From my perspective one of the saddest things I’ve had to observe lately in the prophetic movement, in the spirit-filled church at large, is the amount of ministers and ministries speaking from their own emotions, from their own souls, and not from the heart of God. We’ve heard it said over the years that God wants Christians who move in the spirit, not in the soul, and although I do believe that there is an element of what the bible describes as our soul that is indeed spiritual (or rooted in the spirit realm) most of us know what this saying means when we hear it. We innately know deep within that it is possible to divide spirit from soul with the living word like the author of Hebrews describes in (Heb.4:12), in order that we might speak a pure and clean message from the heart of God under the anointing. In this way we desire to speak to God, and in this way we desire to speak for God to God’s people. Let’s look at a few verses to help us with our understanding about how to truly speak as an anointed voice for God and from the pure heart of God.
BE QUIET & WAIT
(Ps.39:1-4)
1 “I said, “I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, while the wicked are before me.”
2 I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good; and my sorrow was stirred up.
3 My heart was hot within me; while I was musing, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am.”
(Ps.39:9)
“I was mute, I did not open my mouth, because it was You who did it.”
All who are truly desiring and hungering for more of God, to walk closer with him and know him more intimately, would be intrigued with David’s words here when He speaks of the fire burning within as He was waiting to speak to the Lord (which would become scripture whereby God spoke through him to us). But notice how there is no fire burning within, followed by anointed scripture and words spoken, if David did not shut up and wait on the Lord. Why so many prophets have missed the forest for the trees on this important principle for walking with God and being a voice for him is beyond me. We should really read our bibles if we feel God has called us to the prophetic ministry. It’s a really good idea!
David starts by “muzzling” his mouth in the presence of the wicked, guarding his ways lest he sin with his tongue. Later his son would write in (Prov.10:19) that in the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but He who restrains his lips is wise. Perhaps Solomon’s father taught him this wisdom. Perhaps we should learn from Him as well.
If there’s one thing the world is good at it’s foolishness, sin, and talking too much, which the bible tells us all goes together. It is incumbent upon us being the sons and daughters of God who bear the testimony of Jesus in the earth to rise above these carnal ways and practice the ways of God. Jesus told his disciples to not cast pearls before swine (Matt.7:6), and I think in a sense David has been cautioned by his spirit to observe a similar practice here. When you’re standing before the wicked guard your way, watch your tongue, restrain with your mouth with a muzzle if you have to, but do not enter into their ways and sin with your lips. If you cannot practice this discipline daily by the power of the Spirit then you are not poised to experience the fire that David came to know, the fire that’s needed to be a true voice for God1
In the modern world every time you pick up your smartphone and engage with a social media platform you are standing before the wicked. With today’s technology the ancient gates of commerce and social intercourse have been placed within your pocket. You don’t have to physically leave the house to stroll down to the town square to engage. So in preparation for being an anointed voice for God, wake up everyday with a renewed commitment to a muzzled mouth the moment you grab your smart in the morning and start to make your coffee. This is a must for anyone who feels called to carry the fire of God and speak in his name (which should be all who call upon his name).
SILENCE LEADS TO BURDEN & BURDEN LEADS TO FIRE
(Ps.39:2)
“I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good; and my sorrow was stirred up.”
David elaborates on his position before God in verse two of this psalm by saying that he was “mute with silence” and “held his peace even from good”. As a result he says His “sorrow was stirred up”. Wow, what a powerful revelation we have here gifted to us from God via the scriptures! Do you see it?
This speaks of David going deeper into the spirit, becoming a more equipped vessel to speak for God, because He was obedient in the silent portion of being a prophet. As he stayed resolute and mute before the Lord, even holding his peace from speaking good (that’s right, just because it’s something good to say doesn’t mean it’s God’s words yet), the bible says He eventually moved into the blessed sorrow of the Lord! Can you see it? Can you see the beauty of the glory of what’s happening as He waited patiently for the Lord?
