Today, more than ever, people are attending conferences and meetings seeking a word from God or a prophecy about their future. What they find are people willing to tell them something good. More often than not, it will be even better than good. It will be marvelous! Biblical prophets more often brought the storm first and then a rainbow of promise after repentance. They were not sunshine prophets of prosperity and popularity.
Stop running around looking for a prophecy or a word and be careful what ones you hear. Your future and destiny are in His hands. When you need to know something He will let you know. If He has to send someone to you it will be because you are not listening and the prophet will tell you to listen up. If you are listening to Him you will not need an outside source to tell you what He wants you to do or speak to your future.
You are not called to be like those on Mars Hill who lived to tell or hear some new thing. Indeed, if you are not careful, you may be like King Saul seeking intel from a witch. You will not read the horoscope or tea leaves, attend a séance or consult a psychic so be just as careful lest you find a soothsayer and not a prophet.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
He will direct your paths, but it may well be one step at a time and through a moonless night rather than a sunny day. Trust is what He asks for and when you give the future to Him then one step and day at a time is all you need. The God Positioning System will get you to the location He has for you though it may not be where you want to be.
Mark 13:11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
If you are not to premeditate what you will say when your life may well be on the line then trying to figure out next year is a waste of time. Where will you be five years from now? He knows. Follow His directions each day and you will be where He wants you five years from now.
Matthew 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
One day at a time. Daily manna was given with double portions only for the Sabbath. Worrying about anything is not trust, especially about the future. If tomorrow comes with hard times, He will give you strength for that day and each day. If tomorrow does not come, you ruined your last day for nothing.
1Timothy 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
This is speaking to needful things; food and clothing with no mention of housing, cars and other stuff. No reference to riches here. Most of us have more clothes than we need. We have miracle clothes because it will take a miracle to get back into them.
We normally have enough in the cupboard and freezer to sustain us for a few weeks when the folks back then shopped daily because they were paid daily. It was hard to store up food or money so they had to daily trust God for both. If we experience real persecution, we may be back to that daily trust whether we wish to or not.
We have 401ks, annuities and other pensions or savings that they did not have. Still, we must trust God as my pension and annuity's buying power is not what it was last year and it will only get worse as we near a financial collapse that will probably make the Great Depression look like a boom time bull market. Some modern prophets do not want to hear about that or will promise that you will still prosper if you sow seed into their ministry or buy their program.
1 Kings 13:17 For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.
18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.
Be careful when people proclaim to be a prophet. The unnamed prophet in this passage did a mighty work for God, but on the way home he listened to a man claiming to have a new word from God. In the end, he ended up dead between the lion that killed him and his donkey. The lion did not attack the donkey or the old prophet because his mission was to kill the disobedient prophet. The older man held the title of prophet, but he was not hearing God until he pronounced judgment on the younger one that he deceived. Also beware if the prophet claims to have special access to an angel or was given wisdom from one. A religious sounding liar is still a liar.
Beware of sunshine prophets who only prophesy good things. There were four hundred prophets in Ahab’s court and only one was right with God and he did not have a positive message. Jeremiah stood against the popular prophets and he was right. The Apostles were outnumbered and out educated by the Pharisees and the Sadducees and yet they were correct.
You might say, “Did not Paul say despise not prophesyings?” Indeed, but John also said,
1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
If it contradicts what is in the Word, it is not of God. If there is no example or precedent in the Word, you need to study it deeply to be sure it is not just some counterfeit scam.
They are of the world and they speak of the world. Much of what is going on in hyper-Charismatic circles appeals to the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. Frivolous or eye-catching “miracles” can be shock and awe inspiring, but not of God. Prophecies that a person shall be rich or can declare things they desire into being certainly covers the lust of the flesh. Tell them that God is going to give them a worldwide ministry and win hundreds of thousands to Christ can certainly lead to pride. You do not need a word from these folks.
Jeremiah 23:16 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.
We had a plethora of “prophets” speaking from their hearts lately. People decreed and declared a different President than who we have. They even denied reality for a long time and I am sure there are some that are still clinging on to a bad prophecy. One was going to blow the Corona virus away. Others have predicted the date of the Rapture and so on. Still, their followers will not walk away from them. That is very sad. Be careful if God always seems to agree with you. It could be just your heart speaking, not His affirming voice.
Christ spoke of sacrifice, death to self and taking up a cross. His apostles spoke of persecutions and afflictions. Indeed, if you read Paul’s resume in 2 Corinthians 11 you would see something few would consider emulating though there are men and women around the world that are living in similar circumstances and they are unknown to the world. They are like the ones in the last verses of Hebrews 11that no one talks about in our culture.
I am reminded of an event from David Wilkerson’s life. A man from another country had been from meeting to meeting looking for a word from God. Someone suggested he go see Bro. Wilkerson. He arranged a meeting and asked Bro. Wilkerson if he had a word for him. He replied, “Go home!”
Indeed, we believe God is omnipresent so we do not need to travel for a word from God. Yes, He has had people call someone and speak what the person needed to hear. Yet, as a Father, He wants to have a relationship with us. When I wanted to tell my wife or children something I did not call my friend, Pete, and ask him to communicate my desires or reproof to them. I did it. If you are not hearing, you may get a prophet to come see you, but you may not like the message.
Carter Conlon, who has ministered around the world to hundreds of thousands as well as pastored a church with one hundred different nations represented said that God speaks to him through the Bible and through impulses in his spirit. He only heard a voice once and all that was said was, “I am here to help.” Bro. Wilkerson clearly stated that he was not one led about by voices. He was a diligent student of the Word.
God spoke more to me by the Word when I was saved than by a voice or by other Christians. Once, I was being counseled by a lost supervisor when I heard, “Seek not the counsel of the ungodly.” I did not know if that was God or not, but I shut down the session and went digging in the Word. I do not remember ever reading Psalm 1 before that day, but that is where that came from so it was God using the Word to give me a word when I needed it.
We are living in a day of great apostasy with iniquity being rampant in the world and the Church. We are seeing famous people walking away from Christianity. I truly believe it is because their theology was not working for them. Many other people are leaving Church for the same reason. Their decrees and declarations are not working. Things that were prophesied over them are not happening so they get discouraged. They leave in utter despair or in a rage against God but He is not the problem. They got a bad word from a sunshine prophet. I am not a prophet, but if the economy does crater, it will be the end of many people’s theology. Hopefully, they will turn back to the Word.
My strong plea is that you will avoid the disillusionment that will come to many when after years of trusting in something that never happened and they walk away from God. I will add to Bro. Wilkerson’s injunction. Go home! Sit down! Read and Pray. You will find far more words from God there then at any meeting and they will be 100% accurate. They will not be vague or erratic. May you hear Him soon! Maranatha!!!
