CHECK POINT

A Leadership and Intercessory Letter written to those who desire Integrity in the Inward Parts  (Psalm 51:6)

“Groundbreaking Words”  

Part II

“I Promise to tell the Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth, so help me God!”

Third Edition

Written by Esther Dummer

August 2001  

God, layer by layer, is exposing our hearts, revealing motives, attitudes and other inner directives that control our lives and the words of our mouths.  He continues to call His Church to deeper and abiding holiness, molding its members into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.  His judgments upon our flesh require us to yield to His Truth.  He is making us accountable to both God and man. 

There has never been a question about whether God’s Word is true or not, for most believers.  We say we believe the Bible and are living our lives by its principles.  And yet, the struggle to conform to the standards of God’s Word for conduct and speech still beset many in the Church. 

Men and women of revival have gone to great length to “spiritually map” their cities and regions, identifying “ancient strongholds” and “old wells of revival.”   They have searched with the natural and the spiritual eye into the past history and destiny.  They have gone through “identification repentance” where blood was shed or ungodly foundations were laid.  They have seriously approached the truth of the very nature of their cities so that they may pray, act and speak with that knowledge. 

We have prepared the road for the King of Glory to come in upon, by interceding over our cities.  Yet, in the flurry and activity of revival, there remains, with many, a hidden path, a back road, that is entangled with brambles and thorns that the Lord really desires to see cleared so that He may walk upon them as King. 

 He has already “spiritually mapped” this region and has identified the strongholds.  That region is the trails and paths that meander through His House, His Temple, the Human vessel and the collective Body of Christ that makes up His Church.  This path is littered with the bodies of the slain for much blood has been shed.  The poison drips from open wounds where deadly missiles were aimed. Looking closely you can see that many of them are lodged in the back of the hapless victims, now torn and bleeding or dead. 

 So, you say,

 “This is morbid.  Why don’t you talk about something more positive?”

I reply, “Yes, it is morbid.  It is death at work and it happens all the time in the House of God, among those that make up His Body.  Somebody must talk about it, because God certainly does.  His Word is saturated with His concern over the

 ‘Unauthorized Use of the Human Mouth’

The illegal words, deadly words are full of poison and death.  This is one thing that God says He hates and it is the single thing that brings more shame upon His House and His Name.  By the tongue, we profane His Holy Name among the Heathen.  (Proverbs 6:16-19)

It has been my experience many times to watch churches erode from the inside out.  It has also been a heart-breaking thing to watch a once-on-fire-for-God-person erode from the inside out.  They reach a place in God, but because of spiritual pride or stubbornness, they balk at His Holy hand when He lays a finger on a “Treasure of Their Heart.”

One treasure that we have held in great value is “our rights to speak.”  This “Little Black Pearl” comes out of its shell at times in judgment, anger, self-righteousness, pride, slander and self-pity.  It is called the tongue and it lies in wait, hidden, but ready to spring forth on some unsuspecting brother or sister or family member. 

Yes, even in revival, when God is dealing so powerfully with His Church on the heart-matters, this is still a loaded weapon. 

There is a tried and true, proven, no-fail formula that will be assured to grieve the Holy Spirit; rip at each other, murmur and complain, gossip, slander and lie. 

We either are a blessing to each other and God,

 or

 We are deadly to the Move of God.

With all the talk about “spiritually mapping” our cities, we need to remember that there is already a completed copy, that has been placed in our hand, of the “spiritual map of our lives.”  This map, the Word of God, reveals all that there is to know about our history, the beginning of our lives and the spiritual strongholds that have developed over the years, revealing not only their presence, but also the plan for removal by repentance and reconciliation. 

It is obvious to the Father that the foundation of many of our lives were not built according to His plans with us allowing Him to be chief at the corner, creating a true plumb line point by which all things are measured. 

His Holy Spirit is now searching for weaknesses, flaws, cheap work that short cut the specifications.  He has made specific plans for restoration.  Holy Spirit is “mapping” our lives and identifying, as we speak, areas of great weakness in the lives of brothers and sisters who make up the Body of Christ, the Church of the Living God.   

Being as the question has never been whether He is right or not in His mapping of our lives, evidently the questions arise from our lips.  With little or no understanding of His holiness, we utter words such as,

 “How much repenting are we going to have to do anyway?”

We are quick to identify other’s weaknesses and their need for repentance, but the excuses have always arisen from our own unyielding hearts.  We are like the builder who quickly threw up the cheap row houses that are now eroding with use, and refusing to make the needed repairs or make good on the shabby work. 

We all are that spiritual house that collectively make up the House of God, His Church, His Body. 

God has made it clear, almost more than any other subject, how much He hates a devouring tongue.  He calls it an unruly member, set on fire of hell itself.  He describes it as a bridle on a horse and a rudder on a ship, small in size, but exercising a great power of control over something much larger than itself.  (James 3:3-6) 

This power has been exerted over the Church, the living, breathing, body that Christ has invested His life for and placed His power in. This church is made up of people who gather in a localized place. There is a beginning point, a gateway, for everything that comes into our lives, personally and corporately.  It takes just one little member, the tongue, used by one member of the Church, to assert tremendous soul force upon the people who make up the Body of Christ and do severe damage to them.  God always knows the entry point and He also knows the continued opening of doors that others must do to keep the “power of the tongue” effective.  

This member sets at the gate of our human spirit, opening and shutting to our thoughts. 

