{"id":4775,"date":"2021-11-14T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-14T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shop.honestreflections.net\/?p=4775"},"modified":"2021-11-01T09:43:44","modified_gmt":"2021-11-01T14:43:44","slug":"how-speaking-boldly-will-make-you-draw-closer-to-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/2021\/11\/14\/how-speaking-boldly-will-make-you-draw-closer-to-god\/","title":{"rendered":"How Speaking Boldly Will Make You Draw Closer to God"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

2 minute read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Daily Reading: <\/strong>Ezekiel 40 GW<\/a>; Acts 4 GW<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

God evokes strong feelings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you believe in God or not, He inspires passion.  Recently, promoting my new book, \u201cThree Word Prayers for Everyday Living<\/a>,\u201d I advertised on Facebook.  The first comment was negative from a non-believer, which then spurred more negativity.  However, since the book wasn\u2019t released, none of the commenters read it.  God gave me a whole new insight into the phrase, \u201cDon\u2019t judge a book by its cover.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Statistics show, most people don\u2019t read the Bible. However, they have extreme opinions about something they haven\u2019t read.  And people have profound emotions about God, whether they believe in Him or not.  As Christ-followers, we can\u2019t let people\u2019s negativity stop us from sharing our faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speak boldly.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter what the opposition, share God\u2019s love.  People exist who live to criticize others.  Criticizing people is easier than looking at the plank in their own eyes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow can you say to your brother, \u2018Let me take the speck out of your eye,\u2019 when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?\u201d (<\/em>Matthew 7:4 NIV<\/em><\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We all have planks.  If you\u2019re a close personal friend of mine, you know what mine are.  Before we point the finger at others, we must first examine ourselves.  When we do, we\u2019ll realize we need God\u2019s grace and mercy first and foremost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When haters hate, give them to God.  As I read the negative comments, I prayed for my critics, \u201cBless them, fix me.\u201d   Bringing God into the conversation reminds me, we\u2019re all sinners in need of grace.  And God is a controversial topic for many people.  Life circumstances cause people to doubt God\u2019s existence.  Conversing with an unseen God seems insane to some people, but maybe that\u2019s because they never tried it.  I don\u2019t know; I\u2019m not God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I do know, God is real.  When people are negative, God is your refuge.  In Him, find protection from the storm.  Don\u2019t let haters stop you from speaking boldly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Check out my new release on Amazon<\/a>. Learn how I used prayer to control my emotions and develop healthier relationships in my life. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lord, thank You for the firm foundation You provide.  Forgive us for succumbing to the negativity of this world.  Give us boldness to speak of Your love, grace, and mercy.  When people attack, let their efforts roll off our backs.  Don\u2019t let us internalize the hatred; fill us with Your love instead.  Help us speak boldly always.  IJNIP.  Amen<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question for reflection<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whose negativity do you need to pray for today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Check out my new release on Amazon<\/a>. Learn how I used prayer to control my emotions and develop healthier relationships in my life. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

2 minute read. Daily Reading: Ezekiel 40 GW; Acts 4 GW God evokes strong feelings. Whether you believe in God or not, He inspires passion.  Recently, promoting my new book, \u201cThree Word Prayers for Everyday Living,\u201d I advertised on Facebook.  The first comment was negative from a non-believer, which then spurred more negativity.  However, since… Continue reading How Speaking Boldly Will Make You Draw Closer to God<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4775"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4805,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4775\/revisions\/4805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}