BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS!
Memorise:
Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God
calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by
the Holy Ghost. 1 Corinthians 12:3
To succeed on earth and make it to heaven, we should
beware of false prophets. One of the ways to identify false prophets is through
their disposition to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 12:3, we
are told that no one speaking by the Spirit to God says: “Jesus be cursed”, and
that no one can say that Jesus is Lord but by the Holy Spirit. False prophets
have a negative attitude to the Lordship of Christ. It is true that false
prophets are deceptive. Some are so deceptive that they pretend to say and to
do many good things in the Name of Jesus. However, their actions always portray
Jesus in bad light and make His Lordship inconsequential. The state of their
heart is described in Matthew 15:8 which say,
“This People draweth nig unto
me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far
from me.”
You should beware of false prophets and false
teachers. There is no gain-saying the fact that the heart of a false prophet is
far from the Lord. One way of recognising false prophets is through their fake
prophecies. Many false prophets portray Jesus as a liar through their false
prophecies. Many predictions of false prophets, which they make using the name
of the Lord do not come to pass. Consequently, people lose interest in them and
may even conclude that Christianity is bogus. Another way to recognise a false
prophet is by their unscriptural behaviour. Many false prophets are immoral.
Some practice polygamy instead of monogamy. Some have chains of wives and
concubines. Infidelity is rampant among many while some drink alcoholic
beverages. They also enjoy dirty jokes and obscenity. Some false prophets have
so degenerated to the extent of engaging in money rituals and other obnoxious
practices. All these attitudes draw people away from the Lord and say, “Jesus
be cursed”. Apart from the foregoing, most false prophets are false teachers.
Matthew 7:16 & 20 says false prophets and false teachers are known by their
fruits. False teachers disseminate false knowledge, skills and attitudes.
Invariably, they produce disciples whose lifestyles do not glorify God. Most
disciples of false teachers are outright agents of the devil; many of them are
corrupt, immoral and pretentious. Beware of false prophets!
Action
Point
Watch
the fruits of a ministry before sowing your time and God-given resources into
it.