Then Jeremiah spoke to all the princes and all the people, saying: “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city with all the words that you have heard.” Jeremiah 26:12
Children are usually taught to be kind in their words when they speak. When rude or harsh words are spoken by a child, that child is often corrected. People then grow up expecting to be spoken kindly to at all times. However, there are times when harsh words are necessary, both as a child and as an adult.
Jeremiah had been captured and sentenced to death for what he had prophesied. He stated that all he did was speak the words of God against the house of Israel and the city of Jerusalem.
Kind words are always nice to be said and heard. They will often soften anger and change one’s heart. However, kind words are not always the truth about a situation.
If all that is spoken are kind words, one would never know that there is a coming judgement and that one is heading straight to hell at the moment. Many people are in the church living in purposeful sin, refusing to repent of their sin and change. They are headed to hell while thinking that they are heading to heaven. They do not know the truth.
Believers need to be willing to speak the whole truth of God’s word. Sometimes that truth is that judgement and death is coming, a harsh reality that many want to deny or ignore. Words like this may be painful to hear, but it may wake one up to God’s truth and cause them to want to change their wicked ways.
Every believer needs to be led by the Holy Spirit as to what words to speak, both kind and harsh, and when to speak them.
God has both words for you personally and words for you to speak to others. Both sets of these words may be kind, or they may be harsh. You have to be willing to hear all the word of God. You must also be willing to speak all of the word of God to others. The world may not always like what God has to say through you, but it is what the world needs to hear. God will only speak what is needed to be heard and what is best for each person.
Are you speaking all of God’s word to others?
Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will speak all of the word of God that He gives you to speak; that you will trust the word of God being spoken; and that you will obey the word of God in your life.
Picture by Diego Aguilar on Unsplash
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