After denying Jesus Christ three times before His crucifixion, what caused Peter to speak about salvation with Jesus Christ fifty days after the Resurrection? A Tongue of Fire. What causes us to fear and feel insecure when we are asked to speak about our faith? A Lack of Confidence. Most of us want to help people when they are faced with difficult situations, but many of us lack the courage to bear witness to our faiths and how God has always been with us in our difficult times. When we are willing, God takes our tongues of flesh and makes them tongues of fire.
Fifty days after the Resurrection in Jerusalem, fifteen nations arrived to take part in the Pentecost. The people of these nations were filled with awe when they began to speak in languages they had never spoken before. Their tongues were on fire as the Holy Spirit empowered them to speak in the heart voices of every nation on earth. They began to speak about their faiths, cultures, and traditions to people they might never have spoken to before as their tongues of flesh became tongues of fire.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16- KJV) You might say, “That was thousands of years ago; how does that situation apply to me today?” If you are continuing to grow your faith, you might ask, “Has God’s will changed for His church? How can I find ways for the Father’s Spirit to speak through me?” I believe God uses all things, all events, and all people in His realm to change who we really are into more loving people. He empowers us to speak His truths to every person on the earth by blessing our tongues with His love and promises. God’s sacrifice of His only Son more than forgives our sins; it cleanses us of every wrong thought, word, and deed that might otherwise have darkened His beautiful creation. Satan’s power is impotent because he cannot overpower God’s love for us. If we truly believe, God uses us to speak with courage and to bear witness to His omnipotent power and love.
What is unique about you? When you love God and are willing to share your faith, teach about it, and articulate what God has done for you, He blesses you with the ability to spread His truth, the light, and the way to others who may need counseling or a pathway to Him. All Christians have moments of God’s goodness and grace within themselves. These are moments that brought us to our faith and to Jesus Christ, the memories that only God could have done for us, our “Ebeneezers.” You are so over joyed by God’s love for you that you can hardly wait to share your experiences with others. This darkened world needs us to speak about what God has done for us; we need to be simple and grateful people, willing to speak about God’s extraordinary gifts for us. Through our loving spirits, the darkness will be lifted, and God’s light will shine through to the hurting masses.
By being an ambassador of Christ, we can help spread the Gospel of God’s love, hope, and grace to everyone who asks about our faith. Perhaps more than any other time in history, we are called to stand up for God, to be His torch carriers, to be the people who the world turns to in times of peace and times of war. It’s hard to say, but our world is turning in the wrong direction, away from God. We need to right its direction and direct all who would listen towards the cross. There are too many Ukraines in the world not to speak up. We must speak with tongues of fire, and say, “I am a child of God. Whatever I do, I do because He walks beside me. Join me!”
Anna Hartt
