Colossians 2:4-9 The Power Of Speech

"The power of speech is a gift from God, and it must be used the way God ordains.  Paul pointed to four important ministries of speech."

Praying:  "Our praying must be faithful ... we should be constantly in fellowship with God so that prayer is as normal to us as breathing ... As we continue in prayer, our own hearts are prepared for the answer God will give ... Our prayer must be watchful ... Real praying demands spiritual energy and alertness ... Our prayer should also be thankful ... Sincere gratitude to God is one of the best ways to put fervor into our praying ... Our praying ought to be purposeful ... pray for specific needs.  By doing so, we would know when God answered and we could praise Him for it ... Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance; it is laying hold of His willingness."

Proclaiming the Word:  "You do not have to be an ordained preacher or a missionary to share God's Word.  Even in your daily conversations you can drop the seed of the Word into hearts and then pray that God will water that seed and bring forth fruit."

Witnessing to the Lost:  "We have a responsibility to witness to the lost around us and to seek to bring them into God's family ... and a responsibility to walk wisely.  The unsaved outsiders watch us Christians and are very critical of us.  There must be nothing in our lives that would jeopardize our testimony ... Even when our Lord was dealing with sin, He spoke words of grace."

Sharing Burdens:  "We can share our needs and burdens with others; then they can encourage us and assist us ... Paul simply wants his friends in Colosse to know the facts and to support him in prayer."

Father, please guard my speech.  Get between my heart and my mouth to ensure that my words never reflect poorly on You.  Just this week, I've faced two episodes of misunderstanding from my speech, and I want to make sure that there is never a doubt about my true intentions.  Guard my tongue.

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford