Wrap Your Word around my face, that I may feel your embrace,
Blind me with the light of your law, that I may gaze in awe,
Do not forget me O Lord, when you cast me into the wilderness.
As I enter unknown land, may I learn to make a stand,
And the ecstasy of Your glory once touched, now become too much (or not enough),
Remember me O Lord, when you find me in the wilderness.
And as I ascribe all that I have to you, I would but glow a brighter hue,
Not me, but you inside, that I may be prepared a spotless bride.
Send me a messenger O Lord, when you see me in this wilderness.
Lord, let my words be few, but let the impact be great. I don't want to name that I'm alive if I'm dead on the inside. If all I am is words - they will be forgotten. If all I do is speak - it's echoes will fall to dust. I don't want a voice. I want to BE the voice. That I might die entirely, every day, willingly enter into the place of that wilderness where God can take hold of me and speak through me and dwell in me. That I may be open to the Lord sending me a messenger who would tell me what I am living for - for one moment, and seeing it fulfilled. That I absolutely WILL NOT give the enemy any ground, and will not turn rocks into bread - but would wait for the angelic food that is to come. That in the latter days when all is ground to dust and trials and tribulations break loose on this earth - I will have the KEY, the manual, the guideline - to living out the second book of Acts.
I am not the prophet of old you look for. I am not the messiah you're seeking after. I'm the voice of the one crying out in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord.
I am a forerunner. One of many. One of few. And I choose to eat the scroll.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Innocent Blood (An Open Letter to ALL who Vote)
In the past few weeks, I've heard people discussing abortion, and many other issues in America. To my surprise, I've discovered that many people are voting based upon other issues that they think are more important than the issue of abortion. I found it absolutely shocking the lack of knowledge that people have, within Christendom, about the shedding of innocent blood, and how it affects every other issue in the nation. Most of this blog was written in response to another blog posted by a friend of mine (after seeing the amazingly uninformed responses to it - from both sides), but it has been edited and turned into an open letter to anyone and everyone who believes that they should sacrifice the vote of LIFE for "more important" issues.
Most people who oppose the abolishing of abortion, or even agree with it but don't find it a pressing issue (or think other issues are more important), will first justify their opinion by stereotyping everyone who is absolutely against abortion by assuming that they just have a political agenda or are apathetic in their opinions (don't actually do anything about it). Many of their opinions are being expressed with the predisposition that those who are against abortion aren't doing anything about it, and don't care about every other pressing issue in society today. As one of many forerunners in the spirit of John the Baptist, crying out in the wilderness for justice in the nations and the return of Jesus Christ, I humbly disagree.
In my own life, the Lord has burdened my heart for justice in every avenue. I’ve been constantly burdened with the issues of sexual slavery in human trafficking, the oppression of peoples in different nations (Tibet and China, for example), innocent bloodshed and massive holocausts, wars and rumors of wars, and many other present issues – and as an intercessory missionary, it is my career and privilege to stand in the International House of Prayer day and night, and pray for the Lord’s justice in the nations concerning these matters. I believe that prayer is the single most important thing that will resolve these problems - and though I'm sure I'll have many shouts of agreement, the sad fact is almost no one prays for these issues in their personal time with God, or even corporately! Just as bad, they don't even research it for themselves and get the excruciating facts of the present day and age we live in and what's really going on! This is why so many people go astray - finding themselves caught up in humanism (which, although pursues the helping of human-brethren and the bettering of people, is completely absent from God and His Law - i.e. Tower of Babel).
