HELLO !

Posted byDianne HornePosted inUncategorized

Its been awhile since I’ve posted anything….and there are reasons for that. But at the moment, I’m going to introduce a new method of blogging. I still am not fond of that word, but you know what I mean. lol

I thought that from now on, I’d just write as though you were sitting on the other end of this screen in front of me. Perhaps pretending we’re having tea together. Sound good to you?

Let me begin with a “verbal event” that took place a few weeks ago. It was a “difficult” conversation, to say the least. I was experiencing a “physical difficulty” that came as quite a shock to my equilibrium. This conversation came on quite suddenly by someone who was attempting to give me “unsolicited advice.” We’ve all had that happen, haven’t we? But I confess that I was not in a calm place emotionally to digest everything they poured out.

This individual, I know, didn’t mean bad by it, and they had the utmost of good intentions. But it took me a few days to get over it and past it. Can anyone relate to this?

Yes, I brought it to Jesus for His help in maneuvering through this. The best thing I did was to “NOT COMMENT.” I can only thank the Holy Spirit for “closing my lips….” which prevented any unkind or unnecessary words in response.

A few days ago, in my “marinating time” with God, I asked Him about what I could learn from this unwelcomed encounter. I had no idea, at the time, that God would add a volume of advice for me. But He did.

So this blog will bring you into my “character class” on WORDS. I’ll just share the “Divine Advice” He placed on my heart. Yes, it felt like a “DEFINING MOMENT” with my Savior….and I needed that.

God was fully aware of what was coming my way and He permitted it. So, I figured there was something for me to learn about what took place. Isn’t it wonderful that we can take anything that comes our way to our Great and understanding Father.

Here goes………..let me have your feedback, if you wish, to see how this maneuvers around your heart.

ISAIAH 64:4 “For since the world began, no eye has seen or ear has heard of a God like You WHO WORKS ON BEHALF OF WHOSE WHO WAIT FOR HIM.”

EPHESIANS 4:29 “Let no UNWHOLESOME/CORRUPT (rotten or decaying) WORD PROCEED OUT OF YOUR MOUTH, but what is GOOD for ‘necessary edification,” that it may impart grace to the hearers.”

Compass thot:

A POSITIVE FILTER FOR MY LIPS:   

 Is what I’m about to say:  TRUE…. KIND……or NECESSARY???

Lord Jesus, help me to apply the brake to my thoughts and mouth before stepping on the accelerator of my lips.

Compass thot: 

Our WORDS are either a “construction zone” or “demolition site.”

Our WORDS either “nourish” or “destroy” as they exit our lips.

Our WORDS can be “deadly.”

JAMES 1:19 “Everyone should be QUICK to LISTEN and SLOW to SPEAK, and SLOW to ANGER.”

PROVERBS 6:19 “A false witness that speaks lies, and he/she that sows (dropping information at will without discernment, wisdom or kindness) DISCORD AMONG BRETHREN.

Compass thot:  Sowing discord is the result of a heart that HARBORS POISON.

Compass thot:  Better to come away from a conversation wishing I had said MORE than wishing I had said LESS.

PROVERBS 13:2 “A man/woman shall eat well by the FRUIT of his/her MOUTH.”

Compass thot:

Sooner or later, if I don’t put the brakes on my opinions or words, I will suffer inwardly from what I’ve said.

Compass thot:

If I don’t deal with the attitude of my heart, the POISON will remain there and move to my mind, lips & stomach…reaping what I’ve sown.

My/our inner attitude of heart (what I/we think about, rehearse or dwell on) can and will POISON me/us first…. for what isn’t corrected in my heart, it will eventually EXIT MY LIPS.

POISON SPREADS LIKE A CANCER:  if not dealt with & repented of………………….

Poison infects:  us within if not realized.  Then spreads and infects every part of us (our spirit and approach to others).

Poison unattended to:  keeps me/us from intimacy/closeness with our Lord

Poison unattended to:  keeps me/us from experiencing answers to prayer

Poison unattended to:  keeps me/us from experiencing God’s favor in our life

Poison affects not only my heart, but usually travels right over my/our tongue and exits my lips…… (affecting & infecting people and the environment we’re in).

Poison so easily leaves my personal environment & enters the environment of others.

Compass thot:

When this happens:  I/we can be like a serpent filled with “poisonous venom spewing out on others.  Once it hits the “air” and “ears” of others, it becomes a DEMOLITION SITE.

PROVERBS 11:13 “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.”

Sharing “opinions” is not always wise or healthy…because if our “opinions” aren’t based on Scripture, what use are they.    Many times, it’s wise to keep our opinions to ourselves.  It’s not always healthy to share my/our opinions for it reflects more on the person sharing than those who hear….and can do great emotional damage.

