According to stories of ancient warfare, whenever an enemy took over a territory and did not want that land or its people to survive, the enemy would sow the fields with salt and throw carcasses in the wells. We read in Genesis how Isaac dug again the wells which his father Abraham had dug, because the Philistines had filled them up (Genesis 26:18).
Today Satan follows almost the same tactics in spiritual warfare. He is concerned with defiling the fountains—the people of God who are trying to minister and speak forth words of blessing. He is concerned that these vessels be corrupted. Satan does his great work, not through vessels who are wholly dedicated to him, but through vessels who at one time or another were dedicated to the Lord and later were corrupted in the purity of their flow. For instance, Baalam was once a true prophet, but his own covetousness and greed led him to become a false prophet. Korah also was a true prophet of God, but in a moment of rebellion against Moses he usurped a place that he did not have. Korah and Baalam are named among the foremost of all false prophets.
The word “Cain” means “obtained from the Lord.” Because of the prophecies over Eve, she believed that her firstborn son would be the Christ, the Savior, her seed that would bruise the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). Instead, he became the first murderer, because his own heart could not bear the blessing upon his brother Abel. The problem began when Cain’s sacrifice was found to be corrupt before the Lord. The New Testament gives us an example of someone who became false and betrayed the Lord Jesus. He was not one of the Pharisees or the chief priests; he was Judas, one of the apostles. In Acts 1:15–26 we read about the choosing of Matthias to take Judas’s place. At that time, Peter quoted a prophecy of David (Psalm 109:8) concerning Judas: “His bishopric let another take.”
It is very difficult for us to understand Satan’s tactics unless we see the reason behind them. We understand that he can do more harm if he is able to defile a vessel that normally has a righteous and pure flow before God. In II Timothy 2:19–22 we read what Paul wrote to Timothy about the importance of being a vessel of honor, a man who is cleansed from corruption and therefore sanctified and useful to the Master: Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let every one who names the name of the Lord abstain from wickedness.” Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if a man cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Everyone in the church must seek to have inward purity, or they will not achieve outward effectiveness. There can be only one standard of righteousness for everyone. Leaders who are moving with real authority and effectiveness must not choose a way of life for themselves different from that which the Lord has set before all. If the Lord teaches the people to sacrifice, it is right that the leaders sacrifice as well. There cannot be a hierarchy of people who do not walk in the ways that are laid before everyone else. If the Lord teaches us to be humble, then everyone must be humble. If He teaches submission, the leaders, as well as the people, must be submissive. If He teaches us to be pure, then everyone must be pure. There cannot be one standard by which the people are judged to make sure that they walk uprightly and morally, and another standard which excuses the actions of a leader in authority. If anything, his judgment must be harsher.
When Paul was instructing Timothy about elders he said, Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also may be fearful of sinning. I Timothy 5:20. In other words, the apostle should stand and rebuke elders publicly if they have already been rebuked and yet continue to sin. If an individual who does not hold a position of authority is at fault, it would not be a public matter; he should be approached privately and told of his wrongdoing. If he repents, that would be the end of it. But when a leader is involved, a public rebuke is commanded; nothing is to be done with partiality (I Timothy 5:21). A leader has a great deal of authority and influence in what he does as an example before the flock. If he has a wrong spirit, it does not take long for the entire Body to be corrupted. God’s people should seek for His purity with fasting and prayer, or they will not be effective in reaching the world with the gospel of the Kingdom. The vessels of the Lord must be clean. Cleanse yourself so that you are a vessel of honor in the house of God, not a vessel of dishonor.
In II Timothy, Paul mentioned frequently the problem of worthless words. In chapter 2 he said: “They wrangle about words, which is useless” (verse 14); “Avoid worldly and empty chatter” (verse 16); “Their talk will spread like gangrene” (verse 17); “Refuse foolish and ignorant speculations” (verse 23). The time has come that the Word which we speak must not be contaminated or empty; it must be a pure living Word that comes from the Lord to each one of our hearts.
The only way to be able to speak a pure Word is to have no wrong things in your spirit. Whatever is in your spirit becomes the sum and substance of the words that you speak. For instance, someone may be talking simply about the weather, yet you discern that there is something wrong with that individual. Nothing in the word that he speaks or in the inflection of his voice would indicate this, but something of his spirit comes through.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Proverbs 18:21a. If you speak a blessing to someone, you can minister health to him; but if you speak with unbelief, you can minister sickness to him. Through this same principle, someone who is very pessimistic and bitter can affect you as he talks to you, telling why he is bitter. Although you may want to help him by talking with him about it, soon you may become bitter and discouraged too. An oppression can be conveyed to you through words which channel negative attitudes. Words can become a lifeline, or a deathline, from one person to another.
