Marilyn Adams 10-08-2015 Gerber Bible Fellowship

WATERMARK: YIELDED TO THE HOLY SPIRIT



“Let us go to the house of the Potter, and see what he does with a lump. How He carefully and skillfully shapes each vessel for His purpose above” (Holy Spirit song). Jeremiah 18:3-4 says, “Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.”



Clay is dry and solid. It has to have water worked into it in order for it to be shaped. So it is with our lives. Strongholds that the enemy has been able to set up in our hearts cause hardness of heart. Hebrews 3:13 says, “But exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”



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You can see from the picture that clay needs much water to be pliable in the potter’s hands. It has to be malleable with no resistance. Do you have areas in your life that resist change? Maybe you have tried by the strength of your will to overcome a stronghold, but it stubbornly remains. God’s water of the word is the only way to permeate that hard surface. Ephesians 5:26 says of the church, “That He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.”



Let’s take a stronghold of anger and see how working God’s word into this stronghold will bring change. There is a great verse in Proverbs 29:11. The Amplified says, “A (self-confident) fool utters all his anger, but a wise man holds it back and stills it.” When we take other verses about anger and write them down, they become our “working” paper. We speak these words out loud because faith comes by hearing the Word. As we speak them, targeted truth begins to penetrate and weaken the stronghold. Once it is weakened, it can be successfully torn down and destroyed.



Another stronghold may be fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” We must recognize that fear is an enemy tactic. This verse says that it is a spirit. Fear is a fiery dart. It is a convincing suggestion. It only gains ground if we dialogue with it. It has no power over us, unless we give it that power through our thoughts. God is love. 1 John 4:18 says that perfect love casts out fear. When we ingraft the strength words of His promises, fear has no ground to stand on. His promises are backed by His faithfulness. 2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” Titus 1:2 says that it is impossible for God to lie. As you speak verses that fortify you against the lies of the enemy, the stronghold of fear will weaken, then be defeated.



2 Corinthians 10:4 says, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.” God gave Jeremiah the sequence. First it must be rooted out, then the ground can be replanted. Jeremiah 1:10 says, “See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.” As we are tearing down the enemy’s stronghold, we are building a new stronghold of truth with the same verses. His word is a double-edged sword. His penetrated word renews our mind.



James 1:21 says, “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” Here are two key watermarks of an authentic follower of Christ. One is the spirit of meekness. The other is a meditator of God’s word. The two go together. Pride will resist the discipline of the ingrafting. Humility opens the way for the word to penetrate deeply through His grace.



It is all a work of grace. He is able to do far above what we can even ask or think because of His power that