Have you ever stopped  to think about the power of your words. Words have the power to destroy or build, wound or heal, bring about clarity or confusion. We must learn to take responsibility for our words. I often have the opportunity to work with people that are struggling with their self image. Once I was talking to a group about how to use words to help create the future that they want for their lives. As I was speaking, I used this one young lady as an example. I told her that this was just an example. I went on to say that when I first meet her, I thought she was one of the ugliest most unattractive girls  I had ever seen. Knowing that what I said was not true and simply role play, her whole countenance changed and she dropped her head and was no longer able to give me eye contact. I immediately reminded her that this is just an example, and that I actually thought the exact opposite of her. At that very moment her head lifted, a smile came to her face, and she turned away because she was blushing. One sentence of words began to destroy her self image even more, and another set of words began to build up and repair it. Our words are like missiles shot out of our mouths, and they will hit their target and produce according to their nature.

Rhon Johnson

.

Scripture Reference:

Isaiah 55:11

So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing where I sent it to.    

Today, celebrate the birth of mankind’s greatest gift with those closest to you.

Rhon Johnson

.

Scripture Reference:

Matthew 2:11

And they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother; and they fell down and worshipped him; and opening their treasures, they offered unto him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

During this Christmas time and the rest of the Holiday Season, let’s make extra efforts to have and keep a merry heart. As you do, it will bless others.

Rhon Johnson

.

Scripture Reference:

Proverbs 17:22

A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.

I have lived long enough to agree that there are no short cuts to success. Every time I have tried to cut corners or half do something, I always ended up quitting or starting over from scratch. You can’t multiply your way to the top of anything. One step at a time please! If you are going to get to third base, you must step on first and then second, which is the long way around when you start at home plate. Most importantly, you need all that you’ll learn as you take the long right way around to be able to stay at the place you are headed to. Don’t short cut your self, you’re worth more than that.

Rhon Johnson

.

Scripture Reference:

Isaiah 28:10

For it is precept upon precept, (and) precept upon precept, line upon line, (and) line upon line; here a little, there a little.

Sometimes it is just that simple. We don’t have to always understand, we just need to obey. I have told that to my children many times and left it at that, because they need to learn to obey without having to fully understand why. But on some occasions, I would tell them a story or give an example of why it is important to obey. Think about the Ten Commandments, they clearly tell us not to have sex before marriage and only have sex with your spouse. If we as a people would have obeyed that from the beginning, then we would not have any of those horrible diseases floating around. So then it is easy to say that obedience is not there to give us a hard time, but to protect us from things that are lurking to destroy us.

Rhon Johnson

.

Scripture Reference:

John 14:15

If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

We all need to learn how to take the high road. This simply means keeping a cool head in a heated situation with someone else. The easy thing to do when someone is ripping you to shreads, is to turn and rip them to shreads right back. It takes a bigger person to be silent or to lift them up with your words as oppossed to tearing them down. Cooler heads do prevail.

Rhon Johnson

.

Scripture Reference:

Proverbs 15:2

The tongue of the wise uses knowledge right: but the mouth of fools poor out foolishness.

I believe it to be a proven fact that the foundation of the family is the man, the husband, and father all rolled into one. I remember once when I was with my wife and kids and we all heard the same bad news  at the same time. I learned something very valuable that day. At that very moment, my wife and kids all turned and looked at me to see the look on my face, to see if the news had pushed me into panic mode. I knew at that moment that if they saw fear in my eyes that they would all lose hope, because I am their foundation and if I crack under the pressure then what hope would they have. Like wise, as the man is the foundation of the family so is the family the foundation of our communities. If we will all work hard to keep our families together, we can then strengthen the integrity of our community.

Rhon Johnson

.

Scripture Reference:

Psalms 11:3

If the foundations be destroyed, What can the righteous do?

This is the season to focus on that which we already have. If we are not careful, the holiday season will turn into to us trying to figure out what we should get and focusing on what we don’t have. Being thankful for what we have does not mean that we are to stop pursing our dreams to have a better life. But as we are pursing that life, we should keep a positive attitude, even if we are not where we would like to be and don’t have all that we want to have.

Rhon Johnson

.

Scripture Reference:

Phillippians 4:11

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content.

Did you know that everything we do and everything we say is a seed. If we plant an apple seed, we’re not going to get an orange tree. The seed is going to produce multiplied, what it already is. We are getting a return on the seeds we have sown, good or bad.

Rhon Johnson

.

Scripture Reference:

Genesis 1:12(a)

And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after it’s kind,

You can do whatever you desire to in this life. It’s really up to you. Whether you can or can’t is not based on your color, childhood, or financial status. You determine what you can or can not do.

Rhon Johnson

.

Scripture Reference:

Proverbs 23:7 (a)

For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he: