I have not ceased to be amazed at how I can share something in a service and immediately afterward people will come to me and have heard something entirely different from what I said. Often it is the very opposite of what I said. Long ago, I became convinced that it is not possible to say anything without it being misunderstood by some. I have concluded that this cannot be helped, and if you worry too much about it, you would not say anything. Even so, it is right to develop ours skills of communication to eliminate as much of this as possible. 

     I have also been guilty of doing the same thing with others. When I learn that I have done this, I try to examine why so that I won’t be prone to do this again, but also so that I can understand better what makes others do it. When this was pointed out to me, a couple of times I have a gone back to listen to the messages to see if I misunderstood or they misspoke, and I was shocked at how much I had misunderstood them. 

     Often people bring up something I said, and I know I never said it, or have even thought it. I do not think I am over-generalizing to say that we all have a basic problem with communication, and those who do not think they have this problem, likely have the worst problem. I have studied and sought the reasons for it, and think I have learned some, but a lot is still a mystery to me—even about how I am guilty of this at times. I do know it is the fruit of the tower of Babel where the languages were scattered so that men could not understand each other. However, this is much more than just one person not understanding English, and another not understanding Spanish. We can speak the same language, be in the same group, have much of the same background and experience, and still have the same word mean different things. 

     I have also learned that wounded people are much more prone to misunderstand others. We’ve discussed how Satan is called “the lord of the flies,” probably because flies often represent lies in prophetic symbolism, and flies swarm to wounds. Flies bring infection, which keeps the wound from healing and can even lead to death if not cleansed. I think this may be why the priests in the Old Testament could not have “scabs” because scabs were unhealed wounds. When someone has an unhealed wound, others cannot touch that person, and priests had to be touchable and able to get close to the people they served. When we have unhealed wounds like rejection, disappointment, or even betrayal, others cannot get close to us, and we will also be prone to misinterpret the words and intentions of others.

     For many reasons, communication may be the ultimate challenge, and overcoming it may be the only way the Lord will trust us with serious authority again, which is only given to those who are in unity. The military dealt with this in the most basic ways, which is why we spent so much time learning to march. At first, it was amazing how many people interpreted “right” or “left” differently, creating chaos in the formation. We had to come into unity about this, and then be instantaneous in our response to the commands. This was not just to have a coordinated formation, but for when we were in combat and needed to all be hearing the same command and interpreting it the same way or it could cost us our lives. In the days ahead, the body of Christ will need this discipline as well or many will needlessly perish. 

     The root of the confusion at the tower of Babel was the motive behind their project to build a tower to heaven, which was “to make a name for themselves” (see Genesis 11:4), and to gather people around the project lest they scatter. The body of Christ has been prone to keep building such foolish projects, thinking that they will actually unify people, when every time they end up bringing more division than unity. Jesus alone can unify us, but for those who have a divided or self-seeking heart, even the devotion to Jesus can be made a divisive issue. This is why Paul chastised the Corinthians because some were following him, some Peter, and even named those who were following Christ, because they were obviously using this divisively. 

     In II Peter 3:16, Peter notes how the “untaught and unstable distort” the teachings of Paul, even as they do the Scriptures. This indicates that some of this can be corrected with teaching, helping the unlearned to become learned, but stability is another issue. Ephesians 4 notes that the reason so many Christians are “carried about by every wind of doctrine” (see Ephesians 4:14) or are unstable, is because they are immature (children), or are not “speaking the truth in love” (see Ephesians 4:15) or “growing up into the Head” who is Christ. 

     One of the warnings that the Lord gave about the last days was, “Woe to those who nurse babes” (see Matthew 24:19). This is usually interpreted that we do not want to be a mother of young children in that time, but I think it could have been interpreted, “Woe to those who keep their people in immaturity.” 

     Our unity can only be through Christ as we grow up into Him. The key words are “grow up,” and “into Him.” We can be very devoted to the teachings of the centrality of Christ but still not be growing up into Him, and therefore, even use these teachings to divide from others. The mature can see differences, appreciate and learn from them, and not divide because of them. 

     Causing divisions among brethren is one of the seven things we are told God hates in Proverbs 6:16. Unity was the main thing that Jesus prayed for His people to have in possibly the greatest and most revealing prayer about the heart of God in John 17. This unity is a unity of diversity, not a unity of conformity. The pressure to conform does not come from the God who so loves diversity that He makes every snowflake different. When we are so insecure that we demand compliance with our perception from those we relate to, we are still too immature and too unstable to be trusted with true authority.

     Communication is a crucial issue with us all, especially with the prophetic ministry which seeks to communicate on behalf of God. Communication is the most important skill of the prophetic, and as all great craftsmen will be devoted to developing their skills with the tools of their trade, we must be devoted to not only understanding what we are called to communicate, but how. Without this devotion, we will be like the unskilled archer who wounds people because he cannot hit what he’s aiming for.

     If we love the Word Himself, we should love words, communication. If we love it, we will handle it with the utmost care. We may still be misunderstood at times, but let us resolve to do all that we can to prevent this from happening.