Post by tomdurst on Nov 24, 2009 18:29:57 GMT -5
A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH
By Thomas E. Durst
By Thomas E. Durst
Proverbs 18:21 (New Living Translation)
21 The tongue can bring death or life;
those who love to talk will reap the consequences.
Proverbs 18:21 (The Message)
21 Words kill, words give life;
they're either poison or fruit—you choose.
I frequently hear conversations where people are dwelling on negative things such as the disasters and woes of this earth, their sicknesses and infirmities, their lack of ability to remember things, all the things they can't do, etc. In addition to this there is a tendency to criticize and judge others. Many conversations degenerate into gossip and destructive evil-speaking. All of these things are little forms of death and should be seen in that light.
Negative talk brings death and works against our total well-being--physical, mental, emotional, and social. Who wants to be around a person who is continually dwelling upon the negative? I avoid such folks as much as possible in order to protect my own health and sanity. I refuse to get drawn into their negativity and respond either by silently non-participating or at times I feel led to briefly point out why I choose not to participate. I seek to do this in a way which is not offensive but yet may plant a seed thought that life has better things for us than this.
Sick words and thoughts bring sickness to mind, body, and spirit as well as broken relationships. In my practice of holistic health care I've seen again and again how negatively oriented people feed their ailments and yet they tenaciously hang on to their destructive thought patterns. I've seen people get very offended when I suggested to them that in order to get well they had to turn their thoughts into positive channels. They would rather try some physical remedy than make substantial changes in their thinking.
Human will-power alone is not sufficient to really be victorious over all the forms of evil that seek to enter our lives. The words of Jesus say it all:
John 15:5 (New King James Version)
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."
We need to remain in intimate fellowship with our Savior Who understands all of our weaknesses and problems. His words "apart from me you can do nothing" are so simple and so true. We need to realize our human condition of weakness and that we cannot save ourselves or lift ourselves up by own bootstraps. As we depend upon Jesus daily and spend time in fellowship with Him through prayer and dwelling upon His Word we become strong to face all of the attacks of the enemy of souls often referred to as the old Devil and Satan.
I believe that the following inspired words are one of the best prescriptions that we can find anywhere if we want health, healing, and life:
Philippians 4:8-9 (The Message)
Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious, the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
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