Fortune Seller (Radio / Podcast)

Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!
(Ezekiel 13:3)

Much of what the true prophets of the Old Testament did was to confront the false prophets of that day. In our time, this is also one of the signs of a God sent prophet, to distinguish them from the many counterfeits that are always near the real men of God. The prophet will speak against those who hear, not from God, but from their own imaginations. Men like John MacArthur or the late A.W. Tozer are persons I would consider to be a “prophet”.

We all need to be on the lookout for the false prophets of today, or any day, if we are reading material from the past. Just because you do not believe in so-called “prophecy” today does not mean that you cannot be fooled. Let’s look at this for a moment.

The false prophets of today are often not acting as fortune tellers, but fortune sellers. They have guaranteed ways of garnering God’s blessing for your life. Or so they imply, what, with their steps to success, keys to the kingdom, miracle water, anointed prayer cloth, or whatever the toy in the happy meal package is this month. These days they are not so much into telling the future, but selling the future. They may not even call themselves a prophet, but they are certainly looking to profit, if not from your money, then from your recognition. That is where even the non-charismatic person can get duped.

It is up to the believer to be able to look to the Word of God to discern truth from error. The Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments, points to many warning signs of a false prophet. Often false prophets understand that others are on the lookout for them, or they don’t want to be considered a false prophet, because they are deluded by their own status of self. Because of this they will make sure to maintain a sterling character, and many will not make wild predictions.

However, this isn’t the only measure of and the only way to spot a false prophet. The false or foolish prophets are not only those who incorrectly foretell the future, or those whose moral character is lacking, but also those who are self-promoters instead of God promoters, and those who do not confront the people with their sin, but instead speak smooth words designed to flatter the people. Mark it down; a false prophet will fail on one or more of these accounts. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

Often we hear talk that the Bible is God’s “owner’s manual”. This is wrong. The Bible is not an owner’s manual; God is not a vehicle for you to drive. Others use the Bible and its promises like a witch uses her dark books. They distort the Word of God. If you would use proper context and a decent hermeneutic, you might see that they often claim promises that are not actually there. When we use the Word like a magic book, we try and find "spells" to justify our actions. They ask you to plant your seed, but what they really mean is grant their greed.

Self-deluded and self-important people often take the title of “prophet”, or assume a position of leadership within the visible church, but speak little more than empty words. There will always be, however, weak minded, backslidden, or fleshly churchgoers who will flock to these popular but poisonous teachers. Many whom haven’t been renewed in their minds or transformed in their character are simply looking for an edge. What they get is cut to pieces.

With so many examples of false prophets, so many warnings against falling under their influence, and so many signs given to distinguish the true from the false, it is easy to see that those who do fall prey to false prophets are often ignorant of the Word of God on the subject.

Sell out to God: read the Word, know the Truth, and stay with that!

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Passion and Pride

…I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked… and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God… from the midst of the stones of fire.
(Ezekiel 28:14, 16)

Burning hot encounters with majestic splendor do not guarantee a continued walk on holy ground with God. Satan walked among the stones of fire but he burned with his own passions. Do we do that with the things of God? We encounter Him but all it does is to stir our pride and enflame our passion for our own agenda. There is a way to corrupt your own wisdom, to warp your spiritual perspective and it begins by becoming convinced that you are more than you really are, or by wanting to be something you are not called to be.

You don’t need a burning bush encounter in order to obey what you know His Word already tells you to do. To treat everything else that isn’t some radical experience as common is to treat everyday life with Jesus as common. Just because you have had some experience doesn’t necessarily make you special. It might make you responsible to use that gift, but all the children of God are loved equally. This doesn’t mean we don’t have particular roles to play, it means we need to be careful lest our gifts spoil us, and be careful of looking at experiences or gifts that make us bitter toward God and jealous of other people. We should be careful of being bedazzled because we may end up bedeviled.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Fortune Seller

Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!
(Ezekiel 13:3)

Much of what the true prophets of the Old Testament did was to confront the false prophets of that day. In our time, this is also one of the signs of a God sent prophet, to distinguish them from the many counterfeits that are always near the real men of God. The prophet will speak against those who hear, not from God, but from their own imaginations. Men like John MacArthur or the late A.W. Tozer are persons I would consider to be a “prophet”.

We all need to be on the lookout for the false prophets of today, or any day, if we are reading material from the past. Just because you do not believe in so-called “prophecy” today does not mean that you cannot be fooled. Let’s look at this for a moment.

The false prophets of today are often not acting as fortune tellers, but fortune sellers. They have guaranteed ways of garnering God’s blessing for your life. Or so they imply, what, with their steps to success, keys to the kingdom, miracle water, anointed prayer cloth, or whatever the toy in the happy meal package is this month. These days they are not so much into telling the future, but selling the future. They may not even call themselves a prophet, but they are certainly looking to profit, if not from your money, then from your recognition. That is where even the non-charismatic person can get duped.

It is up to the believer to be able to look to the Word of God to discern truth from error. The Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments, points to many warning signs of a false prophet. Often false prophets understand that others are on the lookout for them, or they don’t want to be considered a false prophet, because they are deluded by their own status of self. Because of this they will make sure to maintain a sterling character, and many will not make wild predictions.

However, this isn’t the only measure of and the only way to spot a false prophet. The false or foolish prophets are not only those who incorrectly foretell the future, or those whose moral character is lacking, but also those who are self-promoters instead of God promoters, and those who do not confront the people with their sin, but instead speak smooth words designed to flatter the people. Mark it down; a false prophet will fail on one or more of these accounts. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

Often we hear talk that the Bible is God’s “owner’s manual”. This is wrong. The Bible is not an owner’s manual; God is not a vehicle for you to drive. Others use the Bible and its promises like a witch uses her dark books. They distort the Word of God. If you would use proper context and a decent hermeneutic, you might see that they often claim promises that are not actually there. When we use the Word like a magic book, we try and find "spells" to justify our actions. They ask you to plant your seed, but what they really mean is grant their greed.

Self-deluded and self-important people often take the title of “prophet”, or assume a position of leadership within the visible church, but speak little more than empty words. There will always be, however, weak minded, backslidden, or fleshly churchgoers who will flock to these popular but poisonous teachers. Many whom haven’t been renewed in their minds or transformed in their character are simply looking for an edge. What they get is cut to pieces.

With so many examples of false prophets, so many warnings against falling under their influence, and so many signs given to distinguish the true from the false, it is easy to see that those who do fall prey to false prophets are often ignorant of the Word of God on the subject.

Sell out to God: read the Word, know the Truth, and stay with that!