Izzy was in desperate need. She was on her own, attending a Christian women’s weekend conference with many women she’d never met before. She was from out of town, while many of the others knew each other as they had crossed paths at previous events, and some had been in close fellowship for years.

Izzy was walking through some deep spiritual place with the Lord that she didn’t understand. Spiritually, she was in new territory and, in her heart, was crying out to Him. Not knowing anyone and feeling like a duck out of water, she kept all this to herself, which prevented her from feeling engaged with the others. But she was happy to be there among fellow sisters. Perhaps the Lord would speak to her at the conference.

This afternoon’s event was a social gathering in a fancy large white house with high ceilings and a large open meeting room that opened all around to small sitting areas. These sitting areas had tables of nibbles and drinks for everyone to help themselves. Izzy walked through the room that was lined with women sitting in clusters of twos, threes and more, eating their sandwiches and nibbles.

The local women were well-dressed and groomed. Dressed casually in her jeans, t-shirt and cardigan, she took a plate of cucumber sandwiches and sat in a chair with two women whose attire and appearance were very plain and old-fashioned. They were also from out of town and had travelled together. They were drinking tea and chatting quietly among themselves, perhaps feeling a little out of place, too. Izzy didn’t really join in on the conversation but offered a warm hello and proceeded to eat her sandwich with her plate resting on her knees.

Next to her was a vacant chair, and a nice woman came and joined them. She was in her late fifties, possibly early sixties, and wore a colourful, flowing dress down to her shins, and her hair and make-up were modern and pretty. She was very open and friendly and clearly made an effort to welcome and talk with those outside her usual circle.  By her conduct, Izzy surmised that she was potentially part of the core group that was hosting the conference. As she sat down and joined the other two in some friendly small talk, Izzy didn’t speak. She had nothing to say because of her inner turmoil, which was all-consuming and remained a mystery to her.

Suddenly, this well-dressed, relaxed, confident and friendly lady stopped her chit-chat abruptly. She turned toward Izzy with a pained look across her face, which had only moments ago been open and cheerful. As though struggling to gather her thoughts, but with great seriousness, she said, ‘Oh…oh….sister…there’s something….’.

Izzy instinctively knew this woman had something from the Lord to say to her. It was as though she had been given knowledge of her dilemma, and the Lord was about to speak. Yet, she struggled to get the words out as though something was blocking the way.

Then another woman, clearly a very close friend of hers, also well-groomed, flamboyant and bright, pulled up a spare chair to sit next to her. Casually flinging herself onto the chair, she crossed her legs, threw her head back and brightly said, ‘Oh, I’ve had too much alcohol’, to which the woman who was trying to address Izzy responded, ‘Yes, so have I’. And then Izzy understood. This woman couldn’t deliver the Lord’s word because alcohol was muddying her spirit.

Immediately moved by her utter devastation at the loss of the lady’s capacity to deliver, Izzy stood up with her two hands clasping the front of her head. She was visibly shattered, and this got the attention of everyone else in the room. As the room fell still and quiet, she said in a loud and desperate tone, addressing everyone there, ‘God needs mouthpieces!’ Tugging on her left ear, she said, ‘He has plenty of ears longing and desperate to hear, but He needs mouths! And alcohol is stopping Him from being able to speak!’

Conscious that drinking wine was part of the church social culture for many in the room, she continued boldly, ‘There’s nothing wrong with drinking, that’s not what I’m saying, but we must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and the priorities of God!’

You could have heard a pin drop. Izzy’s heart was breaking; she had been praying constantly for an answer, and here she was, in a room full of wonderful Christian women with a long history of walking with the Lord, and here, God had gifted at least one of them with the capacity to hear His voice. But the vessel was not empty, was not clear and therefore, could not carry or distribute the words of life.

However, on that day, God delivered another message through another vessel. This vessel was plain and ordinary. This vessel was empty and desperate to be filled. Without any foreknowledge, personal agenda or self-elevation, this vessel delivered the word of God to that room. And the Spirit of God fell upon all His precious daughters that day, and from that time on, many consecrated their lives to Him, that He might have vessels for use.

Pause for Thought

All of us need to consider seriously the responsibility God has given the church. Since the arrival of the Word of God in flesh, God spoke through this Jesus. And since Jesus ascended to the Father and sent us His Spirit, He speaks through the members of His body.

The separation between the wheat and chaff is not the same as the tares  sown among the wheat. The tares represent those who belong to the devil, but the wheat and chaff speaks of the consecrated and unconsecrated among God’s people. If we love God and fear Him, we must accept that our lives no longer belong to us. It’s over, folks. Kaput. Crucified and buried. Done with. Gone. We must become vessels for His use, not ours.

Alcohol is an issue among God’s people today. It has crept into the church in some form of apparent ‘grace’ and ‘liberty’ from the legalistic past, and has gotten a foothold among some. It is stifling the Spirit of God.

What can God achieve, what can He speak, how can He minister through those whose spirits are muddied under other influences?

God has always required a holy and consecrated people who reflect Him. The lukewarm He said He will spit out of His mouth. He can’t do anything with casual. The chaff shall be separated from the wheat.

Now is the time to give up everything that separates us from Him even in the smallest way. Of course, we can never be separated from His love, but we can certainly be separate from His ways, His nature, His purpose, His will.

God has things He is wanting to say. He needs spirits that are clear and able to hear Him. He needs mouthpieces for His word to go out and bring in His people from the outskirts, to deliver, restore, correct, refresh, instruct, counsel. He won’t do it without the members of Christ. That’s who we are. He is waiting for us. And so are others.