Sadly, when most Christians hear the phrase “religious” they immediately think of it in a negative way. One of the local churches around my town actually advertises itself as “nonreligious.” I myself would almost take offense when people would say I was religious because of my faith in Christ. I would quickly jump to the defense and explain why it is not about religion but a relationship. Many of us have this mentality. This paradigm that we are to be in a relationship with Jesus, yet not be religious. Because after all, being religious is frowned upon by “spiritual” people right?

We prefer “relationship.” I mean, doesn’t Jesus himself hate religion? Well, Jesus’ little bro wrote a letter to believers we know as the letter of James. In this power packed letter on what it looks like to live out our faith James says some stuff about religion and being religious. As I have been studying this letter, I find myself saying “Lord, help me to be more religious” WOW, talk about a paradigm shift!  One minute I refuse to be called “religious” and now I want to be more religious than ever. By now, some of you may already know the passage I am referring to in particular but for those who do not. It reads as follows:

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:26-27 ESV)

So What Are You Saying?

So according to the Bible being religious is being someone that bridles their tongue (watches what they say and how they say it) visits orphans and widows in their affliction (caring for people in need, not merely in words only but action), and to keep oneself unstained by the world (not allowing the godless fallen system that surrounds them to contaminate their character and way of life). Hmmm…that sounds like someone I want to be.How about you? That is not the way the word “religious” is defined by most today, but it is the way the Bible defines it and I prefer to agree with the Bible. Being religious is pure and undefiled living according to James. It is not religion that Jesus hates, its hypocrisy which is empty religion (see Matthew 23). Paul spoke on this issue to Timothy:

For [although] they hold a form of piety (true religion), they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it [their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession]. Avoid [all] such people [turn away from them]. (2 Tim.3:5 Amplified Bible)

So it is claiming to be religious without living out what we profess that Jesus and Scripture in general warns against. It is putting the rules and traditions of man above the Word of God and even claiming it as God’s rules and regulations (see Mk.7:6-13).

I would like to take a few moments to focus on the first issue that James brings up in regards to religious living. That is the bridling of the tongue. In the third chapter of James we see he expounds on this issue of bridling the tongue and the importance of it. He starts off warning those who desire the position of a teacher in the Church. He warns us that teachers are judged more strictly than others. It is clear throughout Scripture why this is so true. Teachers are not just accountable before God for their own lives and spiritual well being but for others as well (the shepherds lead the flock). Jesus said ‘to whom much is given much is required” and that is the case of teachers.

The writer of Hebrews says that teachers keep watch over the souls of others and must give an account for it (Heb.13:17). For this reason those who teach are told by Paul to keep a close watch on themselves and their teaching (1Tim.4:16). He tells Timothy that by doing this he will save both himself and his hearers. James goes on in his letter to say that we all stumble in many ways and especially in what we say. It is for this reason that he warns teachers first because of how much they use their tongue…obviously a huge part of teaching.

“I Will Put My Words In Your Mouth”

I would like to look at three individuals in Scripture that when God called them, they felt unqualified for no other reason than their mouth of all things (perhaps they did not feel “religious’?). The first is Jeremiah who was called to be a prophet to the nations (Jer.1:4-9). Upon his calling he says to the Lord “I don’t know how to speak.”  God then encourages him that he would speak for God and by God. The Lord touches his mouth and says “I have put my words in your mouth.”

The second individual is Isaiah. He has an encounter with Jesus and immediately cries out about his unclean lips and that he lives in the midst of people with unclean lips (Isa.6:1-7). As with Jeremiah, the Lord touches his mouth. He is then encouraged and strengthened to speak for the Lord as was Jeremiah after his lips were “touched by the Lord.”

The third individual is Moses, and his response is the most profound to me. We have all probably heard that Moses had a speech impediment or stutter. I don’t know how true this is to Scripture. We do read that Moses said he was not eloquent and that he was slow of speech and of tongue (see Ex.4:10). I believe he simply did not feel that he had the wits and sharpness, if you will, to respond and converse with someone like a pharaoh. In the New Testament, Stephen says that Moses was mighty in words and power (Acts 7:22).

Are Your Lips Circumcised? 

Whether or not Moses stuttered is not even my concern. What I find interesting and would like to share with you is his response both times to the Lord when God tells him to speak to pharaoh. Each time Moses says “I have uncircumcised lips” (Ex.6:12,30)

Hmmm…uncircumcised lips?

Some Bible versions translate the phrase “I am unskilled in speech,” “I have faltering lips,” and even “I am a clumsy speaker.” I believe it is important to keep this phrase literal as the ESV does.  Why do I feel this way? Why is it important to read about uncircumcised lips? Well, I believe it is important because of what circumcision and uncircumcision represent in Scripture and the fact that Moses was aware of this concept and chose to say he had “uncircumcised lips” is no accident. This idea of having lips that have been “circumcised” will be seen more clearly and explained as we see what Scripture teaches about the tongue and how we use it as believers in the following article. However, we will look at what I consider a profound concept of uncircumcised lips:  according to Scripture, circumcision was a sign of the covenant people of God (Gen.17).

Circumcision was not merely external but internal. In both the Old and New Testament we see that an uncircumcised heart is a stubborn heart to the things of God (Deut.10:16) and that uncircumcised ears are deaf and unreceptive to God’s Word (Jer.6:10; Acts 7:51). So in light of this, I believe Moses was not merely saying he was not a good speaker.

So then, what was Moses saying? Without being dogmatic I will share some thoughts on the issue. Could it be that uncircumcised lips speak of unfit or “unclean” lips not in covenant with God (similar to what Isaiah said) just as uncircumcised ears and hearts are not in covenant with the Lord, according to Scripture? Perhaps Moses felt not only physically inadequate but also personally unfit or “unclean” to fulfill the task. Moses, who was raised in the house of Pharaoh may have felt uncomfortable speaking on behalf of the Israelites because he did not feel entirely part of the Israelite community. The lips that he would have to use to address Pharaoh were not, in his opinion, fully part of the covenantal community he would be representing. We know Paul taught spiritual circumcision in coming to Christ and the cutting away of what is not of God in our lives (Col.2:11) and in light of this I think to myself…”Are my lips circumcised? Do I have a “religious” mouth and speak as one in covenant with God? My prayer is that the Church will so speak and act as those in covenants with the Lord, that we will have pure and undefiled religion in the sight of God. When our lips are circumcised, we are to no longer communicate with an uncircumcised (irreligious) tongue. In regards to our lips, Paul says the following

Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. (Eph.5:4 ESV)

James tells us to be quick to hear and slow to speak (Jas.1:19). Although I believe there are a few practical interpretations of this Scripture. First and foremost, I want to be one that is quick to hear (from the Lord) and then slowly (cautiously) speak under his guidance and wisdom. May we be a religious people in its most purest and undefiled form. A people that bridle their tongue for his glory.

This morning before heading to our service, I was reading through Judges. Recently I started in Genesis and have hoped to read all the way through to Revelation in this manner, so now I find myself in this book.

I was reading the story of Jephthah in Judges 11:29-40,

And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” (Judges 11:30, English Standard Version)

I know we could go into a whole theological treaty about the value of words and so on in that culture, and if he really sacrificed or just consecrated her life to the Lord since it doesn’t actually clearly mention that he killed her or had her killed (see verse 39). What struck me is that, even though Jephthah had the Spirit of God on him, it doesn’t mean what he did (the vow) was inspired by God! At least I’d hope in the Lord that no Christian living with the Holy Spirit in them or who actually has a relationship with God would read this passage thinking Jephthah did the right thing!

But you may be thinking, Steve, it says in verse 29 that

Then the Spirit of the LORD was upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites.

And I’d point out to you that the Spirit of the Lord enabled him to do what He asked of the Lord, but does not have any bearing on the vow made. Check out how this apologetics website puts it:

As we can see from these passages, what action or saying is inspired by the Spirit of the Lord is detailed immediately after it is said who the Spirit came upon. Therefore, if the Spirit of the Lord inspired Jephthah to do anything at all, it was to go traveling around recruiting his army and go to war with the Ammonites. The fact that the vow is reported separately indicates that it was not something done under the Spirit of the Lord at all.1

Religion Kills

See, my definition of religion, is the man-made actions, the legalisms and things we ourselves come up with and assume God will be pleased with. The reason I say that in this context of our passage, is because later on in the New Testament Jesus has told us:

But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil. (Matthew 5:34-37, ESV, emphasis mine)

Oftentimes in our immaturity and/or insecurity, we think we need to tack on a formula of “Lord, if you do this for me, I’ll do this in return” when God never requires this of us. In fact, an e-mail from an author I’ve been in touch with reminded me, that along with this Scripture, oath taking like this is from evil. It’s made all the more obvious by this passage; the fruit of it was ultimately that a daughter was killed in order for the oath to be kept. Religion kills. Jesus Christ and the Spirit of grace brings life, and life more abundantly.

The devil is behind the spirit of religion. God is not the author of such wickedness that would kill a family member in order to fulfill the self-made vow. As Dave Edwards and myself discuss in a yet to be posted podcast, the devil knows how to use well-intending motives and twist them with additions onto the Scriptures, and convince us we’re doing the right thing. But we’re spreading death, not life. We’re adding TO, not obeying the straightforward Gospel as it is.

“All said and done, my friends, it will be an ill day for us if what most humans mean by “religion” ever vanishes from the Earth. It can still send us the truly delicious sins. The fine flower of unholiness can grow only in the close neighborhood of the Holy. Nowhere do we tempt so successfully as on the very step of the altar.”2

I quote this brief quote from Screwtape Proposes a Toast (the sequel/follow up that C.S. Lewis wrote to The Screwtape Letters) because in the Screwtape books, the characters–devils–were attempting to get “The Patient”, a Christian, to backslide away from the faith. It’s been years since I’ve read it, so I have to read reviews to remind myself the exact content, but, in it the older devil instructs the junior temptor not to focus on trying to get the target to fall into outright rebellion because that won’t work, but to try to just pervert and corrupt the actual Gospel so he’ll think he’s doing the right thing.

In the movie Inception, the characters are hired to go into the dream world or subconscious of the competitor of a business that hires these guys to implant an idea in the former’s head so that he’ll think he’s doing the right thing, but actually, through these machinations, cause his dying father’s business to fall apart. While the characters are sitting around discussing how they’ll do this, one of them points out that they need to exploit and manipulate the victim’s desire to please his demanding father, because, as one character says something like “it’s easier to manipulate a positive emotional response than it is to manipulate a rebellious one” or something like that.

In Stevie B language, it’s a lot easier to commit sin thinking we’re doing the right thing, than to be tempted to outright rebel against God. That is where such oaths originate, and they are just as insidious as blatant evil with horns and a pitchfork.

This is the same spirit that challenged Eve in the Garden of Eden suggesting that she would not die if she ate the fruit, but seeing that it was good is what motivated her to partake of it for “the tree was to be desired to make one wise” (Gen 3:6). It was in a misguided attempt to follow God her own way, with the help of suggestions from the evil one, who had NO interest of hers in mind other than destruction, for “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10).3 When Jesus Christ is in the Author of your “yes”, it will not result in destroyed relationships–at least by you for the sake of keeping an oath. Jephthah’s misguided vow no doubt was rooted in good intentions, but as the old adage goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

The spirit of religion, not necessarily always, but usually spreads death and destruction like this, and we’re told to just let our yes be yes and our no be no, for there can be destructive and even tragic consequences from anything else. But usually, whenever we put such oaths and structures ahead of relationships, it inevitably will result in the loss of the relationship.

Dear friends, let your yes be yes and your no be no. Anything more is evil.

1. http://www.tektonics.org/gk/jepthah.html
2. C.S. Lewis, Screwtape Proposes A Toast, p. 27
3. For more on this subject matter, I recommend reading my post The Chains of Self-righteousness.

A friend of mine recently preached a very thought provoking message on “frequencies”.  It got my attention so much that I decided to do my own investigation and started Googling “the stuff that he was taking about”. Minutes turned into hours, and hours into days, and days into about 1 week.  Since I like videos I did a lot of my research on YouTube. (thumbs up for the videos by kids who kept things short and simple)

What I learned both surprised and challenged me. The surprising part was how amazing God has designed, created, put in order – the world and everything in it, including us people. What challenged me was that when I looked at the Word and put 1 and 1 together, I found that I, by design, have a much bigger part to play in bringing change to my surroundings. Here’s a summary of my findings…

The crazy cool science part

Everything is made up of matter. Matter takes up space and has mass to it. Matter comes in 3 different forms: solids, liquids and gasses. (You can add #4, plasma, but I don’t understand that yet, and it isn’t really necessary for what I am writing about here.)

Matter is made up of molecules. The closeness of the molecules determines the state of the matter. And on a smaller level, molecules are made up of atoms.

All matter has energy, either kinetic, or potential. When I hold a stapler in my hand it has potential energy; when I throw said stapler across the room, while it is flying through the air, it possesses kinetic energy as it is “in motion”.  In short, everything around us has energy. Energy itself moves. It vibrates at a frequency. Everything, whether solid, liquid or gas, has a frequency on a sub-atomic level.

When you introduce an outside energy to matter, you can actually change that piece of matter’s frequency on a sub-atomic level. Because the frequency changes, its outward appearance will also change.

Here are two examples:

Water is a type of matter (liquid) that has its own frequency. By introducing radiant energy through a microwave, the water will change and, if left long enough under radiant energy, become a gas. On a sub-atomic level the radio waves from the microwave cause the atoms to vibrate faster and faster, heating it up and causing it to change forms.

A second example – A chair is a solid with its own frequency. Introduce fire, thermal energy, and the chair will burn and burn until there is nothing left. The solid chair changed forms because a outside powerful energy was introduced.

Isn’t that amazing! Matter can change depending on what type of powerful frequency is introduced! That means that everything, absolutely everything, around us can change depending on what kind of powerful energy is introduced to them.

The God-breathed part

Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.

Proverbs 18:21 (MSG)

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV)

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

Luke 6:45 (NIV)

and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5b (NIV)

What we think about is planted in our hearts. What’s in our hearts comes through our mouths, and hence it is wise to watch what we think about, because our words can bring life or death to the world around us.

1 + 1 = 2

Here’s how we connect the Word and science:

1. Everything around you has a frequency.
2. By introducing a powerful frequency or energy, you can change everything around you on a sub-atomic level.
3. Your words are either death or life (a powerful frequency or energy) (Prov 18:21).
4. By changing the way you think (for exampling thinking more in line with Heaven), you would be changing the way you speak (Luke 6:45).
5. When you speak with faith, things around you will change and line up with your words (Matt 21:21,22).

Dr. Emoto did a study about introducing either positive or negative influences on water molecules. He found that introducing either positive or negative words, pictures, music, thoughts, even prayers (all types of frequencies), to a glass of water changed the shape and form of the water crystals when frozen. Positive frequencies created beautiful crystals (picture on right) while negative frequencies left the crystals deformed and twisted (picture on left).

To tie this all together, God is the one who said, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Science shows that by introducing the right frequency to pretty much anything, a change takes place on a sub-atomic level and a matter re-aligns itself to fit with that frequency.

This is what challenged me: What am I thinking about all day? Because what I think about ultimately gets planted in my heart and at some point will come through my mouth – either treasures or trash. And thus, what am I speaking into the matter (things) around me? Is it positive, negative, because now I find that the reason I see change around me is because I am causing it!

Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (see Mark 11:22-23)

I see hungry people, I see possibilities in relationships, job opportunities. I see that I am a agent of change and by faith, I can make this world a better place. Because of what Jesus did, I not only have what God set in motion when He created the world, but I also have the Holy Spirit, the ultimate Trump Card. I have life and it’s time to let Him loose.

About Marnus Coetzee: Born and raised in South Africa, I heard God’s call into missions and joined OM (Operation Mobilization) in 2005. I did 6 months of missions training before spending a year in Ukraine. I now serve full time with OM USA as a prayer coach. Among using blogs, Twitter, and Facebook to equip and train the body of Christ, I lead teams on international missions trips to the middle east, with an emphasis on supernatural evangelism. In 2010 I start my second year at Bethel Atlanta School of Supernatural Ministry. I also serve on the Prophetic and Sozo ministry teams at Bethel Atlanta. For my’ blog visit http://www.marnusandlisa.com

“The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of a disciple, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple. The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not disobedient Nor did I turn back.” (Isa 50:4-5)

What is a “tongue of a disciple”?

The tongue is the agent of speech. Speech is the agent of communication. Communication is the divinely orchestrated transference of thoughts, which are the influence upon the thinking of men. And the essence of all of life is in a man’s thinking. “As a man thinks, so is he.” As Bill Johnson would say it, “a renewed mind is a transformed life.” Our thinking patterns determine our living in this world.

The tongue is the release of what has been put in a man’s heart.

The tongue is the agent of communicating that which you are inside. Jesus said, “out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” Watchman Nee said, “If you want to know a man, hear him speak.” Jesus dwells in our “hearts by faith” so He should overflow out of our mouths. The tongue of a disciple is the transference of that which a disciple has learned from God Himself. Disciple means learner.  This tongue is an automatic gift from God when we have learned from Him.  We must come to God.

We need to understand this, “The tongue of a disciple is the transference of what JESUS has taught us, and this, by revelation of Himself.”

Notice what is connected with the tongue of a disciple, “He awakens me morning by morning, He awakens my ear to listen as a disciple.”

To ever speak as a disciple, it is a prerequisite that we hear as a disciple. The ear comes first, the tongue comes second and all of which comes from being with God Himself. We must hear Him! Hearing God is the transference of Himself into us. Madame Guyon said, “God longs to communicate Himself to us.” T. Austin Sparks said, “God speaks Himself.”

It is hearing God that makes us like Him. “…all we need for Life and God-likeness through the knowledge of Him…” It is a revelation of God, given by God, that makes us like God. There is no other way–no other way to obtain the transference of God into us than our hearing of His speaking. Gen 2.7 shows us life entering into man through what comes from God’s mouth. Prov. 2 tells us that coming forth from His mouth is “Wisdom and Knowledge.” 1 Cor. 1 tells us that Jesus is unto us Wisdom. He is the speaking of God. Jesus Christ is formed in us, as Paul prayed for the Philippians, by the transference of Christ from God’s mouth. This is revelation. Revelation from God, may not make us incredible information retainers or full of wisdom that confounds all our hearers.  What we know it will do is this; make you just like Jesus inside.  For His words are Spirit and life.  The mind set on Him is life and peace.  The Holy Spirit’s results are the character of Jesus. We will find Christ’s formation inside of us by this means.

This is written to us as a daily thing, “Morning by morning.” Morning implies first place, discipline and diligence. His voice is the first priority. Robert Gladstone said, “If we don’t live by revelation we don’t live.” God tells us that, “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that cometh from the mouth of God.”

Be with God to hear God. Hear God to become like God. Become like God to transfer God into others. The disciples were with Christ. Andrew Murray said, “the presence of Christ was the training of the disciples.” This is so true that they took notice in Acts that the men, “had been with Jesus.” Peter tried to disguise himself from the little girl who asked him if he had been with Jesus, by changing his speaking.

We are His spokesmen. We are His medium to the world. Our eyes should glow God and our mouths should deliver God, because we have been much with God; hearing Him and receiving Him into ourselves. Leonard Ravenhill said, “to be much for God we must be much with God.” The prophet speaks of the need to “listen.” This implies the stillness before God. This is the ceasing of our outflow to receive His inflow. Zech 2.13 says, “let all the people be still, before the Lord. He is coming from His mountain…” The disposition of a spiritual man is, stillness in His presence and fixation upon Him alone. This is the place where God, “opens your ear.” All our ears are shut until God opens them. They are only opened in humble stillness in His presence fixed upon Him…listening.

Notice that the outcome was, “I was not disobedient nor did I turn back.” Absolute dedication and consecration with a zeal to obey radically is the simultaneous installation of God inside of us performed only by His speaking.

Lastly, notice the purpose for the tongue of a disciple is for other people. “That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word.” Isn’t that just like Him who lays down His life? Isn’t that in accordance with Him who is absolutely selfless in love and calls us to be the same? We are to encourage each other while it is called today. Not just with nice flowery words, but with messages, no matter how small, that have come forth from the counsel of the Most High. We must speak to the thirsty heathen with words dripping with the fountain of living water.  With an increase of revelation comes and increase of obligation because of the divine transformation.

By Melody Green

I think the main reason that God is letting me share a little bit with you about the problem of gossip is because I’m no stranger to it. I have not only listened to gossip… I’ve also spread it and been the victim of it…and let me say it’s all equally as painful to the Lord.

When I told people things I shouldn’t have, I usually justified it by saying, “We really need to pray for so and so, they’re having this terrible problem. But we usually didn’t pray, we just “talked it through.” Then, of course, it was great fun to listen to the latest tale about someone or some ministry. I again justified it by thinking, “Well, it’s important to keep up with what’s happening. Besides, I need to know how to pray . . .” which again, I hardly ever did. (In fact, if I had spent as much time on my knees talking to God as I did on my couch talking to friends, I would really be quite the woman of God by now.)

My awareness of the problem started early in our ministry when we first began our community. I realized that with so many close relationships forming, we had become a real breeding ground for gossip to grow and spread… infecting all who participated. I became very concerned about it, looked up a lot of Scriptures, and gave a few very convicting Bible studies for the girls. But God didn’t really open my eyes until I found myself and our ministry on the receiving end of some rumors and exaggerations that wounded me deeply.   I was so stumbled! I started becoming very bitter, and wondered how people could say such things. But I think I was even more hurt over those who listened and just accepted the information as confirmed fact. I begged God to please make them stop!  Well, it didn’t take long for Jesus to take action, and boy, did He show me sin – but guess whose it was? Mine!  He reminded me of all the times I had received and then spread rumors, not only about people I knew, but about many I’d never even met. Jesus showed me how I had planted poison in the body of Christ and done real damage to many reputations. At the time I didn’t think I was hurting anyone… but now I knew differently.  Jesus allowed me to see how it felt,       and it was just awful. He also showed me that He was more grieved than anyone when His people were so unloving to each other. To say that I have totally conquered this sin through this experience would not be true. I am still tested almost daily, and sometimes I fail; but I can honestly say that there is a day-and-night difference in my life, and that I know Jesus is faithful to complete the work He started in me.

What Is Gossip?

When we become Christians, we give up the “biggies” like lying, stealing, drinking, cheating, drugs, and fornication. We start spending time with our new-found friends, talking about the Lord, our lives, and what’s going on around us in general.  Harmless stuff … or so we think. But let’s take a closer look. Many times these conversations are full of judgments, rumors, and hearsay … all tucked neatly away behind a concerned Christian smile.

Did you know the Bible talks a lot about gossip? It’s not just a “little sin” as some of us like to rationalize. It says, “The Lord hates a froward (or perverted) mouth” (Proverbs8:13)… and He commands us, “You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people.” (Lev. 19:16) God also says, “They go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention” (I Tim. 5:13), and in Psalm 101:5 He says, “Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy.” God also has the notion that those who gossip do not acknowledge Him and are given over to a depraved mind. He lists gossips together with those who are untrustworthy, unloving, unrighteous, full of envy, strife and deceit, murderers and haters of God. Then He says those who practice such things know they are worthy of death, but it doesn’t stop them from participating or encouraging others to do the same. (Rom. 1:28-32) These are pretty heavy Scriptures, and I cringe to think of their implications.

By the way, something doesn’t have to be a lie to make it gossip. Many of us think, “Well, it’s true … so I can tell anyone I want to.” Not so!  Telling the truth for the wrong motive can be even more destructive than telling a lie. In fact, here’s a definition of gossip that’s quite revealing: Sharing anything about some one, when the act of sharing it is not part of the solution to that person’s problem.

Matthew 18

“And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.       “(Matt. 18:15) I think the reason God put this in the Bible is because He knows  how weak we are, and He knew we needed some real solid guidelines.

