Sometimes what we say and do can send conflicting messages to others.

For instance, declaring I am happy while sporting an angry look sends a conflicting message to others.

If I were to say I am very sad while smiling would send a conflicting message.

I was in Puerto Rico with a mentor many years ago, meeting with pastors to help resolve a conflict. I began to share something of great importance and seriousness, and I was smiling the whole time. Afterward, when my mentor and I were alone, he informed me that what I had to say was of great importance and needed to be taken seriously, but then he went on to tell me my facial expression failed to match the communication.

He wasn’t asking me to look angry or mean; he just wanted me to have a facial expression that matched the nature of the communication and expressed my embodiment of it.  He didn’t want me to send a conflicting message, especially when it was of such great importance.

Today, there are many conflicting messages, not just because facial expressions fail to match what is being said but also because reactions fail to match what is being said.

There’s an example of this in Scripture from the time when Israel was brought out of Egypt after 400 years of cruel bondage in slavery.  They had watched their greatest enemy’s army drown in the Red Sea so as to no longer be a threat to them.  But later in their journey, we find them conducting themselves as though they are still slaves in some way or another.  They lack proper gratitude and instead adopt an attitude of complaining.  They miss opportunities for praise because they are too caught up in a momentary inconvenience.

When believers spend more time complaining than praising, it sends a conflicting message to the lost. The gospel tells them they can have life more abundantly and experience joy unspeakable and full of glory in the Holy Spirit after receiving eternal life in Jesus, but then they watch as Christians complain about one thing after another, as though they are being cheated and robbed.

Such a conflicting message says that what is being promoted isn’t accurate since it does not appear to work for the ones who are promoting it.  Conflicting messages do not come across as being sincere and authentic.

Believers in Jesus are not victims any longer. They are set free in Him to flourish in life regardless of circumstances.  As believers, we are meant to walk in the fullness of joy that is ours in Christ Jesus, fully aware of the amazing power it took for Him to redeem us to Himself so we could be loved by the Father and welcomed into fellowship with God.  We are meant to operate from a place of overflow so great that we have joy and peace when the world around us is in total chaos.  We are meant to be at rest in the midst of trial and difficulty because we are living in the power of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us as a gift based on faith.  This should produce praise, thanksgiving, joy, and peace when truly believed and received.  It should put a smile on the face of anyone who knows it is theirs to enjoy.

I do not want to send conflicting messages to others, especially when it comes to the gospel.  So I think by His grace at work in me, I will enjoy Him and manifest His joy today while I go about my business. I invite you to join me.