I want to cover the other issues besides abortion before I get into the key issue of America - just so that there's no room for anyone to say that other issues aren't being taken care of or are unimportant: There is an underground prayer movement going on all across the earth, and your local news channel isn't covering it. There are thousands of people that have a burden for the oppressed people of the world - in every single avenue. People are praying for the nations of the world, and crying out for justice in the midst of peril. Teams of people actually going out to rescue human traffic victims and pursue justice in the nations. People are praying for the oppressed, and missionaries are being sent to those nations. Food is being provided. Even from here at IHOP–KC, we have been sending out people, and praying constantly. One absolutely cannot assume that everybody who is against abortion doesn't care about everything else, and just throw them in the same stereotypical bucket, dubbing it "the Republican Party". I am neither a Republican or a Democrat, or even an Independent. I am a Totalitarian—because God is giving the kingdoms of this world to His Son, Jesus Christ, and every nation will be turned over to Him, whether they like it or not. He is the ruler of this World and the only Just King throughout all of history. Neither candidate of this current election is going to fulfill all that they promise. Neither is righteous by any means, nor will either have just reasons for many of their actions if given the position as leader of this nation. Rather than looking at all of the things a candidate promises – all of the changes they plan on making to improve the nation and be the best president this nation has every seen, etc, etc – one must look at the heart issues – the moral issues – the issues that are on God’s heart. And that’s what brings me to my next point.
I want to go into the issue of innocent blood and the reason I will vote solely based upon the issue of abortion. Although abortion is not the only problem going on in our nation, it is the most important right now. God counts the shedding of innocent blood as one of the most vile, evil things a man can do, and a nation will be judged for it. In 2 Samuel 21, the Lord sent a famine for three years throughout the land of Israel because there was innocent bloodshed in Saul’s day, because he slaughtered the Gibeonites. David had to kill the sons of Rizpah and of Merab on the mountain before the Lord in order to appease His anger (immediately following was the first harvest of the year). In Deuteronomy 21, even unsolved murders are so questionable, that they have to measure the distance to every surrounding city of a dead person, and the nearest city has to atone for it with a sacrifice, lest the Lord burn with rage against the nation because of innocent blood. In Psalm 106, the Psalmist writes of the time of Moses, and how the peoples mixed with the nations, served their idols, and sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons, pouring out innocent blood and becoming unclean. This invoked the anger of the Lord and He handed them to the fiercest nations as judgment. Even in the New Testament, Judas throws the thirty pieces of silver back at the priests and proclaims that he has betrayed innocent blood. There are many more scripture references in the Bible pertaining to the issue of innocent blood (Prov. 6:17, Numbers 35:33, Duet. 21:8-9, Ps. 106:35-38, Matthew 27:4, Joel 3:19-21, Jer. 7:5-7, Lam 4:13, Duet 27:25, and more). If abortion is not abolished, judgment will come to America, and war will invade its shores. No one should think that America is different or greater than any other nation throughout history. Babylon was greater than any other nation of its time, and its downfall was swift and strong; it came about like a thief in the night. Even before Babylon, Israel was great and prosperous – but Jeremiah cried out for years while the people falsely prophesied peace and safety. Then it happened in a single unsuspecting day when Babylon invaded and tore down and consumed everything in the land. We must have the wisdom of Daniel in this day and age to listen to the words of the Lord and of His appointed people, and be prepared lest we are lost on that day. This is why abortion is such a pressing issue and why it’s so important right now. It’s not because of some political agenda – it’s because of the law of God. It’s the whole mentality of 2 Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” If we overturn abortion, the Lord will have mercy on our nation – and although I agree that to fully end abortion, there must be revelation at the heart level, the nation as a whole will be in right standing with God because it’s laws will be His laws, and He won’t send judgment to the land because of abortion.
I want to also remind people that this issue isn’t hidden from the Lord. It’s not like He doesn’t know about this, and that His heart isn’t burning a million times more than ours are for the unborn children, the poverty-stricken people of the earth, the women and children sold into sexual slavery every day, the oppressed people of many nations by other nations. He has everything figured out in every situation. Abortion is one (huge) part of this, and if Roe v. Wade is turned upside down (which I personally believe it will be), it’s not going to be easy, and it doesn’t just stop there. We must be prepared in this situation to raise these children in the coming times of trouble, and teach them the ways of the Lord. But, I urge you to really stop and think about that. We have the opportunity as a Christian people to raise these children in Godly homes – that they may serve the Lord from birth! That is simply amazing. I question the salvation of anyone who counts that as strife - it is the very message of the gospel. And, in the midst of this, we must not forget the other pressing issues on God’s heart. But, just because we’re dealing with one doesn’t mean we’re forgetting another (they all must be dealt with). However, I guarantee you that if abortion is abolished, we will be on the right track. Just as one example of many, the Lord has placed on Mike Bickle (and another leader here at IHOP–KC - Derek Loux) a Word to raise up a Justice Orphanage Center here in the next few years, where we will be taking in children that are brought into the nation through human trafficking and have no future, as well as children rescued from abortion and ones thrown away by their parents for other various issues. These children will be raised in the house of prayer, and actually learn to play instruments and eventually fuel the prayer movement through prophetic music and prayer, until the return of the Lord. I believe the Lord will place burdens like this one on organizations and people and families all across the nation and world in the coming days and years – as we partner with God to fulfill the coming of His Kingdom here on earth.
