MISGUIDED TONGUES

We will soon mark the anniversary of a day our family will never forget.

On October 24, 1996, our 30 year old daughter Trisha Stemple was brutally murdered. Trish, a beautiful young mother of two, was the administrator for an overseas disaster response ministry and loved the Lord with all her heart.

This post was originally written days after her funeral and with minor adjustments, it is being re-released because of the significance of the truth it contains.

During the time of shock and pain at her death, we had many questions. But the Lord clearly let us know that there are some issues, in terms of our need for answers that you simply don't touch. The only recourse is in turning to the Lord and in trusting Him. Some answers in this life will only be understood when we meet the Lord face to face. In a tragedy like this, those include the 'whys' and the 'if onlys.'

However, as a prophetic intercessor, the morning before Trish's funeral I asked the Lord for the context of what had been taking place in the heavenlies.

The Increase in the Intensity of the Battle
My first impression was a strong sense of an incredible increase in spiritual activity --- much, much warfare: the type of warfare reflected by what Scripture refers to as a time in which "the very elect might be deceived." At the time, I had a distinct sense that this warfare had been building to new heights and levels. Since that time, it has continued escalating.

Then, shortly after the funeral with my heart aching but on the alert for answers, a brother shared a vision a friend with a prophetic gifting had had, just prior to Trish's death. The vision was of a heavenly being's hand pointing and saying --- "YOU TALK TOO MUCH."

Shortly afterward I was told of a similar dream two intercessors had had, related to this vision. In each dream, there was a fire raging --- a fire set in motion due to loose, misguided tongues.

Combined, this Word targets a broad spectrum of anointed members of the Body; a broad group of those anointed for service.

The Fire Released by Loose, Misguided Tongues
The morning after these things were shared with me, as I was praying, additional revelation began coming. First, I realized they pointed to the broader context by which loose tongues create open doors of vulnerability within the Body to attacks from the enemy. Indeed, a fire has been set in motion and is raging.

With that insight, I also recognized a critical need for the saints to bond together in both unity and intercession to put out this fire.

There likewise is the need for the loose tongues --- and the soulish nature that guides them --- to become completely subject to the Lord, together with the 'thoughts' referred to in 2 Corinthians 10:5 in order to cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God; bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

The Enemy's Target: Believers Anointed for Service
There was more. The misguided tongues of primary concern were among those 'called' to and anointed for ministry service; and believers close to those who are called --- in most cases, well meaning believers.

It involves soulishly-driven tongues that lack adequate spiritual understanding of specific situations and circumstances --- who jump to conclusions, backbite, accuse, criticize and pass judgments on persons and matters on which they at best don't understand --- who simply talk too much --- and in so doing have become dupes of the devil.

The Word comments on the prophet Samuel, that "the Lord let none of his words fall to the ground." The words of those anointed for service have potency. A potency the enemy wants to harness.

The Enemy's Goal: Harnessing the Anointing
Unfortunately, these loose, misguided tongues from within the Body are being used by the enemy to harness the potency of the anointing to come against initiatives, pathways and even movements the Lord has been setting in motion.

James 3:6 addresses believers, and in the Amplified version reads: "And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is a world of wickedness set among our members, contaminating and depraving the whole Body and setting on fire the wheel of birth --- the cycle of man's nature --- being itself ignited by hell (Gehenna)."

Similarly, the truth outlined in Proverbs 4 and 5 presents the sequence by which the unsuspecting are seduced. Proverbs 4:23 begins the admonition to "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." But then without even getting to the doorway to seduction, the 24th verse deals with the role of the tongue: "Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you." Likewise, in Proverbs 5:3 it is clear that the pathway to seduction involves "words" that are smooth, attractive --- and beguiling: "For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil..."

This passage clearly outlines the dynamics in sexual seduction. Yet the truth it reflects is equally applicable to the seduction of our actions to benefit the enemy; or a seduction in which the enemy deceives us into agreeing with his role of accuser against the brethren. This harnessing the potency in the anointing of those called to serve the Lord is actuated through loose, misguided tongues. The result is the same as seen in verses 9 and 10: "Lest you give your honor to others, and your years to the cruel one; lest aliens be filled with your wealth, and your labors go to the house of a foreigner."

