words

A Letter to You

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment
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I observe people and patterns in life. I notice things others may easily overlook or not think anything of it. But me? I see them and think about them. I don’t know why, except that it is the way God made me. I believe it helps me as a writer.

 Recently, April wrote a letter to a close friend, and her friend was offended. I noticed that people don’t like receiving letters that share the truth. The letters they like the least are the ones that point out an issue in their life. The letters are usually written out of love and concern for the individual, but the receiver does not seem to notice that. They tend to respond with a “How dare they…” Or a “Well, they do this…”

 Most of the time, instead of receiving the message, they get defensive! There is something about looking at and reading words that are written. It’s like the person reads it over and over and can’t ignore or get away from it unless they tear it up and throw it away. I have also noticed they will tell people what the letter said but fail to let others read the letter for themselves.

 I wrote a letter a few years ago to a loved one, and it wound up costing me just over $50,000! How is that possible, you ask? I wrote the letter to my father sometime before he passed away because he was struggling with some “friends,” and instead of listening to the truth, he kept hanging up on me, so I wrote a letter. He got so mad that he decided to get revenge on me and he wrote me out of his will.

 I don’t look for financial provisions from anyone individual because my provider is God almighty! He provides for all my needs. Dad was saying whatever he wanted to to his friends but failed to understand why they no longer came around or talked to him. My letter tried to help him realize that just because you are old, you still don’t have the right to speak to people however you choose to. Even if what you are saying may be true to you.

 In the Bible, especially in the New Testament, in the books that Paul wrote, you will notice that it says, “Letter to the Philippians,” etc. The people of those churches may not have liked all that Paul wrote, but he did it to help them, encourage them, and instruct them so their lives would be better. Paul told the people the truth!

 The Bible, overall, is a letter to people, anybody, around the world. It is God’s message of ultimate love. The whole book is a guide of how to live life God’s way. People may not like the truth, and they have free will not to accept it, but their lives and their futures would be much better if they did. The Bible is written words that you shouldn’t ignore, and you can’t get away from them. The Bible is a letter to you!

 Copyright © 2024 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Words

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“I have a dream…” “One small step…” “We the people…” “In the beginning…” “Here’s Johnny!”

Words. They are so powerful. They can build up, inspire, offer hope, and make us laugh, or they can tear down, destroy, and invoke fear. It all depends on what words and in what order they are spoken. We use our tongues to form the words that give us speech. The Bible says the tongue has the power to wield life or death.

Words kill, words give life;
    they’re either poison or fruit—you choose. Prov. 18:21 (MSG)

Say the wrong words to a child, and you can destroy their self-esteem. Or the wrong words spoken in a relationship, and it can come to an end. But the right words can do wonderful things.

The right word at the right time
    is like a custom-made piece of jewelry, Prov. 25:11 (MSG)

There may be times, when you are having a conversation with a friend and realize they are about to make a mistake or a wrong decision in their life. It can be difficult to speak up, but I have learned that if you ask for an invitation to speak into their life first, then they can’t get upset if they do not like what you say to them. Hopefully, they will recognize that you are speaking to them words of life because you care for them.

And a wise friend’s timely reprimand
    is like a gold ring slipped on your finger. Prov. 25:12 (MSG)

We all should be mindful of the power of words at all times and in all situations. Being slow to speak is a great discipline.

Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life. James 1:19-21 (MSG)

Copyright © 2024 Mark Brady  All Rights Reserved

Sensing Jesus – Mouth

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“For as often as you eat this cup and drink this bread,” said the senior pastor as he was leading us in the monthly ritual of communion. I was 21, a youth pastor, standing on his left, and I had to stare at the floor to keep from laughing.

Jesus made reference that we should drink his blood that was poured out when He died on the cross. And partake of his body, which was broken for us. Now, He did not mean this literally, of course, but suggesting that we take him in and remember what He did on the cross that provided salvation for us and the forgiveness of sin.

The mouth is not only for taking communion, but it can serve as a means to share God’s love through verbal speech. It’s sad when it happens, but it can also tear someone down.

