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But I Would Have You Undistracted….

There is something about imparting what we have of the Lord to others that creates its own distraction away from the Lord in us. Personally, I find no greater challenge in my spiritual walk than in successfully giving out to others what I receive from the Lord without losing my connection to the One from Whom I receive my supply.




Recently, I have commented on the continuous babel of words and spiritual activity that characterizes our prophetic circles. A doctored version of the refrain from Old MacDonald runs through my head:




“Here a word, there a word, everywhere a word – word!”




The only value to this tide of prophetic utterance is in the degree to which the prophetic words help affirm and re-establish our internal eternal anchor in the Lord’s nearness.




Yet most words, I find, do not do this. In scanning the many posts that come out, I find my attention drawn away from that place of inner solitude and communion, my awareness fractured into a thousand directions depending on the issues brought forth. The words draw me into being consumed with the issues of this life, not delivered from their tyranny.




It’s not just the impartations of others that affect me this way, but my own! Dwelling in the Lord produces pools of revelation in the heart, pools of life that beg to be drawn up out of the well and brought forth for others to drink.




Yet how easy it is I find to become consumed in the issues of the revelation itself, to become overpowered with their awareness, to belabor the writing out of them. And then add to this the further distraction that comes from dialogue with others over the revelation! (And what then of all these conferences??)




I’m convinced there is an anchoring in silence we must learn as well as the gifting to impart our revelation if we are to remain preserved to the end in Christ and our revelation is to continue growing in its relevance. Frankly, we talk too much. As long as we are talking, we cannot hear. We cannot both hear and talk at the same time. We need to be more hearing, and do less talking if the prophetic babel is to come into order out of chaos. (Until it does, only the hearers who are listening to what God is “not saying” underneath the din can remain on course.)




Therein lays the challenge—just to be hearers. And then to be speakers without losing our anchor in the hearing and in the simplicity of worship. Yes, we must speak. But when and how we speak is of great importance. Churning out “red hot” revelations and splatting them on the web is not the way to go. We must speak targetedly and in season. We must speak only as we can do so without losing our internal fixation on the One Who leads us beside still waters. And once we speak, we must immediately return to our place of waiting and abiding in Him.




The same applies to the inevitable dialogue that ensues over our revelations. Not every response requires a response. We should test all our dialogue by the same standards as for shelling out our revelation. We are exhorted not to be carried away by any wind of the Spirit’s revelation—including our own.




For any who wish to qualify as Overcomers, this is a good place to start. Anyone can prophesy under an unction. Anyone can dialogue over a revelation. But only an Overcomer can discern the foundational and strategic value of silence between utterances, demonstrating kingdom government over his spirit.




James said it well: “Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak.” As John reported, the Lord “spoke” only as He “heard.” So it should be with us.




Let thoughts such as these strengthen our pursuit of the prophetic course while preserving our undistractedness from the Lord.





Chris Anderson
Riverside, Rhode Island

First Love Ministry
- a ministry of Anglemar Fellowship
http://www.firstloveministry.org

09/02



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