We live in critical, pivotal and perilous times. The margin for error among those anointed for service is far less today than what it may have been a decade ago. And the intensity of the battle is increasing, while the margin for error decreasing.

The Lord is setting in motion critical pathways, strategic alliances and moves of His Spirit --- that do not need to be hindered or diverted from their course --- nor have inroads of attacks opened by misguided, loose tongues from the camp of those anointed for service.

Countering the Enemy's Strategy
Addressing this issue has its start by becoming aware of its reality. This awareness carries a distinct need among the mature to fervently stand in prayer against it: a strategy designed to deceive and gain 'agreement power' according to the principle in Matthew 18:19; a strategy to seduce saints into agreeing with the enemies intentions and as a result lend the anointing (Proverbs 4:23 to 5:10) to serve the enemy's purposes as the accuser of the brethren.

We each need to bring our thoughts and tongues captive to the Lord, and to be increasing the time spent listening in prayer. With that, there needs to be an escalation and increase in the potency of standing in the gap and supporting those serving as Kingdom pioneers.

The "fire" released by misguided tongues represents uncontrolled, fleshly, impulsive actions of well intentioned saints who simply do not have a good grasp of a given situation; or of the potential negative impact that their loose words creates.

The times demand that those who hear the voice of the Lord --- who are genuinely called and anointed for service, press in more closely to the Holy Spirit. The need is to genuinely examine and crucify fleshly desires. Jealousy, anger, selfish ambition, dissension, competition, and the like, have no place among those called to service. The flesh is a volatile luxury that mature believers or any in ministry cannot afford.

The need demands a double-, triple- and quadruple-checking of key leadings and guidance received from the Lord --- before acting on them. Once revelation is received, haste and impulse needs to be avoided; with time given to waiting before the Lord for the illumination and the release.

It is a time when every member of the Body needs to be fervent in prayer, pressing in and staying very close to the Lord --- and standing in the gap for those who represent the leaders within their spheres. There is no question that the enemy has targeted those who are anointed for service and has them in the cross-hairs of the scope of his schemes.

Because of that, special attention needs to be given to avoiding the enemy's traps of deception, diversions and division. Special attention needs to be given to guarding our tongues --- of bringing every thought captive to the obedience of the Lord --- and of praying fervently for the wisdom, maturity and self-control needed to genuinely operate as living sacrifices to the Lord.

Gap-Standers versus the Accuser
Ezekiel 22:30 calls us to stand in the gap against the accuser of the brethren. Yet, far too many --- even among the mature; sometimes because of impulsive responses to preliminary revelations; sometimes unfortunately in a perverted sense of self-righteousness; sometimes simply due to frustrations --- wind up functioning in alignment with Satan as gap-finders, rather than in their God-called role of standing in the gap. It is a tragic blindness resulting from misguided tongues.

Proverbs 10:18,19 provides the wisdom we need to face and embrace: "Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool. In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise." This will involve dying daily to self. It will involve diligently working toward bringing about the unity of the Body spoken of in Ephesians 4 and John 17. It will involve the steps toward the fullness outlined in Isaiah 58:9,10 (Amplified):
"If you take away from your midst the yokes of oppression, the finger pointed in scorn (toward the oppressed or the godly); and every form of false, harsh, unjust and wicked speaking; then shall your light rise in darkness and your obscurity and gloom become as the noonday."

Moving Onto the Offensive
Spiritual warfare involves dedication and obedience. It involves an ongoing intimacy and brokenness before the Lord; a humility that refuses to take ourselves or the exploits of our callings too seriously. It requires a genuine servants heart --- always ready to forgive and always ready to repent.

I know of no other time in history that as a believer that I would want to be about my Lord's business. We simply need to be wise in pursuing the opportunities the Lord entrusts us with and avoid the traps set up by the evil one to divert and ensnare us. The words of John the Baptist seem to aptly draw together the wisdom needed for the answers I was seeking during that time of personal grief in late 1996 when, in referring to the rise in Jesus' ministry, he stated that "He (Jesus) must increase, and I must decrease."

We need to seek the Lord for the Issachar context --- that we might have an accurate understanding of the times we are living in --- and know what to do --- within the spheres of our callings. The battle out there is very real. But so are His manifold means to equip us for the battle. In terms of being used in the days ahead, we have only begun to scratch the surface in terms of the mighty ways He is going to allow us to be participators in His divine plans and purposes.