To end (and probably offend many people's mindsets): If you vote for anyone who is against LIFE and believes in the freedom of choice of killing innocent lives (even if your reason for voting for them is for other issues), you are responsible and will be held accountable on that day before the Lord. We need to take our membership card to the "Yeah, the Bible says, BUT" club and rip it up in shreds. The Word of God is final. Period. What will you respond with to God when He asks why you were silent during an unprecedented holocaust of 50 million of His children being brutally murdered? Your hands will be dripping with blood.
"You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it." - Numbers 35:33
Most people who oppose the abolishing of abortion, or even agree with it but don't find it a pressing issue (or think other issues are more important), will first justify their opinion by stereotyping everyone who is absolutely against abortion by assuming that they just have a political agenda or are apathetic in their opinions (don't actually do anything about it). Many of their opinions are being expressed with the predisposition that those who are against abortion aren't doing anything about it, and don't care about every other pressing issue in society today. As one of many forerunners in the spirit of John the Baptist, crying out in the wilderness for justice in the nations and the return of Jesus Christ, I humbly disagree.
In my own life, the Lord has burdened my heart for justice in every avenue. I’ve been constantly burdened with the issues of sexual slavery in human trafficking, the oppression of peoples in different nations (Tibet and China, for example), innocent bloodshed and massive holocausts, wars and rumors of wars, and many other present issues – and as an intercessory missionary, it is my career and privilege to stand in the International House of Prayer day and night, and pray for the Lord’s justice in the nations concerning these matters. I believe that prayer is the single most important thing that will resolve these problems - and though I'm sure I'll have many shouts of agreement, the sad fact is almost no one prays for these issues in their personal time with God, or even corporately! Just as bad, they don't even research it for themselves and get the excruciating facts of the present day and age we live in and what's really going on! This is why so many people go astray - finding themselves caught up in humanism (which, although pursues the helping of human-brethren and the bettering of people, is completely absent from God and His Law - i.e. Tower of Babel).
I want to cover the other issues besides abortion before I get into the key issue of America - just so that there's no room for anyone to say that other issues aren't being taken care of or are unimportant: There is an underground prayer movement going on all across the earth, and your local news channel isn't covering it. There are thousands of people that have a burden for the oppressed people of the world - in every single avenue. People are praying for the nations of the world, and crying out for justice in the midst of peril. Teams of people actually going out to rescue human traffic victims and pursue justice in the nations. People are praying for the oppressed, and missionaries are being sent to those nations. Food is being provided. Even from here at IHOP–KC, we have been sending out people, and praying constantly. One absolutely cannot assume that everybody who is against abortion doesn't care about everything else, and just throw them in the same stereotypical bucket, dubbing it "the Republican Party". I am neither a Republican or a Democrat, or even an Independent. I am a Totalitarian—because God is giving the kingdoms of this world to His Son, Jesus Christ, and every nation will be turned over to Him, whether they like it or not. He is the ruler of this World and the only Just King throughout all of history. Neither candidate of this current election is going to fulfill all that they promise. Neither is righteous by any means, nor will either have just reasons for many of their actions if given the position as leader of this nation. Rather than looking at all of the things a candidate promises – all of the changes they plan on making to improve the nation and be the best president this nation has every seen, etc, etc – one must look at the heart issues – the moral issues – the issues that are on God’s heart. And that’s what brings me to my next point.
