KACHELBELA: A Well of Life

KACHELBELA: A Well of Life: Dear Diary, Day 10 of  # 40Day_Zip_it_Challenge # A_Well_of_Life # Shut_Down_the_Motormouth A week ago I had a conversation wi...

A Well of Life

Dear Diary,

Day 10 of #40Day_Zip_it_Challenge

#A_Well_of_Life
#Shut_Down_the_Motormouth

A week ago I had a conversation with someone. One of us said, “You don’t know my heart!” Coming to think of it, you can say that but I think it is easy to know someone’s heart by the kind of words that come from the mouth. Actually you can measure a person’s character by their speech.

Come with me to Proverbs 10:11. It says, “The mouth of the righteous is a well of life.” A well/fountain is the source from which something proceeds or is supplied. It is a spring of water issuing from the earth. The mouth as such, is an overflow of what’s in the heart and in effect of its flow, it refreshes and impregnates the surrounding desolateness. 

The same way a well nourishes and refreshes its surrounding so is the mouth of the righteous. The mouth of the righteous blesses and enhances lives; it carries Good News and feeds many, “The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense,” v. 21. Additionally, “From the mouth of the righteous comes the fruit of wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be silenced,” v. 31. A righteous man knows acceptable words and speaks them appropriately-at the right time and at the right place. “The lips of the righteous know what finds favor, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse,” v.32.

Now, RIGHTEOUSNESS is what makes the mouth a fountain/well of life; in addition, what is STORED up in the heart, “The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin,” v. 14.

You see, God cares so much about my mouth.

Is your mouth a well of life? "Help me God!"

Regards,
NzakuNashipae

KACHELBELA: The Great Know it All

KACHELBELA: The Great Know it All: Dear Diary, Last week was quite busy I wasn’t able to do much write up, but my 40 Day #Zip_It_Challenge continues. Here is what I learned l...

The Great Know it All

Dear Diary,

Last week was quite busy I wasn’t able to do much write up, but my 40 Day #Zip_It_Challenge continues. Here is what I learned last week on my Day 9.

#The_Great_Know_it_All

#Shut_Down_the_Motormouth

Know-it-all! Ha ha ha, I know in your mind you might have someone you consider a know-it-all. I can sense the annoyance.

Know-it-alls are those irritating human beings who behave like they are authorities on every topic. When engaging in a conversation with a know it all, you are likely to find yourself deeply frustrated and helpless. Most times know-it-alls are unteachable. I know most people can’t stand a know-it-all. Well, don’t work yourself up #BoraUhai.

Well, I’d like to introduce you to a different Know-it-All. Actually a conversation with Him is life changing not frustrating. Psalm 139:1-4 tells us about the Great Know-it-All. He knows us perfectly well. He knows when we sit down and when we rise. He perceives our thoughts from a far; He discerns our going out and laying down. He is familiar with all our ways and before a word is on our tongues He knows it completely!

How do I even begin to express this! Yaani, God not only knows my outward habits and actions, He’s familiar with my inward thoughts, motives, desires, and fears. He is acquainted with my day to day hustles and bustles. He knows the thoughts am mulling in my mind. He completely knows the words that have formed in my mind long before they leak out from my lips and/or fingers.

So what? Because the Great Know-it-All knows me well, I pray that He’ll set a guard over my mouth and keep watch over the door of my lips, Psalm 141:3. I will intentionally align my thoughts with God’s word for a better chance to have a wholesome and humble speech.

Regards,


NzakuNashipae

Suretyship

Dear Diary,

Day 8 of #Zip_It_40_Day_Challenge

#Shut_Down_the_Motormouth

Have you ever become a surety/guarantor for someone then the whole deal turned bad on you? Did you figure out the best way to extricate yourself from the deal? I don’t know about your experience but if you know you know, giving surety or guaranteeing performance of a financial obligation for someone can turn bad on you. Proverbs 17:18 says, “It's poor judgment to guarantee another person's debt or put up security for a friend,” (NLT).

I love the Bible because it has answers for all the issues of life. In my zip it challenge I came across this passage about giving suretyship, Proverbs 6:1-5. Note, the Bible doesn’t tell us not to help out a friend in need but it gives us a warning against imprudent and spontaneous commitments; we must be careful what we agree to and/or what we promise.

What are the consequences of becoming a surety/guarantor? If you are in a SACCO am certain a friend has approached you requesting you to be his/her guarantor for a loan. I have done that and I thank God my friends so far haven’t defaulted. I once took a loan from my SACCO and had two friends co-sign for me. I paid my loan without default. My mom did the same and she ended up paying tens of thousands because the friend defaulted. I saw the pain and distress she went through!

