the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?
Jeremiah 5:31
Many verses talk about those who prophesy falsely, but I believe this verse sums up the well-known so-called prophetic voices in America.
First, let me say I believe that prophets and prophesying are for today, primarily because that’s what God says in His Word. If I never heard a single modern-day prophecy, I would believe prophecy continues to this day.
Prophecy is a beautiful gift from God to those of us who are His Church.
Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.
1 Corinthians 14:1
However, many are perverting this gift for purely selfish reasons. When they do this, they repel many away from the gifts of God—sometimes even causing people to walk away from the faith altogether. We saw this with the failed Trump prophecies.
Yet, the people whose prophecies fail repeatedly have today's most prominent platforms. We must ask the honest question then: why?
Let me ask, how deceived are we?
The obvious answer is very.
Then, the follow-up question should be why and how can we keep from being deceived?
That question cannot be answered in full in an article, and I will answer more in full in follow-up articles.
In this one, I want to focus on the primary reason: we are not good students of the Word.
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15
You see, if we were good students of the Word, those like Patricia King (I reviewed one of her false prophecies), Robert Hotchkins, Francisco Arboleda, James Goll, Ryan Lestrange, Jeremiah Johnson, Cindy Jacobs, and many more would not have platforms (Here I reviewed some of their words).
If we were good students of the Word and not of men, Destiny Image Publishing would be out of business.
A significant beam in the eye of the Charismatic, though, is a lack of focus on Scripture. Yet, it is God Himself who emphasizes Scripture.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
Here, God tells us all Scripture, not all prophecies.
How can we discern between the true and the false unless we know what the only infallible and inerrant source says? How can we properly: test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil (1 Thess 5:21-22)?
Let me offer you some biblical steps to take. As you read through these, choose a humble posture and let the Holy Spirit correct you.
1. Attend a church where the Word is taught
This may seem very obvious, but it is lacking in the Charismatic. How often have you heard a scripture used in a sermon only for it never to be taught or to be taught entirely out of context? How many sermons have you heard that were based on personal revelation?
You must attend a church where the Word of God is taught/spoken.
But he answered, “It is written,“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:4
The Greek word for word here is: ῥῆμα - Rhema, which means:
That which is or has been uttered by the living voice, thing spoken, word.
We need to be fed by the word (rhema) of God being taught to us by someone who emphasizes the scriptures, not personal revelation.
2. Study the Word of God ourselves daily
Again, this should be blatantly obvious to anyone who is a child of God. However, we often study the latest prophets and their prophecies within the Charismatic, the latest book hot off the press from Destiny Image.
How do we even know if those people are scriptural? How do we know the person who is supposed to be feeding us the scriptures is teaching them and not their personal revelations?
How do we know we aren’t basing the truth of what they say because of how it feels?
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
We study the scriptures and let the Word of God do its work in us. We also use it to examine those who teach it and/or claim to live by it.
We don’t have to be expert theologians to do this. We have to have a love for God and the things of God.
3. We must filter all things through scripture
We must filter all things through scripture, including what we believe, if we don’t want to walk in deception.
If the latest prophet or prophetic voice we might listen to speaks, how do we know what they say is according to the scriptures? We pass it through the filter of scripture.
Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.
1 Corinthians 14:29-33
Yes, all prophecies given are subject to judgment by all Christians. No prophet or prophetic voice is untouchable.
Simple questions to ask to see if the prophecy is scripturally sound:
What is the prophet’s track record?
when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him. Deut 18:22
What is the prophet’s character? (see 1 Timothy 3)
Are they accountable, and if so, to whom?
(The last thing we need to do is listen to people who are accountable to those who are just as bad or worse)
Does their word glorify man or God?
Does their word violate scripture?
I understand this isn’t an all-encompassing article. God willing, I will get into other details.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments. What about this subject do you want me to write on?