A House Divided: The Weaponized Tongue, the Wounded Church, and the God Who Heals

A perspective on Hilton Kriek’s sermon "A House Divided".

> “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.”

Matthew 12:25

We are living in treacherous times—days soaked in deception and dressed in artificial light.

The enemy’s agenda is no longer subtle; it is strategic. Technology, including Artificial Intelligence, now impersonates truth while poisoning hearts with counterfeit wisdom. Even pulpits have been infiltrated. There are AI-generated pastors preaching a gospel void of repentance, reverence, and the living Word.

Beloved, this is not the hour to snack on spiritual crumbs. You must feast on the Word of God. The Bible must not be a coffee table ornament—it must be your compass, your sword, your bread.

From Offence to Isolation: Hilton's Journey

Hilton’s story is not unique, but it is deeply needed. It begins with godly grandparents who planted seeds of purpose by encouraging him to join the youth ministry. At first, he was drawn by the presence of girls, not God. But isn’t it just like Jesus to hijack our distractions and redirect our destinies?

He encountered God, was transformed, and eventually became a youth pastor and cell leader. But then, the storm came. Church hurt—the silent pandemic of the Body—blew through his soul like a wrecking ball. Offence crept in. Bitterness built a throne in his heart. And like many before him, he walked away.

For ten years, he forsook the Church. Weddings and funerals were the only times he would darken its doors. The dreams he once held? Buried in the cemetery of cynicism.

He bled on others, as the offended often do. And others joined him. Offence is a fire that doesn’t just burn the one holding it—it spreads. Words turned to poison. Tongues became daggers. Gossip became gospel. The enemy, always cunning, sowed division. Discord. Distraction. The accuser of the brethren had found willing intercessors—but not in heaven, in coffee shops and comment sections.

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Proverbs 18:21

“But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.”

Matthew 12:36

He called it “an island of destruction and depression.” Business failed. Joy died. Identity was crushed. The offense that felt like a fortress had become a prison.

The Turning Point: A Message, A Mercy

In 2022, when things had all but crumbled, a brother in Christ—a voice from the past—reached out and invited him to Potchefstroom. It seemed random. But the Spirit of God was orchestrating a divine appointment.

During their time together, conversation turned to family. And Hilton found himself face-to-face with the long-lost voice of the Holy Spirit:

“Are you willing to forgive them, so I can bless them and give them what I want to give them?”

Ten years. Ten years of bleeding, breaking, and blaming. And in one breath, the Father offered redemption through forgiveness.

Hilton said yes. And heaven responded.

Healing didn’t just come for the church or the family—it came for him. The bitterness broke. The weight lifted. Forgiveness, though costly, opened the floodgates of restoration.

“Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” — Luke 6:37

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Luke 23:34

A Call to the Church: Stop Feeding the Monster

Offense is a spirit. A seducing one. It disguises itself as justice and discernment. But its fruit is always the same: division. Suspicion. Separation.

You don’t need discernment to find faults. You need healing. You don’t need dreams to expose others. You need deliverance. God is not glorified by accuracy that wounds without love, or prophecy that divides without humility.

We have weaponized our tongues and justified it as “speaking truth.” But truth without love is brutality. And love without truth is compromise.

“If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift... First go and be reconciled to them.”

Matthew 5:23–24

A Prophetic Word for the Church

The Lord is uniting His Body. No more hand apart from the eye. No more foot independent of the leg. The days of fragmentation are ending. The days of alignment are here.

He is calling for mature sons and daughters—those who don't just love the Church in theory, but serve her in humility.

This is not a time to play church. This is a time to be the Church. To forgive. To repent. To clean up the conversations behind closed doors. To steward our words with reverence, knowing they echo in eternity.

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 13:35

A Final Plea

Return to the secret place. Return to the Bible. Don’t be deceived by imitation anointings or AI-generated gospels. The Word is living. Sharp. Pure. Jesus is coming back for a Bride, not a brand.

Check your heart. Fix things with your brother. Stop bleeding on people who didn’t cut you. Lay down the offense. Pick up the cross.

And if you've been the one wounding with your words—repent. Forgiveness isn’t just something we receive. It’s something we choose to give.

Let the healing begin. Let unity rise. Let the Church be whole again.