Who's word's are you listening to?
2 Chronicles 18:13 (TLB) 13But Micaiah replied, "I vow by God that whatever God says is what I will say."
There is a trend today in some Christians, where they are not satisfied with just the word of God. Even though it has sustained us, taught us, given us moral rules and laws, protected us, instructed us in the Holy way of God, and lead us to a saving grace through Jesus, it is just not good enough for today. It is passé, it is out of date, it is old fashion, it really does not give us what we need for today. God just did not mean it that way etc., We need God to do a new thing. We need a new and fresh word from the prophets. We need, we need, we need! What ever happened to what does God want for us. What happened to "Your will be done on earth as in heaven. "
One of these trends that always gets e-mailed to me is the Elijah list. This is a large group of "prophets" many who say they have the spirit of Elijah coming before the Lord as predicted in the Old Testament. I guess we just believe Jesus did not tell the truth. Huh? You say! Matthew 11:14 (NLT) 14And if you are willing to accept what I say, he is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come.15Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand! Now I guess I am just plain stupid. Can anyone explain to me how if Jesus said that John the Baptist fulfilled this prophecy we can have all these "great and mighty" prophets filled with the spirit of Elijah? Not only that but I cannot find anywhere in the Bible that there are going to be thousands of "spirits of Elijah" given around the world to herald in Christ's return. Most of the ones on the list have gone to some "prophetic" school. Yes, we can find schools of prophets in the Bible, but, I cannot find one true great prophet of God that went to these schools. If the schools of the prophets were key to the great prophets why can't we find one great prophet who had to go to prophets school before he could work for God. What happened is that these were followers of the prophet wanting to suck onto their fame and be a prophet too. When you can show me that they all fulfill the Biblical requirement of a prophet, of being 100% correct and not the 60+/-% requirement of Rick Joyner, who by the way, is on their list along with many other known false prophets, then I might buy it. Now, don't get me wrong. I am not saying there are no true prophets today. I am saying use the Biblical test and if they are wrong just once, God says they are not His prophet. Don't just hang on their every word. Test, test, test every word against the word of God.
Old Slue foot even tried that one on me. A few years ago when all these "prophets" with the spirit of Elijah were coming out of the woodwork, like cockroaches after dark, I was in study, when I heard a small voice say " I am going to send you out to preach as the word says with the spirit of Elijah upon you." Wow! Cool I got excited! But, then I did what I always do. I first went to prayer and asked the Lord to show me in His word if this was so. I went directly to the Word of God to test this. I was taken through the life of Elijah, through the prophecies and ended up with Jesus words. Opps! How could this be true if Jesus Himself said that the prophecy had been fulfilled with John? It was just old slue foot trying to side track me like he has with so many.
It is funny and sad in a way. I have pointed out this scripture to so many people and asked " how can these be true prophets if Jesus said it had already happened?" They agree and then continue to soak up all the false words these false prophets give them. Matthew 13:14-15 (NLT) This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah, which says: 'You will hear my words, but you will not understand; you will see what I do, but you will not perceive its meaning. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes- so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.' Who's words are you listening to my friends. Man's or Jesus'?
2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NLT) 3For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear. 4They will reject the truth and follow strange myths. We are in that time my friends. Just the other day a leader in the Episcopalian church did not just disagree with the fundamental Christian idea of the rapture but said with hatred in their voice that they were a bunch of nuts. It was even said by another that "I pray there is a God, so charlatans like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, James Dobson and Benny Hinn, Tim and Beverly LaHaye and all the other fundamentalists, Christo-kooks, and 'Rapture experts' can burn in the bloody hell they deserve." Now this is coming from the group that says "… one of our goals is to be very tolerant, …" This is the group that "tolerates" sinners straight into hell because they do not expect any change in their sinful lives.
