Which Language Do You Speak? - No. 49

John 3:31, “He that comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth.”

Recently my family put on a 60th birthday for me. When people arrived, they were given a questionnaire to fill in regarding information about my life. One of the questions was, “How many languages does she speak?” It was a trick question, because I have to confess, to my shame, that I only speak English. If I had my life over again, I would change that. I feel ashamed when I travel to other countries and mix with people who speak five or six languages. I remember staying with a family in Malaysia. Between them, the husband and wife spoke more than six languages in which they constantly talked to their children. Consequently their young children fluently spoke six languages.

However, more importantly than speaking many languages, is that we speak the right language! There are thousands of languages and dialects in the world, but there are only two categories to which they all belong – the language of earth and the language of heaven!

There is a vernacular that belongs to the kingdom of Satan and a completely different one that belongs to the kingdom of God.

When we are born again into the kingdom of God, we must learn the language of this new kingdom. It is a language of love and purity. It is a language of truth. It confesses the truth of God’s principles, even if it is the opposite to how we feel. It speaks divine truth, even if it is opposite to what the rest of the world is saying. It aligns with God.

Now please don’t get me wrong. I’m not talking about speaking religious-sounding words that don’t relate to life. They are phony. They are religiousity, not reality.

God’s language is real. It is part of the nitty-gritty of life. It speaks truth, in plain words, in the midst of humanistic deception. It speaks wisdom in the midst of man’s foolishness. It talks love in the midst of hate. It retaliates with blessing when abused, persecuted and mistreated. It rings with praises to the Lord instead of groaning and grumbling. It talks faith in the midst of doubt and delusion.

We don’t learn to speak this language immediately. It takes time because it is totally opposite to the way we used to speak. We have to practice it. It will not feel natural at first, but we keep speaking it in faith until it becomes natural.

Philippians 3:20 says, “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.”  The King James Version uses the word ‘conversation’. ‘Citizenship’ and ‘conversation’ are linked. Citizens of heaven will speak the language of heaven. 

As Jews from all over the world make aliyah to Israel, they immediately have to go to an Ulpan to learn Hebrew, the language of their new country. It is mandatory.

We have had to learn many new words since coming from New Zealand to live in America.  We used to say ‘nappies’, now we say ‘diapers’.  We used to say ‘dummy’, now we say ‘pacifier’. We used to say ‘pushchair’, but now we say ‘stroller’. Instead of talking about the ‘boot’ of a car, we now call it the ‘trunk! And so it goes on and on. Bill Bryson in his book, “Mother Tongue” says that there are some 40,000 words that are different in American English to British English. I can believe it.

Which language are you speaking? Are you still speaking the old language that belongs to Satan’s kingdom – the lingo of doubt, defeat, dread and deception? Or do you speak the language of your citizenship – words of love, joy, peace, praise and faith?

1 John 4:5-6 says, “They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God: He who knows God hears us: he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

Make it your aim to become fluent in your new language – the language of heaven. Your speech will expose to which kingdom you belong.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

“Oh God, please touch my lips with your heavenly fire. Cleanse my lips. Purify my speech. Teach me your language. Lord, I belong to a heavenly country. Help me to speak the language of this country. Amen.”

QUOTE: