In this election year, words of all kind are flying around and all of them negative. Mudslinging is what they call it and I believe that there are bricks mixed in with that mud this year. I would like to challenge all my Christian friends here in the rain to a fast of a different type. A word fast for 40 days.
In the movie- Wizard of Oz, they used a phrase that became common in our vernacular... horse of a different color... it refers to anything outside the norm. I believe we can agree that most of what we hear in everyday conversations is mostly negative, is it not? Wouldn't it be great to stick to just positve words? Words that encourage and cause good feelings instead of words that tear down and cause walls to go up?
The word- fast in Hebrew means to cover the mouth. Most implications are for not allowing food or drink to pass the mouth but another even tougher kind of fast is one of words. Not allowing words that are negative and destructive pass our tongues. It's bad enough to just think them but when we utter them, they become powerful and not the kind of power we want to display. A fast of words is one of the fasts in Isaiah 58. Isaiah 58:9b lists not pointing fingers in judgment and no wicked words as conditions of great blessings listed in verses 10b-12.
So who's with me? At first it will be a struggle and if you ask God to help, you'll know you've failed as soon as the grumbling or complaining words come out. Soon you'll be more aware of exactly what you are saying and what it sounds like. When we use such language it's like fuel for our heart for the wrong kind of fire. When we keep them in it's more like putting out an oil derreck fire where they use dynamite to consume all the oxygen so the fire is choked out. We want to choke out all the weeds in our heart that will come out through our mouths. So the end result is eventually our heart changes to actually reflect what our mouth has done.
There is a story of Will Rogers stumping on a campaign trail with a friend running for Governor of Texas a long time ago. They used to ride the train rails and stop and speak at each town they came to. They called them whistlestop campaigns. At this one stop, a heckler in the audience made it a very hard speech to get through. Afterward he turned to Will Rogers and said, "So Mister Never-Met-A-Man-I-Didn't-Like, what did you like about that guy back there?" Will looked out the window of the train car and just said, "Mighty nice part of the country he comes from."
Try it, it's extremely difficult but soooo rewarding and a tremendous feast for our souls.
I'll go first... Mr. Romney seems like a great family man and might make for a good president. President Obama sure comes from a great country that still stands for freedom.
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