Misusing God’s name is defying the 3rd commandment.
“Therefore I am against the prophets, says the LORD, who steal my words from each other.
Yes, I am against the prophets, says the LORD, who borrow speeches to pronounce oracles.
Yes, I am against the prophets who prophesy lying dreams, says the LORD, and who lead my people astray by recounting their lies and by their empty boasting. From me they have no mission or command, and they do this people no good at all, says the LORD.” (Jeremiah 23:30-32)
A true prophet is 100% accurate. Any one who is not 100% accurate and claims to be a prophet is either a liar or self deceived. Then what about Jonah? He prophesied Nineveh’s destruction, but when Nineveh repented God spared the city and its inhabitants. Jonah was not a false prophet, but one could say that Jonah’s prophecy did not come to pass. That is why Jonah was upset and not because he wanted Nineveh’s destruction. And because Jonah was well aware that he had no credibility left as a prophet. Certainly, God never used Jonah again.
TRUE PROPHECY is always, ALWAYS a warning! True prophecy nevers strokes the human ego; it is always a call to repentance! There was never a true prophet who did not warn or called to repentance.
But prophets of the renewal only imagine to be inspired by God and what they generate are simply the workings of their own inner voice… Yet nobody questions them, because after all, the “dear little children” type of prophecies rarely contradict the faith and so the appropriate response is the charismatic mantra; “Praise you Lord” and “Thank you Jesus”.
Some of these prophets have their moments of doubt, of course, but it is not so easy to give up the special status they have grown accustomed to. Besides the prayer group would just urge them “not to give into the enemy”. Pride is one powerful trap.
In a rare moment of soul searching the local prophet told me her story. She joined the renewal in the sixties; “I was mightily anointed, the prophecy just poured out of me” she said. “God was walking with me, I felt it.” Then she got sick and had to take cortisone that made her “see the eye of God and hear his heartbeat”. At this point I looked at her incredulously, but she continued. “When the cortisone treatment was over everything went quiet. I am not sure if my prophecies are from God, because I feel nothing. Do you think that I should continue with it?” Don’t do it if you are not sure, I said, God does not like false prophets. That was more than fifteen years ago. She is still the prayer group prophet, but by now her subconscious must hold a never-ending supply of prophecies fit for every possible occasion. Was she anointed by God in the sixties? I don’t know. But I am certain that the cortisone induced intimacy and the prophecies she has been churning out ever since are NOT from God.
