Did The Spirit of God Say That 27 Ways To Judge Prophecy Jennife
Did The Spirit of God Say That 27 Ways To Judge Prophecy Jennife
Did The Spirit of God Say That 27 Ways To Judge Prophecy Jennife
Jennifer LeClaire
Author of The Heart of the Prophetic
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from
the King James version of the Bible.
AFTERWORD
PREFACE
Just like you, I love the voice of God. There is nothing more
thrilling than to hear the voice of the Master offering
edification, exhortation and comfort, either directly into your
born-again spirit or through the mouth of an anointed vessel of
God.
True prophetic ministry is vital in this hour. But let’s face it.
Not all “prophetic” utterances come from God. Prophetic words
come from one of three places: the Spirit of God, the human
spirit or an evil spirit. Therefore, we have to judge prophetic
words—all prophetic words—regardless of whether we hear
them in our own spirits or through the prophetic ministry of
another.
– 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether
they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out
into the world.
– 1 John 4:1
We must ask, “Did the Spirit of God say that?” It’s not a
suggestion; it’s a directive in the Word of God for our
protection.
My friend didn’t receive the word. In fact, not only did she
not receive the word, she told me I was listening to the devil.
By this time I knew the difference between the voice of the
Lord and the voice of the enemy. I was confident I was hearing
from the Lord, but my friend was so adamant against it and so
insistent that I was allowing the devil into our friendship that I
finally compromised on the word of the Lord. I reasoned that
perhaps the Holy Ghost was just trying to warn me of an
assignment against our friendship. This seemed to satisfy
everyone, for no one wants to consider losing a close friend,
even for a season.
It took some time, but I was able to ease into that season by
God’s grace. But it didn’t need to be so hard. See, the Holy
Ghost told me what was going to happen six months ahead of
time so that I could prepare myself for the separation and
handle it appropriately when it came. But instead, I allowed the
voice of man to influence me in a different direction, and it
caused great pain.
The Holy Ghost leads and guides us into all truth (John
16:13). But it’s not just the major truths of the Word of God that
He reveals. He’ll lead and guide us into the truth of which
restaurant not to visit that night or which road not to turn
down the next morning. He knows that the restaurant is
overcrowded and the road is congested. He doesn’t want us to
waste our time. He wants us to redeem it (Ephesians 5:16). So
expect to hear His voice, or receive that inner witness, on
things big and small—and then don’t stop there. Follow Him.
There’s no need in bragging about how we hear the voice of
the Lord if we aren’t going to obey what He tells us. Amen?
Beware of False Prophets
– Matthew 7:15
– Matthew 7:15
But there were false prophets also among the people, even
as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily
shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord
that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift
destruction.
The Apostle Paul also warned of false apostles. You see false
apostles today also offering false prophetic utterances that
lead the sheep astray:
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you
into all truth … He will bring glory to me by taking from what
is mine and making it known to you.
– John 16:13-14
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you
into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak
only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to
come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is
mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the
Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from
what is mine and make it known to you.
– John 16:13-15
Jesus is the Word made flesh. And the Holy Spirit always
glorifies the Christ. If the prophetic word does not glorify
Christ, then it did not originate from the Holy Spirit. If it did not
originate from the Holy Spirit, then it is not of God. If the
prophetic word exalts the prophet, then the prophetic word is
not from God. Likewise, if it exalts the one receiving the
prophetic word, then it is not from God. Hear me on this: If the
prophetic word exalts angels, it is not from God. The Holy
Ghost is in the business of exalting Jesus, not the ones serving
Him.
You Are My Wife! But I’m Already Married!
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father,
the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
– 1 John 5:7
– 1 John 5:7
Of course, it’s also possible that the man with whom Mary
was in relationship is the man of God mentioned in the
prophetic word and that he did not obey God. It’s also possible
that the man of God in the prophetic word was an Ishmael. In
other words, perhaps God is sending Mary a husband, a man
of God that’s close to her who she hasn’t even considered,
who she isn’t even dating, and who she wouldn’t even think
was a candidate. It’s possible that God will open her eyes and it
will all make sense.
– 1 Corinthians 10:13
Hear this: Even our own hurts and wounds can become like
idols. This can happen when the time and energy we should
spend focusing on God is spent focusing on our wounds. Yes,
healing is a process. But if we aren’t careful we can get out of
balance and give that hurt too much power in our lives. Our
focus needs to be on the God who can heal the hurt.
Sometimes, we don’t want to give up the hurt because we feel
justified. So we cater to it. We serve it. We build walls to keep
people from touching it. And in doing so we may miss
opportunities to do the will of God. Selah. Pause and think
about that for a moment.
But did the Spirit of God really say that? You be the judge.
Here’s what happened next: Jim’s unsaved boss started
insisting that he work nights and weekends for the next few
months to catch up on a big order. This puts stress on Jim’s
family and causes him to miss church. It brings imbalance and
instability in Jim’s life, but his desire for the promotion—and
the apparent confirmation of the prophetic word—causes him
to ignore the warning signs from his wife, his pastor and his
own physical body, which is exhausted. After the big project is
complete, Jim doesn’t get the promotion and he’s got a mess at
home. Jim wore himself out because he was in the flesh instead
of the grace of God as he chased after his idol.
Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
The New Living Translation puts it this way: “Seek the
Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will
give you everything you need.” The Message Bible translates
it, “Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-
provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your
everyday human concerns will be met.”
Flee From Idolatry
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;
Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath,
strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders,
drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell
you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they
which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of
God.
– Galatians 5:19-21
– 1 Corinthians 10:13
– Matthew 15:8-9
– John 7:17
Here are two cues you can take from Jesus: seek after God’s
will and examine the fruit of the prophet.
The Amplified translation of Verse 17 says that if any one
desires to do God’s pleasure, he will know— he will have the
needed illumination to recognize, and can tell for himself—
whether the teaching is from God.
Prophetic Alignment
For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but
their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches
deceive the hearts of the simple.
– Romans 16:17-18
– 1 Timothy 6:3-5
CHAPTER 7
DOES THE PROPHETACKNOWLEDGE
CHRIST’SLORDSHIP?
– Titus 1:16
Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And
there are differences of administrations, but the same
Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the
same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of
the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one
is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the
word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
– 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
As Spirit-filled believers, we like to understand the
manifestations of the Spirit. We love to flow in words of
wisdom and words of knowledge. We enjoy witnessing gifts of
healing and working of miracles. We covet prophecy and so
on. But Paul peppered in some important points we need to pay
close attention to in any discussion of spiritual gifts.
Remember how you were when you didn’t know God, led
from one phony god to another, never knowing what you
were doing, just doing it because everybody else did it?
It’s different in this life. God wants us to use our
intelligence, to seek to understand as well as we can. For
instance, by using your heads, you know perfectly well
that the Spirit of God would never prompt anyone to say
“Jesus be damned!” Nor would anyone be inclined to say
“Jesus is Master!” without the insight of the Holy Spirit.
This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son,
his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one
need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have
a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of
sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling
the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the
world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted;
anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been
under the death sentence without knowing it. And why?
Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-
kind Son of God when introduced to him.
– John 3:17-19
Angels are here to serve us, not the other way around. By
the same token, angels only have the power and authority that
God gives them. Without being empowered by the Word of
God, angels are restricted in their function. So any prophecy
that exalts angels is erroneous. We’ve seen plenty of this in the
Body of Christ as well. Keep in mind that there are evil angels
that seek to deceive. They are called demons and Satan is their
Lord.
– Colossians 2:18-19
– 1 Corinthians 14:36-39
Let me leave you with one last thought: Just because a minister
exalts Christ in his worship or even his message—even if a
minister casts out devils in the name of Jesus—that doesn’t
mean his prophetic utterances are true. You can’t buy into
prophetic words just because everything around the prophetic
word looks good. You still have to judge it. All prophecy, no
matter from whom it comes, must be judged.
PART 2
THE FRUIT-BASED TESTS
For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of
righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to
them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have
their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
– Hebrews 5:13-14
In Part Two of this book, we’ll explore what I call the Fruit-
Based Tests. What is the fruit of the prophetic word? What
does it produce in your life? Fear? Control? Peace? Comfort?
Stability? Instability? Always remember this: He that
prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation,
and comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3).
In the Old Testament, the test of prophecy was pretty cut and
dried: Did it come to pass? That helps on the back end of the
matter, but what did they do while they were waiting for the
prophecy to come to pass?
