If the brother of Jesus could grow up in the same household as God but not realize it until after the resurrection, we shouldn’t be too surprised if people in our world don’t recognize Christ within us. Jesus was the only sinless man. The rest of us have sinned and quite successfully, I might add. Nothing reveals the nature of our hearts more than the words we speak. “We all fail in many areas, especially with our words.” James wrote in his letter to the scattered Jewish tribes. He undoubtedly remembered his brother’s sermons about words being connected to the nature of the heart. “How can your words be good if you are rotten within? For what has been stored up in your hearts will be heard in the overflow of your words.” [Matthew 12:34 TPT]

“Life and death are in the power of the tongue!” wrote the wise, legendary King Solomon. “And the talkative person will reap the consequences.” Then, in the next verse, he talks about a guy’s wife being a treasure, but if he loses her, he loses what was good in his life. [Proverbs 18:21-22 TPT] Our words matter. They either build our world or burn it to the ground. If social media provides a glimpse into our collective raging soul, we see the world is on fire.  James continues, “Just imagine how a small flame can set a huge forest ablaze. And the tongue a hellish flame that releases a fire that can burn throughout the course of human existence.” [James 3:5-6 TPT] Wow!

The human story is a history of warfare. Whenever the God of Love moves on behalf of injustice, it becomes a spiritual war. “We are a people of war because we are a people at war. All the violence we see in the world is a small glimpse of the violence that churns in us. The war that rages within us eventually boils over and sets the world on fire” [McManus, The Way of the Warrior]

Lord, help me surrender the warfare inside me to the Prince of Peace. The world around me needs to see the Christ within because Jesus is still the hope of all Nations.

Jeff Wittmer is a Certified Life Coach, entrepreneur, and trainer of coaches and leaders. He founded Burning Bush Life Coaching and California Coaching Collaborative, which offers Certification Credentials for Life Coaches. In addition to coaching, Jeff has been a lead pastor, church planter, motivational speaker, and most recently, an instructor at Bethel School of Ministry in Redding, California, where he lives with his lovely wife, Sheri, and the rest of his crew. Jeff’s goal as a communicator is to awaken people to their God-given brilliance, raising their spiritual intelligence and empowering them to live a more abundant and vibrant life.