If we are offended or see someone in sin, we are to go to that person and no one else!  Let me give you a few examples: If someone is in sin, what good does it do to go and tell someone else? What can they do about it? If we start running around talking about this “awful thing” we see in someone’s life, and asking others if “they see it too,” then we are causing them to form judgments and ultimately to be stumbled.  Instead, let’s restore that brother or sister to fellowship with God. You may be showing them a real blind spot that the Lord wants desperately to deal with. If he does not listen, then there are further steps to take. Be prepared for this, although it usually doesn’t get to that point. Believe me, I have done my greatest growing when someone has come to me in genuine love and concern over an inconsistency they see in my life. I am thankful that they love me enough to confront me with it and give me a chance to change. “Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to yourselves, lest you too be tempted.” (Gal. 6:1)

“Taking Up An Offense”

Sharing our hurts and bitterness, and listening to others share theirs, is another area where we need to be very careful. If someone is rude to your best friend, and your friend shares their hurt with you, then you’re probably going to “take up the offense.”  This means you get hurt too, maybe even angry at the person who caused your friend pain.  Later, they might make up and all may be forgiven and forgotten. But there’s only one problem … you’re still bitter! And the next time you see the person who hurt your friend, you realize that you haven’t forgiven him. Unless you go right away and clear things up, you may carry around a subtle bitterness that comes to remembrance every time you see him or hear his name. Why? Because God did not give you the same amount of grace to forgive as He gave your friend. You were not the one offended. God gives grace to the humble and the afflicted (James 4:6), and you were neither. You just “happened” to become involved in something you shouldn’t have been told about in the first place. The strife that one small incident can cause can be far-reaching and long-lasting, depending on how many people hear about it. So you see, it is totally irresponsible to involve others in your hurts and judgments. As far as I can see, we have no right to go to anyone except God and the offender, unless we are really at a loss as to what we should do. And then we need to go for counseling, not to our “most favorite person to talk to.”

The Difference Between Counseling and Gossip

Much gossip and slander goes on under the guise of “getting counseling.”  There is nothing wrong with counseling if you are indeed talking to a counselor. A counselor is someone who is mature in the Lord, exhorts you to godliness and reconciliation, points out your sin in the situation, will not repeat the matter or be stumbled by it, and is seeking God’s will first and foremost – not yours. (A person like this is usually in a leadership position in a church or fellowship.) I’m afraid this leaves out 95 percent of the people we usually run to with the latest problem. If we really need counseling, we should get it. But most of the time when we share with someone, we are not really seeking a solution. We just want a sympathetic ear to agree with our point of view.

It seems we don’t care how much division we bring, as long as we get people on “our side.” We are too selfish to worry about the damage we are causing those we tell or those we tell on . “There are six things that the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers. “(Proverbs 6:16-19)

Just Listening

Many of us like to believe that “just listening” to gossip is not really as  bad as spreading it. This is not so. God says, “An evildoer listens to wicked lips and a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue. “(Proverbs 17:4) In I Samuel 24:9, David exhorts Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men saying, ‘Behold, David seeks to harm you ‘?” Well, why do we listen? Why are we so       ready to believe the worst? The Bible says, “Love hopes all things.” (I Cor. 13:7) Why don’t we gently but firmly say, “I’m sorry, but you’re telling me something I really don’t think I should be listening to. You need to take this to the Lord, and those involved… not me.” A few exhortations like that will stop most gossips in their tracks. At least it will stop them from coming to you with their treachery, and maybe give them something else to think about besides other people’s business. The Bible warns us not to associate with gossips. “He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, therefore do not associate with a gossip.” (Proverbs 20:19)

“A Mark Of Maturity”

“And I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment.” (Matt. 12:36)

With every word we speak we are making a choice. We are either choosing to bless God or grieve Him by rebelling against His Word. “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Eph. 4:29) Again, sometimes we do not take seriously enough God’s command for us to have control over our tongue. This is one of the true marks of a mature man or woman of God. James says, “If any one thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.” (James 1:26) We all know that the heart is deceitful above all things (Jer. 17:9), and so it may seem easy to rationalize our behavior… but look how high the price is.  I get convicted just writing this! I certainly don’t want my walk with the Lord to become worthless because I’m not mature enough to control the words that come out of my own mouth.

One Final Thought

Gossip and slander are Satan’s tools. He knows that if he can get us to divide and fight each other, we’ll be far too busy to unite and fight him! We need to stop and think before we speak, and purpose in our hearts to never receive or repeat gossip again. We can do it by the grace of God and a determination to make the right choices. You pray about it. There may be people you need to repent to and bitternesses that need to be confessed and healed. Go to God first and get your heart right. He will give you the power to do the rest. “Let us rejoice and be glad, and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” (Rev. 19:7) It may seem like a monumental task… but God is calling a holy bride and we need to do everything we possibly can to “make ourselves ready”!

For more articles by the author, visit www.melodygreen.com.

Many of us believers tend to already know there are various levels on which Israel rebelled against the Lord, and various specific points could be pointed at in the wilderness narratives as the cause of their spending 40 years there instead of inheriting their promised land immediately after leaving Egypt. However, it is interesting to note how seriously this incident affected their destiny. It is worth taking serious consideration for our own lives. For our study today, it will be more effective if I copy and paste large sections of the text from the English Standard Translation (only because that’s what I read from, not because I favor it the most) and I will embolden and add emphasis to the text, as it would be easier than to comment and refer to passages individually.

In the book of Numbers we have the account of the twelve spies entering the land of Canaan for forty days, and then checking it out. I’m not sure if I’ve heard anyone preach or teach this passage of Scripture this way, but I think it deserves to be looked at in a different light than at least I’ve heard taught in the past. Keep in mind the Lord has already promised to give Israel this land, and it was the Lord’s instruction to send out the spies in the first few verses of chapter 13. It’s interesting to me to note not just the pessimism with which 10 of the 12 spies shared their findings, but what reaction they caused in the rest of the congregation–who did not see these things for themselves, but believed the bad report–they believed what they were told.

How amazing that we can be so quick to believe the negative, instead of the positive. My mom used to say to me bad news travels fast, but good news doesn’t go anywhere most of the time. I want to draw your attention to the words “all of the congregation.” We know already there were roughly 2 million people who were in the exodus out of Egypt, and only twelve spies, two of whom had a positive outlook and didn’t look at what they saw with their eyes, but on what God had promised when they looked upon their future country’s land. A mere ten people stirred up 2 million people into wanting to kill Moses and Aaron right here. Can you believe it? Can you believe the power of words?

