THE HARD TRUTH: PASTORS HAVE TO DEAL WITH FALSE PROPHECY ON A REGULAR BASIS

Through the years I’ve pastored, I’ve found myself involved in the lives of individuals facing many different decisions. During this time, I’ve seen the genuine voice of God directing people, and I’ve also heard some wild ideas from people convinced they heard a word from the Lord. The desire to have God confirm their inner desires can at times be so strong, they are willing to even violate scripture, opening themselves up to deception. Here’s the thing about spiritual deception…

Once seeds of deception enter the heart, people quickly identify confirmations and other signs that they believe confirm their decision. When this takes place, steering a person back toward sound judgement and even scriptural authority can be almost impossible. This is especially true if there is a seed of offense or root of bitterness present.

DOOM & GLOOM PROPHETIC

Another challenge church leaders face involves what we call doom and gloom prophets – or at times more accurately described as destructive prophets. These are not seasoned prophets carrying correction for the body of Christ wrapped in the redeeming and loving heart of the Father. These are people looking for platform in a local church setting, utilizing shock and fear to grab attention. Suddenly a person shows up in a church community prophesying the exact opposite of “edification, exhortation, and comfort” (1 Corinthians 14:3).

But the most painful experience for pastors and leaders involves those whom we’ve walked with in leadership. After training a person up, pouring into their lives, we find them shipwrecked by something they believe God told them, or something someone “spoke over them.”

This type of dysfunction deeply damages both people and churches. Almost all of these scenarios can be explained with one single scripture…

James 3:16 says, “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.”

Soulish lusts, personal ambition, envy and jealousy can produce a filter through which they prophesy, leaving untold damage in their wake. Deciding they’ve heard from God, anyone challenging the word, or attempting to judge the word, is accused of fighting against the Lord. The person who prophesied feels leadership has rejected the word of the Lord, or even worse, rejected them as an individual. They then leave their church community, often taking people with them on the way out. Surely, we can do better with the precious gift of prophecy.

God has established built in checks and balances for prophetic ministry. Paul outlines this to the Corinthian church saying, “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge the word” (1 Corinthians 14:29).

Until we reach maturity 🙏🏻