I want to go into the issue of innocent blood and the reason I will vote solely based upon the issue of abortion. Although abortion is not the only problem going on in our nation, it is the most important right now. God counts the shedding of innocent blood as one of the most vile, evil things a man can do, and a nation will be judged for it. In 2 Samuel 21, the Lord sent a famine for three years throughout the land of Israel because there was innocent bloodshed in Saul’s day, because he slaughtered the Gibeonites. David had to kill the sons of Rizpah and of Merab on the mountain before the Lord in order to appease His anger (immediately following was the first harvest of the year). In Deuteronomy 21, even unsolved murders are so questionable, that they have to measure the distance to every surrounding city of a dead person, and the nearest city has to atone for it with a sacrifice, lest the Lord burn with rage against the nation because of innocent blood. In Psalm 106, the Psalmist writes of the time of Moses, and how the peoples mixed with the nations, served their idols, and sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons, pouring out innocent blood and becoming unclean. This invoked the anger of the Lord and He handed them to the fiercest nations as judgment. Even in the New Testament, Judas throws the thirty pieces of silver back at the priests and proclaims that he has betrayed innocent blood. There are many more scripture references in the Bible pertaining to the issue of innocent blood (Prov. 6:17, Numbers 35:33, Duet. 21:8-9, Ps. 106:35-38, Matthew 27:4, Joel 3:19-21, Jer. 7:5-7, Lam 4:13, Duet 27:25, and more). If abortion is not abolished, judgment will come to America, and war will invade its shores. No one should think that America is different or greater than any other nation throughout history. Babylon was greater than any other nation of its time, and its downfall was swift and strong; it came about like a thief in the night. Even before Babylon, Israel was great and prosperous – but Jeremiah cried out for years while the people falsely prophesied peace and safety. Then it happened in a single unsuspecting day when Babylon invaded and tore down and consumed everything in the land. We must have the wisdom of Daniel in this day and age to listen to the words of the Lord and of His appointed people, and be prepared lest we are lost on that day. This is why abortion is such a pressing issue and why it’s so important right now. It’s not because of some political agenda – it’s because of the law of God. It’s the whole mentality of 2 Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” If we overturn abortion, the Lord will have mercy on our nation – and although I agree that to fully end abortion, there must be revelation at the heart level, the nation as a whole will be in right standing with God because it’s laws will be His laws, and He won’t send judgment to the land because of abortion.
I want to also remind people that this issue isn’t hidden from the Lord. It’s not like He doesn’t know about this, and that His heart isn’t burning a million times more than ours are for the unborn children, the poverty-stricken people of the earth, the women and children sold into sexual slavery every day, the oppressed people of many nations by other nations. He has everything figured out in every situation. Abortion is one (huge) part of this, and if Roe v. Wade is turned upside down (which I personally believe it will be), it’s not going to be easy, and it doesn’t just stop there. We must be prepared in this situation to raise these children in the coming times of trouble, and teach them the ways of the Lord. But, I urge you to really stop and think about that. We have the opportunity as a Christian people to raise these children in Godly homes – that they may serve the Lord from birth! That is simply amazing. I question the salvation of anyone who counts that as strife - it is the very message of the gospel. And, in the midst of this, we must not forget the other pressing issues on God’s heart. But, just because we’re dealing with one doesn’t mean we’re forgetting another (they all must be dealt with). However, I guarantee you that if abortion is abolished, we will be on the right track. Just as one example of many, the Lord has placed on Mike Bickle (and another leader here at IHOP–KC - Derek Loux) a Word to raise up a Justice Orphanage Center here in the next few years, where we will be taking in children that are brought into the nation through human trafficking and have no future, as well as children rescued from abortion and ones thrown away by their parents for other various issues. These children will be raised in the house of prayer, and actually learn to play instruments and eventually fuel the prayer movement through prophetic music and prayer, until the return of the Lord. I believe the Lord will place burdens like this one on organizations and people and families all across the nation and world in the coming days and years – as we partner with God to fulfill the coming of His Kingdom here on earth.
