interact. What if interaction is not at all possible and what in fact ought to be interaction is a a series of hostile, deceptive, misleading and provocative conversations taking place around/about you while intimating but not directly engaging you? What would be the purpose of engagement under this scenario? What benefit can there be in remaining in an environment that actively works to continually erode trust and confidence and knowingly create confusion as to what can be believed? Would God not prefer that we remove ourselves from such an environment when we witness the dark and harmful impact its having on our own thinking?
As for the junkyard dog, he does not only attack a thief but a child who may have lost his way in searching for a lost football or the person tasked with making deliveries….. all well meaning and on premises for a blessed purpose run the very real risk of grave injury from the indiscriminate (as it is his nature and cannot control/stop himself and would be unable to adjust the degree of harm he knowingly will cause) attack of the junkyard dog; probably bred to behave as such.
As for the fast, I could not agree more. I believe it is necessary, however, I have a feeling you are probably narrowly defining this and excusing negative/derisive expression where the intention behind it can be somehow subjectively justified. Am I correct in this assumption. I have always believed a true fast would primarily have to be one which includes aversion to harmful/unkind/dark thoughts, actions and most certainly words.
I have spoken in anger, and when I do I ask for His grace, but will then look for the cause and eliminate that which led me to such conduct which is not my nature. So it is not simply that we refrain from speaking badly about others while permitting the root cause to remain unchanged. Otherwise, it would amount to an exercise in repression and that cannot be healthy habit to develop. Would you not agree?
Kirsten,
1) The Lord says we are to walk by the Spirit. Jesus did this, and at times he was in the presence of those who spoke behind His back and secretly looked for a way to kill him. I say let the Lord lead you where He wants.
2) You have not taken a couple of my points as I intended. The interaction I hoped for was on this page about how God is working, not with your enemies.
3) The metaphor of a junkyard dog was a literary device to point out that there is often something “good” in some of the most distasteful people. It was meant to be a word of encouragement, a way to see with joy, not enslavement to people. Our anger is part of what enslaves us. Please allow me to use literary devices without taking them to the extreme in application. That can make writing so dry, if we cannot allow images to be useful as analogies knowing that they have useful limits. I was making an analogy to my neighbors lawyer who is attacking me in court “like” an attack dog. I could hate and fear this person. Instead, God said not to do this. He says if we only say edifying things about anyone, that He will reward us. I did not think of this. God said it in Isaiah. I think it is true.
4) Jesus said that it is not what goes into a person (the circumstances i.e.) that defiles him, it is what comes out of us. That means clearly that if we see “bad” coming from our heart we must first heal that before we blame even the most evil people around us. It is counter to human experience to do this. I have spoken here many times that God does not think like man. This is one of those posts.
5) I tried to speak about the importance of doing this in the Spirit and not as a “law.” I think if you re-read it you will see I never intended for this or any other “fast” to be done in human effort but under divine favor and in the Spirit. Hope this helps. We do not have to live with chronic anger. Jesus showed us that. He could have hated his enemies but spoke a few times in public to show their hypocrisy, if they were leaders, then went to healing hearts, souls and bodies.
6) I in no way intend to excuse negative derision or anything of the kind. In fact I am speaking out against it. I suggest you meditate on Isaiah 58. That is the source of any truth here. That is the whole point of this particular article, that we NOT engage in such things and see what happens.
7) I agree completely that repression is not the answer. That is why I suggested we use this concept as a mirror to show what needs to be surgically removed from our heart.
Bob
Bob,
OK, I’m with you. Don’t take my comments too personally. I was not misunderstanding you, just understanding you differently. But I now understand you as you have explained. Thank you for your thoughtful posts. Really! I know Isaiah 58 and have in fact read a book based entirely on elaborations of those verses! I will read again, but have completely lost faith in teachers and teachings these days, I must tell you. But will revisit Isaiah 58.
All peace and blessings to you! As always, Be blessed, my brother in Christ!
p.s Will return here and re-read your older posts as teachings!
Yes, I will try not to take it personally. I just felt you did not understand at all by your comments. I take seriously one thing for sure: that the Living Christ take birth as the Living Isaiah 58 in you and in us all. It is not the teaching of Isa. but the living out that must come now! We will learn more as Christ gives birth in us to this. Bob
Bob,
In all, Thank You! Wow! I take seriously what you say here.
I will work to refrain from taking-on any provocations, whatever the source. This is most certainly not easy for me, but i will use my “Rama”/”Jesus” mantras perhaps in those moments, or restate Psalm 23 when I feel provoked. I used this in the past –will return to this practice again.
Otherwise, I will re-read Isaiah 58 and see that I will be the christian that I can best be.
For taking me to this high place of seeking what is RIGHT by GOD, I have you to thank. Once again, from Nowhere to Somewhere … you bring light where I saw none to be possible… you serve Him well!
Tonight, you have reached me. Of this you can be sure. I really do feel a change of heart from the power of your sincerity in this second reply you sent.
May you continue to receive his many, many blessings and may his light continue to shine for you so that you may continue to shine it for the rest of us……………
Love, Light, His Peace and Many Blessings to you. You are my brother in Christ!
Awesome word for the Followers of Christ and I want to participate in your 40-day fast on negativity.
Let’s be truthful, being negative is all around us and we get caught up in it. It is one of the most damaging things we can do spiritually to another and to ourselves.
Negativity will also stand in the way of our prayers, because we say one thing in our prayers and then, out of the same mouth comes every kind of negativity.
Thank you for sharing this and God bless everything you do for Him!
Great to have you read and visit here, Katherine. Thank you. In James (the brother of Christ as it were!) we are told that “the tongue is a fire.” The focus in that passage is on how gossip, slander, or unkind words spread like a fire. I think of the forest fires that get out of control and consume thousands of acres of timber and brush. This all starts from one spark! One tiny spark?! I hit me as I read your comment that it is also true for “positive words.” It only takes a spark to get a fire going (the old camp song, too.) We can speak blessing that repeats itself and echoes through our communities and our nation. Instead of burning down something we can sort of burn something “up” to be a little humorous.
Thank you for joining in the spirit of this. I am so happy about it. Bob
Bob – When this post came up I knew I needed to wait to read it until today and I realize it was because you were able to go deeper with Kirsten for the benefit of all.
Count me in on the fast- i’ll let you know what happens.
godspeed-
nathan
Hi Bob, Thank you for sharing this very powerful message. I agree with all you write. It’s interesting that just last night I attended a local LIFE group where the topic was about taming the tongue (speaking words of life) and then this morning the Holy Spirit led me to your message above. I am so thankful for the way God led you to begin sharing your godly wisdom with the world via Web 2.0 this year. Blessings to walk in God’s favor! Randy
Thanks Nathan. I am glad I could add all that. I have much more, and it is coming soon. It is very interesting that God has already given me my next post but wants different timing, as He seemed to be leading you. So, I am waiting, but it is similar and simple to a point. We see these truths about the tongue and say “we get it” but somehow we do not yet. So these are vital. He told me to post when people were listening. Very interesting. Soon to come, more on the tongue.
bob
As I said in my answer to Nathan, Randy, more on the tongue is coming soon. Bob
Bob,
I am reading this blog post from the road, and foolishly I did not bring my Bible with me on this trip. When I get home I will have to look at Isaiah 58 to better join in on the discussion.
I will say that the 40 day fast you speak of sounds quite challenging and intimidating, but attractive. Think of what type of Austin we’d have if everyone made such a commitment? Christ is working through you to heal our city, Bob. Thank you!
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