2Romans 10:9-10(NIV)
“9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
From the time that he was able to understand words, Kayden’s mother has taught him the Word of God. He’s eight now. He’s a stellar student, well behaved, and encourages his classmates with the scriptures whenever he feels led by the Spirit to do so. While playing on the beach this summer, another eight-year-old boy came up and asked Kayden if he wanted to play. He remembered the words of his mom, telling him that meeting new people is never by chance; it’s an opportunity to introduce someone new to Jesus Christ. After playing a little while, this is exactly what Kayden did. He spoke the words of Romans 10:9-10 perfectly and asked the little boy if he wanted Jesus Christ to be his Lord and Savior. The little boy said, “Yes, I accept Jesus!” And that’s all it took for a seed to be planted.
It’s almost as if children come out of the womb these days with a sense of purpose and a level of maturity that folks our age never had. It astonishes us. The acumen for technology and a faster pace of life seems to be already programmed into them. They’re smart, and this is by God’s design. They are able to handle the truth at a much earlier age, and God means for us, as parents, guardians, and relatives, to take advantage of that and teach them the Word early.
The world is increasingly complex and challenging to navigate, and it will become even more so if the Lord should tarry. Children today must be equipped, so that they can discern a trick from a blessing. They must be wise, and more importantly, they must be saved.
Proverbs 18:21(NIV) says, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” At eight years old, Kayden knew the power of his tongue. He recognized an opportunity to open his mouth and speak life, and even if the little boy had rejected Jesus, Kayden’s reward is still great. Our Master Jesus spoke these words in Matthew 12:33-37(NIV), “33 Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” Kayden bore fruit that glorious day, and he did so because of the goodness that was planted in his heart by the Holy Spirit. He is a good tree that brought forth good fruit. The same should be said of every believer in Christ.
Many of us have developed a pattern of making the wrong choice when it comes to what we allow out of our mouths. We confess negativity and are profane in our conversations, and in this way, we are choosing to speak death and not life. That habit is keeping us separated from the blessing we seek. We’ve been praying for marriage but have never led another person into salvation. We’ve never witness the Word to anyone, and sometimes it is because we are ashamed of the Gospel. We say that we don’t know the Bible well enough. Well, Kayden is eight! He hasn’t read the whole Bible, but he knew enough of the Word to make a difference in someone’s life, and he was committed to speak what he knew. God holds us accountable for doing the same.
2Corinthians 5:20(NIV) says, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” This is who we are if we’ve been saved by the blood of the lamb. We’re ambassadors of Jesus Christ! This is the highest office any of us could ever hope to hold. We’re here on this earth on a mission, but if we’re blatantly honest, some of us haven’t thought of ourselves in this way. Even if we met the future spouse ten minutes from now, we would not be a witness of the Gospel in his life. Some women wouldn’t even think to prioritize the privilege of introducing him to the Lord Jesus Christ. It would be the last thing on their minds. For those women, God knows what is in their hearts. He knows that they will not bear fruit because they won’t make their commitment to Him and His Word known to the new man. They would not live out that commitment as a witness and testimony to God’s goodness before the new man’s eyes.
We have missed tons of opportunities to do what Kayden did, and some of us have simply never thought about the reality that we owe God an apology for this. He has called us out from among the world and has commanded that our lives be employed for His glory, but some of us simply haven’t heeded God’s call. We haven’t bore fruit or given Him anything significant to reward. This can be changed, and we ought to make that change a priority. Our tongue is designed by God to be an instrument of profound change. It can be a life-saving tool if we speak words of life and not death. Pray that you will never miss an opportunity to be a witness of God’s Word again. As you are moved by the Spirit, tell people about the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Demonstrate to God and all of heaven that your stand upon His Word is strong enough to lay out the welcome mat for your future spouse into the body of Christ and into your life as well.■
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“Speak Life and Not Death” written by Kim Times, edited by Fran Mack and K. Stephens for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2023. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!