kristaphillips 
I’m struggling lately.
I’m a woman of pretty fierce passions and strong opinions, some of which are not widely agreed with or popular in the world today.
Everywhere I look, I find people in my face (usually, on Facebook) blasting their opinions about “hot topics” in the world using some pretty ignorant fallacies or broad generalizations that make me want to roll my eyes, both on the side I do NOT agree with and the side I DO. Then they point out each others errors in order to make each other look stupid, and in the end, both sides are turning their wheels.
And considering the world will ALWAYS take offense to Jesus (and the Bible says in the end will be destroyed because of it) this isn’t something we’re going to ever get away from.
So I spend a decent amount of time gripping my tongue–and my fingers–in fear of writing something that offends or comes off as rude or unhelpful.
Now I KNOW some are going to say that we need to not worry about offending and need to speak our mind loud.
At one point I might have agreed on that.
And maybe to a point, I still do.
But I find myself contemplating the “worth” of each soapbox. Does speaking out for OR against a particular issue truly further the Kingdom of God? Does it lead people to Christ or away from Him? Is it edifying to the church, or destructive? Am I trying to “convict” sinners who are of this world instead of showing them that God loves them and wants to FORGIVE those sins? And further more, what about my OWN sin? Am I focused too much on THEIR sins that I’m not seeing and working on the ones right in front of my nose?
I tell my kids ALL THE TIME that the only person they can truly change is themselves, so before casting blame at others (uh, usually each other…) they need to look into their hearts and see if their motives are pure and if THEY are blameless. 99.99% of the time…. they are not.
I don’t think this is a new problem. It’s always been there, but social media has taken the problem and like a magnifying glass, blown it up so it is super clear and even more damaging.
I see posts being shared on Facebook by well meaning people of God that are NOT edifying, that contain gross exaggerations in order to further their agenda (which I KNOW they view as God’s agenda) but does God really condone us painting such broad, one-sided viewpoints just to rile people up? Does he really want us casting a net of condemnation and defensiveness for, literally, all the world to see?
In reading the Gospels and reading the teachings of Jesus, we find that Jesus was SMART. His responses were calculated and sharp and accurate, and left people with mouths hung open, no response ready. Did that make the pharisees love him? Nope, it actually made him more of a hated man because he befuddled them and made them nervous.
THAT is what I want to be. I don’t want to just throw out posts and words that preach to the choir and gain shouts of agreement from my allies while providing fuel to my enemies. I want my words to be swords of truth that strike the enemies dumb, that pries open the eyes of men to God’s truth.
I am under no delusion that all will like me. And maybe I DO need to speak out more about the things that so heavily lay on my heart.
But my desire is to ONLY do so when prompted by God and given words of truth that will strike dead on.
You wouldn’t go into battle with a sword, eyes closed, just swinging everywhere, hoping you get lucky.
Don’t go into the world and do battle with your words (or Facebook/twitter posts) the same way.
“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the
sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint
and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Hebrews 4:12 NLT
“In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:16 NLT
Let’s Chat – How do you decide what to share/post on Facebook or other social media? Do you pray before you post/share something controversial?
A sword is a sharp, cutting instrument that makes a precise wound. Soldiers use it, trained fighters, ninjas.
A club is big stick with no real refinement. Mobs use those.
Stay with the Word of God, which we know is the sword of truth. You may get hit a lot with the clubs of the mob, but ultimately that sword will cut through the deception.
Jason, great point.
We need to be smart swordsmen and not club wielding mobsters 🙂
I struggle with this myself. I tend to err on the side of never wanting to say anything. I don't like confrontation and don't like having to defend myself. But…I also know that I shouldn't be afraid to speak the truth. And the truth is something seriously lacking in our society today. So I try to not be afraid to share my faith. I also don't want to be overbearing and turn people off because I am annoying. But I want people to be abundantly clear that I am a Christian. I don't want anyone left wondering. Such a quandary! But you hit the nail on the head with the part about listening to God. Speaking when you feel his prompting and saying the words he provides. You can't go wrong that way!