If believers had a full understanding of the authority they carry through Christ, they would not be so quick to speak words of accusation and slander.
They would hold a consistent reverence for the words they say.
This authority we hold is precisely why God instructs us to be a people who listen, more than we talk.
Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. James 1:19
Most believers do not fully understand the weapon of authority we wield through our mouths.
This authority is extremely powerful to wage war against demonic principalities and powers and partner with God to legislative heaven to earth.
It is equally as powerful when we speak word curses against others.
Your mouth carries so much authority, that the demons of hell will use what you say against other people to torment them and bring them into warfare.
And this is why God is warning us to guard our mouth gate like never before.
God gave me several visions last week to release this word and understand the depth of it.
The first vision I saw was of an old, withered looking face, with a massive Rhinoceros horn on it.
I knew immediately that the Lord was speaking to this being an authoritative spirit (horns mean authority) as well as old- meaning, the ways of this spirit are nothing new- they have been in action for a long time.
I wondered why it was a Rhino horn specifically, and as I researched later on, I found out that a Rhino horn is commonly used by witchdoctors in witchcraft rituals.
The Lord strongly emphasized the mouth of this spirit to me. It was grotesque, with rotten teeth and saliva dripping down its chin. I saw the spirit speaking as the saliva dripped out of its mouth.
This was a spirit of slander.
Then I saw a creature in a black hooded robe run up to the mouth of this horned creature. It held a bowl beneath the dripping saliva.
It was catching the essence of its mouth.
The black hooded spirit took the bowl of saliva and began to mix different things in with it- dust of different colors and proportions.
This represented the practice of witchcraft; the spirit was mixing together the saliva of slander, with the various weapons of the demonic, to create a strategy or agenda against the people of God.
Suddenly, I saw myself standing, clothed in armor. I watched as the hooded creature walked up to me in the spirit realm, grabbed a handful of the concoction it had created, and thrust it at me!
But it was as if there was an invisible wall of glass all around me, for when the spirit slung it, it splattered against this invisible forcefield rather than hitting me.
I held up a shield at this exact moment and heard the Lord say HOLINESS & RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Holiness and righteousness are our shield against the accusation of the enemy.
We live holy and pure lives to combat the power that comes against us in the spirit realm, including through the authority of slander.
There are spirits who have authority to wage this war, but our authority in Christ is higher and stronger.
It is the ultimate authority.
We also have the ultimate weapon, which is the blood of Christ, and we protect ourselves by living in holiness and righteousness.
Some of you may have believed God has asked you to live a pure life simply because that is what he requires and desires from you- and that is certainly true.
But you may not have also realized that there is witchcraft swirling around you in the spirit realm that cannot penetrate the righteousness God has covered you with as you keep in step with His ways.
There are often reasons far more extreme than we even realize when God asks for our obedience.
The next day I had another vision.
In this vision, God took me down to a dungeon of hell. I saw a massive cage that housed a legion of demons. They were shaking the cage and screaming as they waited to be released.
I then saw the cage door being opened and they were released to cause division and strife within Christian believers.
In the vision, I saw a church full of people. The scene was overcast with gloomy colors of gray and the people looked unhappy.
The demons that had been released on assignment were targeting this church- slinging the same witchcraft concoction at them as I had seen in my vision the day before!
The church members then began to angrily shout at each other and I even saw them sticking knives in each other’s backs. I could feel the animosity.
God was showing me that there are specific demons on assignment during this particular hour and time to create jealousy, envy, contention, strife, and offense- IN THE BODY OF CHRIST.
It is a critical time for unity in the body of Christ as we near the hour of Jesus’ return and this is why the war is being waged.
Then I saw another church service.
This time it was a bright scene- saturated in golden hues. I saw the Holy Spirit rise up as a massive dove and hover over the church.
With one swift and powerful motion, He flapped his wings and these believers were all laid out in the spirit, laughing with joy, and being refreshed in his presence.
As they got up from these encounters with the Spirit they were all laughing, hugging, and reconciling with each other. It was extremely beautiful and completely contrasted the previous church I had seen.
There was a holiness covering these believers as they participated in unity and reconciliation.
I then saw the same legion of demons come as a force against them, but just like my vision from the day before- I saw an invisible force field around them as the witchcraft of slander was thrown! It could not touch them.