Words kill, words give life;
    they’re either poison or fruit—you choose. Prov. 18:21 (MSG)

Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.
Jam. 3:10 (NIV)

The mouth is an integral part of the body. With it, you can praise and worship God or read his word out loud to yourself or others. You can encourage someone with words spoken over them. Jesus used his mouth to speak of loving God first and then your neighbor. He used his mouth to invite people to accept him.

This Christmas season, sense Jesus. Get quiet somewhere and take him in. Speak the words He spoke. Invite others to accept Jesus. Encourage people with loving words. Use your mouth for good and not hurt or hate. Use it to give praise and worship to Father God. Thank him for his Son, for his blessings. Spread joy throughout this season of giving.

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady

Tell Them What They Want to Hear

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Have you ever experienced someone who only tells people what they think those people want to hear? If they are talking to you, it may take a while to pick up on it, especially if you believe people. I find it easier to detect when I hear them talking to other people.

This year, I came across one of these individuals. We entered into an agreement that required them to pay money to me. The other thing about this type of person is they “always” have “life” happen to them. (I kept it “G” rated by saying “life”) But if you knew the truth, you would know that what they say didn’t happen to them. In other words, they lied.

It amazes me how those who lie think we must be stupid and believe every word from their mouths. I often will let them dig a hole deeper and deeper by not commenting on the lie. When I suspect a problem, it is better to ask God to protect me and help me discern the lies. He is so faithful to answer that prayer.

Sad, but the one who is lying starts believing their own lies. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to live that way. How can they take advantage of, well, everyone and live with themselves? How did it turn out with the one who wronged me? On paper, they still owe us money. A lot. And although the deficit is still there, God has blessed us financially. He has brought three separate checks into our lives.

I will say this: After I knew we were being used and lied to, I sensed God wanted us to help the person out, within reason. Why? Because He knew He would take care of us, but He also knew the individual would wonder why and sit down and listen to a clear presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I was able to show them how much God loves them. The point is this: only God’s kind of love can change a person. Because God’s love doesn’t tell them what they want to hear, but it tells them what they “need” to hear.

Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen.
1 Cor. 13:7-8a (Phillips)

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady.

There is More Than This

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How much effort does it take to “hope”?  Hoping for a life that is better than your current one.  I think most don’t say, “I hope I …” but instead, they say, “I wish I …”.

Hope definition is – to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true

Wish definition is – feel or express a strong desire for something that is not easily attainable; want something that cannot or probably will not happen.

Do you see it?  Do you see the difference between “wishing” and “hoping”?  “Hoping” comes with anticipation because it can actually happen!  This is why “hope” is so powerful.  Hope can restore a
marriage.  Hope can lead to someone getting their health back.  Hope can get you a better job.  Hope causes things to happen. 

God’s word says,
“These three remain: faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor. 13:13)  I like what “The Message,” translation says, “Trust steadily in God (that’s faith), hope unswervingly, love extravagantly.”

Hope can help you go from where you are to the kind of life God intended for you all along.  I mean, seriously, he started man and woman out living in a garden.  It’s a lie from hell to accept, “Well, this is as good as it’s ever going to get.”  NO!  You can have what God wants for you. How?  Ask for it.  Ask God to help you achieve that life.


Believe it can happen.  Start renewing the way you think today, for what you think is what you believe, and what you believe is what you say, and what you say comes to pass, for words have a lot of power.

Every time you speak, generally, you are speaking life or death.  Start listening to how you talk, and pay attention to the kind of words you use the most.  Especially those words you say to other people.  Those words matter, but also what you say to yourself in your mind.  Changing those words can change your life.

God loves you and wants you to have his best.  He doesn’t want you living in a dump but in a garden.  He wants you to live above your current situation.  He wants you looking up for something better, for there is
more than this, and when you are looking up, he can see you smile.  God wants so much love, happiness, and joy for his children, who love him, and He does work “all” things out for good for those who love him. (Rom. 8:28)

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

Post-it

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Post-it notes are great!  I depend on them and use them all the time for several different things. Not only are they good for jogging your memory, which I need a lot, but I have also used them as bookmarks amongst other things.

Another thing they are good for is to post a message in front of you that you see every day! I know some will post messages to encourage themselves every morning, or to help them remember just how important they are to God, and if He loves them, then they should love themselves as well. Others might write out scriptures to memorize.