At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land. And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.” But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”

Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Orwould that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”(Numbers 13:25-14:4, ESV. Emphasis mine)

What on earth happened?

I’ve always asked myself how could they go this far into the wilderness, coming this close to seeing the land, having seen all the works of the Lord that they have so far, and then want to give up and turn around and go back to Egypt?! More importantly, I get a little indignant reading that a mere ten men caused this scene all by themselves! What do you cause with your testimonies or your words? Do you stir people up to go on and inherit their promises, or get them to give up and turn around back to where they came from in their own lives?

God takes slander, gossip, and bad reports that contradict what He has already promised to do–very seriously.

Moses intercedes for this people, but God doesn’t negate punishment:

Then the LORD said, “I have pardoned, according to your word. But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD, none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it. But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it. Now, since the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valleys, turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.”

And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the LORD, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected. But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness. According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land,forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.’ I, the LORD, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.”

And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing up a bad report about the land— the men who brought up a bad report of the land— died by plague before the LORD. Of those men who went to spy out the land, only Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive.

(Numbers 14:20-38, emphasis mine)

Interesting Observations

• In verse 23 the Lord says these people despised him. It’s a serious charge, when we might view it as ‘only’ complaining, it smacked against the very promise God was making them–but that’s for another entry, I wish to focus on our speech.
• Caleb had a different spirit, what did he say? He tried to encourage the people of Israel into their promise, and only he and Joshua were rewarded for it.
• Notice how the Lord “heard” them grumble. For some reason, the sentence “the Lord heard them” sends a chill down my spine. What does the Lord “hear” from you and I in our words to others? Do you hinder the promises of God in the lives of others by what you speak to them?
• Do you notice how the very things the people of Israel were grumbling and complaining about happening to them, the Lord had never intended or thought of doing to them, but then said He will now make sure to allow those things to fall upon them? “What you have said in my hearing I will do.” What do you say in His hearing?
• In verse 35, I find it more interesting than other times how it is phrased. “I the Lord have spoken.” I almost want to say “yes, we know.” But there’s something more profound, ironic– even impacting–that the very thing that got them into trouble with a faithful and holy God, He “does back”: He speaks. But when He speaks, it’s not a grumbling and a faithless complaining: it’s a righteous and merciful pronouncement of His judgment. Sobering indeed.
• Only Joshua and Caleb wound up entering the promised land. The only of the bunch who kept a positive attitude and fully obeyed the Lord.

So, what do you say? What thoughts are you left with as you read this passage?

In closing, “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.” (Hebrews 12:15) 

Steve Bremner is a missionary to Peru, called to raise up disciples who flow in the power of the Holy Spirit. He is general editor of Fire Press, and also produces & co-hosts its podcast called Fire On Your Head. Visit his personal site at http://stevebremner.com 

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24 ESV)

Every so often, I get told by individuals that they perceive me to be a “faith teacher” in a derogatory way as if studying about, living this out, and writing about it is a bad thing.  Sometimes people rightly perceive this to be my favorite topic, or that I’m not capable of writing or preaching about any other subject.  I’m hardly ever offended by such notions since the Word of God says “the just shall live by faith” (Hab 2:4, Rom 1:17, Gal 3:11, Heb 10:38) and Hebrews 11:6 says “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” (King James Version)  Therefore, I don’t get how one could allegedly spend too much time finding out HOW to live like a righteous person in God’s eyes, and how to please Him in the Christian walk!

That being said, this article is born out of reflecting on things as a result of reading Watchman Nee’s “The Normal Christian“, especially the chapter early in the book called “The Path To Progress: Reckoning.“  I also decided to unofficially add this to what was a two part series on how to increase your faith, because I think this is a fitting continuation of that series.  To read them click here: part 1, part 2.

The key important thing about faith to remember is that it is always based on the promise already stated.  This is what distinguishes it from hope.  Hope doesn’t know for certain what will or could happen, but longs for the desired result.  Faith however, stands on some kind of prior knowledge, what has already been established–the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Heb 11:1).  One needs to stick to the Word of God, and have confidence based on what is written in it, and like the context of this particular verse states, then you will know what to speak to the mountainous problem you may be facing.  Therefore, another key to increasing your faith is changing your focus.  Instead of focusing on the problem, don’t just speak to it, but find out what exactly the Word of God already says about that situation or circumstance, and how a believer is to face it, and focus on that and only speak of the victory Christ promised, and not give any voice to any discouragement tempting you.

Faith looks at something as if it is already done, because it knows that it is, and nothing shakes that.  However, hope has no such specific assurance but flows out of faith–it can only hope for the desired outcome because it relies on what has been promised.  Faith is the acceptance of God’s fact.   Hope trusts in something still future because of what it already knows and accepts as fact.  For example, in the referred to chapter, Nee goes on to teach that just because the Christian might still struggle with sin or be living in lifestyle of sin doesn’t contradict that he has (past tense) been purchased with the blood of Christ and is made a new creation.  The way faith would be applied to this significant fact, is to look at the word “reckon”–or as other translations like the ESV tell us– “consider”–as used in in the following context:

“For the death he died (past tense) he died to sin, once (past tense) for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselvesdead (past tense) to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.  Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.” (Romans 6:10-12 ESV, emphasis and parenthesis mine)

You cannot reckon or consider anything without first having had the concept or idea introduced to you to be able to ponder it or think of it, or act on the knowledge you’ve been given.  ’Reckon’ or ‘consider’ are words that only relate to the past in this regard, and give context to the word ‘therefore‘ which leads into what is to take place now in the present for the believer: not letting sin reign in your mortal body, based on the act that has happened–you have died to sin, because of what Christ has done.  The way to overcoming sin is to consider or reckon what the Word of God has already stated, concerning what has already been accomplished at the Cross of Calvary–in this case, that Christ died and overcame sin, and that you, if you’ve given your life to Christ, you were hidden in Him, and by that, died with him when He hung on the cross.  Therefore, you substantiate that into existence in your own life as a Christian.  But how you ask?  Past posts of mine tagged ‘faith‘ go into significant detail on this, but to give a concise answer, I say focus on the promise from His Word and do not let the circumstances distract you:

