I Cannot Be Silent
How many of you know that when you come into agreement with the Lord, you can’t get away with staying silent? There is a time to be quiet, but there’s also a time to speak!
I cannot be silent, because I gave God my yes.
Matthew 5:37 reads, “Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one” (NLT).
The same way we get to take God’s Word at face value, He wants to take our word at face value as well. Giving your yes to Him is signing up for a life of saying what He would have you say and doing what He would have you do. When this lifestyle comes from a place of relationship with Him, you can experience His love in the process.
I know this is a literal way of thinking about why I can’t be silent because it deals with the root cause of my speaking rather than its effects. At the same time, I have to be honest in saying there are moments when I sense the Holy Spirit nudging me to use my voice, but I’d prefer to remain hushed. Still, I’ve found myself willing to feel uncomfortable or look silly, because I have surrendered to His way. I’ve had to grow continually in trusting the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to be my Comforter in this area. Despite my introversion, God placed a passion for truth inside of me; and when I do speak, I get to reflect Him in this way!
There’s something that God has placed in you. When you surrender to Him fully and speak, it reveals to others who He is and how He uniquely made you.
There’s a quote by Marianne Williamson that describes this:
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
I pray that you find God worthy of your yes and, in turn, reveal Him in your speaking!
Jeremiah 20:9 NLT puts it this way:
1.Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love, (San Francisco: Harper One, 1996) 144.