Proverbs 18:21 reads,
"The tongue can bring life or death, those who love to talk will reap the consequences."
We've all heard that infamous phrase, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." How about the newest rendition to this being "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will always kill me."
The latter sounds about right.
Even if you disagree, you know there has been something said to you in some part of your life that has hurt you...or possibly killed something inside of you, a dream, a thought, an idea, etc.
I recently was convicted about something that I personally was almost always offended, but never outright until a few days ago. I was born and raised in Las Vegas, NV, often known across the world as "Sin City."
But how many of you actually knew the infamous Strip (10 mile stretch of casinos, clubs, prostitution and partyland) which labels Las Vegas as "Sin City" is actually not even in Las Vegas geographically speaking? True story. It's in a tiny area of Nevada known as "Paradise." (Anyone else see the irony here? But I digress, that's for another post.)
My point is this:
When we abuse or mislabel another person, whether it be a friend, co-worker, someone we don't like, we are speaking "Death" over them as Proverbs shows. Call someone stupid enough and they will actually soon believe they are. In fact, scientists have shown it only takes the subconscious 7x to hear something before it believes it to be true regardless of if it is or not. So if you bullied someone calling them ugly 7x they will now believe they are "ugly"--even if they are actually super beautiful but you were jealous and wanted to make yourself "feel better" by tearing them down.
Taking this theory to Vegas, how many times a day is it referred to as "Sin City?" (I've referred to it, for the sake of a point alone, about 3x already.) It's no wonder it's adopted that label and become a lie that has falsely been disguised for truth! The truth of the matter is this:
The ONLY difference between Las Vegas, NV, and Jerusalem, Israel is Vegas broadly promotes its sins. My home has just as much sin as the holiest, God-fearin'-Jesus-proclaiming city in the Bible belt. Because the truth of the matter is, as long as there is one person who sins in each city-which ultimately makes that city full of sin thus turning it into a "sin city"-there are sin cities. And in God's eyes no sin is worse or better than the other. He sees drunkards partying it up just as bad as a little kid saying, "No Mommy, I didn't eat the cookie" with crumbs all over his face.
In fact, did you know there is a copycat Vegas in China?
It's called "Macau" but it has an exact yet bigger replica of one of the Strip's casinos called "The Venetian". And Steve Wynn, owner/builder and founder of two Strip casinos (Encore & Wynn) happens to currently live in Macau after his wife divorced him a few years back.
Here's my challenge, and my plea:
STOP CONDEMNING MY CITY TO HELL WHILE YOURS HIDES ON THE BACKBURNER WITH THE SAME SINS.
The only difference is your city is hiding that it has prostitution while mine does not. Both cities have made it illegal, but that never stopped anyone from giving into flesh who doesn't live a life with Christ at the head of their house.
Here are some of the things that the Lord is doing in Vegas that I bet you didn't know about.
Did you know we have one of the largest churches in Vegas on the west coast with a combined congregation of over 16,000 regular attendees/members?
It's called Central Christian Church and it started in a small building with a congregation of less than 20 people in the 70's near the old Strip.
Did you know that in 2010 Las Vegas was ranked #1 for fastest growing number of churches in America?
In a 3 square mile radius of one of the main ghettos located on F Street and Washington Ave. there are over 50 churches.
Did you know that Las Vegas has had several "The Call" events in the past 10 years?
International Church of Las Vegas has hosted it twice, and it has been prophecied that "The Call" will come again in the next 8 years but it will be held on the Strip. (I'm believing! Who's with me!?)
Did you know that there are actually Bible-believing-church-going-God-fearing-Jesus-Freaks who live there and raise their families there!?
Shocking, I know, but I'm one of them.
[And no, I have never gotten caught up in sex, drugs, rock and roll or partying. 'Cause guess why?]
Did you know that "Las Vegas" actually means "The Meadows?"
Can you imagine what would happen in the Spiritual realms, and just how much would change if the power of the tongue was (for once) taken seriously and the Church stopped condemning my city and our sins, and started to reach out to us calling us by name?
When Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree in Genesis 3, the Lord never said:
"Hey Stupid, where did you go?"
He didn't say, "Oh, you ignoramus! You can't do anything right!"
And He certainly didn't say, "That's it, you're marked with sin so you're doomed to Hell. Get out. Get lost. And don't spread your 'sin germs' to the rest of the world."
He said, "Where are you?"
And I don't think he said it in a fearful, angry manner. I think he said it because He genuinely cared for His kids and wanted to know where they had gone. He knew why they were hiding, but He wanted to show affection even in their weakness. It's just like the Prodigal Son. The Father welcomed his son home with open arms and a banquet, he didn't shame him then kick him to the curb.
My challenge for you is this:
Watch your tongues. Be mindful of how you treat one another. But please, please, I beg you, stop calling my home "Sin City." And if you are like me, and you are from or live in Las Vegas, I challenge you with another step:
I strongly believe the Lord wants to do a mighty work, but I don't know if He will if His children are stuck in unbelief as they were in Matthew 13:58.
Call it by the name the Lord gave it, because I strongly believe when He created the heaven and the earth--which means He created Las Vegas and he called it "good"--he made it into "the meadows." Yet through sin, the fall of man, and time and decay it has resorted to a "Paradise" of sin and "meadows" to the flesh.
"The tongue can bring life or death, those who love to talk will reap the consequences."
What life and death are you speaking into existence?
"The tongue can bring life or death, those who love to talk will reap the consequences."
