Hey Mountain Mover,

An objective of Coveted Words is to become better communicators. Specifically, I would like our community to be honest, understanding, open to receiving the truth, and to use words as God intended.

Often, as I struggle to write one article, another one is born.  I was writing an article on the conceptual differences between "to understand" and "to agree." The process proved more difficult than I expected. As it should be, every time I hit a wall, I end up at the feet of scripture.

Whenever I struggle to understand anything, Isaiah 1:18 is one of the verses that reminds me that I can talk to God about this.

Come and let us reason together

When I think of conflict, especially among believers in Jesus Christ, reasoning is not a word that usually comes to mind. I’ve experienced tame conversations in which no resolution or reasoning occurred, and others in which respect was required but not given.

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool.” -Isaiah 1:18 (BSB)

Here in Isaiah chapter 1, we see the conflict between the behavior of God’s people and God. Yet in verse 18, God is calling them to reason with Him. Surely, He knows He is right. However, this doesn’t stop Him from recognizing their behavior as an outward expression of a much larger problem.

As is always the case with the LORD, He is very aware of our lack of understanding.

How are you doing?

I’m sorry, where are my manners? First things first, how are you doing? A lot's going on in the world, so much so that it can become hard to treasure the good things we have. If you are starting to feel weary, know that you are not alone. If you’re in the midst of a celebration, also know that you are not alone. Initiate a conversation with your Father. God is a great confidant and wise beyond anything we could ever imagine.

Distorted Truths

Back to the topic at hand.

The internet has made our social world a little bit smaller. With this is an increased opportunity to engage in fellowship and reason. Unfortunately, a lot of our opportunities to reason can turn into scripture throwing and misunderstandings. Although we often talk about the same general topic, we are not approaching it in the same context. This has been my general observation, especially when I get into the weeds of the comments. Several intriguing conversations are happening, many of them outside of the context of the video itself.

The enemy loves to distort the truth and create separation. Conflict occurs between genders, industries, denominations, religious groups, families, etc. You name it, there’s an opportunity for conflict.

Knowing we are not the enemy’s favorite, we continually remain unprepared to grow closer to one another through conflict. We are more likely to experience some type of separation.

It’s me, I’m guilty.

In numerous conversations, I’ve lacked patience, wanted my view to be considered more seriously, and was not as open to other viewpoints.

What I’ve learned is that I wanted my viewpoint to be considered because I had spent a lot of time in social situations where it was often overlooked. So, when I became bolder about defending myself, I overcorrected. Pair this behavior with my unwillingness to do the work required to consider other viewpoints, and I ended up with a “You do you, boo” mindset.

I can’t imagine where I would be if God had left me to my own devices or hadn’t challenged me to become who He made me to be.

So, I’ve put myself out here as an example, not because I want you to do the same. Whatever growth you embark upon is always between you and God. I’m here as more of a friendly reminder.

Back to Isaiah 1:18

In this one verse, we see God saying, Let’s talk about it. He is not hoarding his superior knowledge and understanding over His people. Neither is He turning His back to them because, well, “they should know this by now.”

He is open, knowing He is always going to be right.

Amongst all the wrongs done against God, He is willing to reason. Let’s use God’s stance on reasoning as a reminder to reason with one another.

The Warning

We are not God. For many of our conversations, each party holds a part of the truth, but neither party possesses the whole truth. Anyone can be completely or partially wrong. There is one all-knowing being, and He is rarely invited into our conversations with one another.

The Challenge

The enemy has launched an all-out war on every aspect of God-ordained unity. For us, this means that conflict and half-truths are already flying around before the conversation even begins. No longer are we being led by logical information, but we are being psychologically tricked into various emotions. We have to recognize the enemy’s plot to get us to defend half-truths. Know that He would like nothing more than for us to head into conflict blindly.

The Opportunity

God does not shy away from conflict, differing opinions, or misunderstandings. In each case, God is willing to, at the very least, have the conversation.

I’m not sure if you were ever taught how to maneuver this area, but I wasn’t. Not in a healthy manner anyway.

There is a unique opportunity when we come into conflict with one another. The initial opportunity is to learn about ourselves and others. We end up growing towards one another instead of away from one another.

The Application

There is something to be said for taking up the practice of being slow to speak. Our viewpoint is important, and so is the opinion of our neighbor.

Take some time to reflect. Is this a good time to have this conversation? Am I too worn out? Was it a long day? Is this topic worth considering? Are we talking about the same thing? Where does the enemy stand on this topic?

Tips 

Be Open: We are not all-knowing, so there is a chance that at least a part of what we’re saying is incomplete or just plain wrong.

Demonstrate Humility: God is all-knowing, but in Isaiah 1:18, we do not see Him making His people feel small. When you know you are right, that’s when you reason, not bombard or chastise.

Be Ready: There will be triumphs as you win your brother and sister over to the truth. There will be mourning as you realize some of your pillars need to be rebuilt.

If this is an area in which you aim to grow, don’t be afraid to learn to reason with God or others.

Blessing

May God increase your hunger for the truth, season your words that they uplift, and continue to take the scales off your eyes so you can see as He sees.

Until next Time,

Plant a Good Word