True and False

The Bible does not tell us to beware of prophets.

But the Bible is very clear when it says; beware of ‘false prophets’ and their deception.

Prophets have been misunderstood, played down, turned down and frowned upon by the ‘church’ of today. It is sad when these things happen, because the prophet is not anything special, but an ordinary man just like us. The Prophet is filled with passion, is connected solidly to God, lives in sacrifice and has to speak when God tells him to; otherwise God’s message burns like an unquenching fire in his bones. He carries rejection, dejection and sadly is accepted only to a small section of the church.

There are basically only two kinds of Prophets among us.

One is the true, the other is the false.

But the Bible gives us very simple and clear directives on how to recognise them.

Let me share something.

Recently in my city there are a lot of fake currency notes of big denominations going around. Just the other day a friend of mine was conned with one. Poor chap, he was distraught. When we talked about it at home we pulled out another real note and laid them side-by-side, to actually see and know the difference.

You know what? It was real difficult to tell. Unless you saw very closely.

I noticed three things…firstly; the feel of the paper was slightly different. Secondly, the ink was a bit discoloured…maybe with use I suppose. And lastly, this was the hardest one though…in some places, but not very noticeable to the casual eye…there was a slight, very slight smudging of ink.

People like us will easily be deceived to accept the false note.

So I asked another friend who works in the bank. This is what he said…“We are so used to daily handling the real currency, so when something fake comes into our hands, we know it immediately”.

Here is a reality. When you are listening to true prophets all the time, you can immediately recognise the false one when he comes along!

That’s why the Bible teaches us not to despise prophecy and prophesying.

So you can actually make out the false prophet!

A false prophet will ‘feel’ different…you cannot place him properly in your spirit, you get uncomfortable when he is around. He is secretive to men, manipulative to preach, and intimidates the church to fear the future. He is not comforting, encouraging and strengthening. His honesty level does not match with his lifestyle and his words.

A false prophet will not carry the true colours of the Kingdom…his flag is different. It is the flag of his own kingdom. He goes in his own name and revels in his own fame. He will criticize. He will politicize. He will incise the unity and exercise his own rules. Instead of separating the sheep from the goats, he will separate the sheep from the sheep.

A false prophet will ‘smudge’ God’s Word…there is no submitting and committing to church leadership. No one knows where he goes next. He is on his own. Like a butcher, he looks for fat sheep to slaughter and good wool to take away and ‘cover’ himself. He is self-projecting, self-gratifying and self-made. He always carries the same ‘word’…a copied word, he has no ‘originals’ no substance that heals, no balm that restores. His finances fulfill his own pleasures, because his money is minted in the wallets of those that want to hear a ‘good’ word for themselves.

But a true prophet…

A true prophet cannot be bought…he has no price tags, no selling points and no adverts.

A true prophet walks in the Word at all times…both in public and even at home. (Ask his wife and children).

A true prophet is forthright…he does not beat around the bush and hoo-ha about the Word and the values within.

A true prophet loves God…the Kingdom is his perspective and Heaven is his objective.

A true prophet is known by his afflictions…the testing times of God are always his daily bread as he walks by the lamp of God.

A true prophet knows loneliness…he does not seek a crowd and a sense of belonging by dropping great names and accolades of the people he’s been with.

A true prophet does not long to be seen by others…he has no photographs to show, no shows to attend…he only longs for the face of God rather than the faces of men.

A true prophet is sensitive…because he is filled with the Spirit and knows how to handle the fragility of men.

A true prophet is pugnacious…he knows when to be aggressive in the things of God and submissive to leadership in the church.

A true prophet is accountable…both to God and also to leadership.

A true prophet always has mentors…those who have corrected him, and those who have inspected him.

A true prophet always carries a message of repentance…the finished work of the Cross of Jesus and the power of His forgiveness are always intertwined within his message.

A true prophet always sheds God’s light on men and circumstances…there is no self involved in what he says or does. He chooses to be the least.

A true prophet always brings revelation and revolution in the things of God…when he leaves the church walks in a new dimension.

A true prophet has a clear sense of the timings of God…because he is saturated with God’s Word and infuriated with men’s vain babblings.

A true prophet always has a deep cry within him…men without a true heart for God cannot hear him, cannot bear him, cannot counter him, and cannot stand him.

A true prophet always stays hidden…until God reveals him to the church.

A true prophet is a harbinger…he tells the truth about the coming wrath without watering it down.

A true prophet comes to stop the famine of God’s Word and begin a new season of God’s providence.

A true prophet is what we desperately desperately need today in our churches and nation. If there was any time that true prophets need to come forth it is today!

We have spent millions on evangelists that pour out God’s heart for the lost. Our radio, Internet and TV stations are crammed with messages and YouTube videos. There is so much happening today…

But where? Where oh God…Are the true prophets?

Please Father…bring these true men out of hiding. Bring them with their mantles and messages from Heaven. Bring them to restore our hearts and passions. Bring them, Oh Father…to stop the famine of Your Word and begin a new season of refreshing and repentance among us.

Our society is lost.

Our hearts are far away.

We need these men to stand on our land and proclaim Heaven’s habits and habitations. Amen!