Jan | 08 | Words and Pictures

DISCOVER

Words and Pictures

1 Corinthians 12:7-8
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, NKJV

He went missing from a large church. Sure, there had been some sickness. However, he was gone for nearly four months and the website and twitter campaign had been thorough and loving, and even global. Yet no one had seen him. During a prayer meeting, a lady had gotten two words come into her head. One was the name of a European city and the other a name of a street in that city. It just so happens that another member of that same prayer group was soon going to that very city and so, upon arrival, he found the street and determined to sit on a bench there, even for quite a few hours, just in case his friend passed by. It was whilst he sat there, looking, praying, hoping, that the call came through which confirmed the discovery of his friends decomposed corpse in someone’s woodland garden in an area back in his own country and back in his own city, not too far from the church. What a tragedy. What a mystery. What sadness all. However, today I want to take a brief look at the works that come to our desperately seeking minds.

“I have a word for you.” “When we were praying I got the picture of a….” Many of us have received these kind of statements from others, and many of us have had maybe given these ‘words and pictures’ to others as well. Many people deal in head words, heart words, spirit words. Its the British television series Phoenix Nights and the episode starring the fictitious physic, Clinton Baptiste, which shows up the falseness and terrible tragedy of misplaced words, when Clinton leans into the face of a burly elderly skinhead and says “I’m getting the word…..Nonce!” The skinhead breaks his nose. Its black comedy and it’s frighteningly funny and very pointed.

People with no clarity, people with no anchor, or steaming direction, people cut adrift in the fog of the confusion of their lives, are people that will be alert to any and every opportunity of a hook of hope to hang their desperate hat upon. You MUST be careful in what you share with such folk. You MUST be rooted in the Scriptures. Now listen, does that mean that God only shares principles and doctrine? Oh no, God shares specifics! And I believe H shares it through words of knowledge and words of wisdom. The problem is that even the ‘specifics’ given from such giftings’ (when it is that) are always shared through dark glassed, poorly lit and dim people like ourselves. Being mature as a receiver of such human channelled information, means being able to pick the bones out of such polluted communication. So, when it comes to words and pictures, we need to be grown up about them, we need to ‘pick out the bones’ and if there are none, then we need to have the freedom to throw the dish away with a “Thank you so much but no thanks, not this time.”

Keep sharing, but be careful. Keep receiving, but be careful.

Lastly, I am reminded of a friend of mine who built his house on top of a former rubbish dump. Eventually all the rotting compost poisoned his house with methane and caused subsidence in other parts of his home. Make sure you build your future on unpolluted firmness.

I have a word for you today: “Read the Bible more!”

Listen:- Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1 NKJV

Pray: - : Lord, I need to hear from you and specifically so. In my spirit, help me hear Your voice. In my desperate deafness, let me not be deceived. No matter what happens, even if I am deceived and misled, please overrule and in Your gracious providence, guide me O thou great Jehova, each and every day, amen.

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