I AM
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
A little while ago I heard a father teaching his child about not taking the Lord's name in vain, and honestly it convicted me, big time. We are all pretty familiar with the second commandment.
"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain" (Exodus 20:7a, NASB95)
That means not lightly, frivolously, profanely, frustratedly, or out of exasperation or anger.
Now before I can explain why this man's teaching convicted me so hard, I think it's important to understand how important our words are.
We need to understand and recognize that we have been created in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:27), created in the image of the Creator of the Universe who but spoke and it was so!
"And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light." (Gen. 1:3)
“By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.” (Psalms 33:6)
“For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” (Psalms 33:9, AMP)
Further, God's word emphasizes the importance of our speech all across scripture.
"...the tongue is a little member, and it can boast of great things. See how much wood or how great a forest a tiny spark can set ablaze!" (James 3:5, AMP)
"Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin." (Proverbs 13:3)
"He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from troubles." (Proverbs 21:23, AMP)
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]." Proverbs 18:21, AMP)
Our words are powerful, they either speak life and build or they speak death and tear down.
"Your words can cut, and force others to bleed, 'cause they're spoken from mouths that are imager-breathed." - Bill Myers, (2003), The Bloodstone Chronicles, Zondervan.
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." (Ephesians 4:29)
And this last verse is interesting. It says, "that it may benefit those who listen". Do we not ourselves hear the very words that come out of our own mouths as well?
Now, let's diverge to the Lord's name(s) for a moment.
He reveals His name, one of them (all of them actually) to us in Exodus.
"Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you," and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" (Exodus 3:14)
I AM. How do we reckon this as a name? To us, in grammatical terms it implies a state of being, of existing, e.g.,"I am running", "I am working". It can also be used to describe roles, professions, or relationships, e.g., "I am a manager", "I am a parent".
But God Himself uses it as His name!
A lot of us have learned this means that God was, He is and He will be forevermore. But, this name carries so much more! It's every part of Him, every facet, every characteristic, all that He is, all that He is doing, throughout all of time. This name literally carries all the goodness and greatness of who He is, all at once, perpetually and eternally!
It is why Jesus taught us,
"Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name" (Matthew 6:9, NASB95).
The word hallowed means consecrated to a sacred use; treated as sacred; reverenced (Merriam Webster, 1828).
“…give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.” (Psalms 30:4b, AMP)
Now, back to what this father was teaching His son, what convicted me so hard. He was teaching him that when we utter statements like, "I AM horrible", "I AM not good enough", "I AM terrible"... this too is taking the Lord's name in vain, for it is attributing something He is NOT to HIS name.
These statements uttered from our own lips do not speak life unto us, nor are they His truths. The Master Creator does not look at His work and go, “Hmmmm, it’s just ok.” No, rather, after each day of creation, God looked at His work and said it was good (Gen. 1:1-25). Moreover, after He created mankind,
"God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was VERY GOOD (suitable, pleasant) and He approved it completely." (Gen.1:31a, AMP, emphasis mine)
The Lord wants us walking around speaking His truth over our lives.
He wants us saying thing like:
I am the workmanship of God, created for good works. (1 Cor. 2:10)
I am God's masterpiece. (Psalms 139:13-14a)
I am a child of God. (Romans 8:16)
I am not led by fear but by sonship. (Romans 8:15)
I am shielded by God's power through faith. (1 Peter 1:5)
I am strong in the Lord and empowered through my union with Him and His mighty
power. (Ephesians 6:10)
I am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me. (Romans 8:37)
I am washed and sanctified. (1 Cor. 6:11)
I am a new creation in Christ. (2 Cor.5:17)
I am free from condemnation. (Romans 8:1)
I am not and cannot be separated from the Love of God. (Romans 8:35-39)
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You love me ridiculously. (John 3:16)
You delight in me. (Zeph. 3:17)
You nourish my flesh. (Proverbs 3:8)
You affectionately care about me. (1 Peter 5:7, AMP)
You have good plans for me! (Jer. 29:11)
Therefore,
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Romans 12:2a)
So that,
"...the word of Christ [may] richly dwell within you..." (Col. 3:16, NASB95, brackets mine)
"For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." (Luke 6:45b)
*All quotes are taken from NIV unless otherwise noted.
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