Jan 23 — Reverence of Speaking God's Words Instead of Our Own

Isaiah 58:13 — … Nor speaking your own words,

This is the last phrase in a verse of Scripture.  All together it goes: “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the Lord honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words.”  Speaking my own words dishonours the Lord.  Speaking my own words reveals the heart of a man, not the heart of God.  If I’m not careful, I can prophesy what is in my heart and not God’s.  There are times where someone is speaking the words of God but then their own heart/desires/flesh get involved and man’s words are added to God’s.  This actually corrupts or confuses what God is saying.  His words are holy and to be treated as such.

God does not want me to simply speak His words during a church service; He wants me as His ambassador at all times everywhere I go.  He wants me to be in tune with His heart and mind at all times.  I cannot assume that I am thinking His thoughts.  His thoughts are so high that I can only receive them as revelation.  I should not assume human logic and wisdom equates with God’s.  Grace is supposed to be imparted to people who hear me speak.  What I say is supposed to build people up in their most holy faith.

I desire the increase of God’s presence in my life and that of our church.  That increase in presence will bring with it an increase in pressure.  The increase in pressure will squeeze out everything that is in my heart.  I can hold off the things in my heart to appear better before others but that can only be done for so long, or a sudden increase in pressure due to circumstance can bring it out.  God promised me a new heart.  I have the Spirit of God living in me.  He’s cleaning out His temple at the deepest places so that any pressure might squeeze Him out my mouth and into the lives of others.

Lord, I want to speak Your words at all times.  I thank You for the opportunity to change.  You are offering a new mouth with my new heart.  Let me not make excuses for the things I say that do not reflect your knowledge, wisdom and heart.  I am Your ambassador, conveying the Kingdom of God to the kingdoms of this world.

[Also meditate on: Ps. 139:17-18; Prov. 16:23; Is. 55; Mt. 12:33-37; 1 Cor. 2:6-16; 2 Cor. 5:12-21; Eph. 4:25-32; Jude 16-22]