It is intriguing to learn what has happened to mankind due to the persuasive words of the Serpent as recorded in the Bible. Even in the unlikely scenario that I have been unable to present my case, leading me to lose what I have already achieved, I often lack persuasive words at the right time.
I remember being so helpless at a certain time in the past; somehow, I had expected people to adjust or offer themselves to be humble, as I often did in the past due to my poor background and struggles in life.
Now, God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Man was put in the garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Gen. 2:15
Persuasive word of the Serpent:
The serpent must have possessed the most persuasive words over the new creatures. It speaks to the helper, Eve, who was given to Adam, about the power of the forbidden fruit. Gen 3
The woman gave in, which led her to see that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom; she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
This event led to the fall of mankind, in short. They all stood before the Lord God, who gave them their befitting discipline, taking away their glory and introducing pain, as he loved them so much.
However, the Lord told the persuasive Serpent that its head would be crushed by the offspring of the woman in the time to come.
Power of Persuasive Word:
We talk about the power of the persuasive word. In the fallen world, the evil one on the darker side of the world always sounded wise and persuasive, using sweet and smooth talk to intrude on the minds of mankind.
In contrast to this practice and ideology, the Apostle Paul explains that true faith does not come from clever human speech or fancy rhetoric. He wrote that we do not possess the power to change somebody’s life. 1 Cor. 2:1-5
The words of humans are not divine unless it is blessed by the Lord. In spreading the gospel, we do not merely require persuasive words, but living out the faith instilled in us through the divine intervention in our lives.
The Power of the Spirit:
Instead of relying on smooth talking, the real power comes from the Holy Spirit changing hearts.
As for me, I cannot talk smooth, rather stutter and am lost for words, often blanking out due to a neurological disorder. It is hard for me to present a smooth defense of my standpoint and faith at times.
I would like to record the songs I have composed so far and also to put my writings into an audible file, which I have tested myself, but I saw myself expressing incoherently. Further, my tongue has suffered stiffness and a rather painful bite over time, which makes me prefer silence over time.
So, I should learn to remain contented with what the apostle Paul has stated below;
“And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”1 Cor. 2:3-5
The goal of Persuasive words:
There are several ways of looking at persuasive words. One is to softly put food for thought into the other being, which is kind and merciful in nature. Second is to tell people the Good News they did not hear, nor do they understand. And third is to present the word in such a way that they live with it in their daily life.
Have you ever thought deeply about the ‘word’ mentioned in John 1:1? If you knew it well, the word in itself, or Himself, is persuasive and powerful. It is for me and you to open our hearts.
Rather than our speaking, God wants people to trust in His divine power rather than in the smart words of a human speaker. And as for me, I do not have smart words even in my writings. It is rather difficult at times to express my thoughts with substance, but I write as the Lord whispers.
Using persuasive words:
Yet there were some instances in the Bible where Jesus used the Parables, and then the Apostle Paul used intellectual words of the Greek philosophers to persuade them so that they turned from idol worship to the living God.
All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas. Acts 17:15-34
Intellectual debate is the favorite act of the philosophers in Greece. Thus, he quoted Greek philosophers: Epimenides’ work in Cretica – “For in him we live and move and have our being.” And “for we are also his offspring,” by the Sicilian poet Aratus in his epistle, while addressing them.
More than persuasive words:
However, people are more interested in the way believers live out their faith than in the persuasive words they had through the persuasive words. Many people are repelled by the holier-than-thou proposition, which is not the answer to discipleship.
Here, Philippians 2:3-4 epitomizes someone who really lives out these verses, considering others first, not themselves. It reads, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
We’re often drawn to people who live this lifestyle. This humility crushed the head of the persuasive Serpent over and over, since there were people who reflected the characteristics of the persuasive Serpent even in the church communities and at large in the places where humans inhabited.
This is the fundamental principle of discipleship; they might not be known at large because fewer are humble. It is their way of denying the persuasive word but relying on the power of the Holy Spirit. May God bless your words!
Support this Ministry!
