Silence Isn’t Golden
Over the last couple of months, I have been very distracted. You might have noticed my blog postings haven’t been very inspired – mainly because I haven’t been very inspired. I have been too distracted by my circumstances. I decided I needed to find employment. Writing doesn’t pay much! So my focus has been looking for that elusive job. I found an opportunity as I mentioned in a previous post. I am trying to get into a new routine, and it’s left me feeling a bit overwhelmed with trying to get it all done now in a short amount of time. My morning time with Jesus has been shortened due to time restraints before work. (I miss my routines that I had established over the last four years.) My thoughts have been scrambled these last few weeks. But this last week, I felt like I am in a better space. I started listening again. I am more focused.
There are two things that have been put before me this week. The first thing was the need to speak. Satan would love to keep us silent. Believers in Jesus are not persecuted for staying silent. Persecution happens when we speak the name of Jesus. Satan’s goal is to keep us silent. We in America do a good job for Satan. We don’t like to offend anyone so we don’t tell them the message of Jesus. We have a powerful message that needs to be shared. The Holy Spirit lives in us to provide the words and opens our eyes to the opportunity. He gives us boldness to proclaim the Good News – Jesus is Lord – He died and rose again so that we might have LIFE! Praise the LORD! But I am the worst for sharing this news. Beth Moore said that if Satan could speak two words to us, these two words would be SHUT UP!
I believe one of my purposes in this life is to write. In 2009, I went to an integrative nutrition school to learn more about health and wellness. In that school, the instructor told us to “find our voice because there are people who need to hear what we have to say.” That message was life-changing for me. I thought I went to this school to learn how to become a health coach and help others get healthy. I know God has used what I have learned to help others, but I think there was a greater purpose than what I understood at the time. It began my writing passion. We were instructed to start writing a newsletter for our “tribe” (the ones we influence). I was reminded during this past week that I had stopped writing. on nutritional health topics. My newsletter has become more focused on the spiritual and mental health rather than on nutritional health. If my passion is about helping others, I gave up the “outlet” to help others! There were a few personal reasons that I stopped, but fear was the main cause.
The other thing I heard this week was that we are “born for such a time as this.” The message was on Queen Esther. We live in interesting times. There is a call for each of us to fulfill in this place and in this time. God placed us here; where we are, made us who we are to do the things we need to do – for His purpose. His will is to make Jesus known all over the world. If Jesus is Lord of our lives, then we have been called to proclaim Jesus to those in our community where we are right now. We can no longer stay silent. When we are silent, we let Satan have his way. With the Holy Spirit’s help, we are compelled to tell. This is our time to share the Good News. This is what we are reborn to do!
One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.” So Paul stayed there for the next year and a half, teaching the word of God. Acts 18:9-11 (NLT)
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