Memorise:
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of
God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1 John 4:1
Read: 1 John 4:1-4
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.
4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus
Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh
is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard
that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is
he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Message
There are different categories of
prophets. We have genuine prophets and counterfeit prophets. You might have
been deceived by a false prophet, but if you search very well, you will find a
genuine one who will deliver the correct message of God to you. One thing is
certain: God will always deal with false prophets at His own time and in His
own way (Deuteronomy 18:20). God always confirms the words of His genuine
prophets (1 Samuel 3:19). The apostles warned us in their epistles against
listening to false prophets. Apostle Peter in 2 Peter 2:1 warns that: “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be
false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even
denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift
destruction.”
The children of God must be aware of the various ways by which prophecies
come to people. Prophesies can originate from any of these sources: the Holy
Spirit, the human spirit and the spirit of the devil. In 2 Chronicles 18:19-22,
we read about a lying spirit which took possession of the mouth of self-made
prophets of King Ahab. To counter the operations of false prophets in your environment,
you must be armed with the truth of the word of God. One way of knowing false
prophets is by weighing the content of their prophecies on the scale of the
word of God. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ in Galatians 1:9 wrote that: “As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto
you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”
For instance, it is a false prophet that would prophesy to a married woman that
her real husband is yet to come. This is why children of God must be
well-grounded in God’s word. A child of God that is well-grounded in God’s
word, will know the scripture in Matthew 19:6 that says,
“Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath
joined together, let not man put asunder.”
When a prophet prophesies to a born-again lady that an unbeliever is the man
God has chosen for her, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 will reveal the falsehood of such
prophetic utterance. It is equally important that a child of God possess the
gift of discerning of spirits (1 Corinthians 12:10). May the Lord equip you
with perfect knowledge of His word to be able to weigh every prophecy that
comes your way in Jesus’ Name.
Prayer Point:
Father, enlighten my eyes of understanding to decipher false prophets in
Jesus’ Name.
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Acts 6-7 & Song of Solomon 1:1-10
AUTHOR: Pastor E.A. Adeboye
Comments
Post a Comment