To end (and probably offend many people's mindsets): If you vote for anyone who is against LIFE and believes in the freedom of choice of killing innocent lives (even if your reason for voting for them is for other issues), you are responsible and will be held accountable on that day before the Lord. We need to take our membership card to the "Yeah, the Bible says, BUT" club and rip it up in shreds. The Word of God is final. Period. What will you respond with to God when He asks why you were silent during an unprecedented holocaust of 50 million of His children being brutally murdered? Your hands will be dripping with blood.
"You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it." - Numbers 35:33
Sunday, October 5, 2008
A Roaring Silence
“We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls.” - Mother Teresa
Recently, I've come to discover a fast more trying and hard than fasting food - and in some ways, more rewarding. Currently, the Lord has called me to a 7 day speech fast. I've never done a speech fast for more than a day before, and even then horribly messed it up, so this is definitely a new thing for me. As I'm writing this, I am in the middle of day 6. I didn't create this blog to toot my own horn, I created this as a resource for people wondering about speech fasts, and what the point of them is, and whether or not it's a Biblical thing to do, and what the rewards therein are, as well as personal revelation that I received out of the experience.
It is interesting how much idle talk one can find in himself when he actually ceases to speak. For the past few days, I have secluded myself in the form of speech to God alone. I have found this a very difficult thing to do, as pretty much everything around me is screaming out words, words, words. Our entire world is centered around noise. Babble, talk, what-have-you. It is no wonder so many people have such a hard time connecting to God - they don't give Him time to speak back to them. They're (I'm including myself in this) too busy talking about everything and anything, whether it's corrupted speech or pure.
It's amazing how much judgment, strife, anxiety, anger, and sin is born out of simple talk. Conversations seem to be centered around the glorifying of oneself, or another, or the anti-glorification of each. I have noticed this in myself all too much in the past few days - so much so that it absolutely disgusts me. I find myself in conversations that I want to pipe up and include myself in, only afterward seeing how pointless it would have been, or even harmful, if I had actually included myself in the conversation. I've found my hearing more tuned since I cannot speak - and I actually pay attention to the words that most others speak, and more times than not they are rash, rude, and have self-seeking intentions. And it's nothing against those people, because I find it just as much in my own speech now that I've quieted myself down for a little while. So much strife and pain can be instantly stilled by simple silence.
I find it no wonder that the desert fathers were so close to God - they understood the virtue of silence, and even praised it as the safest way to God and salvation:
"I have often repented of having spoken, but never of having remained silent." - Arsenius
The Desert Fathers found three things that were most meaningful in finding God: seclusion, silence, and prayer. Out of these three things, they were able to birth much fruit-bearing ministry, and guided many people, even to this day, in the ways of salvation. The most frequent argument they found for silence is simply that words lead to sin. In the teachings of the Desert Fathers, there are three key aspects of silence that they discovered:
1. Silence makes us pilgrims.
2. Silence guards the fire within.
3. Silence teaches us to speak.
The apostle James had it well-figured out in the New Testament:
"If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless." - James 1:26
"And if one does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body." - James 3:2
That was a huge wake-up call for myself. It's not that I had never heard those scriptures before, but that they were finally able to resonate in my soul because of my silence. Just as if I put a bit in a horse's mouth and it obeys me; if I am able to control my tongue, I can control my entire body. I always wondered why so often I struggle with lust and so many other sinful desires, and though I know speech is not the only area, I've now found it to be a huge stronghold!
Here is an interesting quote I found in Henry Nouwen's book, The Way of the Heart, from a Taoist philosopher:
The purpose of a fish trap is to catch fish and when the fish are caught, the trap is forgotten. The purpose of a rabbit snare is to catch rabbits. When the rabbits are caught, the snare is forgotten. The purpose of the word is to convey ideas. When the ideas are grasped, the words are forgotten. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words? He is the one I would like to talk to.
I've been looking for scriptures that talk about speech, the bridling of the tongue and otherwise, and I found the most results to be in King Solomon's teachings. This is no surprise, as one would assume that the wisest man to ever live would have the tongue well figured out. I tried searching on the internet for a resource of scriptures pertaining to speech fasting, and I couldn't find any, so I also made this list (at the bottom of this blog) as an open resource for people. I thank Jesus for teaching me the ways of silence, Henry Nouwen for his wonderful book, The Way of the Heart, and Solomon and James, for their wisdom.
