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Prophecy: A Word of Caution About Those Who Keep Missing It! Why Do We Put Up With This Stuff? Recently I was watching a Christian television program. A pastor on there was sharing with the audience how God had used him to prophesy to a young man that he was being healed of a terminal illness. How the doctor had confirmed the healing etc. While he spoke I was hanging on to every word he said. I wanted to know more about the healing. Unfortunately, what he said next upset me. He said that the young man died of the same terminal illness he was supposed to be healed of. Why? The pastor said it was because he got his eyes off his healing. Well, Im not so sure thats the reason. First of all, I dont believe that God is going to tell this pastor, or anyone else for that matter, to prophesy to a man that he was going to live when God knew all a long that he was going to die. God doesnt play games and more importantly, God does not lie. The pastor missed it and in my opinion, tried to cover his tracks by saying it was the mans fault he didnt get healed. Take note, this man didnt prophesy that he was going to live. It was the pastor who prophesied it therefore it was the pastor who missed it. It upsets me tremendously when someone misses it like that and then tries to blame it on the dead person. What a lame thing to do! Even if it was the dead persons fault they didnt get healed, why say anything now? Theyre dead. If youre guilty of doing something like that you need to realize youre only hurting their family. Do you really want to do that? Let the dead rest in peace and quit filling everyone elses mind with doubt about that person. Dont destroy their witness! Dont destroy the familys memories! Like I said above, if youre doing that, what a lame thing to do. There are two ways that the above pastor could have saved face
You know the story. (2nd Kings 20) The prophet Isaiah came to Hezekiah and told him to get his house in order because he was going to die. But when Hezekiah prayed, God heard his prayer and changed His mind. He sent Isaiah, the same prophet, back to Hezekiah to tell him there was a change of plans and that God had added another fifteen years to his life. It is important to note that God sent the same prophet back to Hezekiah with the updated details. If for some reason God changed His mind and didnt want to heal this man, he would have sent the same pastor back to tell him of the change of plans. God doesnt make people look like idiots. People make themselves look like idiots when they say they are hearing from God when clearly they are not! Is it possible for a Christian to prophesy something and miss it, but still be a Child of God? Yes. I have heard many preach the Word skillfully only to miss it over and over again when they try to prophesy. They are called to preach but obviously they are not called to prophesy. The bible says in 1st Corinthians 7:20, "Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called." 7:24 says, "Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God." Many do not abide in their calling. And when they dont, they get into spiritual trouble. Heres A Perfect Example of Someone Not Abiding in Their Calling A while back we went to a church to hear an evangelist preach. He done such a good job the first night of the revival that we decided to keep going. However, he started doing something that I believe was clearly out of his calling. Actually, I believe he was in spiritual error altogether. He would stand behind the pulpit and say, someone in here has a stomach problem. Someone in here has a headache. Someone in here has this or that. This reminds me of the time I went to an auction with my mom. Even though that was long ago and I was just a little girl, I still remember the Auctioneers words, I have 10 do I hear 15? Now I have15, do I hear 20? However, I am sure that the evangelist in this case wasnt really trying to auction off sickness and disease each night. But I know one thing, if he was, no one was bidding. After a couple of nights I realized that I never seen anyone go forward to get prayer for the things he was calling out. A couple of my friends said they didnt either. And it made me think, either this guy is missing it, or these people dont want to go forward. Then, it hit me. Why would God have this evangelist call out illnesses and problems, night after night, if no one in there was ever going to go forward and get prayer? The answer is, He wouldnt. God is a straight shooter. Like I said before, He doesnt play games and you can add to that, the fact that He doesnt waste anyones time. This particular evangelist may have thought he possessed the gift of prophecy. Or maybe he thought he had the gift of knowledge. I dont know. Whatever gift he thought he had, obviously he didnt. This man needed to abide in his calling. Evangelist Misses It Big Time! I was in a church service several years ago and a woman I knew was there. She had cancer and we all wanted her healed. The visiting evangelist, who was there that night from another country, called her out and prophesied to her that she would live. Well, sad to say, she died of the cancer not too long after that. Obviously, the evangelist missed it. But, do you know what? That man was asked back and returned to that same church again the next year. I couldnt believe it. I thought, wow, this man missed it so bad that the pastor will never ask him back. But, he did. Go figure! This Nonsense Has Got To Stop Evangelists and pastors need to discern whether the spirits that are talking to them are of God before they start prophesying or acting like theyre prophesying. 1st John 4:1, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." Pastors need to mark those who miss it and never allow them to occupy their pulpits again. Romans 16:17, "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them." Ministers should be made more accountable for the things they do and say. They should be warned and reprimanded when they dont comply. 1st Thessalonians 5:14a, "Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly " God Doesnt Toy With Peoples Feelings When it comes to the gifts and callings of God theres no room for error. We must strive for perfection and never settle with imperfection in these areas. God is a good God. He doesnt toy with peoples feelings and He doesnt lead people on. He doesnt go around telling people theyre healed only to watch them die later. Thats cruel and God is not a cruel God. People have been hurt because their loved ones werent healed. Even though it wasnt Gods fault that someone prophesied a lie to them, those people will never know that. They will only blame God for the outcome. Ministers Miss It andThen Act As If Theyve Done Nothing Wrong Why do these ministers keep missing it over and over, never to be reprimanded for it, and quite frankly, act as if theyve done nothing wrong? I wish I knew. In this day and time, anything goes. You can say what you want and no one will call your hand if you miss it or mess up. Pastors allow these preachers right back in their pulpit when they know they have lied, hurt people, and worse, made God look bad? Yes, they make God look bad. How? By allowing lies to pour out of their mouth continuously, claiming its God. Lets quickly examine a couple of things. 1. Why do ministers miss it in the first place? Im convinced they miss it because they believe every voice that pops in their head. We are cautioned not to do that. I already used this scripture once in this article but worth repeating again. 1st John 4:1, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." 2. Why do ministers keep missing it? Because they keep listening to the same dumb voice that keeps popping in their head. The devil is a liar and he will speak lies to you, and through you, if you let him. 2nd Corinthians says this, "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exhalteth itself against the knowledge of God, bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." We must watch our thoughts being careful not to give place to the devil. Ephesians 4:27, "Neither give place to the devil." In Closing, If youre one of those preachers who keeps missing it. Stop. Quit playing the guessing game. If you dont have a spiritual gift just face up to it and abide in your own calling. And I beckon you, stop blaming the dead for your mistakes. If you prophesy someone is going to live and they die, then you need to wake up and realize, that maybe, just maybe, you dont have the gift of prophecy. Be careful who you listen to Children! Even your sweet little pastor could miss it. Discern the spirits. Stay on your spiritual toes. Until next time, Remember, I said it, and you read it, right here at The Christian Online Magazine http://www.TheChristianOnlineMagazine.com Copyright 2007 by Darlene Osborne (ALL RIGHTS RESERVED) |
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