– Deuteronomy 18:21-22
Alright, now let’s get off the bunny trail of presumption and
get back to the main thing: Do the prophecies come to pass?
What do we do while we are waiting to find out if the prophecy
comes to pass?
For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall
shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible,
even the elect.
– Mark 13:22
What About Conditional Prophecies?
“It was not only one prophet that gave me that same word
—a number of prophets told me that. For three years the
Lord started to use me in different ways. Today I can see
His plan in my life. It is just awesome how the Lord
blesses us in this ministry. From the first day of the birth
of our church, the Lord’s grace was with us. We got a
church, a beautiful chapel with a thatch roof and chairs.
We didn’t have to pay anything. God honors obedience.
All the glory belongs to Him.”
Now the Lord is that Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord
is, there is freedom.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the
sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of
bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of
adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
– Romans 8:14-15
– Matthew 11:29-30
– Galatians 2:4
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath
made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of
bondage.
– Galatians 5:1
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the
Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an
expected end.
– Jeremiah 29:11
We have a free will. God doesn’t try to control us. Yet some
people use prophecy as a tool to manipulate and control.
These prophets and prophetic people have the wrong motive.
It may be financial gain, a need to draw people to themselves
for service of some sort, or another hidden agenda. Controlling
prophets may be fleshly prophets—or they may have a spirit of
control operating in their lives.
“You must know the Spirit of God and discern by the Holy
Spirit and the Word of God. The Bible will confirm
prophecy in Scripture.”
Amen, Gina!
Jezebel’s Controlling Prophets
I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it. I don’t believe false
prophets start out as false prophets. I believe they go astray
somewhere on the road to Christ-likeness. We need prophets
and intercessors that hear the Spirit accurately and can stand
with integrity in the ministries to which they’ve been called. I
believe there are more who are standing in integrity than who
aren’t. We may not know who they are. But we must judge all
prophecy because many false prophets have gone out into the
world—and the spirit of Jezebel is also running loose. Any
prophecy that seeks to control you should be dismissed.
CHAPTER 11
DOES THE PROPHECYBREED FEAR?
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power,
and of love, and of a sound mind.
– 2 Timothy 1:7
God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a
sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). If God did not give us a spirit of
fear—and He didn’t—then God doesn’t want us to be fearful.
That sounds as simple as “Jesus loves me. This I know, for the
Bible tells me so.” But there is power in the fundamentals. If
you can remember this truth, you’ll save yourself and others a
lot of anxiety. God does not want us to be scared. That’s why
His Word tells us over and over and over again to “fear not.”
Two Types of Fear
The fear of the Lord produces good fruit. It’s the beginning of
wisdom and understanding (Psalm 111:10). It leads to life, rest,
peace and contentment (Proverbs 19:23). It is the fountain of
life (Proverbs 14:27). It offers security and safety (Proverbs
14:26). The list goes on and on.
Well, that’s more than a little disturbing to say the least. The
Bible has plenty to say about our destiny in Christ. It made no
sense to me—and in fact it disturbed my spirit and caused me
to get a little anxious—that my destiny would be unsettled.
After praying about it, I realized I needed to stick with the
written Word of God. My destiny is settled in Christ. I
dismissed the prophetic word, even though it came from
someone I respected. God did not say that.
So let’s take a look at the other side of the coin: false prophets,
or people who make prophetic announcements with the intent
to manipulate and control using fear. There’s a strong example
in Nehemiah. Let’s listen in to how Nehemiah handled the false
prophetic missives that were launched against him. As you do,
keep in mind that these words were released to get him to step
out of the will of God.
And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he
pronounced this prophecy against me: for Tobiah and
Sanballat had hired him.
– Nehemiah 6:10-13
Second, if this woman really was hearing from the Lord about
some sort of attack against these baby Christians, she could
have handled it with wisdom. Instead of terrorizing the poor
couple, she could have simply suggested the group pray for
them as they went. The prayer group could have prayed for
God’s angels to surround them, could have pled the blood of
Jesus over them, and so on. If the woman was that convinced
she heard from God, she could have interceded until she was
sure they had gotten home. Putting such fear in them could
have actually caused them to make a dangerous mistake while
driving.
While false prophecy can breed fear, true prophecy can do just
the opposite: deliver from fear. Terri tells me about a prophecy
that gave her the courage to undergo an operation that forever
changed her life for the better. I’ll let her tell the story in her
own words:
Praise God is right! All healings aren’t like the miracles we see
in the Bible. Joyce Meyer had a mastectomy after she was
diagnosed with breast cancer, for example. God gave us
doctors. The prophecy to Terri helped her overcome a fear and
free herself from seizures forever. The prophecy edified and
comforted her. That’s part and parcel of prophecy.
CHAPTER 12
DOES THE PROPHECYPRODUCE
STABILITY?
– Hebrews 6:18-19
God is not unstable. His Word is not unstable. His ways are
not unstable. Therefore, anything that proceeds from the
mouth of God should not produce instability in you. True
prophetic words will make you more stable, offering solid
ground for you to build on as you continue toward your
destiny in Christ. Erroneous or false prophecy has the opposite
effect: it produces instability.
– Ephesians 4:11-16
– Psalm 119:34
Clarity. That’s what we all want from God, right? Clear direction
for our lives? We don’t want to live a life shrouded in mystery.
We want to be wise; understanding the will of the Lord. The
written Word of God offers us plenty of direction, but
sometimes we need the Spirit of God to speak to our hearts—
and sometimes He speaks through prophets—with specific
instructions about what to do next.
Let’s face it. What college to attend, what job to take, which
house to buy, whom to marry, and other major life decisions—
and even smaller ones—aren’t outlined in the Bible. Yet, we
still want to be in God’s perfect will. So what should we do? We
should acknowledge Him in all our ways and trust Him to direct
our paths like His Word says (Proverbs 3:6). We acknowledge
Him by studying His Word on a topic, praying about it, and
waiting on His direction.
The Bible says those who are led by the Spirit of God are the
sons of God (Romans 8:14). How can the Spirit of God lead us if
we don’t have clarity on what He’s saying. David said, “Give
me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe
it with my whole heart” (Psalm 119:34).
– 1 Timothy 4:1
Have you ever received a prophetic word that was more than a
little ambiguous? Ambiguous means “capable of being
understood in two or more possible senses or ways.” In other
words, there’s a lot of grey area in there. You could take it to
mean this, that or something else. It’s just not clear what the
Spirit of God meant. Or did the Spirit of God really even say
that?
It’s possible that it wasn’t God at all. The Bible says that the
Holy Spirit speaks expressly, clearly, explicitly, and distinctly,
depending on which translation of 1 Timothy 4:1 you read.
Whatever version you prefer, one thing is certain: there’s no
ambiguity.
Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit. For this
cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to
pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the
knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual
understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord
unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and
increasing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:8-10).
Again and again, we see Scripture that makes it clear that God
wants us to be clear on His will. He wants us to understand
what He is saying. He wants us to obtain knowledge and
wisdom from His words. Although prophecy can certainly be
symbolic and we may have to dig below the surface to find the
meaning, when we seek the truth we will find the truth. We may
have to press in, but God is ultimately going to reveal His
meaning so you aren’t left bewildered and wandering aimlessly
wondering what His will is.
Lisa got a prophecy assuring her that when she “got rich” God
was going to keep her from getting plastic surgery. And Anne
tells me about a ridiculous prophecy she received that went
something like this: “Your prophetic gifting is so powerful and
God trusts you so much with it that your clothes will be afraid
to be on my body! I’m not even walking in the office of a
prophetess. I’m a deaconess. And I didn’t know clothes could
be afraid.”
– 1 Corinthians 14:32-33
The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God
is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches
of the saints. Think about that Scripture for a moment. Verse 32
is often cited in prophetic ministry apart from Verse 33. In other
words, both verses are sometimes used separately and out of
context. But let’s put these verses back into context for a
moment: The Holy Spirit distinctly connected the need for
prophets to use self-control in order to avoid confusion and
disorder.
Did the Spirit of God say all that? Could this person who was
preaching from the pulpit one day suddenly be found to have a
python spirit and a Jezebel spirit attacking him, full of rebellion
and pride? Is it possible that nobody saw it until he tried to
move on? It’s possible, but it’s not likely, especially
considering that it was his decision to leave that brought all
the church prophets out of the woodwork with harsh words.
