THE HEARING OF THE WORD: THE NEED TO BE QUICK TO HEAR AND SLOW TO SPEAK!
“Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be QUICK TO HEAR [be a careful, thoughtful listener], SLOW TO SPEAK [a speaker of carefully CHOSEN WORDS and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving]” James 1:19 [17-25] /Amplified.
In a world today experiencing unimaginable misinformation, adulteration, falsehoods, and misdirection from the truth, it’s a wake-up call to every gatekeeper of the truth, to wake up with the truth than being a spectator with a nonchalant attitude until the depraved state becomes irreparable.
Only by hearing and speaking forth the word of truth can we fiercely confront and steadfastly resist the menace and garbage around us, before what’s called “alternative truth” – which is just misinformation, adulteration and falsehoods takes over.
We can’t just be observers while disrupted minds affect and tear down the foundation of our human values and dignity. We need to step up and safeguard the wellbeing of individuals, families, communities, societies – everything.
In a proximity near you, you see and observe the gradual decay in some leaders and their followers, in Churches, governments, Communities, Businesses – right in front of you. You don’t need anyone to wake you up; be intentional and pragmatic about it, or you will become a prey to the consequences.
And worse still, is the temptation to play it safe and not step up. Instead, we should be partakers, channels, carriers, and heralds of the truth – stopping the toxicity and toxic misinformation spreading like cancer in our worlds. Let’s live godly in the grace, for the good of self and all.
We need to FLEE from every appearance of misinformation, adulteration and falsehoods fashioning around us. Being RESOLVED to be the change, the default, that’s what our messed-up world needs – away from the evils and wickedness caused by fashionable falsehoods, misinformation, disinformation and adulteration.
“But TEST ALL THINGS carefully [so you can recognize what is good]. HOLD FIRMLY to that which is good. 22 ABSTAIN FROM EVERY FORM OF EVIL [withdraw and keep away from it]” 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22/Amplified.
The Holy writ is giving you and I the charge in the Bible book of James 1: 19 of the need to be QUICK TO HEAR, meaning to be a careful, thoughtful listener and to be SLOW TO SPEAK. Meaning a speaker of carefully chosen words, otherwise you will become a part of those heralding the fashionable lies of today, that have created, resulted and generated evil and wickedness in our world today. Don’t you see the fears, deceptions and mistrust around you?
Looking closely within your family, community and society around you, you will see the evils, wickedness and destructions that are emanating and resulting because of the falsehoods, misinformation, and adulteration that’s at a swift spread. And in many cases, it has wrecked families and communities, and has destroyed the fabric of trust, honesty, decency and truth that was the strength and anchor for a very healthy living environment we all hold dearly and healthily.
And with this age of social media and content creation for the purpose of getting views to monetisation, you don’t need anyone to tell or inform you of the diversity, gravity and heaviness of the lies and perversion that have grown around us and our world; and these uncontrollable dissimilation of falsehoods and lies have filled the media space, and the average Christian is being deceived, leading to relationship breakdown, family issues, business mistrust, Church distrust, unstable governance – and it becomes the order of the day.
“For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall DECEIVE many. 6 And ye shall HEAR OF WARS AND RUMOURS OF WARS: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7. For NATION SHALL RISE AGAINST NATION, and KINGDOM AGAINST KINGDOM: and there shall be FAMINES, and PESTILENCES, and EARTHQUAKES, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall KILL you: and ye shall be HATED of all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because INIQUITY SHALL ABOUND, THE LOVE OF MANY SHALL WAX COLD. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this GOSPEL of the kingdom shall be PREACHED in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come . . . 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall DECEIVE THE VERY ELECT” Matthew 24:5-14, 24 KJV.
I just want you to know and understand that, in the midst of these deprave state of our worlds and society, God’s expectation for the Believers of God in Christ Jesus, is to be SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE. To herald the GOSPEL GOOD NEWS that transforms and not to be entangled with what you have no personal revelation of God about it that can lead you or your HEARERS to a place of godly transformation. Only the hearing from God of His word that brings about the information that’s transformative for the good and goodness of all. And this is only possible when you are resolved and determined, to ensure that your default in the grace is to be THE HEARING OF THE WORD, in order to fashion and define you in doing life and living godly in the grace. And this happens when you INTENTIONALLY RESOLVE to be “QUICK TO HEAR” AND “SLOW TO SPEAK FORTH”, knowing that words matter, and the effects matter and have consequences. For speaking forth, good and goodness come by hearing healthily. IT’S TIME TO HERALD THE GOOD BY HEARING THE GOOD IN LOVE FOR YOU AND OTHERS BY THE WORD OF GOD.
“But, SPEAKING [HERALDING] THE TRUTH IN LOVE, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the EDIFYING of itself in love” Ephesians 4:15-16/NKJV.
“My son, GIVE ATTENTION TO MY WORDS; INCLINE YOUR EAR TO MY SAYINGS. 21. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; 22 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. 23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life” Proverbs 4:20-23/NKJV.
It’s time beloved of God in Christ Jesus to become a DOER OF THE WORD by HEARING THE WORD that can make a difference in you and through you to give hope to your world and our world of doing life and living godly in the grace. You must resolve to hear rightly and healthily for you to do life without compromise, sentiments, prejudice, and dissimulation. That’s how to keep at bay evil, wickedness and deception from you and those around you.
“Therefore LAY ASIDE ALL filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the IMPLANTED WORD, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be DOERS OF THE WORD, and NOT HEARERS ONLY, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a DOER of the work, this one will be BLESSED in what he does” James 1:21-25/NKJV.
Today, be resolved, be intentional and pragmatic to be SWIFT, that’s to be QUICK to hear, QUICK to perceive, QUICK to understand by being smart, clever, sensitive, alert, vigilant, alive, actively engaged and engaging to decipher and filter lies, misinformation, adulteration and falsehoods in order to herald the truth that can set you and your audience free from the cancerous monsters that’s destroying our world with warmongers in our families, communities, societies and world’s today.
Resolve to HERALD what builds for the good of all and not what destroys others because of gains, selfishness, greed and covetousness resulting to wickedness and evil that breakdown families, communities, societies and the world around us.
SELAH – PAUSE! THINK!
SCRIPTURAL THOUGHTS WORTH PONDERING IN CONTEXT:
“But the PATH OF THE JUST is as the SHINING LIGHT, that SHINETH MORE and MORE unto the PERFECT (DAWN) DAY. 19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. 20 My son, ATTEND to my words; INCLINE thine EAR unto my SAYINGS. 21. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the MIDST of thine HEART. 22. For they are LIFE unto those that find them, and HEALTH to all their flesh. 23. Keep thy HEART with all DILIGENCE; for out of it are the ISSUES OF LIFE” Proverbs 4:18-23 (Emphasis Mine).
“But as it is WRITTEN, EYE hath not SEEN, nor EAR HEARD, neither have ENTERED into the HEART of man, the things which God hath PREPARED for them that love him. 10 But God hath REVEALED them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit SEARCHETH all things, yea, the deep things of God” 1 Corinthians 2:9-10.
“For THE WORD of God is QUICK, and POWERFUL, and SHARPER than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the DIVIDING asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do” Hebrews 4:12-13.
“We having the SAME spirit of FAITH, according as it is WRITTEN, I BELIEVED, and therefore have I SPOKEN; we also BELIEVE, and therefore SPEAK” 2 Corinthians 4:13.
REV. CHUKIE MORSI