Whose words are you listening to my friend? Just because someone who loves Jesus, believes in the rapture, because they don't want to face the tribulation, they have committed a sin worthy of hell? But, an actively sinning individual, involved in homosexuality, adultery, fornications, lying, stealing etc is loved by God and won't face judgment. Who's words are you listening to? The Methodists favorite saying is now " Find your own way, then come fellowship with us." A prominent Presbyterian leader and professor at one of their colleges has just published a book saying the Bible does not condemn Homosexuality. Lets look at just two scriptures. Leviticus 18:22 (NLT) 22"Do not practice homosexuality; it is a detestable sin. 23"A man must never defile himself by having sexual intercourse with an animal, and a woman must never present herself to a male animal in order to have intercourse with it; this is a terrible perversion. Or Deuteronomy 22:5 (KJV) 5The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God. I guess I am just a fry short of a happy meal because the above sure seems to be talking about how God feels about homosexuality.
Who are you listening to my friends? Matthew 15:7 (NLT) You hypocrites! Isaiah was prophesying about you when he said, 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. Their worship is a farce, for they replace God's commands with their own man-made teachings.'"
Let's look at the story around today's verse. Read 2 Chronicles chapter 18. Here we see the story of one king, Jehoshaphat who follows the Lords commands and another, Ahab's that does not. Ahab's wants to invade Ramoth-Gilead. Jehoshaphat suggests that they get a word from God. Ahab calls in all the prophets but one, Micaiah! Why? because "I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla" The words of Ahab. He could not stand Micaiah because he told the true word of God. All the prophets said that Ahab would win the fight. But read verses 12 through 27 with special attention. Notice, first Micaiah tells that they will win and Ahab gets mad and knows that Micaiah is lying so Micaiah tells him the truth the whole truth. 2 Chronicles 18:18-22 (NLT) 18Then Micaiah continued, "Listen to what the LORD says! I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with all the armies of heaven on his right and on his left. 19And the LORD said, 'Who can entice King Ahab of Israel to go into battle against Ramoth-gilead so that he can be killed there?' There were many suggestions, 20until finally a spirit approached the LORD and said, 'I can do it!'"'How will you do this?' the LORD asked. 21"And the spirit replied, 'I will go out and inspire all Ahab's prophets to speak lies.' "'You will succeed,' said the LORD. 'Go ahead and do it.' 22"So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of your prophets. For the LORD has determined disaster for you." Can anyone say, ears dulled, eyes dimmed! Even with this information Ahab gets mad at Micaiah and puts him in prison. Then goes and gets killed fighting the battle the Micaiah told him not to.
Who are you listening to my friends? God's words or mans? We are in the end days and Christ's return grows near. Will you be caught unaware because you are listening to the wrong voice? How do you think the scripture Matthew 7:22-23 (TLB) 22At the Judgment many will tell me, 'Lord, Lord, we told others about you and used your name to cast out demons and to do many other great miracles.' 23But I will reply, 'You have never been mine. Go away, for your deeds are evil.' can be fulfilled? Only by all the people following all the false teachings. This is being seen today. So many false new doctrines being followed because a "great" man or woman of God told us " God is doing a new thing! Follow the words I give you!" Can you see the danger my friends of following the wrong words of man. No matter how great they seem, now matter how close to the truth they seem, not matter how great and mighty the man or woman of God may seem. If you are listening to anything or anyone but God's Holy and true word you are risking your salvation! Read the verse above. "you have never been mine." The Greek here is very plain. No mistaking the message of Christ. Christ said, never, nada, zip, zilch, in no way, not at all, that He never ever knew you! You were never at anytime a part of Him or His work. This my friends should scare you. It should scare you more than even death. Because if you are in that group that listens to every new prophetic word, every new " word" from God, every new doctrine, you my friend could find yourself in Hell the moment after. Because you could hear those words; 'You have never been mine. Go away, for your deeds are evil.'
Who's words are you listening to my friends. When, be honest, when was the last time you heard the still small voice of God. When was the last time you even waited before Him to hear that voice. Who's words are you listening to my friends? How you answer that could answer where you will spend your eternity.
Who's words? Ephesians 4:14 (NLT) 14Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. For the sake of your own salvation grow up, get off the bottle and on the meat of God's Word. Follow only the Masters teachings and ways.