Their connection to the Holy Spirit, willingness to live from a place of forgiveness and joy, and participation in true unity, covered them from the spirit of slander that was sent to wreak havoc among them.
God desires our unity.
We are meant to be believers who have each others’ backs- not people who are looking to put a knife in each other's backs.
Then I saw a plunger in a toilet and God asked me, ‘what does the plunger do?’
It removes what is keeping the water from flowing.
It gets things unstuck.
For those who have felt stuck in their churches or personal life, not fully encountering the movement of God, you must remove the blockage to let the water of the spirit flow freely.
That blockage is gossip and slander.
Taming of the tongue is everything to God.
Those who surrender and stay in the spirit, not the flesh, will survive these attacks and master the ability to tame their tongue.
Those who choose to instead bow down to the spiritual stronghold of contempt and offense will find themselves frustrated, furious, and spinning into mental confusion.
In my last vision, I saw a mushroom- a red and white mushroom (amanita muscaria).
I immediately wondered why God was showing me this kind of mushroom- the hallucinogenic kind.
I saw the heel of my shoe crush it under my foot.
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Luke 10:19
God then asked me- what does this mushroom come from?
Dead things.
Decay, where something has died (like a tree), is what enables a mushroom to grow.
Then I saw myself standing under an umbrella as it began to rain. As it rained, I saw these mushrooms popping up everywhere.
God was showing me the endless opportunities we have to gossip or slander someone.
Just when we think we have stomped out an opportunity, we will find that there are many, many more that are sprouting up all around us.
Discernment is key here.
Suddenly, I was eating one of the mushrooms!
My mind was getting foggy and confused and I realized the representation of hallucination.
I knew what would be next- things that were not real would begin to take shape within my mind.
God said to me-
‘This is what gossip is like- the origin is death and when you eat of dead things- you will reap confusion. You will begin to believe things that are not real. It will cause you to make things up in your head and then slander begins to flow out of your mouth.’
Slander is defined as this:
To make false and damaging statements about (someone)
Have you ever done that?
You feel so frustrated about something they did (or didn’t do) or something they said, that suddenly, you find yourself assuming things about them with an authoritative attitude.
Your pain, frustration, or compliance in gossip becomes an avenue to speak accusations and judgements that simply are not true.
This is dangerous.
Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you- who are you to judge your neighbor? James 4:11
Do not eat dead things.
Stay in the Spirit.
Make all effort to be in unity.
Keep your heart pure before fellow men and before God.
Pray when you feel tempted to speak in weakness.
Let love cover all offenses.
Let there be peace that covers every gathering of Christians across the land.
We are of one accord.
There are spirits of slander already at work against the body, and they want you to partner with them.
Don’t let the enemy get a stronghold.
He will use anything and everything against you and the person you speak badly of.
Witchcraft can come from our words.
Keep your eyes on Jesus and be diligent in protecting your peace.
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both freshwater and saltwater flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. James 3:9-12
God wants us to dwell higher with Him.
He wants us to see as He sees.
Not only is it a major tool of Satan to get you to participate in witchcraft against others, but slander is a sign of spiritual immaturity.
When you dwell higher with the Lord, you will begin to see the disgusting agendas of the enemy.
You will come face to face with his destructive power and witness the demonic audacity to steal, kill, and destroy everything it touches.
When that discernment is in action, it allows us to stay focused on the real enemy and there becomes less of a desire to gossip about that leader at your church or person in ministry who doesn’t do something like you.
There is deception in turning against your fellow man in the fight.
You can so easily get caught up in the little things you see in others, the small offenses that take root, and the frustrations that cause you to brood over your pain that it begins to distract you from the spiritual war you were meant to wage.
That war is not against your friends, church members, or those in ministry.
It is against principalities and powers in unseen places that have set themselves up against the living God and his plan of redemption & restoration.
Those are ultimately what we are after, because God has given us a mission to see the captive set free.
God has shown me, and now you, that there is a strategic attack against the body of Christ to participate in the demonic agenda of slander.
Do not participate.
Do not bow to the promise of gossip and the bite of bitterness.
Keep your eyes on the fight that matters most and demolish the work of the devil to see the captive set free.
Selah.