- araratchurch
- Apr 2, 2022
- 2 min read
“They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; With flattering lips and a double heart they speak. The words of the Lord are pure words, Like silver tried in a furnace of earth, Purified seven times.”
Psalms 12:2, 6 NKJV
I can remember watching westerns (the content of which would now be very politically incorrect) where a Native American (then referenced as an Indian) would say something along the lines of: “White man speaks with forked tongue.” As you may know, what this means is that a person is speaking in a way meant to deceive (we also used to say, “speaking out of both sides of your mouth”).
Actual forked tongues are a common feature among reptiles. You see, reptiles use their tongues to “smell,” and the forked tongue is useful for detecting the direction in which they will find their prey.
OK, I’m going to say it. People who speak with a forked tongue are also looking for “prey;” they look to manipulate, take advantage of, and further their agenda through deceitful words!
“Do not eat the bread of a selfish man, Or desire his delicacies; For as he thinks in his heart, so is he [in behavior—one who manipulates]. He says to you, “Eat and drink,” Yet his heart is not with you [but it is begrudging the cost].”
Proverbs 23:6-7 AMP
This scripture from Proverbs is often quoted without the full context. Yes, we know that it is true that what a person is thinking on the inside of themselves is who they actually are. But, the meaning here was meant to put forth the warning that you have to be careful of people who say one thing, meaning another; or who say one thing, but are using deceit to control in some way or another.
Another Proverb instructs the listener to not be “that person.”
“Put away from you a
deceitful (lying, misleading) mouth, And put devious lips far from you.”
Proverbs 4:24 AMP
In our portion from Psalms today we see that David had his fill of people speaking with forked tongues. But as he always does, he contrasts God’s way of being and doing with man’s ways; in this case, deceitful tongues of many men versus the pure tongue of the Lord. He references the Lord’s word as being purified like silver. In other words, just as purified silver has no dross, the Lord’s word has no deceit.
“As for God, His way is blameless. The word of the Lord is tested [it is perfect, it is faultless]; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.”
Psalms 18:30 AMP
Unless you’re living somewhere I have never been, I can pretty much know that you deal with a lot of “forked tongues.” The first thing I will say is, make sure you are not one of “those people.” And as for those who do speak deceitfully, look out for them!
For today let us know and understand what David knew:
People often speak deceitfully, but God’s word is always true.
- araratchurch
- Apr 2, 2022
- 2 min read
”Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; With flattering lips and a double heart they speak. You shall keep them, O Lord, You shall preserve them from this generation forever.”
Psalms 12:1-2, 7 NKJV
One of the strategies used by people desiring to marginalize those with whom they disagree is that of making them feel that they are in the minority. Leading the opposition to believe that no one is standing with them, is meant to intimidate and silence them, making them fear reprisal or outright rejection. More than once, I have personally seen someone in a group giving a very strong opinion not held by most of the other people in the group; yet, they control the narrative by intimidating anyone who would dare say something in opposition to their position. It’s sad how many times that strategy works.
The ultimate expression of marginalizing those with whom you disagree is making them the “bad guy” in some way or another, a “hater” of those with whom they disagree. Because decent people refuse to incorporate such aggressively in-your-face tactics, you can find those who know right from wrong, and want to do what is right, ending up in a so-called silent majority.
I am currently seeing very perverse groups in our society—with extremely radical and evil agendas—incorporating a full-throttled attempt at smacking down the righteous through relentless intimidation and marginalization.
Make no mistake, just because the righteous have been silenced, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t out there. But, unless the righteous find their strength in the Lord, they may allow widespread evil to cause them to grow cold:
“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.”
Matthew 24:12 NKJV
Feeling that you are fighting for the right by yourself can also cause depression, despair, and despondency, as the prophet Elijah found out in the face of Jezebel’s threatenings:
“So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” And he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
[The Lord speaking:]
“Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.””
I Kings 19:13-14, 18 NKJV
In our portion from Psalms today we see that King David is lamenting the seeming scarcity of righteous people. But—as he always seems to do—after presenting his argument, he affirms that the Lord will be with the righteous, no matter how many, or few, are left.
For today let us know and understand what David knew:
The enemy tries to discourage the righteous by making them think that they are the only one left desiring to do what is right. But, no matter how few righteous are left, the Lord will defend them.
Even if it seems that all the foundations have been shaken, the Lord is still on His throne - Day 17
- araratchurch
- Mar 31, 2022
- 3 min read
“If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do? The Lord is in His holy temple, The Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.”
Psalms 11:3-4 NKJV
When I was a child I enjoyed holding onto an innertube for hours, riding the ocean waves. (I didn’t know how to swim at that point, so I was very motivated to stay holding on to that innertube.) At the end of the day, when I would lay down to go to sleep, I still had the sensation of going over those waves over and over and over again.
Also, when I was a child I enjoyed spinning around on our linoleum kitchen floor. I always wore socks in the house and the socks made it very easy to spin around on my mother’s waxed floor. However, as you know, spinning around makes you dizzy. So, I would spin around and around and then lay down on the floor to enjoy the “spinning room.” Somehow or another this was enjoyable to myself and a cousin who would accompany me in these endless twirls.
Coupling together these two stories: I will have to say that the science of detecting and responding to motion is very interesting and complicated. But, as most people know, the balance center for the body is actually in the inner ear. Therefore, any problems with the inner ear can cause problems with maintaining balance. As I can attest, prolonged spinning or moving up and down can also trigger vertigo.
If you’ve ever experienced vertigo (the body, because of inner ear problems or other issues, as mentioned above, over responds to motion or detects motion when it is not present), you know that balance is extremely important.
The shaking and moving that is going on in our society—and indeed the world—has left many with the feeling of spiritual vertigo, and it shows. Things we used to be able to count on: commonly shared values and beliefs, seem to be disappearing, replaced by a cacophony of ways of being and doing based on malignant Narcissism. In other words, there is no search or respect for a greater good. People are doing what is right in their own eyes. The cause of the upheaval of our foundations is obvious as this trend has followed a moving away from faith in the Lord.
For me, I no longer enjoy the feeling of being dizzy. And I definitely don’t enjoy the shaking and spinning in the midst of a society cut loose from its Anchor to spin out of control.
“The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, And the strength of salvation; The fear of the Lord is His treasure.”
Isaiah 33:5-6 NKJV
I thank God that He is the stability of our times and that—as we put our trust in Him—we do not have to participate in spiritual vertigo.
In our opening portion from Psalms today we see that David was well aware of the feeling of the foundations being shaken with the resultant potential for spiritual vertigo. But, he also knew the solution. Just as skaters overcome dizziness by fixing their eyes on an object, he turned his eyes to the One Who sits on His throne and is never shaken.
In other psalms, David expresses this confidence in the stability of the Lord, in terms of the Lord being our “Rock.”
“I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
Psalms 18:1-2 NKJV
“Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.”
Psalms 62:1-2 NKJV
No one being honest would be able to deny the instability of the times in which we are living. But, we do not have to participate in the resultant spiritual vertigo. We have a firm foundation; we have a rock on which to stand. Our Lord is on His throne. And, as we look to Him, He will be the stability we need to avoid becoming so dizzy that we can no longer stand.
For today let us know and understand what David knew:
Even though it seems that all the foundations have been shaken, the Lord is still on His throne.