Just

One of the things the Lord used to prepare me for ministry was Toastmasters, an organization people join to improve their public speaking skills. In every Toastmasters meeting, the person assigned as the grammarian introduces a “word of the day” to encourage speakers to expand their vocabulary. My particular Toastmasters club also used a clicker whenever the person speaking uttered filler words like “um”, “ah”, “er”, and “you know.”

I’ve noticed many Christians habitually insert the word “just” whenever they are praying or praising the Lord. Listen closely the next time you’re at a church service or prayer meeting. You will likely hear people say, “I just pray that…” or “I just praise You for…” or “We just thank You…” Perhaps you picked up that habit because you heard other believers doing the same thing.

The Bible does say, “The just shall live by faith” and the blood of Jesus justifies us. But I don't see how the overuse of the word “just” adds extra power to prayers and praise. Maybe I’m nitpicking but I feel Christians use the word “just” just too much.

I like the advice given by comedian Tim Hawkins, "Just finish the prayer!"

“And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” - Matthew 6:7

"You Never Know"

A phrase that some people use that I'm starting to find annoying is “you never know.” Occasionally I hear believers say something like, “You never know what God will do.” It must grieve the Holy Spirit to hear His people say clichés like that. The truth is we can know what God is doing if we are sensitive to His leading. Jesus said in John 16:13 that the Spirit of God “will guide you into all truth” and “will tell you things to come.”

Another often-used phrase similar to this is “God moves in mysterious ways.” Some believers quote this like it came out of the Bible. This saying actually originated from an 18th-century hymn written by William Cowper. The promises of God are not mysterious but His methods of bringing them to pass can be. As Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the LORD. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.’”

It’s true that some spiritual matters remain a mystery. Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” For example, you may not know why a certain individual died at a young age but God may choose to reveal the reason to those that need to know.

Amos 3:7 says, “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.” God uses His people to warn the world of coming judgments. Examples include…

• Noah and the coming flood (Genesis 6:13)

• Abraham and Lot of the future destruction of Sodom (Genesis 18:17; 19:14)

• Joseph and the seven-year famine (Genesis 41:30)

• Moses and the ten plagues on Egypt (Exodus 7:1)

• Jonah and the destruction of Nineveh (Jonah 1:2; 3:4)

Sadly, some people remain ignorant of what God is doing in the earth because of listening to the wrong voices. 2 Timothy 3:6-7 mentions that in the last days there will be “gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Every time I read this passage, I think of housewives and single mothers who constantly watch tabloid talk shows on TV, filling their minds with useless information that won’t make a positive difference in their lives.

Occasionally when I’m out evangelizing, religious folks try to tell me that nobody can know for sure if they will have eternal life. But 1 Timothy 2:4 says that God “…desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” That will happen as more of God’s people share the gospel with sinners and they respond to it by receiving salvation. Jesus said in John 8:32, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” But truth alone doesn’t make anyone free. It’s knowing it and then applying it in their lives.

We can know the will of God by reading our Bibles, claiming His promises, and staying in communion with Him. But we can bring negative things into our lives simply by speaking the wrong words. As Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Let’s get “you never know” out of our vocabulary. Let’s believe God will bring revelation to help us fulfill His plans and purposes on the earth.

“The Holy One has anointed you, so all of you have knowledge.” - 1 John 2:20 (GOD’S WORD Translation)

Christian Hate Speech

In today’s politically correct society, Christians who take a stand against homosexuality are often dubbed “haters.” A few of these bold believers have been fined, arrested and even charged with inciting “hate crimes.” This is a sign of the times we live in. Matthew 24:9-10 says that in the last days, “…they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another."

The dictionary defines hate as “to dislike intensely or passionately.” You might think of things you hate such as chores to do around the house or certain types of food (personally I hate peas, squash, and coconut). Some people have this idea that all hatred is evil and yet it is actually a God-given emotion. Ecclesiastes 3:8 says there is “a time to love, and a time to hate.”

So what exactly constitutes godly hatred? Let’s look at a few more examples of “hate speech” in the Bible…

“You who love the LORD, hate evil!” - Psalm 97:10

“The fear of the LORD is to hate evil.” – Proverbs 8:13

“He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly.” – Proverbs 13:24

“He who hates correction will die.” - Proverbs 15:10

“Hate evil, love good” - Amos 5:15

It’s often been said that Christians are to “love the sinner but hate the sin.” Some liberal churches reject this concept calling it intolerant and preach only about God’s love. They ignore the fact that God Himself hates specific things…

“These six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren." 

- Proverbs 6:16-19

Individuals who come against God-fearing people are the real haters…

“For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.” - John 3:20

“If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” - John 15:19


“They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents” - Romans 1:29-30

In contrast, Jesus commands us to love individuals who show hatred towards us…

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” 

- Matthew 5:43-45

Do you really want to please God? Romans 12:9 in the New Living Translation says, “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.” Is there a particular kind of sin that you hate more than others? That could be a sign to God’s calling on your life. As Mike Murdock says, “What you hate is a clue to something you are assigned to correct.”

“You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” - Hebrews 1:9