Lastly, I want to encourage anyone and everyone to challenge themselves in their speech. It is evident to me that if you don't actually do something, like silencing yourself for a specific period of time, then you cannot change the way you talk. Think about it, you've been talking for your entire life, even making noises as a baby. Talking goes without even thinking half of the time - until you actually stop the noisy flow coming from your mouth. A speech fast can be done anywhere and everywhere - trust me, even my position requires me to talk to people. I'm a designer, and have to talk to clients about my work, and what they want, and get advice from my superiors, etc. You can still talk - just keep it work-related only. Every other form of speech can be silenced, and you only talk when you know it's absolutely necessary. Trust me, it's worth it. Half the time I've been in this fast, it felt like I was even fasting food, although I wasn't - I reaped the same rewards, and even more.
I think, for the first time, I actually know how to speak.
Jarrod
Psalm 39:1 - "I will keep a muzzle on my mouth... I will watch how I behave and not let my tongue lead me into sin."
Ecclesiastes 3:7 - "A time to keep silence, and a time to speak."
Ecclesiastes 4:6 - "Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and striving after the wind."
Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 - "To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they know not they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in Heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words... Let your mouth not lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?"
Ecclesiastes 6:11 - "The more words, the more vanity, and what is the advantage to man?"
Ecclesiastes 10:12 - "The words of a wise man's mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him."
Proverbs 2:12 - "My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your ear to understanding..."
Proverbs 4:19 - "Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you."
Proverbs 8:7 - "For my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips."
Proverbs 10:11, 13, 19 - "The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life... on the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found... When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent."
Proverbs 11:4 - "With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered."
Proverbs 13:3 - "Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips come to ruin."
Proverbs 14:3 - "By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them."
Proverbs 15:1-2 - "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly."
Proverbs 15:4 - "A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit."
Proverbs 16:32 - "Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city."
Proverbs 17:27-28 - "Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent."
Proverbs 18:7-8 - "A fool's mouth is his ruin and his lips are a snare to his soul. The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down deep."
Proverbs 18:21 - "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat of its fruits."
James 1:26 - "If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless."
James 3:2 - "And if one does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body."
Recently, I've come to discover a fast more trying and hard than fasting food - and in some ways, more rewarding. Currently, the Lord has called me to a 7 day speech fast. I've never done a speech fast for more than a day before, and even then horribly messed it up, so this is definitely a new thing for me. As I'm writing this, I am in the middle of day 6. I didn't create this blog to toot my own horn, I created this as a resource for people wondering about speech fasts, and what the point of them is, and whether or not it's a Biblical thing to do, and what the rewards therein are, as well as personal revelation that I received out of the experience.
It is interesting how much idle talk one can find in himself when he actually ceases to speak. For the past few days, I have secluded myself in the form of speech to God alone. I have found this a very difficult thing to do, as pretty much everything around me is screaming out words, words, words. Our entire world is centered around noise. Babble, talk, what-have-you. It is no wonder so many people have such a hard time connecting to God - they don't give Him time to speak back to them. They're (I'm including myself in this) too busy talking about everything and anything, whether it's corrupted speech or pure.
It's amazing how much judgment, strife, anxiety, anger, and sin is born out of simple talk. Conversations seem to be centered around the glorifying of oneself, or another, or the anti-glorification of each. I have noticed this in myself all too much in the past few days - so much so that it absolutely disgusts me. I find myself in conversations that I want to pipe up and include myself in, only afterward seeing how pointless it would have been, or even harmful, if I had actually included myself in the conversation. I've found my hearing more tuned since I cannot speak - and I actually pay attention to the words that most others speak, and more times than not they are rash, rude, and have self-seeking intentions. And it's nothing against those people, because I find it just as much in my own speech now that I've quieted myself down for a little while. So much strife and pain can be instantly stilled by simple silence.
