Tag: prophets
The Importance and Significance of John-the-Baptist’s Ministry
John the Baptist’s unorthodox, unique, and unprecedented forerunner ministry burst forth suddenly, unexpectedly, and dramatically, to say the least. In bringing forth John’s ministry, God ingeniously, if you will, circumvented or bypassed every existing authority structure and system at the time—civil and religious—which demonstrates this is the reason the Holy Spirit inspired Luke to set the scene as He did.
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Apostolic Strategy for the Defeat of Principalities and Powers of the Air (Part 1)
An understanding of the principalities and the powers of the air is foundational to all true seeing. There is a realm of invisible, angelic beings brooding over this earth, profoundly influencing the conduct of individuals and nations. They are the rulers of this present world. It is extraordinary how naïve, ignorant, or indifferent the church is toward these powers, despite the fact that this theme is absolutely foundational to the whole calling of the church!
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
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Coming Soon To A Church Near You!
In preparation for a great visitation, God may raise up many messengers, each preparing the way of the Lord in his own appointed sphere. This is surely a day when God is looking for forerunners to blaze the trail of revival; not smooth preachers, but rugged prophets: men of the stamp of Elijah, who, with the hand of the Lord upon him, girded up his loins and ran before the king to the entrance of the royal city (1 Kgs. 18:46). Thus, he demonstrated the spiritual work he was doing as a forerunner. On Carmel Elijah had prepared the way of the Lord, and now the Lord was coming “as the latter rain that waters the earth” (Hos. 6:3).
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Distinguishing Flakey from False Prophets
The prophetic movement and or prophetic leaders have perhaps been the most controversial in the Body of Christ the past several decades. Some of it has to do with the fact that many people are afraid of any move of the Spirit and or criticize that which they do not understand. However, as someone who has functioned in prophetic ministry since the early 1990’s, I would say that a fair share of criticism against the prophetic is warranted because of either “flakey or “false” prophetic ministries. It is the objective of this article to attempt to bring a distinction between a flakey and false prophet.
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12 Reasons “Spiritual Covenants” Are Not of God
Recently, I interfaced and interacted with a group whose primary commonality is their claim to be apostolic leaders, which, in my view, is extremely dubious in the case of but only a few. In the aftermath, a great disappointment and matter of dismay to me was being made aware, despite the decades of disapprobation and disrepute, some of their number, including some of their senior leaders, continue to employ in working/relating “covenant relationships” with junior leaders of their group such “spiritual covenants” of the ilk described and referenced herein. I was deeply grieved in my spirit by what I saw, discerned, and experienced at that conference.
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Apostolic-Prophetic Restoration in the 21st Century (Pt-2)
Apostles and Prophets are the Master-Builders, or General Contractors, of the House of God—the Church Jesus is building. They are the foundation-layers.
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Apostolic-Prophetic Restoration in the 21st Century (Pt-1)
Following His death, burial, resurrection, and numerous appearances in His resurrected Form, on the Day of Ascension, on the Mount of Ascension, as He was ascending on High, the Apostle Paul, who, as an apostle born late (1 Cor. 15:8), as it were, was not even there, but who reveals to us by revelation of the Spirit, that Jesus relegated and delegated His five-faceted anointing that He Himself ministered through during His fleshly ministry, unto the Church that He is building (Eph. 4:8-13), fulfilling the type and shadow of Elijah’s Prophetic Mantle falling down upon his successor, Elisha, as he was being translated into Heaven alive, having eluded death (2 Kgs. 2:1-15). Jesus, as He was ascending, according to Paul’s prophetic narrative in Ephesians Four, relegated and delegated His five-faceted ministry anointing unto certain persons of His own election: “some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the service (ministry), to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain unto the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.”
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Our Great Deficiency
I can only say that I have observed one significant lack among evangelical Christians which might turn out to be the real cause of most of our spiritual troubles. Of course, if that were true, then the supplying of that lack would be our most critical need. The great deficiency to which I refer is the lack of spiritual discernment, especially among our leaders. How there can be so much Bible knowledge and so little insight, so little moral penetration, is one of the enigmas of the religious world today.
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10 Prophetic Abuses and Manipulation
I have found the prophetic gift, including inspirational preaching, teaching and prophetic words to be the most edifying of all the gifts as St. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 14. However, with every true gift of God comes either a counterfeit and or an abuse. You can say that about all of the cluster of gifts mentioned in Ephesians 4:11. The prophetic gift can especially be very dangerous if left un-checked, since people think the words spoken are directly from God and will often obey them without question or the use of discernment. Based on all my years of operating in the prophetic, as well as mentoring, nurturing, overseeing and hosting many prophetic ministers, the following are ten signs of prophetic abuse and manipulation.
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Peculiarities of Present-Day Prophets
God calls all kinds of people to be prophets. The Lord chose the foolish things to confound the things that are wise (1 Cor. 1:27-29). David was an obscure shepherd boy. Amos was not a prophet or a prophet’s son. God calls people who would not qualify by the standards of men. Prophets are not determined by men but by God. God’s choice is a challenge and rebuke against the pride of men.
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Prophetic Purpose
With all the proliferation and promotion of the prophetic that is happily taking place now in some streams and camps of the Church, it is critical that we understand what the true purpose of the prophetic really is. Some prophetic novices and new prophetic groups appear to think that prophecy itself, whether in the form of personal prophesying over people or publishing prophecies on the Internet, for example, is the goal of the prophetic. Moreover, the actions, attitudes, and speech of some regarding the prophetic seem to indicate they think that the prophetic is an end in itself. But, it’s not.
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Do My Prophets No Harm!
“Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm” (1Ch 16:22; Ps. 105:15).
Though this Divine command is too often abused and misused, God said it twice in His Word, which is special emphasis indicating He certainly meant it! Though, of course, God always says what He means and means what He says! Thus, I would say it would be a good idea for anyone to give heed to that warning. Anytime you think God is leading you to engage in an ad hominem attack of words and/or actions or some sort of an insurrection against a genuinely anointed and appointed man of God, another good idea is to remember the fate of the company of “Korah & Sons,” who participated in a personal attack and insurrection against the man God had chosen and anointed to deliver Israel, Moses, and the principle of unintended consequences!
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