John ESENE

     Know today that words are very powerful and can affect the quality of the life you live. Also, the tongue can build or destroy life. So, be careful how you use your tongue especially when you are angry or overjoy. When God confronted Cain (after killing his brother, Abel) rather than apologize, he questioned God saying, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” And he paid dearly for it.  An anonymous has said, “Loose lips indeed sink ships. They also sink souls.” Please, do not allow your words to plunge you into a bottomless pit you will live to regret!

     Look inward today with sincerity to know if you have at any time behaved like Cain and be repentant before it is too late. “Anger is a vice!” says an adage. A marketer who is in the habit of getting angry often may mistakenly transfer aggression on his clients without knowing. The resultant effect is bankruptcy as many of his clients who cannot tolerate his unwholesome attitude will avoid patronizing him. If he prays for solution to his problem and God opens his eye to realize that his habit is responsible for his fall and apologize to those he stepped on their toes, he will likely rise again. Let him learn to say (each time he uses aggressive words) “Please, I am sorry!” And shows it in his action that he is truly sorry, his clients will pardon him. “Be slow to anger and abide in love”

    To do away with anger is a difficult task but when you are resolute you can achieve your objective. It is like cutting a mighty tree with an axe. If the axe is not sharp, it will be impossible to cut the tree, but if sharpened, it will be easy. Hence, you have to employ weapons such as “I am very sorry for upsetting you!” or “Oh no! I did not mean to hurt you though.”

      A priest went to the market to buy something. When he saw one of his parishioners selling what he was about to pay for, he abandoned the trader and went to his parishioner who eventually inflated the price and cheated him. But he let go of the difference when she insulted him and realized he was about to be angry. Few days later the woman came to confess her action as a sin. So, in the confessional, father counsel her and forgave her. On getting home, she opened up to her husband and children her experience.

      Do not allow anybody to bring anger out of you no matter the offence: if anger takes hold of you, dismiss it with a smile and good words to put your enemy to shame. When you speak words of blessing to those who hurt you, God will rain His mercy upon you beyond your expectations and bring your enemies to justice like He did to Aaron and Miriam when they insulted Moses in Numbers 12. At the end of it all, it was Moses who turned round to plead with God to forgive Miriam and she was eventually healed of the leprous which rained on her because of her attitude towards Moses.

    “Moses cried out to the Lord, ’O God, heal her!” And the Lord answered, ‘If her father had spat in her face, she would have to bear her disgrace for 7 days. So, let her be shut out of the camp for a week and after that she can be brought in” Numbers 12:13-14.  My dear readers, kindly reflect on your past to fish out those who have been pulling you down from your ladder of success and beg God on their behalf (like Moses did) to forgive them their sins against you and bless them! When you forgive those who offend you, it will be easy for you to beg God to forgive you your sins!

     You too might have offended many people without knowing. This history will compel you to ask the question, “How could Miriam persecute her own brother Moses rather than rejoice to be his sister? “This is the reason while I asked you to reflect on your past: either you have done it to someone or that someone has done it to you. Note that Moses did not get angry with his sister but God who sees all that we do or say avenged him.

     When Joseph, the son of Jacob was dropped in a dried well by his siblings, he said nothing. They later withdrew him from the well and sold him into slavery without him uttering a word. Potiphar’s wife lied against him and he was imprisoned, yet he did not say a word in defense.  A large space was made available in the Bible perhaps, to enable us learn from him. At the end of his suffering unjustly, God influenced Potiphar to promote him to a Minister.

     “The king and his officials approved this plan and he said to them. ‘We will never find a better man than Joseph, a man who has God’s Spirit in him. The king said to Joseph. God has shown you all this, so it is obvious that you have greater wisdom and insight than anyone else. I will put you in charge of my country, and all my people will obey your orders. Your authority will be second only to mine. I now appoint you governor over all Egypt.” Gen.41:37-41. Do you think Joseph would have gotten all these at the age of 30 if he had argued with his brothers and Potiphar’s wife when they humiliated him? When you allow God of Justice to fight for you, He rewards you abundantly!

    These days, when children annoy their parents, rather than use good words to counsel them, they will curse them openly to show that they are not happy with them. Why should you call your child “A foolish boy?  A good for nothing child.” And as you curse them, some people who are envious of you will be saying, “Amen, so shall it be!” without you knowing. Your children are gifts to you; train them in the way of the Lord and they will not forget you. Do not allow the devil to set you against your children or your children against you.

     When they came to arrest Jesus, His disciple, Peter was angry but Jesus prevented him from fighting them. John 18:10-11 said, “Simon Peter had a sword; he drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword back into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup which the Father has given me?” And Psalm 4:4 warned us saying, “In your anger do not sin; ponder in your heart when you are on bed.”

      When Jesus was tempted by the devil, Jesus said to him, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God” Luke 4:12. And the devil departed from Him. So my dear readers, let us imitate Jesus, Our Lord and avoid speaking words of negative and evil and leave the rest to God who sees all that happen to us.  When Jesus was hanging on the cross, he never used negative words but rather prayed that God forgives his persecutors.