Central to avoiding the traps of the enemy and walking in fruitfulness with the Lord in the times we have entered will be the extent to which we embrace the truth in Galatians 2:20 --- the exchanged life. It is no longer our lives we our living --- but His. It involves what Paul referred to as the necessity of "dying daily to self." And, as anointed and called servants of the Lord, we cannot underestimate the importance of the control of our tongues and of the corollary of bringing EVERY thought captive to the obedience of Jesus.

The Prayer
Lord God Almighty, in the Name that is above all Names, in the Name of Jesus, we approach your throne boldly on these matters. And as we come into your Presence, we bow our hearts before You in repentance. Lord, we've failed in this area and we need Your help. Enable us each to take the moats and the beams out of our own eyes, before we consider noting the splinters in the eyes of others. Lord anoint us afresh as gap-standers for our brethren and deliver us from the trap of becoming gap-finders. And give us a right spirit in these matters.

Lord, we purpose to forgive and to bless those who may have inadvertently, or even intentionally, cursed us by their words. And we ask you to forgive them Lord. We purpose to trust You with these matters Lord, and not to align ourselves with the accuser. Help us Lord; help us to walk through these pathways in faith; and help us to overcome our unbelief. Help us to recognize and avoid what your Word speaks of as idle words and to bring every thought captive to Your obedience.

Deliver us O God, from impulsive and soulish responses --- from selfish ambitions and misguided words and actions. Lord, we are nothing without You anyway --- so we re-consecrate our callings, our ministries; and those things we have come to protect and consider precious before You --- and we put them into your very capable hands. In so doing, we die to our own selfish ideas and ambitions, and simply make ourselves available to you anew and say in deepest humility, "here I am Lord."

Holy Father, keep us in Your name, the name which You have given to the Lord Jesus, that we may be one, even as You are one. We do not ask that You take us out of the world, but that You make us instruments of Your presence and a deterrent to the evil one's schemes. Sanctify us in Your truth. Your Word is truth. Make us one, even as You are one, that the world may know that Jesus the Messiah was indeed sent by You as Savior and Lord. The glory You have given to the Lord Jesus, to Yeshua, we receive, as He gives it to us, for the purpose of being one, just as You are one.

Thank you Lord, that we will be perfected in unity, so that the world will see that we are Yours and are the objects of Your love. Lord, we ask for the Holy Spirit's anointing and infilling to go out into the world, to where you are sending us --- to minister, to give our lives as a ransom for many, to seek and to save that which is lost and to do Your Holy will.

Lord, let trust and love flow within the Body. We need your supernatural intervention in this area Lord. We cry out to you to cleanse us Lord. Cleanse us individually and as a Body. Help us and enable us to be able to truly stand in the gap for and love our brethren. Bring us as a Body into that place in You, O Lord, that the Scripture refers to as the full knowledge of the Lord. Open the eyes of our understanding and give us the balance we need to operate in spirit and in truth. In spirit and in truth Lord.

And Lord as you bring us together, mobilize us to genuinely intercede; to stand in the gap for those called to pioneer new pathways and agendas. Lord, put a guard over our tongues and give us a deeper revelation of Your heart on these matters, as well as the tasks before us. And contain us Lord, to operate within the sphere that You have called us to operate in.

Lord, we pray that by Your power; that an army of intercessors would be mobilized; that there would be significant changes of heart within each of us called to serve you; and that an axe might be laid to the root of this insidious strategy of the enemy --- of releasing this fire of misguided tongues.

Lord, You are awesome and worthy of our praise. Nothing is too hard for You. Mature us as a Body and bring us to the place that when we, Your people, come on the scene, that the enemy will scatter. Reveal Your heart to us Lord and open the eyes of our understanding; that we may know what is the hope of Your calling; that we may align ourselves with your priorities and initiatives for the era we have entered.

May Your peace and presence be upon Your people Israel as You bring fulfillment to Your promises for Your chosen people. These are indeed incredible times to be about Your work, Lord. Release revival, we pray. Renew us and let revival reign in OUR hearts. We thank You Lord, for choosing us, for anointing us, and entrusting us to be used as instruments of Your purpose in the strategic times before us! Amen.

Misguided Tongues (c) Morris Ruddick