WINNING WISDOM DEVOTIONAL - THURSDAY 11TH JULY, 2013 - THE POWER OF A PERSONAL EXAMPLE – PART FORTY – SERVING ONE ANOTHER – MINISTRY OF ENCOURAGEMENT 10 “But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” Numbers 13:31-32 The second principle we can deduce from the account of Numbers 13 is that - it is not so much what you see but what you say. What we say has a lot weight and can determine the course of our destiny. Words are tools of building as well as ruining, encouraging or discouraging. A careless word can shape—or misshape—someone’s reality and destiny. The impact of those words affected the destinies of a whole generation. “But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel. And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them? I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.” Numbers 14:10-12 Discouragement sets in motion a downhill, destructive course. The ten members of the fear group provoked the people to railing against Moses and eventually provoked God’s anger. The consequences of words of discouragement are so severe that we all ought to weigh what we say. The truth is that we ill-serve our community every time we speak words of discouragement. Words are missiles for good and evil, building or destruction, love or hate. “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” Ephesians 4:29 (NASB) Wholesome words build people up. This is the meaning of the word “edification.” It’s the same word from which we get “edifice” or building. Other people, the Bible tells us, are temples (see 1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19). As leaders, we have the privilege of co-laboring with God to build these living cathedrals. Wholesome words are timely. The right words at the wrong time can be just as damaging as the wrong words. Words left unsaid can also be hurtful. As leaders, it takes discernment to know when and if to speak. The right word spoken at the right time can make all the difference for someone. Wholesome words provide grace. I take this as more than merely being generous or accommodating—though those are both important. I see grace as also the power of God to do His will (see Philippians 2:13). As leaders, our words can either empower people and make them want to press on or diminish them and make them want to quit. It is not for nothing that Solomon said, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21). Every day, we are shaping destiny for someone by the words that we use with them. The choice is ours. Let us build and not destroy with our words. NB: A. If you like your friends and family to receive and be blessed by this devotional, please forward their email addresses to me. B. If you have a prayer request and will want me to pray with/for you, please email/text/ call me. Thanks. C. We are trusting God to have this devotional printed and circulated widely. If you would like to assist with finances, please contact us. Thanks Dr. Segun Oshinaga has had a rich and varied experience and career in business, ministry and government. He is the Ceo of Productivity Plus, a training programme for executives in industry and also host of Productivity Plus TV Broadcast, a personal development, life enhancement programme. He also runs Leadership Plus and Winning Wisdom Network. To invite him for training of your workforce or sponsorship on radio and TV stations, call +2348030773584, +2348189074232, +2348122827890 or email - droshinaga@gmail
Posted on: Thu, 11 Jul 2013 03:21:01 +0000
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