Many Scriptures in the New Testament teach about purifying the flow of what you speak. They can help you to realize, more than you ever have before, the importance of guarding what you say, the way you say it, and what you bring forth out of your spirit. You should watch over your spirit; and when you have a bad spirit, you should not speak. James 3:2 says, For we all stumble in many ways. If any one does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. In other words, anyone who does not stumble because of his mouth is marked by the Scriptures as a perfect man. Wrong things can war against your spirit, against your mind, and against your emotions; and yet you may not be responsible for them. But the minute you open your mouth and speak something negative, you become responsible for it. You activate it and give it force.
A man may say, “I think my father loved God very much because he read the Bible; but as far as I know, he never went to church, he never prayed, and he never made a confession to the Lord.” That man’s father may have died with a potential, but he did not die with reality. With the heart a man believes, and with his mouth confession is made unto salvation. Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and you will be delivered (Romans 10:9–10). The confession with your mouth activates what is in your heart. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Matthew 12:34b. Although you may be going through many difficulties, do not speak bitterness or criticism or rebellion. If you do not open your mouth, God will still consider you a perfect man.
Perhaps you have heard it said, “You cannot stop the birds of the air from nesting in the trees.” In other words, you cannot stop evil thoughts from coming to your mind. That may be true, but you can shoo them away. You do not have to dwell on them. James 1:15 tells you what to expect if you do: Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Your mind may be assaulted persistently with thoughts that the enemy throws at you—thoughts of lust, anger, greed, criticism, bitterness, rebellion, withdrawal, or any other thought that you know is wrong. However, if you do not give way to brooding over those thoughts and voicing them, they will never have the force that they would have otherwise. Most of your difficulties come from what you speak. What you are talking about today is what you will be doing tomorrow. Have you ever thought, “How strange that this would happen to me! I was just thinking about that last week.” Most likely you were also talking about it last week.
The entire third chapter of James is directly related to the tongue, and it describes how the tongue operates. We read in verse 6: And the tongue is afire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. Verses 8 through 12 further tell us: But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father; and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Neither can salt water produce fresh.
We want to be vessels of honor. There are all kinds of vessels—gold, silver, earthen, and wooden—but we want to be pure vessels into which the Lord can put His pure treasure. II Corinthians 4:7 says that we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the power may be of God and not of ourselves. Therefore, we want to be sure that the vessel is clean. We want to be sure that there is something within us that has been wrought by God and has purged out the iniquity.
This is a simple secret that can help your life a great deal. Speak positively. Whatever God speaks, that is what you speak. Do not speak the lies of the enemy. Do not voice your opinions. They can actually create a force of judgment against another person. If your spirit is bad, people will know it; but if your spirit is right, they will feel the blessing coming through.
There is a familiar saying, “What you are speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” A better phrasing would be, “What you speak reveals what you are so that often I cannot hear the words you say.” When you speak, what you are speaks so loudly that often the words themselves cannot be heard. Pray for your spirit to be right and for everything within you to be clean and right. Strive for the place where no corrupt thing can be found in you at all.
God spoke this Word to Jeremiah: Therefore, thus says the Lord, “If you return, then I will restore you—before Me you will stand; and if you extract the precious from the worthless, you will become My spokesman.” (The King James Version reads: if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth—literally, “become as My mouth.”) Jeremiah 15:19a. Would you like to be able to speak so that your mouth is like the mouth of God? Would you like to be able to speak so that nothing comes through but God? Then separate the precious from the vile. You are the one who must separate the precious from the vile. You are the one who determines what is right and what is not right in your life; then you must eliminate what is wrong.
An evil, unclean heart and a bitterness of spirit can come through what people say and do. Those who would speak a living Word to change the world must turn to an inward purity and purifying in order to see that happen.
Depart, depart, go out from there, touch nothing unclean; go out of the midst of her (out of the oppressive area), purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the Lord. Isaiah 52:11. People will grow if they are fed a pure Word. If they do not receive a pure Word, they will not grow. You cannot minister poison and life at the same time. You cannot allow the wrong in your own spirit to flood what people receive from you. Those who are spiritually immature especially cannot endure that.