The bible speaks of a “godly sorrow” which is a blessing from the Lord. The bible says it leads to repentance, which ultimately leads to salvation (2 Cor.7:10). The sorrow of the world produces death, but godly sorrow produces the life of God. The Lord tells us in (Ecc.7:4) that the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure. In this case, speaking of David’s experience in (Ps.39:4) his obedience in silence led to God’s sorrow being stirred in his heart, which tells me at this point David was beginning to carry the burden of the Lord. No true prophet can be a prophet without being an intercessor, and no true intercessor can be an intercessor without carrying God’s burden for mankind. This is a deep place that we see David beginning to touch in this scripture.
WHEN THE FIRE COMES SPEAK
(Ps.39:3)
“My heart was hot within me; while I was musing, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue:”
After David was blessed with godly sorrow, with beginning to carry the burden of the Lord out of patient obedient waiting and silence, then the anointing began to stir within which was a sign to him that it was time to begin speaking. The anointing became manifest as fire within as He submitted to this holy work within him. He described his heart becoming “hot within” as the fire began to burn! Notice how this fire is connected with this “musing” he mentions. Very interesting.
Musing here is the Hebrew word hāḡîḡ (haw-gheeg'). The first definition that pops up in my concordance when I do the word study is “the whisper”. From what I can see this word “hagig” is only used twice in the entire bible; once here in (Ps.39:3) and another time in the psalms when David penned these words: “Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation (hagig)” (Ps.5:1). This word “hagig” can also be translated as “murmuring” or “faintly uttering”. There are so many biblical references flooding to my heart as I read this, but let me give just a few for the sake of time.
Consider Hannah in (1 Sam.1:11-17) where her lips moved but no sound was heard, as she prayed the deep prayer of agony from the depth of Her spirit while Eli was mistaking her for being a drunk. This is the deep place that David reached as well where the burden of the Lord is tangible and the prayer or utterance is truly anointed and bathed with the Spirit of God.
Consider Elijah, God’s prophet in the days of Israel’s apostasy. In (1 Kings 19:10-14) we read about how several outstanding events occurred such as a great wind, an earthquake, and even a fire breaking out upon the mountain, but the Lord wasn’t in any of them. The Lord came to Elijah in the “still small voice” in that moment with one of the most important messages and transitions of his life and the life of the nation. Similar to David, Elijah had to get past all the noise and commotion to truly hear the Lord.
I think of Jeremiah the prophet who was essentially asking the Lord to leave him alone for a while and give him a break because his prophetic ministry was filled with strife and persecution. Jeremiah got silent for a moment, in protest to the anointing, but the effect was the same with him as it had been with David. The silence only stirred the fire in his bones, so much so that He couldn’t hold it back. He had to speak forth the word of the Lord as the fire came bursting out through his prophetic voice (Jer.20:7-11).
CONCLUSION
(Ps.39:4)
“Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am.”
David began to finally speak out of that silence, out of that burden, out of that fire that God had stirred within, and it turned out to be exactly what He needed to hear at that moment. Maybe in his own flesh, in his own soul, He would have been moved to avoid facing the prospect of his own mortality, but in this moment such a revelation was anointed and spirit-led, and he faced it with the Lord. The purpose in looking to his end was to realize just how frail he was, and usually when God takes big strong warrior kings and reveals their frailty He’s about the business of perfecting his strength in their weakness (2 Cor.12:9).
Let us look to our own weakness and frailty today, especially if you are in the company of prophets within in the spirit-filled church, and let us receive a fresh burden from above. Let us faithfully heed the instruction of scripture, the wisdom of God's glorious ways, and spend time resisting the ways of the world. With all our might let us resist the daily dopamine dump of social media prophecy and whistleblowing, and wait in silence for the Lord to bring his pure fire, for the Lord to bring his true word. As we do, I have no doubt at all that the fresh fire which we seek, the fresh fire which we so desperately need, will be found stirring in our hearts once again to bring forth an authentic utterance of God once again to this generation. Like the High Priests of old we can find the urim and the thummim warming within our breastplates once again, and we can once again have something worth saying to God. We can once again have something worth saying for God in this hour. And with that I will leave you with this one last scripture:
(Ecc.5:1-3)
1 “Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.
2 Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few.
3 For a dream comes through much activity, and a fool’s voice is known by his many words.”
In His Service,
Stephen Powell