All temptation is primarily to look within; to take our eyes off the Lord and to take account of appearances.  Faith is always meeting a mountain, a mountain of evidence  that seems to contradict God’s Word, a mountain of apparent contradiction in the realm of tangible fact–of failures in deed, as well as in the realm of feelings and suggestion–and either faith or the mountain has to go.  They cannot both stand.  But the trouble is that many a time the mountain stays and faith goes.  That must not be.  If we resort to our senses to discover the truth, we shall find Satan’s lies are often enough true to our experience; but if we refuse to accept as binding anything that contracts God’s Word and maintain an attitude of faith in him alone, we shall find instead that Satan’s lies begin to dissolve and that our experience is coming progressively to tally with that Word.” Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life, p 72.

Hanging on To The Promises of God

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called (past tense promise) to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going…For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. (Heb 11:8, 10, emphasis & parenthesis mine)

Despite the decades that passed before Abraham and Sarah would see the promise fulfilled and give birth to their son Isaac, they had the promise of the word of the Lord when He told him

“Look up at the heavens and count the stars –if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be” (Gen 15:5)

They hung on to this promise given them in order to have the hope that it would be fulfilled.

“No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised” (Rom 4:20-21)

By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered (or reckoned) him faithful who had promised. (Heb 11:11, parenthesis mine).  

There’s much more we could learn from the life of Abraham, but for brevity’s sake we’ll leave out of today’s post.

Despite the dreams given to him years earlier in his youth of leadership, Joseph did not look like he’d be ruling anybody or anything while he was locked away in a dungeon. I have always imagined these dreams and the promises they meant would go through Joseph’s mind many a night as he lay shackled in a dark dungeon forgotten by the very people he’d helped.  He reckoned that God would do what He said He would with his life.  Or what of the promise the Lord made Moses concerning leading the people out of Egypt?  It didn’t look like it was about to come to pass when immediately after speaking to the Pharaoh, who increased their work quota, and it took ten plagues before he finally had enough and released the Israelites to go on their way. But I’m sure Moses reckoned that God would do what He said, and could cling to that promise despite the natural circumstances looking like they were getting more and more difficult.

Despite the prophecies, Jesus Christ, our example and savior, it didn’t appear to the pharisees standing watching and mocking that He was going to save or rule anybody, let alone live when He hung bloody, naked, and twisted on a wooden cross.  But yet what was spoken would come to pass.  Oftentimes, the promise is the most difficult to believe in right before its eventual fulfillment.  We could go on with many more examples from Scripture of people receiving that which they were promised, and if you read through Hebrews 11, you’ll notice the same pattern written of a promise made, followed by an expectation of fulfillment by most of the people mention there.

Also consider how Isaiah 55:11 says  

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

God’s written and spoken Word will be accomplished, since God is not a man that He can lie (Num 23:19), and if He has spoken in it in the Bible, you can rely on it and put your confidence in the Lord about the matter.  What He has already spoken, will come to pass.  If He has spoken to you in the prayer closet, you can rest assured He will perform what He said He would, for the very word He gave you often times was to give you an anchor to hang on to when the circumstances immediately following it test your confidence in the matter,  so believe that you have received it.  It is done.  If you need healing in your body, then learn from these figures in the Bible who were put there as our example and take courage.   Be like Abraham who did not consider (or reckon) in his old age that producing a child with his wife was impossible.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And let the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7)

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Steve Bremner is a missionary to Peru, called to raise up disciples who flow in the power of the Holy Spirit. He is general editor of Fire Press, and also produces & co-hosts its podcast called Fire On Your Head. Visit his personal site at http://stevebremner.com 

 

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.” (Psalm 1:1-4)

A tree–and pretty much all plants and vegetation in general–need several things in order to grow and produce their corresponding fruit: proper soil, water, and sunlight. If you water it too much and/or only give it water, then it will get waterlogged and die. If you don’t give it any, and it only gets heat and sunlight, also, it will die.  But the soil also needs to be in correct condition.  For example of this, the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 ) details the different outcomes of having the seed fall on different types of ground.  In Psalm 1 we’re given a few contrasts between the righteous and the wicked which I’d like to focus on.   The man who delights in the law of the Lord is contrasted with the man who doesn’t, but walks in the counsel of the wicked and sits in the seat of the scornful.  Here we’re told not that the man who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night is not like a seed, but how he’s like a tree planted by streams of living water.  The man of wickedness, like a leaf that withers.

It stands to reason that if the righteous man is the one who grows, and prospers, it would be necessary to know how the he does so.  Therefore we need to be delighting in the law of the Lord if we’re to prosper and be blessed in all areas of righteousness–through both the rhema revelation and the logos written Word, studying it, getting into it deep and sinking our roots deep into it.   Only from having these conditions in place in our own lives, will we be able to extract the image from the seed, the Word of God.  The man who does this, yields fruit in season, and in all that he does he prospers.  It’s also necessary to realize is that one must to do this regularly, as indicated in the words ‘day and night’.  As the saying goes, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but not if you only eat one apple and nothing else in the course of a day!

First, a little bit about my approach to reading/studying/interpreting the Bible:  since all Scripture is God-inspired,  then the meaning of one passage is tied into the one before it and breeds the meaning of the one following.   All the parables, teachings and stories are like the strokes of a much larger painting.  All of it ties together.  Therefore, passages like Psalm 1 don’t require a lot of scholarly study to understand, and if we just read the whole thing in context we can understand the individual verses contained therein.  As good as it is to memorize individual Scripture verses, I think it’s even better to meditate on entire chapters of Scripture and entire stories or parables than just individual verses.  Doing so helps avoid accidentally (or intentionally) lifting sentences out of context.

So let’s have at it:  if a blessed man walks not in the counsel of the wicked, and all the things detailed in the first two verses, then that means the unrighteous man does the opposite.  If a righteous man is like a tree firmly planted, then a wicked person is not (I know, deep revelation, but bear with me).  And if an unrighteous person is not getting his counsel from the law of the Lord then by necessity he’s getting his counsel somewhere else –as James 3:13-18 explains, from below.  And by ‘below’, I don’t mean the ground, but the pit of hell.

