I am
revisiting a post I shared a couple years ago.
There is a reason for sharing this again. One of the spiritual gifts that I shared with
our church last Sunday was prophecy. I
believe that many people have this gift, but it is often misunderstood. It is not about telling the future, or
reading someone’s palm, or using cards or a crystal ball. This prophecy is about speaking the truth of
God with conviction and compassion.
God
has called us to speak the truth in love, and speaking the truth is not always
easy. To have tough conversations with
people means that we have to take some risks and step in directions that might
be stressful or even painful.
Are we
willing to help the people we care about grow?
If the answer is yes, then we ought to be willing to speak up. Often this has to do with a person’s future
and the hope that God has given them.
One of
my favorite things to do is to speak in to someone’s life. Even this week I have had the opportunity to
share with some people close to our church who are going through difficult
situations, and realizing that we are children of God, that we are blessed and
have a great future ahead of us. Too
many people, even myself at times, lives and acts like we have no potential at
all. That is a lie. We all have potential. Realizing that we have potential and what
that potential might be is amazing, invigorating, and makes a difference. Knowing and seizing our spiritual gifts is a
great place to start.
Now I
will move on the post I first shared in 2009.
I believe God will use these words to help us speak in to the lives of
people around us as we seek to share God’s love! ---
Great conversations are
not taught, and they are often tough. No one is good at
confrontation. In fact the number one reason for divorce is a lack of
communication. It is tough to speak the truth in love in some situations.
How do we deal with
difficult times and people around us and dealing proactively with
conflict? Love always takes courage. Love is not always easy.
1 Corinthians 13:6b (NASB)
(LOVE)
rejoices in the truth
Love is awesome. But
do we really understand love and what it is to love someone else? It
isn't easy. Love doesn't get excited about the wrong things. It
lifts the right situations and the right actions.
Ephesians 4:15
(NLT)
Instead,
we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way
more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.
Notice what happens when
you speak the truth in love. Growth happens. Like a baby has to
grow up. You want them to begin speaking. But when that baby
becomes a teenager your prayer or your question may be when will they shut
up. Fact is what comes out of our mouths says we are either mature or
immature. So which is it for you?
Good relationships are not
shallow, and these relationships take work. They often are tough.
How willing are we to deal with the truth? When we are not willing to
deal with situations, we leave our relationships are the superficial
level. That's where growth and intimacy can't happen. Ask: are we
really communicating?
Do we
want to take our relationships to the next level? Are we willing to do what
it takes to move from the surface level to levels of the heart? Answer
those questions.
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