Friday Fight 258: The Sounds of our Setting

Every Friday morning, during my quiet time with the Lord, He faithfully places something on my heart that speaks to the subtle, internal battles many of us face. This is Friday Fight 258.

How many of us use descriptive words like “toxic” or “stressful” when referring to a place? It could be a home, workplace, or even a business. Many of us would probably be able to identify it and likely want to be elsewhere. Yet, we may very well be creating something similar in our own setting without even realizing it. We’re quick to call environments toxic—but what if we’re contributing to the toxicity? Since our words shape our environment, which then shapes our families, let’s use this post as an opportunity to look at our default response.

The Sounds of our Setting

Over the last few years, I have taken on the project of transferring my father’s old sermons from cassette tapes into a format I can share with my mom and siblings. It is definitely a “labor of love,” as my brother Robert says. Each time I push play, I not only learn something new from my dad but also about my own walk with Christ.

While people are no longer pushing play on cassette tapes, those around us are learning from us and our behavior. Whatever we run to first can sadly become part of the sound of our setting. It is common to unload from the day once arriving home, or to potentially join in the negativity at work, but a lack of conviction from the Holy Spirit can mean these ‘sounds’ become our default dialogue, inside and outside our minds.

We are all guilty of defaulting to the wrong sound. Luke 6:45 says, “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” This reminds us that what people hear from us isn’t random or a one-time occurrence; it’s a reflection of what we’ve been storing in our hearts all along. Pushing play often sounds like this: complaints before gratitude, anxiety before prayer, and faith after frustration. What if in church we find ourselves critiquing more than praising? What do we do with that?

We all need reminders to process things with God before we process them with others. A life of discipleship requires constant devotion, and like anything else, what we are devoted to eventually shapes our thoughts and actions.

If we go to God first, our lives will start to sound different. Take this week to ask yourself, what are people hearing from you? Tension? Constant complaining? Or are we talking about the goodness of God before unloading the events of the day in a series of complaints? Discipleship requires devotion, which determines your default. Maybe the question isn’t just what kind of environment we’re in, but what kind of sound we’re creating within it. Join me this week in listening to your environment rather than just managing it. Then ask God to change the sound you’re echoing into your life. Is your setting filled with reaction or with reverence? Take this week to ask yourself, what are people hearing from you?

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In His Grace,

Pastor Shannon

River Church