Slingers

II Kings 3:25 "And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water and felled all the good trees: howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it"

There were people in the Bible who were referred to as "slingers". They defeated their enemies by slinging stones and throwing dirt into their wells..thereby contaminating their life source of water.

We have all known people who sling accusation, judgement, criticism and who find fault with others. We have done it ourselves. The Lord has been dealing with me so much in this area of the mouth lately. We judge others for their actions, when we ourselves are equally guilty, simply by finding fault. We run to someone in the church under the guise of "praying for that person". If we honestly think about it, it's a little sickening. That is certainly the way that Jesus saw it. He said that it isn't what goes in to a man's body that defiles him, it is what comes out of his mouth that defiles him..

We defile people with our words. We stop up their wells..the very well of living water that runs through the Spirit of every believer. As a child, I remember when my grandmother died on my dad's side. He and his sister were planning her funeral. Somehow they got into an argument about who was going to pay for the flowers for their mother..they never spoke again for 35 years! What a terrible waste of time, and of a wonderful relationship. Words are containers for power, and when used incorrectly, they can do so much damage.

I have known people who simply want to be right..whatever the cost. Recently, I actually had to step back from a friendship because of the angry words that continually came at me from this person. It wasn't always directed right at me..sometimes it was directed at others..but I still had to hear it..it still went into my spirit, and at times stopped up my well. I would often come away from spending time with this person, feeling ill. The truth was, I was ill. I had been defiled.
Friends, how many of us could honestly say that some of the greatest hurt we have experienced in our lives has been started by words. Some of the biggest wars the world has ever known were started by words...and unfortunately, much of this is going on in the church.

Beloved, none of us want "slingers" in our lives..people who are constantly negative, critical, and judgemental..people who throw dirt on the very dreams that God has given us, people who hurl insults at others...and we certainly don't want to become "slingers" ourselves.

Refuse to be a "slinger" who contaminates your very own faith, and walk with God, or the faith of those around you. Begin to pay attention to what you are saying, and to what is being said around you. Ask for God's help in this endeavor. Spending time with Him will fill you with fresh "living water". You will be edified, and will become a source of encouragement not only for those around you, but even in your own walk.