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The Unshakeable
By Bobbie Jean Merck
"-- If a man does all this, nothing can ever shake him" (Psalm 15:5
Moffat).
As John and Beth, Nancy, and myself were driving home from our Prophetic Intercessors' Conference
in Mississippi, we were having rich fellowship in the Lord. I am sure you
know how those conversations
of sweet communion go. We had clearly heard from the Holy Spirit as I taught during the conference
on some of the laws of God's Kingdom that release faith and consequent fulfillment of the promises of God.
One of those laws has to do with our words. I had shared a revelation from Dr. E Stanley Jones. Dr. Jones was a great Methodist missionary statesman. Through his growth in grace and in the knowledge
of the Lord Jesus Christ, he had developed the Lord's character within himself. Two ou1standing characteristics
of Christ prevailed in his life. They were love and wisdom which released revelation and the remaining
eight fruit of the Spirit, evident for all to see and experience.
As we drove home, our conversation turned to discussing the families of John,
Beth and Nancy. John is from Tennessee, Beth is from Connecticut,
and Nancy is from Maryland and Washington, D.C. It was exciting to hear
about their families because then I felt I knew them in a better and in a
more appreciative way.
John began to speak of his mother who had gone home to be with the Lord in 1977. He said that she was greatly loved and highly respected by everyone who knew her, or who had heard about her. She was a godly woman and a strong Christian in the Baptist faith. The professional business people of Murfreesboro, Tennessee purchased 400 new Bibles and donated them to the First Baptist Church to place in the sanctuary in her memory. He stated that everyone knew her by her love, and by her walk which was full of the fruit of the Spirit.
She lived the life of Christ in such a way that people continue to speak of her
with great respect and honor to this day. She is remembered, not forgotten.
John's mother was a quiet woman, always in the background. Her life touched and influenced one and all
in the good and right way. Today many of those lives are touching and reaching multitudes of others for
the Christian way, which is "The Way". There is no other way of salvation,
righteousness, peace, and joy. The choice is "The Way", or our own way which does not lead to a rich life on earth, or eternal life in heaven.
All of our hearts were strongly warmed as we listened to John talk about his mother. And then he came
to these words, "Because of her life and it's fruit as a Baptist Christian, I continue to hold Baptists in the
highest regard." My heart leaped with joy. For to me, if one has been born again, the "tag" is unimportant.
I don't inspect the "tags". By His grace I am a fruit
inspector.
Then as if trying to understand his own thoughts he began to say almost under his breath, "We have
His power (the pentecostals and charismatics), yet we are sometimes lacking in the expression of the
fruit of the Holy Spirit (displaying instead the works of the flesh). I
wonder why that is."
Now saints, I am not writing this to release strife and debate, but to
help us. Remember, these five months
are given to us to repent, adjust, and to change. I wish I did not have to
write this, but love compels me. If we are to see and experience
"the new wind, the new strategies, the glory, 'free in
2003"',
we must
be sensitive and responsive to the Holy Spirit and do the
Word He releases to us.
It has
been my experience, that often the "power" side of the Body of Christ is strong on power,
and weak on and in the fruit of the Spirit. As faith comes by
hearing the Word, so will the fruit if we hear
"that" Word. We have emphasized the Word in "power" manifestations. Let us at least tum this month to
the "fruit" manifestations. For you see, the Truth is, we do not have to have or walk in one or the other.
Our lives should have and produce both the power and the fruit of the Holy Spirit
Of a certainty, God is speaking to you and to me. You know how God compounds things when He wants
you to "get with it"? Last week I picked up Dr. E. Stanley Jones' devotional book entitled,
The Way.
As I flipped through the pages my eyes fell on the "discipline" pages. Discipline is one of the major
good works that God is restoring in our lives, and to a higher degree of discipline in all ways,
especially during these five months and continuing into the future.
Two weeks ago I had "seen" afresh and anew in various Bible translations, if we want the "ship" of
our lives, ministry, and work "turned",
it
will be possible and accomplished by our tongue
(James Chapter Three). Then last week there it is in Dr. Jones' book: DISCIPLINE YOUR TONGUE.
This is a major discipline in the life of victory! Indeed, it is a Law of the Kingdom of God.
Dr. Jones said, "The expression of a thing deepens the impression, so a word uttered becomes
a word made
flesh
-
in us. We become the incarnation of what we express. If you tell a lie, you become
a lie. The deepest
punishment of a lie is
-
the liar. He has to live with a man he cannot trust.
Discipline your tongue to loving. When in doubt, say the most loving thing and you will not be wrong. If we don't put 'love' into everything we say, it may cause trouble anywhere."
