Day 129: Mixed Messages: Sharing Our Faith Without Fear
Read: Matthew 10:24 - 28
Mixed messages - what a big pain in the butt! No matter where we are,
no matter who we are, we are ceaselessly bombarded by mixed messages.
Sometimes they will seem to be a purposeful display of misdirection
while other times they are simply a misunderstanding or poorly
communicated message, or misheard by the recipient. Mixed messages means
that someone is getting different opinions or answers from the same
source. It can mean someone is confused by what they are trying hard to
understand from someone else. For instance, someone is unsure of
something can send mixed messages to another person because they've not
yet made up their mind. What message am I sharing?
Mixed messages are a problem and in the
life of the disciple it can be a scary world as Satan sends us mixed
messages about fear. One of my Mother's favorite sayings was "The only
thing to fear is fear itself!" So, what about that? What do you believe?
As a child that phrase never really made much sense - fear Fear??
Seemed like the ultimate mixed message to me and I thought it strange
that she would tell me that for now not only was I was afraid of the
dark until Mom turned on the light and the truth of the dark was
revealed but now I would always have reason to be afraid. Life would be
governed by the prospect of always and forever living in fear of fear
itself. What kind of message am I sharing now?
Looking at our Scripture passage (27,28) we read: Jesus
said, "What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what
you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. 28 Do not
fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather
fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." There are
things here that immediately grab your attention. Share your faith at
the risk of your own life or ELSE! You may die for it but that is okay?
Really, since when? Since God has got your back for all eternity? Hmm,
let me think about that one in the here and now while I am still quite
comfortable living with it intact thank you very much!! What mixed message does this communicate?
Now
that is the ultimate mixed message! Excuse me, but should I now be
afraid of everybody who looks at me because they can sense or already
know I am Christian? Seems like a pretty significant barrier to me
knowing rationally or irrationally that if I open my mouth for the sake
of Jesus Christ, then meet Jesus face to face? Looking at the context of
this passage in which it was written, there was a very real threat in
the first century church when those Christians shared their faith. If
they opened their mouths to profess Jesus it was a very real possibility
that a sword would cleave their heart. My question to each of us is this: what mixed messages
are we sending out about sharing our own faith?
Let Us Pray: O
Christ Jesus, when we are assailed by the mixed messages of this world,
when all we see around us is darkness at the end of the tunnel, and You
tell us to look toward the light at the end. When we feel our weakness
and helplessness and You tell us that the joy of the Lord should be our
strength, give us the sense of Your presence, Your love, and Your
strength. Help us to have perfect trust in Your one true message
that is found in Your all - protecting love and strengthening power, so
that nothing may frighten or worry us, for, living close to You, we shall
see Your hand, Your purpose, Your will through all things in the name of the Father, and of The Son, and of The Holy Spirit. Amen
Read: Matthew 10:24 - 28
Mixed messages - what a big pain in the butt! No matter where we are, no matter who we are, we are ceaselessly bombarded by mixed messages. Sometimes they will seem to be a purposeful display of misdirection while other times they are simply a misunderstanding or poorly communicated message, or misheard by the recipient. Mixed messages means that someone is getting different opinions or answers from the same source. It can mean someone is confused by what they are trying hard to understand from someone else. For instance, someone is unsure of something can send mixed messages to another person because they've not yet made up their mind. What message am I sharing?
Mixed messages are a problem and in the life of the disciple it can be a scary world as Satan sends us mixed messages about fear. One of my Mother's favorite sayings was "The only thing to fear is fear itself!" So, what about that? What do you believe? As a child that phrase never really made much sense - fear Fear?? Seemed like the ultimate mixed message to me and I thought it strange that she would tell me that for now not only was I was afraid of the dark until Mom turned on the light and the truth of the dark was revealed but now I would always have reason to be afraid. Life would be governed by the prospect of always and forever living in fear of fear itself. What kind of message am I sharing now?
Looking at our Scripture passage (27,28) we read: Jesus said, "What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. 28 Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." There are things here that immediately grab your attention. Share your faith at the risk of your own life or ELSE! You may die for it but that is okay? Really, since when? Since God has got your back for all eternity? Hmm, let me think about that one in the here and now while I am still quite comfortable living with it intact thank you very much!! What mixed message does this communicate?
Now that is the ultimate mixed message! Excuse me, but should I now be afraid of everybody who looks at me because they can sense or already know I am Christian? Seems like a pretty significant barrier to me knowing rationally or irrationally that if I open my mouth for the sake of Jesus Christ, then meet Jesus face to face? Looking at the context of this passage in which it was written, there was a very real threat in the first century church when those Christians shared their faith. If they opened their mouths to profess Jesus it was a very real possibility that a sword would cleave their heart. My question to each of us is this: what mixed messages are we sending out about sharing our own faith?
Let Us Pray: O Christ Jesus, when we are assailed by the mixed messages of this world, when all we see around us is darkness at the end of the tunnel, and You tell us to look toward the light at the end. When we feel our weakness and helplessness and You tell us that the joy of the Lord should be our strength, give us the sense of Your presence, Your love, and Your strength. Help us to have perfect trust in Your one true message that is found in Your all - protecting love and strengthening power, so that nothing may frighten or worry us, for, living close to You, we shall see Your hand, Your purpose, Your will through all things in the name of the Father, and of The Son, and of The Holy Spirit. Amen
Overcome- Desperation Band
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Just
telling of the goodness, faithfulness, power, authority, and steadfast
love of Jesus Christ in our lives. He has brought restoration to our
brokenness
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