The onslaught of prophetic words left Jake confused. He
submitted those words to other pastors who debunked them
using Scripture and some simple wisdom. Finally, the Lord told
Him to move on and don’t look back. When Jake obeyed,
warfare broke out against him but he had the peace of God.
God was trying to deliver him from a den of wolves.
—2 Corinthians 13:1
When you are making major decisions about your life and
ministry and you get conflicting words, you need to take the
time to be certain what the Spirit if God is really saying. If
something contradicts what you know that you know that you
know in your spirit is true, then stick with your gut. God can
correct you if you are wrong. Always remember, the Holy
Ghost doesn’t speak with a forked tongue. The Spirit of God
doesn’t speak out of both sides of His mouth. Jesus doesn’t
contradict Himself.
What is Confirmation?
Let’s take a step back for a moment and be really clear about
what we mean when we’re talking about confirmation. A
confirmation is a confirming proof. Merriam-Webster defines it
as “the process of supporting a statement by evidence.”
Merriam-Webster defines evidence as, “one who bears
witness.”
At the end of the day, you need to move in faith. Anything that
is not of faith is sin (Romans 14:23). So if you make a move
because a prophet confirmed something you thought was God
—but you nevertheless still questioned it in your spirit—then
how can you move in confidence? That’s not pure faith.
There’s doubt mixed in there. Even if you did hear from God,
with doubt in the mix you may not get the results you expected.
Remember this: Faith is your confirmation.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, and again, and again,
and again. The Spirit and the Word agree. Say that out loud:
The Spirit and the Word agree. The Word of God is Spirit-
breathed. In other words, the Holy Spirit inspired the words on
the pages of the Bible. So I refuse to believe that the Spirit of
God will contract the Word of God. Father, Son and Holy Ghost
are in perfect unity.
These are all signposts that can alert you to true, erroneous
or even false prophecies. Again, look at the prophecy through
the lens of Scripture. You may not think the prophecy is loving,
for example, but it may very well be. God corrects those whom
He loves. The prophetic word may not necessarily put a
burning desire in your heart to seek the Lord. That doesn’t
mean it’s not true. I’m pointing out suggested ways to judge a
word; to find another level of assurance of where the prophetic
word originated. Think of it as looking at an diamond from all
angles to make sure it’s not a cubic zirconia. The Spirit-Based
Tests offer some additional angles to help you be more
confident of the prophecy’s source.
CHAPTER 16
DOES YOUR SPIRIT BEARWITNESS TO
THE PROPHECY?
—1 John 2:20-21
But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will
take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there
is. He won’t draw attention to himself, but will make sense
out of what is about to happen and, indeed, out of all that
I have done and said. He will honor me; he will take from
me and deliver it to you.
The truth doesn’t breed lies. When you hear something that’s
“off” it should hit your spirit sideways. When you hear
something that’s true, it should settle in your heart with peace.
Cindy just didn’t know what to do. She went back and forth
on her decision and time was running out. So she went to one
of the prophets in the local church who worked alongside the
apostle on these annual events. She asked the prophet what he
should do under the auspices of seeking confirmation. I believe
that was a mistake and an open door for prophetic
manipulation. God doesn’t want us to be dependent on
prophets for direction. He wants us to be dependent on Him.
The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea. The voice of the
Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is majestic.
—Psalm 29
The Bible says the counsel of the Lord stands forever, the
thoughts of His heart to all generations (Psalm 33:11). The Bible
also says, “Many, O Lord my God, are the wonderful works
which You have done, and Your thoughts toward us; no one
can compare with You! If I should declare and speak of them,
they are too many to be numbered” (Psalm 40:5 AMP).
For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven,
and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and
maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the
sower, and bread to the eater:
—Isaiah 55:8-11
—1 Corinthians 14:3
A young man named Bill once told me the story of how his
apostle put such a demand on him to perform in service of the
ministry that it caused him problems on the home front. His
kids were unruly and resentful. His taxes were overdue. He
never had time to visit his parents. The pressure to perform
became so great that eventually, despite his best fleshly
efforts, he couldn’t keep up and he fell down on his volunteer
ministry duties (which exceeded 30 hours a week).