You may not think that it is very important for you to get rid of bitterness, but a root of bitterness springing up will defile many (Hebrews 12:15). It will spread through a congregation. Even when you greet a person or shake hands with him, whatever is in your spirit is conveyed. I Corinthians 14:26 encourages each person in the congregation to sing and speak forth, with one rule: Let all things be done for edification. Everything must build up; everything must help. Everything must counteract the poison, the roots that will defile the entire assembly.
Do not withdraw from one another because you feel so unworthy that you think you will be a corrupting force. You will, but only if you intend to be. If you have a right spirit toward God and you continually seek God, no weakness of your flesh will come through. The repentance of your own spirit will block the poison. Understand that it is what you condone, what you allow to fester, what you do nothing about that will cause the problem. A man can transgress seventy times seven in one day and be forgiven, and nothing but life and health will come forth to the Body. But if he sins once and is unrepentant, the whole church will be affected.
You must have a repentant heart. Even before you scarcely enter into sin, you should immediately catch yourself and cry out to God to forgive you, deliver you, and cleanse you. If you do that, you will constantly maintain a right spirit before God and the sin will not be counted against you. It is like an unrelated incident in your life that has no meaning because it was removed before it could take root in your being. When you are not repentant, when you are not really seeking God with deep repentance, your defilement seems to fester and defile everyone with whom you come in contact.
The following Scripture (a denunciation of the Pharisees by Christ) is a passage well worth remembering and meditating on frequently: “Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree rotten, and its fruit rotten; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil. And I say to you, that every careless” (useless) “word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned.” Matthew 12:33–37.
It is not only what you say that ultimately brings judgment back on you, but also what is in your words. If you speak a useless word, a word with no blessing, a word with no anointing, it can cause harm. On the other hand, it is amazing what can happen when you speak words that are anointed and filled with God. In the New Testament we read that Stephen was stoned by the hearers who were not able to resist the words which he spoke (Acts 6:10). In the Old Testament we read that Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, wanted the prophet Amos to leave the country immediately because the land was not able to bear his words (Amos 7:10–13). The words of these men were filled with God and anointed with God.
We must remove the flesh from our words and put the Spirit into them. That can be accomplished only when the vessel is pure. It involves more than preaching eloquently with a fluent flow; we must speak God’s words into a situation. A few words with God in them can change people’s lives. But God will not be in those words if problems and sins and attitudes and a wrong spirit are filling them. We must make sure that the Holy Spirit fills those words.
The following Scripture tells us why we cannot have a mixture of the bitter and the sweet, the poison and the life, all in the same flow. Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” We want to speak what God is speaking, so that when we stand up and pray it will be God who is anointing the prayer through us.
“Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; and I will welcome you. And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” says the Lord Almighty. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. II Corinthians 6:14–7:1. God will walk in you. He will do all that He has promised in these verses, but He commands that you first cleanse yourself from any defilement of the flesh and spirit.
Make sure that your heart and your spirit are really right with God before you speak in the house of God. If you have done something wrong, do not come to a service and try to prophesy, believing that if you come on strong you can throw yourself into the Spirit and minister effectively in God. Actually, God will not come through at all, because whatever may be of God will be completely overwhelmed by the wrong thing in your own spirit. It is reasonable to assume that you do not have a right to prophesy until your spirit is right. Do not come to the house of God as a defiled vessel and think that you will be a blessing to the church. Rather, let the other brothers minister to you.
In Old Testament times, if someone became ill the Jews were very careful to invoke the laws of quarantine, listed in Leviticus 12. After a woman gave birth to a child, she was required to remain home a certain number of days, called days of uncleanness, while her body purified itself. During her menstrual period, a woman was not allowed to come into the house of God. A person who had touched a corpse had to wash with running water and be quarantined for a certain number of days, so that any sickness which rested upon him would not be given to others as they came into the house of God. Quarantines prevented the spreading of disease long before germs were discovered under a microscope. Laws prohibited bathing in standing water; the people were told to use running water. There were laws regarding touching the defiled, the dead, or any article contaminated with sickness, as well as laws concerning the leper. All of those laws were very wise in their day and provide us with good spiritual wisdom. If you have a bad spirit, do not sit down with someone and try to help him. You will not be able to help another until you take care of your own spirit first; then you can begin to minister effectively. Galatians 6:1 tells us that only those who are spiritual should bear the infirmities of the weak, considering themselves, lest they also be tempted.
We are created by God to be living fountains, vessels who walk before God and speak a pure living Word that will be creative to the ends of the earth.