We've all heard that infamous phrase, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." How about the newest rendition to this being "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will always kill me."
The latter sounds about right.
Even if you disagree, you know there has been something said to you in some part of your life that has hurt you...or possibly killed something inside of you, a dream, a thought, an idea, etc.
I recently was convicted about something that I personally was almost always offended, but never outright until a few days ago. I was born and raised in Las Vegas, NV, often known across the world as "Sin City."
But how many of you actually knew the infamous Strip (10 mile stretch of casinos, clubs, prostitution and partyland) which labels Las Vegas as "Sin City" is actually not even in Las Vegas geographically speaking? True story. It's in a tiny area of Nevada known as "Paradise." (Anyone else see the irony here? But I digress, that's for another post.)
My point is this:
When we abuse or mislabel another person, whether it be a friend, co-worker, someone we don't like, we are speaking "Death" over them as Proverbs shows. Call someone stupid enough and they will actually soon believe they are. In fact, scientists have shown it only takes the subconscious 7x to hear something before it believes it to be true regardless of if it is or not. So if you bullied someone calling them ugly 7x they will now believe they are "ugly"--even if they are actually super beautiful but you were jealous and wanted to make yourself "feel better" by tearing them down.
Taking this theory to Vegas, how many times a day is it referred to as "Sin City?" (I've referred to it, for the sake of a point alone, about 3x already.) It's no wonder it's adopted that label and become a lie that has falsely been disguised for truth! The truth of the matter is this:
EVERY CITY IN THE WORLD IS "SIN CITY."
The ONLY difference between Las Vegas, NV, and Jerusalem, Israel is Vegas broadly promotes its sins. My home has just as much sin as the holiest, God-fearin'-Jesus-proclaiming city in the Bible belt. Because the truth of the matter is, as long as there is one person who sins in each city-which ultimately makes that city full of sin thus turning it into a "sin city"-there are sin cities. And in God's eyes no sin is worse or better than the other. He sees drunkards partying it up just as bad as a little kid saying, "No Mommy, I didn't eat the cookie" with crumbs all over his face.
In fact, did you know there is a copycat Vegas in China?
It's called "Macau" but it has an exact yet bigger replica of one of the Strip's casinos called "The Venetian". And Steve Wynn, owner/builder and founder of two Strip casinos (Encore & Wynn) happens to currently live in Macau after his wife divorced him a few years back.
Here's my challenge, and my plea:
STOP CONDEMNING MY CITY TO HELL WHILE YOURS HIDES ON THE BACKBURNER WITH THE SAME SINS.
The only difference is your city is hiding that it has prostitution while mine does not. Both cities have made it illegal, but that never stopped anyone from giving into flesh who doesn't live a life with Christ at the head of their house.
Here are some of the things that the Lord is doing in Vegas that I bet you didn't know about.
Did you know we have one of the largest churches in Vegas on the west coast with a combined congregation of over 16,000 regular attendees/members?
It's called Central Christian Church and it started in a small building with a congregation of less than 20 people in the 70's near the old Strip.
Did you know that in 2010 Las Vegas was ranked #1 for fastest growing number of churches in America?
In a 3 square mile radius of one of the main ghettos located on F Street and Washington Ave. there are over 50 churches.
Did you know that Las Vegas has had several "The Call" events in the past 10 years?
International Church of Las Vegas has hosted it twice, and it has been prophecied that "The Call" will come again in the next 8 years but it will be held on the Strip. (I'm believing! Who's with me!?)
Did you know that there are actually Bible-believing-church-going-God-fearing-Jesus-Freaks who live there and raise their families there!?
Shocking, I know, but I'm one of them.
[And no, I have never gotten caught up in sex, drugs, rock and roll or partying. 'Cause guess why?]
THOUGH THE WORLD MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN US, MY GOD WHO CREATED LAS VEGAS HAS NOT.
Did you know that "Las Vegas" actually means "The Meadows?"
Can you imagine what would happen in the Spiritual realms, and just how much would change if the power of the tongue was (for once) taken seriously and the Church stopped condemning my city and our sins, and started to reach out to us calling us by name?
When Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree in Genesis 3, the Lord never said:
"Hey Stupid, where did you go?"
He didn't say, "Oh, you ignoramus! You can't do anything right!"
And He certainly didn't say, "That's it, you're marked with sin so you're doomed to Hell. Get out. Get lost. And don't spread your 'sin germs' to the rest of the world."
He said, "Where are you?"
And I don't think he said it in a fearful, angry manner. I think he said it because He genuinely cared for His kids and wanted to know where they had gone. He knew why they were hiding, but He wanted to show affection even in their weakness. It's just like the Prodigal Son. The Father welcomed his son home with open arms and a banquet, he didn't shame him then kick him to the curb.
My challenge for you is this:
Watch your tongues. Be mindful of how you treat one another. But please, please, I beg you, stop calling my home "Sin City." And if you are like me, and you are from or live in Las Vegas, I challenge you with another step:
Start praying for this city to be turned around.
I strongly believe the Lord wants to do a mighty work, but I don't know if He will if His children are stuck in unbelief as they were in Matthew 13:58.
Call it by the name the Lord gave it, because I strongly believe when He created the heaven and the earth--which means He created Las Vegas and he called it "good"--he made it into "the meadows." Yet through sin, the fall of man, and time and decay it has resorted to a "Paradise" of sin and "meadows" to the flesh.
"The tongue can bring life or death, those who love to talk will reap the consequences."
What life and death are you speaking into existence?
-Saint
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