Prov. 6:1 warns us not to put up security for our neighbour. Surety/ Guarantor mean becoming legally responsible for the debts or default of another person. By becoming surety, you legally obligate yourself to pay the debt if the person proves unable or unwilling to do so. You simply become trapped by your words; the vow of promise you took; you agreed to be responsible; you made yourself accountable to his/her financial obligation.

Now, if you find yourself in this situation, what do you do? Look at the advice the wise man gives in v.3-4. For the sake of your well-being: with urgency go and humble yourself before your friend; plead with him/her; don’t delay until you do everything possible and appropriate to extricate yourself from the financial obligation. For my mom, unfortunately she had to pay to free herself from the debt. Her savings were swallowed just like that!

In future, consider these passages before you put a security for someone’s debt, “He who puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer, but the one who hates indebtedness is secure,” Proverbs 11:15; “Do not be one who gives pledges, who puts up security for debts,” Proverbs 22:26. Si mimi nimesema, ni Bibilia!

Regards,

NzakuNashipae

KACHELBELA: The Honey-Lipped Woman

KACHELBELA: The Honey-Lipped Woman: Dear Diary, Day 7 of the  # Zip_it_40_Day_Challenge # Shut_Down_the_Motormouth Proverbs 5:3, “For the lips of a loose woman drip hon...

The Honey-Lipped Woman

Dear Diary,

Day 7 of the #Zip_it_40_Day_Challenge
#Shut_Down_the_Motormouth

Proverbs 5:3, “For the lips of a loose woman drip honey as a honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil.” Now, what gives an immoral woman power over a decent man? It’s the power of her words! Her lips drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil! How now? Yaani, she is filled with compliments and sweet words!

This is what I know, and if I know I know! From a personal experience, I have learned that a man longs to hear his woman say nice things to and about him! Now, when he misses to hear those nice things, an adulteress comes into his life. Her lips drip honey. Her speech is smoother than oil. She uses her lips and speech to reel a man in for a kill. Just like a Tilapia bites bait, the innocent man bites the honey-lipped compliments. Without realizing it, he gets hooked!

Granted! Her lips drip honey and her speech smoother than oil. Verses 4-6 tell us, “But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged and devouring sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold of Sheol (Hades, the place of the dead). She loses sight of and walks not in the path of life; her ways wind about aimlessly, and you cannot know them.”

My lady, don’t let a strange woman be the one to shower your knight with compliments! Don’t let your man get accustomed to your angry, hateful, mean and resentful speech. There are plenty of slay queens who will compliment him if you don’t! And you dear brother, please run away from that slay queen who is so generous with her compliments, it is no good thing!

Regards,

NzakuNashipae

KACHELBELA: A Rule for Conversations

KACHELBELA: A Rule for Conversations: Dear Diary, Day 6 of the #Zip_it_40_Day_Challenge #Shut_Down_the_Motomouth My speech will never be the same after these 40 Day C...

A Rule for Conversations

Dear Diary,

Day 6 of the #Zip_it_40_Day_Challenge

#Shut_Down_the_Motomouth

My speech will never be the same after these 40 Day Challenge so help me God!

Proverbs 4:24 says, “Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.” “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen,” Ephesians 4:29.

As human beings, whether a chatterbox or an introvert, our daily garrulity and banter conversations might have some profane, perfidious, arrogant, flattery, vain and trifling, contemptuous, railing and abusive words. Both the writer of Proverbs and Ephesians give us a doable rule for our conversations, i.e. to keep our mouths free of perversity and our lips from corrupt and unwholesome talk.

Merriam Webster defines these key words as follows: 1. Unwholesome, “Detrimental to physical, mental or moral well-being.” 2. Corrupt, “Morally degenerated, adulterated or debased speech.” 3. Perversity, “Turned away from what is right or good contrary to accepted standards.” So, perverse, corrupt and unwholesome talk is detrimental to physical, mental and/or moral well-being of a person. It could be an idle tale, a joke, and an irrelevant word. Such unwholesome and corrupt talk defiles people, injures souls and leaves fatal scars in people’s hearts. Besides, it grieves the Holy Spirit!

Words act in two ways: 1. Words are results, i.e. they come forth and show what’s inward; 2. Words are acts, i.e. they cause something beyond. Therefore it is prudent to double the guard over our mouths. Observe the rule: keep your mouth free of perversity and your lips from corrupt and unwholesome talk. Let only that which is helpful for building others up according to their needs proceed out of our mouths; only that which will benefit your listeners!

#Resolve

Psalm 141:3 is my earnest prayer, “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord, keep watch over the door of my lips, that no perverse, corrupt and unwholesome talk will come from my mouth. Amen!”

R,

NzakuNashipae

KACHELBELA: Mastering The Art of Listening

KACHELBELA: Mastering The Art of Listening: Dear Diary, Day 5 of the  #Zip_it_40_Day_Challenge #Shut_Down_the_Motormouth Here is a quotable quote, “Most people...