We read in passages like Luke 6:43-44 that no good tree bears bad fruit, and vice versa.  There’s only two options, good or bad, fruitful or unfruitful, righteous or wicked, good fruit or bad fruit.  That which is below or that which is from above.  A wicked person who is not firmly planted near the streams of living water is not going to yield fruit as though he were firmly planted in good soil.  Verse 45 goes on to say that the good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.   Therefore, it’s no wonder the very next thing Jesus proceeds to teach here in Luke 6 is about building your house on a rock so that it withstands the storm.  The idea of building and construction is linked to sowing, reaping, growing and harvesting in this context.  The fact Luke writes them one immediately following the other in his Gospel allows us to assume they are a part of the same flow of thought Jesus was teaching here.

“Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” (Luke 6:47-49)

For years I read that passage of Scripture as though it were talking about the believer and the unbeliever, the righteous versus the unrighteous.  However, both individuals heard, but only one did what he heard, the other didn’t, and the storms and cares of this life knocked the structure down.

So why am I saying all that, and how exactly do we extract the content of the incorruptible seed of Christ in us?  Those passages then being a loose framework for us to work with provide some steps for obtaining revelation knowledge and extracting the image from the seed :

1) Put into practice what you learn from the Word of Christ

This is of the utmost importance in growing in Him and extracting revelation knowledge from the seed.  In receiving the implanted word, James 1:21-25 talks of making sure to be doers of the Word of Christ, which would be building your house on the rock, versus being a listener only–building on sandy foundations.  One person extracts the image from inside the seed BY obeying what Christ teaches and the other didn’t and the ruin of his house was great.

“But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” (James 1:25)

2) Submit to fiery trials in your life

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)

Under circumstances like heat, and fiery trials in life, we’re capable of having squeezed out of us just what’s really inside our hearts. It is these moments that reveal our true character. Sometimes the greatest opportunity for our faith to grow, is from under pressure, and remember, your faith has no perishing point (1 Peter 1:7).  The light of the sun is vital and a crucial component to the growth of any vegetation–the same way muscle doesn’t grow except under resistance.  But your true, tried, and tested genuine faith will survive the heat, and you will be refined and made purer, and steadfastness is produced in your life the way fruit grows from the tree planted by that stream of living water.

3) Create the right conditions in your life for the growth

Like I’ve already mentioned, certain conditions need to be right for the seed to sprout and germinate properly.  We see this exact same concept exemplified in the parable of the sower where the same seed is scattered in each instance, but the conditions are different, and the seed that sprouted up immediately is the one that withers and dies under the heat–the pressure and trials of life.  The soil of our hearts has to be right, or else the seed doesn’t go deep and develop any roots.  You can’t have too much sunlight, and yet can’t have too little.  You can’t have too much water, yet you can’t have too little.

Likewise, if you have too shallow of soil, the roots can’t grow deep.  Several years ago for my birthday when I was living as a missionary in Holland, some dear Dutch sisters gave me a vetplante.  I’m by no means an expert on plants and flowers, but it had very thick leaves and had an interesting ‘rubber’ like texture.  They gave it to me in a small pot, and told me it could go weeks without being watered, so that way I wouldn’t have to worry about watering it every day or having it die if I left for a few days.  Not only that, but if I put it in a larger bowl or pot, the plant would grow even larger.  Such is the case with our lives–we can only dig our roots as deep as how much room we have to grow in, and without deep roots, we’ll not have much fruit to blossom where we’re planted.

I could write a whole post on just what is needed to break up the fallow ground of one’s heart, but I think this article here that I stumbled across does an excellent job.

4) Don’t fragment the seed

The seed itself also has to be left in tact.  Nobody who knows a thing or two about farming would take a seed and split it into pieces smaller than it already is, and then sow each piece and expect a bigger harvest.  Nor would they expect partial incomplete harvest, because none would be obtained.  Why?  The image in the seed would have been destroyed by splitting and dividing it.  You can’t sow just the part of the seed responsible for leaves, and then just the part of the seed responsible for fruit, and just the part of the seed that will be responsible for wood, and expect to grow any of those components independent of the other. They are all a part of the same package.  Likewise it is with the heavenly seed, the Word of God.  We can’t add to it or take away from it.  We can’t split up any of its aspects and over-emphasize one component over the other. It all works and accomplishes something together.  We sow it as it is. The Holy Spirit will work with the written text of the Bible He authored.

5) Confess and Speak the Word

To repeat, Luke 6:45 states that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.   There’s a correlation between what someone believes & thinks in their heart, and what they choose to speak out.  Simply put, confession is a statement of your beliefs.

Ephesians 5: 18b- 20 states:

“Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”

So what are you saying with your mouth?  I recommend this previous article for further Bible study on speaking and meditating on the Word of God.  If you’re storing the Word of God in your heart, you’re off to a good start in terms of stuff that you’ll be able to pull out of it and confess with your mouth based on both memory and from the Holy Spirit having something in you to draw upon.

6) Pray in tongues & Allow the Holy Spirit to work Through You

Jesus said Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ’Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ (John 7:38)  He was talking about the Holy Spirit, who ‘waters’ this seed–Word of God in us, and supplies the power to bring it to fruition.  All that you need to live holy and grow in Christ is contained in that seed.  Again, the Holy Spirit will work with the written text of the Bible He authored.

In conclusion, this list is by no means exhaustive, nor are spiritual disciplines in the Word walk limited to just these things listed, but I thought those things would help you out with unpacking the content of the faith seed.

If you’ve stumbled across this article and have never visited this site before and would like to go deeper into some of the material covered in this post further–besides the many hyperlinks throughout this article–the following are some previous posts that go into more detail:

What are You Feeding Your Tree?,  Treasures of the Heart, How’s Your Connection?, The Spirit of Truth

And please forgive me if my posts lately have had more links than a Polish sausage factory.  I just feel that these issues of personal discipline are of significant importance and I want to draw attention to other places where I covered this stuff so my individual articles aren’t too long.