Lately, as I have mentioned before, I am trying to renew my mind so it will change how I react to people with one or more of the fruits of the Spirit. A Post-it wasn’t going to be big enough, so I used the magnetic letters on our refrigerator. Messages to ourselves should be posted where we go often, hence the refrigerator! We only have two sets of letters, so April and I had to get creative on how to list most of the 9 fruits. The last one in the list is “patience”.

It’s working. I see and am reminded of the different fruits and I do think of them when I have the occasion to operate in them, which when dealing with people is often. So let me encourage you to take the time to post in front of you the words, the message you need to see as much as it takes until they become a part of you, and live within you. Words, written or spoken are powerful, even the ones on Post-its!

Words kill, words give life;
    they’re either poison or fruit—you choose. Prov. 18:21 (MSG)

Copyright © 2022 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

“One Friend Coming Up!”

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This is not a continuation of my last post about friends.  This is different.

Do you ever find yourself saying something like, “God, if I only had …”   Or something along the line of, “I wish I had a …”   I’m sure you have no problem filling in those blanks.  You are not alone.  A lot of people will “wish” they had something they feel they need or want.

What if you could speak what you strongly desire into existence?  Guess what, you can.  And how much would you pay for that?  But wait, there’s more.  A few years ago I heard a story of a lady who was up in her years of life.  She decided one day she would start looking into the mirror and declaring, “I look younger every day.”  Crazy?  Perhaps.  Until you hear the rest of the story.  After some time, her friends and family started telling her that she keeps looking younger and younger instead of aging as she would in the natural.

When I heard her testimony I was intrigued.  I knew the way God did it for her probably wouldn’t work for me, but the principle is the same, and here it is:

Speak, out loud, what you want, or desire.

Some call it making declarations, I think God calls it, “Speaking it into existence.”  I started doing this.  Whenever I would think of it I would stop and say out loud what I wanted.  I’m not going to list them, because they are personal.  What they are doesn’t matter, but what does matter is this; it works.  The things I have spoken out loud are coming to past. They are coming into existence!

This is not the same as sitting in a restaurant and going over a menu selecting what you want.  What you are declaring should be submitted to God, for He knows if this is a need or a want.  Will this help you, or hurt you in your relationship with Him or with others. As well, this is not “name it and claim it” type of faith either.

The mouth is a very powerful tool.  And the words that come out of our mouth are critical.  In a nut shell, every time we speak, we are either creating or tearing down.  We are building up, or destroying something, or worse, someone.

So a friend of mine, the other day, talked about wanting a friend to hang out with.  His other friends have moved away, or have transitioned into new chapters of their lives.  I challenged him to begin speaking out loud what he wanted.

I can only imagine God looking at him and saying, “One friend coming up!”

Copyright © 2021 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

So What?

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Have you ever noticed how quick some people get upset, and at times over the littlest things?  It can seem silly at times, but don’t tell them that.  It could only build more frustration.

The funny thing about these individuals is this; they “choose” to get upset.  I learned that truth many years ago while attending marriage counseling with my first wife.  The counselor pointed out my wife can’t “make me mad” just like she can’t “make me hungry”.  That made sense.

Ignoring things in life that bother you can be a challenge, but not impossible.  One technique is to look at the overall situation and to ask yourself, “Does it really matter?”  Finding a way to say. “So what?” is important.

The alternative is flying off the handle.  Spouting words that can hurt, cut and potentially do permanent damage to the receiver of those “acts of rage” that could take years to overcome.

You can definitely pray and ask God to help you, and partner that with help from key identifiers.  Signals inside you that may indicate your tolerance level is rising to a boiling over point.  That can be the time to walk away quietly, or simply correct the frustration issue without commenting on it.

It is easier to change yourself, than to try to change another person.