That’s not the heart of a true apostle. Even with all the
problems in the Corinthian church—and there were many,
including divisions, carnality, immorality, fornication, abusing
the Lord’s supper, a lack of love, disorder, and wrong teachings
about the resurrection of the dead—the Apostle Paul said this:
“I have the highest confidence in you, and I take great pride in
you. You have greatly encouraged me and made me happy
despite all our troubles” (2 Corinthians 7:4). That’s the heart of
a true spiritual father.
Again, the purpose of Paul’s bold words to the Corinthians
is repeated here: “Therefore I write these things being absent,
lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the
power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to
destruction” (2 Corinthians 13:10).
Do All Things Unto Edifying
Paul said we need to follow after the things which make for
peace, and things wherewith one may edify another (Romans
14:19). How much more should the very word of the Lord edify
us?
Can you see it? Time and time again the Word leads us to
edify one another. It’s Satan who comes to tear us down. Yes, a
prophetic word may work to root out, tear down and destroy
certain wrong mindsets in a person’s soul, but the prophetic
word should not root out, tear down and destroy a person.
That’s not God.
Explaining Exhortation
Jesus said, “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be
comforted” (Matthew 5:4). Sometimes the Lord decides to
comfort us through a prophetic word that assures us
everything is going to be alright. Comfort is a key New
Testament theme.
The Apostle Paul said, “For ye may all prophesy one by one,
that all may learn, and all may be comforted” (1 Corinthians
14:31). Prophecy often has an element of comfort in it. Comfort
runs hand in hand with edification and exhortation. This Spirit-
inspired trio undergirds true prophecy.
CHAPTER 20
IS THE PROPHECY LOVING?
And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall
wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same
shall be saved.
—Matthew 24:11-13
What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not
entered into the heart of man, [all that] God has prepared
(made and keeps ready) for those who love Him [who hold
Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and
gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed].
The Lord told me how to tell the difference between the His
conviction and the devil’s condemnation: by understanding
His love. Even God’s correction can bring peace to your spirit.
Prophetic words laced in condemnation will only bring guilt
and torment. Remember, “There is no fear in love; but perfect
love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that
feareth is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18).
PART 5
THE CHARACTER TESTS
Therefore select out from among yourselves, brethren, seven
men of good and attested character and repute, full of the
[Holy] Spirit and wisdom, whom we may assign to look after
this business and duty.
I’ve heard some say that character issues don’t matter in the
prophetic. Such statements floor me. The Lord doesn’t expect
prophets to be perfect, but He does expect prophets to be
willing to look at themselves in the mirror of the Word and
allow the Holy Spirit to convict them of sin so the blood of
Jesus can cleanse them from all unrighteousness. That requires
humility of heart and a willingness to lay aside childish things
and walk worthy of the prophetic vocation.
Now the man Moses was very meek (gentle, kind, and
humble) or above all the men on the face of the earth.
The only prophet that we should exalt is Jesus. Yet too often in
the Body of Christ we exalt men to rock star prophetic status.
When we do that, we are in danger of walking through the
doorway of deception. Prophets should be exalting Jesus, not
themselves. And not just in word. Don’t be fooled. It’s easy
enough to lift up Jesus through one side of your mouth and lift
yourself up through the other. It’s an awesome responsibility
to walk in the prophetic, but true prophets seek to walk in
humility that glorifies the Lord.
—2 Corinthians 11:13-20
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while
some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced
themselves through with many sorrows.
—1 Timothy 6:10
The Bible has plenty to say about the greedy man. Greedy
prophets lay wait and lurk privily (Proverbs 1:18-20). The
Message Bible translation says they are “racing to a very bad
end, hurrying to ruin everything they lay hands on, and
robbing a bank while everyone is watching.” Greedy prophets
trouble their own house (Proverbs 15:27). And Isaiah offers a
horrifying look at the greedy watchman. As you read this
Scripture, keep in mind that part of the prophetic post is to
serve as a watchman.
His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all
dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down,
loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can
never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot
understand: they all look to their own way, every one for
his gain, from his quarter.
—Isaiah 56:10-11
Ezekiel hits the same greedy spirit, rebuking those who “hast
greedily gained of thy neighbors by extortion” (Ezekiel 22:11).