Dr. Jones' prayer was, "0 Christ nothing but gracious words proceeded out of Thy mouth.
Discipline my tongue to the truthful, to the relevant, and to the loving. For my words will condemn me
to be what they are. Then help me. Amen." The affirmation for the day in Dr.
Jones' devotional was,
"Set a watch upon my mouth, a Thou Eternal, guard thou the door of my lips; may I have no mind to evil"
(Psalm 141:3 Moffatt).
Jesus said,
Make a tree sound and it's fruit will be sound; make a tree rotten and it's
fruit will be rotten. For the tree can be told by it's fruit. Brood of vipers,
how can your speech be good when you are evil?
For a man's words flow out of what fills his heart. A good man draws good things from his store of goodness;
a bad man draws bad things from his store of badness. So I tell
you this, that for every unfounded word men utter they will answer on Judgment day, since it is by your words you
will be acquitted,
and by your words condemned.
Matthew 12:33-37 The Jerusalem Bible
Saints, I am more alert today than ever after Dr. Jones' revelation. I want my words to be what I want to be
and want to experience, and to see in others. Therefore, if that is your choice
also, then we must work
diligently on what we "put" into our hearts. We must guard our thoughts, sight, hearing, relationships,and all else that affects our hearts.
Further conviction releasing the writing of this message came this morning as I read Brother Kenneth
and Gloria Copeland's devotional book. Gloria spoke about love and it's enemies which were so stated to be envy, jealousy, and pride.
In our discussion on the return home from Mississippi, one stated that
pride was the reason a person would desire only the power of the Holy
Spirit while choosing not to walk in the fruit of the Spirit. Today as I
read the Bible, I came to Psalm 15, The Jerusalem Bible translation. This is the
Word we
need to put in our hearts and minds, and on our refrigerator and
everywhere else! It settled the matter
for me as the anointing ignited in me to write this message.
The Guest
of Yahweh
Yahweh,
who has the right
to enter your tent, or to live on your holy mountain?
The man whose way of life is blameless, who always does what is right,
who speaks the truth from his heart, whose tongue is not used for slander,
who does no wrong to
his fellow,
casts
no discredit on his neighbor,
looks with contempt on the reprobate, but honors those who fear Yahweh;
who stands
by his pledge
at
any cost, does not ask interest on loans,
and cannot be bribed
to
victimize the innocent.
- If a man does all this, nothing can ever shake him.
When we walk in the Spirit the fruit of our lifestyle will be the fruit of the Spirit that will pass any and all
"inspecting and judging". The door to Satan's activity in our lives will be closed for we will not sin.
(See Genesis Four.) The words of Jesus that we are to imitate, "...the prince of this world is on his way.
He has no power over me...! am doing exactly what the Father told me"
(John 14:30,31 The Jerusalem Bible),
are confirmation of Satan's limitations.
Disciples are disciplined ones who demand discipline of themselves and their lifestyles. They are the
ones who know the
Truth and are made free and walk in the same freedom Christ walked in!
"When Christ freed us, he meant us to remain free"
(Galatians 5:1 The Jerusalem Bible).
I want my life to be free, bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit and the evidence thereof. I want His grace
to perfect this more and more. I want the answer for all of us to be what Sister Gloria Copeland asked
in the past, "... When will they know us by our holiness?" I want the absolute conviction for all of us
in the fear of the Lord, that if we are cynical, critical, judgmental or we mock
others, we become the very thing we have spoken with our tongue in accusation of others.
Jesus said, "Don't judge other people, and you will
not
be
judged. Don't accuse others of being guilty, and you will not be accused of being guilty. Forgive other people, and you will
be
forgiven" (Luke 6:37 The Jerusalem Bible). And your prayers will be answered and His promises fulfilled for you!
Let us pray for one another and for the Body of Christ that we may receive His grace to walk in the Spirit bearing His precious character fruit of the Holy Spirit.
It is time to read my Spoiling Python's Schemes book, and to listen to all 10 audio tapes giving this
revelation that I received June 1987 in Alaska. Such scriptures as Galatians 5:15 are covered in
those materials. "If you go snapping at each other and tearing each other to pieces, you had better watch or you will destroy the whole community" (The Jerusalem Bible).
You cannot belong to Christ Jesus unless you crucify all self-indulgent passions
and desires. Since the Spirit is our life, let us be directed by the Spirit. We
must stop being conceited, provocative
and envious.
Galatians 5:25,26 The Jerusalem Bible
We can do all things through Christ the Anointed One and the anointing which strengthens us!
By God's help, grace and mercy let us be doers of His Word as this message proclaims.
Psalm 15 then assures us,
WE WILL
BE UNSHAKEABLE!
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