3 Things that Silence a Christian Voice & Their Remedies
…You who bring good news to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
Isaiah 40:9 NIV
Update: Today, January 13, 2105, I’m linking up with Crystal at Intentionally Pursuing.
Within fifteen minutes it was worn, torn, and strewn all over the floor.
Wow! That didn’t last long. She might have broken her own record.
Our dog, Bailey, had been given a new squeaker toy. It was a cute little penguin, with his black and white. He wore a green winter cap, comprised of plastic. He was cute, indeed.
But he didn’t survive long.
Much to her delight, Bailey chewed with enthusiasm until the squeaker was silenced. Then she walked away.
In the fallout, the carnage was great.
A piece that resembled penguin’s trunk was discarded to the side. Poor penguin!
Little pieces of black, white, and green littered the floor like confetti thrown on New Year’s Eve.
The squeaker, identifiable yet changed, settled quietly among the mess.
But Bailey didn’t care.
She silenced its voice. Mission accomplished.
As I watched this play out, the Lord reminded me that our spiritual walk is similar. The thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy. Like Bailey, he’ll toy with you and me until our squeaker, that voice of victory we have been given, has been quieted.
How?
Three things that silence a Christian voice:
1. Fear
We’re afraid to step into God’s plan for fear of looking silly, fear of rejection, fear of the unknown, and so forth.
Fear is not a friend.
Fear is a foe.
Fear is a foe.
Remedy:
- Do it afraid.
- Remind yourself that it’s about God, not self.
- Step out anyway.
- Find someone else to encourage in the journey. Oftentimes it helps both parties.
- Be honest with a trusted, praying friend when fear gets tough.
2. Discouragement
The opposite of encouragement, this guy’s not our friend. He takes away hope and our confidence. Discouragement rears its head when our eyes are taken off God. It rears when we shoulder the weight ourselves versus relying on God’s strength.
Remember, there’s “courage” in there, and that’s where you and I want to stand.
Remedy:
- Turn your eyes to Jesus in worship vs. settling on the problem.
- Honor the Lord for what He has done versus what isn’t happening.
- Pray for strength and wisdom.
- Ask your prayer partner to pray with and for you. If you don’t have one, it’s a great time to get one.
3. Complaining
The simplest of complaints take up valuable space that could be used to glorify God.
Remedy:
- Tell of His wonders.
- Sing His praise.
- Lift high the name of Jesus.
- Gratefulness does wonders in crowding out complaints.
- Ask someone close to hold you accountable for the words you say.
- Ask God to open your eyes to the complaints you unknowingly confess.
You and me? We can do this. Lift up that beautiful voice of yours, and I’ll lift mine. We’ll proclaim His glories today, tomorrow, and all of time.
Great words of encouragement, Kristi : ) For me the only way I can step forward is to do it afraid. I can’t stop the voices of fear and discouragement, but I can grab hold of God’s hand and stay in step with Him.
Amen Crystal.
Thank you for linking up, Kristi : ) This month, January, is Human Trafficking Awareness month, and I am again reminded to speak for those who have been kept silent, to not allow fear, discouragement, or complaining about the problem keep me for being a voice!