First admission: I wasn’t one of the millions of faithful listeners of Rush Limbaugh, which is no reflection on him and is more about my . . .
Second admission: I had little interest in anything political until early 2016, when I began to make fun of Donald Trump’s running for office, until the moment God said in that way of His, “How about you close your mouth and open your ears instead.” It wasn’t that God wanted me to put my attention so much on Mr. Trump, but on matters I’d chosen to ignore that were contrary to His Kingdom, because this was also when God, through His grace, called me to Him after multiple decades spent in New Ageism and other sins.
Third admission: This isn’t about Rush Limbaugh. It’s about you, me, and . . . well, let me explain.
Maybe you, too, have someone’s post show up on your Facebook feed, and not only do you not know the person, you don’t know when or why you became friends, other than back at the start when everyone was eager to amass followers, a quantity-over-quality kind of thing. That’s all I can figure about this particular poster.
After learning of Rush Limbaugh’s passing, I went onto Facebook. On my feed was a meme about Limbaugh, created by that unknown friend, followed by a second one of his. I was genuinely shocked, not because it was about Limbaugh in particular, but because of how utterly void of compassion and how celebratory in viciousness and vitriol the comments were regarding a fellow human being whose last year of his life had gone as it had, until his last breath.
I thought, “That’s it! I’ve prayed for this guy every time one of his crude ‘I’m morally superior and your not’ posts about someone not on his side of the political fence has shown up, but This Is It! I’m done.” I headed to the Unfriend Zone. As I scrolled to find his name so I could erase him from my feed, God once again in that way of His said, “Which does he need more: To be unfriended and forgotten or prayed for? Which is more important: Your prideful sensibilities and self-righteousness or his soul?” Conviction and correction received, Lord, for which I thank and praise You.
St. Augustine said,
“Pride is the beginning of sin. And what is pride but the craving for undue exaltation?”
I’ve also heard said,
“Pride is pregnant with every other sin.”
Previous writings have dealt with how, for months, God’s been putting on my heart that the words we speak (or type or share) matter far more than we comprehend. They matter so much, He made sure to include in His Word that we will all stand before Him on Judgment Day and account for our every word, and that He considers slander, and any comments that seek to tear down or ruin reputations of fellow humans, equal to murder. He also told us that each time we sin, we give a legal right to the Adversary to go after us (health, finances, family, etc.). It’s something to ponder.
As I pondered these things, this new thought arrived: Sarcasm, of which we are far too fond, (including those who claim to be Christians) becomes a curse: On the person we aim it at, at those who see it or hear it and hop onto that bandwagon we put into motion, and on us. God commands us to bless, not curse, others. When we sin, we’ve taken God’s name upon us in vain and do not represent Him as a light in the darkness, as He instructs and commands.
God commands us to forgive others as we want Him to forgive us (quickly, easily, and always), and to ask Him to forgive and bless those who offend or harm us. It isn’t a suggestion, it’s a Commandment. As are all of His Commandments, each one is meant to protect us from the Adversary. When we begin to grasp this fact, we begin to understand that our Father’s intent is to save us, protect us, and turn us into Kingdom warriors of His, warriors committed to helping set fellow humans free from the prison of sin and its consequences.
I highly recommend Pastor J.D. Farag’s profound 1-hour talk about the current satanic strategy of “Divide and Conquer” using words we speak against others, which can be found at https://tinyurl.com/2cjup6sh . [Disclaimer: I’m not sold on the pre-Tribulation Rapture, but am focused on learning and doing the Kingdom Walk.]
Here’s something Holy Spirit put into my heart and mind 02.11.21:
Not Left or Right,
not of-Color or White,
but Lost or Saved.
Period.
May God guide you and yours in all your ways and all your days.
“We all will stand before Him and give an account for our every word.” I have to share this story with you…
When all of the family would gather at Mother’s and the rooms were full, I’d be the one to sleep in her room with her. She would talk and talk and talk into the night, and I would be so tired and needing sleep. One night, around midnight, she said,”Diane, I think I’m in trouble.” I asked her why, and she quoted that scripture, and said, “I know I talk too much, and what will I say when I have to give an account for it?” We both started laughing, of course, but she was always careful with her words. I thought you’d enjoy this story, as I know you loved her.
Yes, we have to look at things from God’s perspective, because He may be trying to teach us something, or use us to minister to someone else.
Such a thought-provoking, timely article. Your recent articles have caused me to stop and ask myself why certain people are put in our path. Rather than just avoiding them and dismissing them because we don’t like their attitudes, words, actions, or beliefs, maybe we should spend some time in prayer asking to be shown why their paths and ours were arranged to cross, even for a short time, maybe just in passing on the road to where each of us us headed. Is it possible we have a word they need to hear, an action we need to perform, or even just a smile in their direction they need to see that might change their day, or their thoughts, or maybe their lives?
This brings to mind Saul on the road to Damaskus. One short interaction with Christ not only changed Saul into Paul, but through his future messages changed a great part of the world.
Such a thought-provoking, timely article. Your recent articles have caused me to stop and ask myself why certain people are put in our path. Rather than just avoiding them and dismissing them because we don’t like their attitudes, words, actions, or beliefs, maybe we should spend some time in prayer asking to be shown why their paths and ours rearranged to cross, even for a short time, maybe just in passing on the road to where each of us us headed. Is it possible we have a word they need to hear, an action we need to perform, or even just a smile in their direction they need to see that might change their day, or their thoughts, or maybe their lives?
This brings to mind Saul on the road to Damaskus. One short interaction with Christ not only changed Saul into Paul, but through his future messages changed a great part of the world.