I find it no wonder that the desert fathers were so close to God - they understood the virtue of silence, and even praised it as the safest way to God and salvation:
"I have often repented of having spoken, but never of having remained silent." - Arsenius
The Desert Fathers found three things that were most meaningful in finding God: seclusion, silence, and prayer. Out of these three things, they were able to birth much fruit-bearing ministry, and guided many people, even to this day, in the ways of salvation. The most frequent argument they found for silence is simply that words lead to sin. In the teachings of the Desert Fathers, there are three key aspects of silence that they discovered:
1. Silence makes us pilgrims.
2. Silence guards the fire within.
3. Silence teaches us to speak.
The apostle James had it well-figured out in the New Testament:
"If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless." - James 1:26
"And if one does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body." - James 3:2
That was a huge wake-up call for myself. It's not that I had never heard those scriptures before, but that they were finally able to resonate in my soul because of my silence. Just as if I put a bit in a horse's mouth and it obeys me; if I am able to control my tongue, I can control my entire body. I always wondered why so often I struggle with lust and so many other sinful desires, and though I know speech is not the only area, I've now found it to be a huge stronghold!
Here is an interesting quote I found in Henry Nouwen's book, The Way of the Heart, from a Taoist philosopher:
The purpose of a fish trap is to catch fish and when the fish are caught, the trap is forgotten. The purpose of a rabbit snare is to catch rabbits. When the rabbits are caught, the snare is forgotten. The purpose of the word is to convey ideas. When the ideas are grasped, the words are forgotten. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words? He is the one I would like to talk to.
I've been looking for scriptures that talk about speech, the bridling of the tongue and otherwise, and I found the most results to be in King Solomon's teachings. This is no surprise, as one would assume that the wisest man to ever live would have the tongue well figured out. I tried searching on the internet for a resource of scriptures pertaining to speech fasting, and I couldn't find any, so I also made this list (at the bottom of this blog) as an open resource for people. I thank Jesus for teaching me the ways of silence, Henry Nouwen for his wonderful book, The Way of the Heart, and Solomon and James, for their wisdom.
Lastly, I want to encourage anyone and everyone to challenge themselves in their speech. It is evident to me that if you don't actually do something, like silencing yourself for a specific period of time, then you cannot change the way you talk. Think about it, you've been talking for your entire life, even making noises as a baby. Talking goes without even thinking half of the time - until you actually stop the noisy flow coming from your mouth. A speech fast can be done anywhere and everywhere - trust me, even my position requires me to talk to people. I'm a designer, and have to talk to clients about my work, and what they want, and get advice from my superiors, etc. You can still talk - just keep it work-related only. Every other form of speech can be silenced, and you only talk when you know it's absolutely necessary. Trust me, it's worth it. Half the time I've been in this fast, it felt like I was even fasting food, although I wasn't - I reaped the same rewards, and even more.
I think, for the first time, I actually know how to speak.
Jarrod
Psalm 39:1 - "I will keep a muzzle on my mouth... I will watch how I behave and not let my tongue lead me into sin."
Ecclesiastes 3:7 - "A time to keep silence, and a time to speak."
Ecclesiastes 4:6 - "Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and striving after the wind."
Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 - "To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they know not they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in Heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words... Let your mouth not lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?"
Ecclesiastes 6:11 - "The more words, the more vanity, and what is the advantage to man?"
Ecclesiastes 10:12 - "The words of a wise man's mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him."
Proverbs 2:12 - "My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your ear to understanding..."
Proverbs 4:19 - "Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you."
Proverbs 8:7 - "For my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips."
Proverbs 10:11, 13, 19 - "The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life... on the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found... When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent."
Proverbs 11:4 - "With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered."
Proverbs 13:3 - "Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips come to ruin."
Proverbs 14:3 - "By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them."
Proverbs 15:1-2 - "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly."
Proverbs 15:4 - "A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit."
Proverbs 16:32 - "Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city."
Proverbs 17:27-28 - "Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent."
Proverbs 18:7-8 - "A fool's mouth is his ruin and his lips are a snare to his soul. The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down deep."
Proverbs 18:21 - "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat of its fruits."
James 1:26 - "If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless."
James 3:2 - "And if one does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body."
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