PROVERBS 16:23 “The heart of the wise TEACHES his/her mouth and adds LEARNING to his/her lips.

Compass thot:

My/our lips need to be in school to learn not only what TO SAY &HOW TO SAY IT, but what NOT TO SAY.

PROVERBS 26:20 “Where there is NO WOOD, the FIRE GOES OUT.”

Compass thot:    CUT THE KINDLING in our CONVERSATION

Kindling meaning:  material (words to ignite something) that burns easily and is used to start a fire.

2 CHRONICLES 20:15 “Do not be AFRAID or DISCOURAGED because of this vast army (people going again me), for the BATTLE IS NOT YOURS, but GOD’S.

Compass thot:   What kind of “results do you want…. yours or God’s?”

2 CHRONICLES 20:12” O our/my God, will You not judge them?  For we/I have no power to face this vast army (this person or these people) that is attacking us/me.  We/I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO, BUT OUR/MY EYES ARE UPON YOU.

OUR CHARACTER IS THE LEGACY OF OUR LIPS!!

I love the term “compass thot” because it presents a fresh & Godly perspective on how I will or should handle or respond to another.

We each are to take responsibility for our own words.  Getting a compass on my heart & words helps me RESPOND better rather than just REACT.

My prayer:

Father You were privy to every word and tone of the words given to me the other day.  You alone know how they not only hurt, but they were so “untimely” in what was going on in my life.

Please heal my heart and strengthen it by your power, as I have no ability to heal the damage done.  Help me leave this person and their attitude and words displayed on me to you.   Be my defense.   And if I’m to ever encounter this again, quiet my heart and by your Holy Spirit, give me YOUR WORDS if You would choose to allow this to occur again.   It’s YOUR BATTLE…. not mine.

Thank you for understanding my heart & the person who hurt me.

You Lord, saw this coming & allowed this….so I know I can “gain something through this experience.”   But I can’t do it without You.

Published by Dianne Horne

I can’t think of anything I enjoy more than to see lives changed! There’s nothing more that puts “oxygen and joy” into my life than to bring the application of Scripture into the “shoe leather” of our lives and to share it with others. I feel awkward speaking about myself, but I understand it can be helpful to enable others to relate to and enjoy the work of our Lord does in other people. Another down-to-earth way of sharing who I am, is that I love to eat, laugh and to talk about the Lord. I’m not a very exciting individual, but my Savior sure is! I’ve been happily married for many years, and I now reside in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. God has transplanted my husband and I 28 times in our years together; and it is only when in His presence that you can ask the “why questions” as to the adjustments He’s brought us “to” and “through” in the numerous locations and countries we have lived. God’s care, love, forgiveness, faithfulness and moment-by-moment presence has not only carried me (when I had every reason to fall apart), but lifted me to a joy I’ve never known. There’s one thing to have joy when things are going great, and quite another dimension of joy and peace when everything in your world is crumbling and unknown. Most of our lives will appear like “ordinary oatmeal living”, but when we allow Him to “establish our steps”, He alone takes our mundane acts of kindness or aid and makes them “extraordinary” for His purpose in the lives of others. The seasons of caring for my parents and the associated grieving process has forever changed me. It was my honor, joy and privilege to participate with my Lord in what He was accomplishing in their lives, as they both gave their lives to Jesus Christ just days before they were escorted into His presence in heaven. The medical challenges and decisions that needed to be made for a number of those years thrust me into a trust and dependence upon the Lord that I had never known up to that point in my life. In my journey, I’ve come to realize that our “weakness” is our greatest “strength”, because real power, provision, and His purpose being carried out in and through our lives, depends on Him orchestrating such through His sovereignty. My “heartbeat of fulfillment” lies in sharing with women, in various settings, helping them to enjoy, study and apply the principles of God’s Word in a down-to-earth fashion. I thrive interacting with women and encouraging them to put their trust in the One Who knows them best and loves them extravagantly; and to prioritize “spending time alone with God each day” developing their relationship with Him. Our lives aren’t designed to just get answers to prayer….but to know and love a very personal Savior, and to surrender daily to “His plans, His agenda and purpose” for our lives. Several years ago I was challenged to respond to a critical question I had never considered: Why do you exist? What’s your purpose in life? I live to bring an expression of God in the ordinary events of life, seizing every opportunity of serving and delighting in others. I want my life to be an infectious expression of His love for others, and for them to know how special “they are” to Him; and thus be contagious with His grace. My life compass is: After people spend time with me, what do they think of Jesus Christ? The stories that will appear in my blog, are true events that have taken place in my journey. They’re all “very ordinary” circumstances that have occurred through sharing them with Jesus and watching Him orchestrate and demonstrate what He can do when we yield “our ordinary” to the Extraordinary One.

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