The 7 Day Challenge

J.D. Graeer has a great challenge for you:

In case you mentioned, or need clarification... the challenge for the Summit Church is for the next 7 days to say everything positive that comes into your mind about someone else (or jot a note to them).

This challenge is built on two assumptions:

• God's words are not just true words, they are life-giving words (Prov 4:22; 10:11). God calls things not just as they are, but as they could be, as He wants them to be, and as He can make them to be. He did not merely say, "Abraham is sterile," He said, "You will father a great nation." He did not merely say "Lazarus is dead," He said "Lazarus come forth." God "calls into existence the things that do not yet exist." (Romans 4:17). So, we also must not only speak true words, we must life-giving, power-filling, en-couraging words. Otherwise, we might, like the 10 spies, speak words that are true but are still considered evil because they are not done with respect to what God wants to do in a situation (Numbers 13:32).
  

• The spiritual gift of encouragement is one of the most valuable, and most overlooked, of all the spiritual gifts. We tend to assume the strengths in people's lives and notice/point out the weakness. I believe we should reverse that. We should assume the weaknesses, and notice/point out the strengths. One of our primary roles as the body of Christ is to see God’s the traces of God’s work in someone’s life, no matter how faint, and fan that into flame. Jesus spoke words of life and hope, not words of condemnation. Jesus held a crown above our heads and urged us to grow our way into it. We should do the same (John 1:17; 7:46).
  

So, there it is... it's out there. Give it a try. 7 days... everything positive you think about someone, say it. If you do it, I can pretty much guarantee you it will change your relationships. Let me know how it goes!

If you missed the message, it is here.