“God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 NIV (emphasis mine) Read full chapter
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Check out my page Who Is Jesus?
realchristianwomen.blog
It seems like people will believe just about anything these days (and that includes Christians). The question that hounds me is this: Should I be silent or should I speak up? God’s Word says,
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: … a time to be silent and a time to speak” Ecclesiastes 3: 1 and 7b NIV
That assures me of one thing. I don’t always have to speak up! That’s good because sometimes it’s just easier to keep my beliefs to myself unless I’m asked for my opinion. But on the other hand, the Bible also says this:
“Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 1:17 NIV
One of my favorite genres is historical fiction during WWII. At one time I found it hard to understand how people in Germany could remain silent amid the horrible persecution of the Jews. But I’m beginning to understand how societal pressure can keep one silent. It isn’t easy to speak up against lies, in the church or in secular society. In the case of Nazi Germany, silence aided evil. Silence can aid evil in today’s world as well.
The following secular quotes are also interesting to contemplate:
Your very silence shows you agree.”
Euripides
Sometimes, to remain silent is to lie, since silence can be interpreted as assent.”
Miguel de Unamuno
But Scripture also supports silence:
“Therefore, he who is prudent and has insight will keep silent at such a [corrupt and evil] time, for it is an evil time [when people will not listen to truth and will disregard those of good character]. Amos 5:13 AMP
“The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered. Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.” Proverbs 17:27-28
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,” James 1:19
Jesus exemplified the wisdom of silence when He stood before Pontius Pilate:
12 When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” 14 But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor. Matthew 27:12-14 NIV
When the Jews faced national annihilation, the brave Queen Esther recognized her God-appointed purpose and time to speak. Her cousin Mordecai urged,
“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:12-14
Esther obeyed, risking her life to save her people. She knew it was “a time to speak,” and she received God’s abundant blessing.
I have searched the Scriptures concerning speaking up or staying silent and my conclusion remains:
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: … a time to be silent and a time to speak” Ecclesiastes 3: 1 and 7b NIV
Should I speak up or should I remain silent? There are no easy answers to our question. We may not know what we should do. But God has promised to give us wisdom when we ask Him. So that is what we must do. We rely on God’s wisdom and the Holy Spirit to lead us as we seek guidance from God’s Word.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” James 1:5-6 NIV Read full chapter
I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, especially if you have struggled with this issue in your life or ministry.
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Read my page Who Is Jesus?
Source: GotQuestions.org
realchristianwomen.blog
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 NIV Read full chapter
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Check out my page Who Is Jesus?
Photo by NATHAN MULLET on Unsplash
realchristianwomen.blog
“In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears…
16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.” Psalm 18:6, and 16-19 NIV Read full chapter
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Check out my page Who Is Jesus?
Photo by Renato Pozzi on Unsplash
realchristianwomen.blog
False prophets tell us what we want to hear. The Word of God tells us what we need to hear.”
Michael McIntyre, Pastor Wesley United Methodist Church, Springfield, MO
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Check out my page Who Is Jesus?
Photo by Humble Lamb on Unsplash
realchristianwomen.blog
“The Lord has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.” Psalm 126:3 NIV
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Check out my page Who Is Jesus?
Photo by Courtney Cook on Unsplash
realchristianwomen.blog
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29 NIV
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Check out my page Who Is Jesus?
Photo by Molnár Bálint on Unsplash
realchristianwomen.blog
“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Acts 17:11 NIV
With Love, Cindy
Click this link to learn more about Jesus: Who Is Jesus?
Photo by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash
realchristianwomen.blog
I received an urgent prayer request from an orphanage in Africa asking me to pray for 2 young children with Malaria. Their fever was raging.
Although my heart was breaking, I felt like my prayers did little good. If my prayers were working, wouldn’t I feel something?
Not necessarily. Faith has nothing to do with feelings. It’s not an emotion that can be mustered up. Faith is believing God’s promises, believing His Word, and trusting Him.
When we feel like our prayers aren’t making it out of the room, we need to remember what God has said in His Word.
“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” Psalm 145:18
“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:16 NKJV
Even in prayer, we must depend on His grace to give us the ability to pray with great faith. It is not by our own strength, but His.
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16 NIV)
So as we approach our loving God in prayer, may we lean on Him and find grace to help us in our time of need. Let us depend on His power and goodness and not our own ability or power. He has given us the privilege of prayer.
“Our prayers cannot force God to do anything, but He uses them as His own instruments to bring about His will.”
R. C. Sproul
Prayer isn’t something we have to do. It’s something we get to do. As the old hymn says, “What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.”
ABOUT What A Friend We Have in Jesus : What a Friend We Have in Jesus was written by Joseph M. Scriven. Joseph Scriven’s life was filled with many trials and sorrows. His fiancée died in a drowning accident on the eve of their wedding in 1844. Eventually, he found love again, but his plans for marriage were dashed again when his new bride-to-be died after a short illness in 1855. That same year, he received news from Ireland that his mother was terribly ill. He wrote a poem to comfort her called “Pray Without Ceasing”. It was later set to music and renamed What a Friend We Have in Jesus. Scriven did not have any intentions nor dream that his poem would be published in the newspaper and later become a favorite hymn among the millions of Christians around the world.
Fellowship with God is the heart of prayer. Too often we lose sight of how simple prayer is really supposed to be.”
GotQuestions.org
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Check out my page Who Is Jesus?
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
realchristianwomen.blog
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19 NIV Read full chapter
With Love, Cindy
Do you want to know more about Jesus? Check out my page Who Is Jesus?
Photo by Cristina Gottardi on Unsplash
realchristianwomen.blog
Real Christian Women 