Anything You Say
Anything you say, can and will be used against you in a court of law. Most of us recognize this as part of, what is commonly known as Miranda Rights. This is the warning that police declare when arresting a person suspected of a crime.
Anything you say
“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.”
It struck me as I heard this on tv the other day that sometimes it really is best to stay silent. When bad stuff is happening or fear is encroaching, it may be best to be quiet and not pronounce it out loud. I haven’t worked at my job for over a year and a half. So, I said, “I have no income.” While that has been true, it sounded like a sentence handed down for my future to me. I am usually aware of what I say. Words are containers of power.
Right or Wrong
Our words really matter in life.
There are laws governing the universe. Like gravity or thermodynamics, the laws of nature are the laws of nature’s God. The Law of First Mention is an important one. It means that the first mention of any concept in Scripture impacts the way we should understand further references. For example, in Genesis, it says that God spoke and it was so. Then it says that we were created in His likeness.
If His words contained the power to create, then ours should too. Most of us have heard of a self-fulfilling prophecy. That is, if we say something enough times, it comes about. Telling a young child that they’re stupid and they will not amount to anything in life will usually create an environment of stress and make it difficult for that child to learn. Therefore, it is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Our human rights are derived from our Creator. Throughout the Bible, we see references to God being our Judge. This gives us our legal system, right down to having jurors. Numerous passages tell to rely on more than one witness or prove the testimony when we hear it. The power of one’s testimony may mean the difference between life and death or liberty and imprisonment.
Laws
We are subject to the laws of nature. It doesn’t matter whether or not we believe in gravity. If we jump off a building, we will fall. We can use other laws, like lift and thrust to fly, but we always have to work within the laws of the universe.
The law of overcoming evil with good works all the time too. We can use it or not. God will use it, even if we don’t. The Miranda Rights statement goes on to say that if one cannot afford and attorney one will be appointed for us.
I love this because it is a direct correlation of how our Creator designed the world. We couldn’t possibly defend ourselves to a righteous judge. So, One was appointed to be the mediator between God and mankind. How great is that? I cannot take back so many stupid, damaging things I’ve said, but we have an advocate with the Father. He will defend us and plead our case.
So, take heart. Which means, settle down and stay in peace. Although our enemy roams around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, we don’t need to be anxious. We don’t have to repeat the things we think out loud, and we probably shouldn’t because they may be used against us in the court of life.
When fear or accusations come into your mind, remember that you always have the right to remain silent.