Extortion isn’t only for gun-toting Mafiosos with pin-stripped
suits and Italian accents like we see in gangster movies of old.
Extortion means to obtain from a person by force, intimidation,
or undue illegal power—or to gain especially by ingenuity or
compelling argument. In other words, extortion can be
charismatically subtle. Greedy prophets misuse their power—
they use undue illegal power—to wring money from your
wallet.
For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but
to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
—Mark 10:45
I’ve seen people living in sin and they just seem to get away
with it. They continue to receive prophetic words of blessing,
and yet they don’t change their sinful habits. I don’t condone
practicing sin in any way shape or form—and neither does
God. I believe there comes a time to address sin, but I believe
God gives a person every opportunity to do so privately before
taking it public. Even if the Spirit of God does take it public, His
motive is love because He desperately wants to get through to
the person.
I’ve also heard leaders say, “If you leave this ministry, you’ll
lose your anointing. For 25 years I’ve watched people try to
leave here and start their own ministry. They always fail. You
succeed here because of the anointing on the house. You
won’t succeed without me.” This is another fear and control
tactic with a predictive edge. It’s not the Holy Spirit, and it’s
not delivered as prophecy, but it’s a fearful prediction by the
same man of God who stands before the congregation to
preach, pray and prophesy. Essentially, it’s a curse. This is a
problem.
Keep it Private
Prophets should warn the church of those who are hell bent
on destroying God’s work and perverting His voice. But it’s the
spirit behind the announcement that needs to be judged. I
believe that most often we can call out the deceived among the
Body of Christ without naming names. I believe it’s enough to
describe the actions and teach the truth—and then only as the
Spirit of God leaves. No heresy hunting. Do you know how
they teach bankers to discern a counterfeit $100 bill? It’s not by
having them study counterfeit bills, as you would think. Rather,
it’s by having them study authentic bills.
CHAPTER 25
IS THE PROPHET PARTOF A LOCAL
CHURCH?
—1 Corinthians 12:28
No matter what translation you read, you can’t get away from
the fact that God set prophets in the church. The NIV says,
“And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles,
secondarily prophets…” The New Living Translation confirms,
“Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church,
first are apostles, second are prophets…” And The Message
says, “You’re familiar with some of the parts that God has
formed in his church, which is his ‘body’…”
A Call for Spiritual Accountability
What’s more, you can’t rent a spiritual father. You can’t buy
into a network and receive a “covering.” True spiritual
accountability, which is vital in this hour, comes out of
balanced, healthy relationships where the spiritual mentors
have the best interests of their spiritual mentees at heart, and
the prophet knows they will be held accountable for
irresponsible behavior.
CHAPTER 26
DOES THE PROPHETTRY TO GET YOU
ALONE?
—1 Thessalonians 2:5
If a prophet you don’t know tells you he has a word for you,
ask him to write it down so you can read it at home later in a
quiet place. If he isn’t willing to write it down, then that should
be a red flag to you. He may be concerned about being held
accountable for what he has written in the name of the Lord. If
the prophet insists on delivering the word to you, grab
somebody— anybody—as a witness. That could cause the
prophet to clam up quick if he has foul motives.
CHAPTER 27
ARE YOU DEALING WITH A FALSE
PROPHET?
For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall
shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even
the elect.
—Matthew 7:13-14
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and
shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it
were possible, they shall deceive the very elect (Matthew
24:24).
And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos,
they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew,
whose name was Barjesus (Acts 3:19).
But there were false prophets also among the people, even
as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily
shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord
that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift
destruction (2 Peter 2:1).
Merchandisers
Dishonest
Thieving
Questionable prophecies
Adulterous
Immoral
Drunken
Presumptuous
Unaccountable
Greedy
Lying
Slanderers
Profane
Seeking prestige
When you see ministers practicing these things, run the other
direction. Yes, everybody makes mistakes, but there’s a
difference between making a mistake and practicing sin. The
Holy Ghost convicts us of sin, but if we ignore Him repeatedly
our conscience becomes seared and we get dull of hearing.
CHAPTER 28
IS THE PROPHECY DELIVERED IN ANGER
OR JUDGMENT?
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does
not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely,
does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does
not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all
things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all
things. Love never fails.
—1 Corinthians 13:4-8