We as wise watchmen over God’s house, looking for the enemy who may be lurking to gain entrance into the Church, often have failed to set watch over our own gate.  We are good at nabbing “invading devils” left and right elsewhere, but have missed some “little foxes” that have slipped into spoil the fruit of our own lives and others that surround us. 

The gate of speech, our mouth, with tongue fully engaged, has the greatest potential for the deadliest evil and it can all be done “In the name of the Lord.”  It also has the potential for greatness, if the right spirit is behind the words that come forth. 

We have asked God to position mighty, warring angels to guard the gates of our cities and proclaimed great declarations over them, but much of the time we have failed to set a guard at our mouth gate.  (Psalms 141:3)

The picture of a pipe dumping raw sewage into the river revolts and sickens us.  But the sight of a fresh water stream or sparkling waterfall emptying into the river is breathtaking.  We search for these places just for their beauty.  The contrast here is distinct; one is putrid, the other is pure. 

If you were offered a glass of water and were told that it is 99.9% pure and .01% sewer, you would find it unacceptable.  Yet, this is the condition of the water of our lives that we offer as a “drink offering” to the Lord many times.

We come before the Lord with “thanksgiving in our hearts” and desire to tell Him of our love for Him, having just used that same member, the tongue, to tear at His Body.  We justify ourselves by rationalizing our conduct and speech so much of the time that we barely notice anymore that we have grieved the Holy Spirit by approaching a Holy God with dirty hands, covered with the innocent blood of our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

It is time for the Church, individually and corporately, to take off it’s rose-colored glasses and look into the mirror of God’s Word and see our reflection in the light of Jesus, Who above all people, learned that He didn’t have to say something about everything and everyone.

 Ladies and gentlemen of the Church, it is time for us to make a choice: 

 We either hold fast to:

 The integrity of the Word of God,

 Or,

 “Our rights” to express ourselves.

Ultimately, the fountain of our lives springs up to either defile or bless. (James 3:11)  God is drawing the Church over a line that has just moved,

 “Closer to the Cross.”

This is a place of greater commitment to the very principles that were expressed by Christ as He embraced the Cross. He did not enter into that level of covenant while murmuring and complaining and gossiping about the ones He claimed to love. We need to only step into what lays over that line and that is having the Blessings of the Father upon the Fruit of our lips.

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, Oh Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.”  (Psalms 19:14)

 Taking a Personal Step Towards Identifying and Repenting

 You may be saying:

“I really want to know what God thinks about me and desire to be free, so what do I do now?”

 It’s as easy as the day you got saved.

a.     Admit

b.     Believe

c.      Confess

1.     Admit that you have talked out of turn.

2.    If this is a reoccurring problem that you face, Believe that you have a stronghold in this area.

3.     Ask God to look deeper than you would and show you why you have a need to hurt others with your words.

4.     Accept His answer.  He is ALWAYS right.

5.     Understand that this is an area of your life that you have not had imprinted with the Nature of Christ and desire to change.

6.     Ask God to change your nature, not just your mind about this.

7.     Be honest with yourself, others and God about the need for deliverance in this area of your life.

8.     Confess and Repent of “Word Defilement,” to God and man.

 

P.S.  Just an extra word of caution that I feel the Holy Spirit would have me to share: 

Self-deception is elusive and can easily trap the unwary if we make a habit of excusing ourselves when the Holy Spirit is talking to us.  Every little “shrugging it off” that we do hardens us towards hearing the next time that God speaks to us.  So, if God is speaking to you right now about this, then move on it quickly. 

 One way to know if God is speaking to you through this article is:

If you right now are feeling agitated with what I have written

Or,

You feel the quickening of the Holy Spirit,

 I would say, with all sincerity of heart and desire for you to be free, that God has laid His finger on your life and will be expecting a response from you.

The main thing that we must do is humble ourselves enough to admit that we are not perfected and that we do need to seek God concerning this. Allow Him to deal with our hearts. This is a good time to “leave the gift we have brought to the Lord at the altar and go settle our debts with others.” 

 “God bless you as you tear down the strongholds and open up the wells of revival in your life.  The Spiritual Map is in your hand”

Check the foundations of your life

1. Look for any sloppy work which shortcuts the best

2. Remove all rotten materials

3. Check for infestation

4. Secure the cornerstone, Jesus Christ

5. Align everything from this point

Check the wells and the water supply of your life

1.Uncap the well that you have sealed off

2.Remove the stones that the enemy has thrown in

3.Dig deeper than you ever have before

4.Search for the purest, sweetest water supply

5.Let the water flow forth to touch and refresh those who drink from your well

6.Look for the lines of thirsty people to come your way where the water is sweet

God Bless the Faithful Watchman on the Wall of the Church!

This newsletter is dedicated and written as an instruction and encouragement to a powerful and focused group of people who have devoted their life to a life of prayer for the Church.  It is written to incite them to move forward with decisiveness and purity.  It is written to stabilize and align the errant things that are occurring in intercessory and church circles.  It is written to break new ground in understanding our own hearts.

I would also like to take this time to say thank you to those who have subscribed, those who have forwarded these messages or photo copied and passed them on to others. Also, thank you to those who have written encouraging words to me.  They are greatly appreciated. 

NOTE: This material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed an interest in receiving this information for non-profit use only.

"Check Point" is an online newsletter published by: "Esther Dummer." Permission is hereby granted to copy and distribute for non-commercial purposes. Consider duplicating, in its entirety, as published, and distributing to friends, relatives, pastors or your church congregation, or forward via email.  It is my delight to have those who desire to use these messages to further God’s move to do so. 

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