The Bible says this about the importance of responding correctly:

Respond gently when you are confronted
    and you’ll defuse the rage of another.
    Responding with sharp, cutting words[a] will only make it worse.
    Don’t you know that being angry
    can ruin the testimony of even the wisest of men?
2 When wisdom speaks, understanding becomes attractive.
    But the words of the fool make their ignorance look laughable.
3 The eyes of the Lord are everywhere
    and he takes note of everything that happens.
    He watches over his lovers,
    and he also sees the wickedness of the wicked.
4 When you speak healing words,
    you offer others fruit from the tree of life.
    But unhealthy, negative words do nothing but crush their hopes.  Prov. 15:1-4

One thing to remember is; your outburst can ruin your witness of the love of God before others.  That’s a sobering thought.  People tend to remember a single outburst instead of the countless acts of love that came in the days before.  It’s not fair, but unfortunately true.  Choose to react with one of the fruits of the Spirit of God.  “Love, joy, peace, self-control, kindness, goodness, forbearance, and gentleness.  It’s a better way to go. Oh! And in the spirit of transparency, I needed this post probably more than anyone else!

Copyright © 2021 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

Be Like God

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Most of her life she heard, “You’re so stupid.”  “You can’t do anything right.”  “You’ll never amount to anything.”  “Why can’t you get this?  It’s not hard.”  She heard messages that she wasn’t good enough and that she never would be.  One negative message after another, and the worst thing happened…she believed them.

Thirty some years later, after thinking that life was just okay, and it couldn’t get any better, because she was taught not to expect anything special, it happened.  She moved away from those she loved, and into the arms of man, who loved her, but more importantly, loved God.  After a while he recognized her insecurities, but he knew how to reverse the years of damage and pain done to her.

He begin being gentle with his deeds, and especially with his words.  He had to make sure he didn’t expect perfection out of every task, as he had been raised to.  He needed to find the capacity to let her do things her way, and then to compliment her on a job well done.  She needed to know he trusted her, and believed in her.  He had to speak love to her and to speak life. He would hide notes and things around the house for her to find that reinforced what he was verbally telling her.

Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.  (Prov. 18:21 MSG)

Kind words heal and help; cutting words wound and maim.  (Prov. 15:4 MSG)

Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.  (Col. 4:6 MSG)

Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.  (Eph. 4:29 MSG)

Over time, because he will be like God to her (and not “a god” over her) she will heal.  Her mind will be cleansed of all of those negative comments.  Each day, she will grow in confidence.  She will soon stand up straight and hold her head up high.  She will begin to believe that she is a child of the most high God and that He loves her, and she will start acting like she knows it.  She will seek out God’s plan and design for her life and purse it with strong conviction.  One day she will be God, or be like God to someone else who is currently walking where she once did.

Copyright © 2021 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

There is More Than This

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment

How much effort does it take to “hope”?  Hoping for a life that is better than the one you are currently living.  I think most don’t say, “I hope I …”, but instead they say, “I wish I …”.

Hope definition is – to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true

Wish definition is – feel or express a strong desire for something that is not easily attainable; want something that cannot or probably will not happen.

Do you see it?  Do you see the difference in “wishing” and “hoping”?  “Hoping” comes with anticipation, because it can actually happen!  This is why “hope” is so powerful.  Hope can restore a marriage.  Hope can lead to someone getting their health back.  Hope can get you a better job.  Hope causes things to happen. 

God’s word says, “These three remain: faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor. 13:13)  I like what “The Message” translation says, “Trust steadily in God (that’s faith), hope unswervingly, love extravagantly.”

Hope, can help you go from where you are to the kind of life God intended for you all along.  I mean seriously, he started man and woman out living in a garden.  It’s a lie from hell to accept, “Well, this is as good as its ever going to get.”  NO!  You can have what God wants for you.  How?  Ask for it.  Ask God to help you achieve that life.  Believe it can happen.  Start today renewing the way you think, for what you think is what you believe, and what you believe is what you say, and what you say comes to pass for words have a lot of power.

Every time you speak, generally, you are speaking life, or death.  Start listening to how you talk, and pay attention to the kind of words you use the most.  Especially those words you say to other people.  Those words matter, but also what you say to yourself in your mind.  Changing those words can change your life.

God loves you, and wants you to have his best.  He doesn’t want you living in a dump, but in a garden.  He wants you to live above your current situation.  He wants you looking up, for something better, for there is more than this, and when you are looking up he can see you smile.  God wants so much love, happiness, and joy for his children, who love him, and He does work “all” things out for good, for those who love him. (Rom. 8:28)

Copyright © 2021 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.