FALSE PROPHETS and How to Avoid Them
Why is it that prophets are so popular in this day and age? Their predictions and opinions about current events flood social media and You tube videos. They apparently have viewers or their orations would soon cease. So why do they persist?
Could it be that those who call themselves God's people would rather listen to some man or woman wax eloquet about the future, preferring that over reading the Bible for themselves and letting God talk to them in prayer?
Two dangers lurk in depending on prophets for a 'word':
1. Listeners fail to hear God's voice and His truth first-hand. They do not learn how to distinguish a false voice from God's.
2. Listeners fall prey to believing false words as truth and follow them in error so serious that they could even damn their souls!
In the early days of Israel's establishment as a distinct people for God and Him alone, she began listening to false prophets rather than relying on His chosen servants for leadership. In order to warn Israel and keep her feet from straying from God's path, Moses spoke for God to His people and referred to this whole problem of false prophets.
He is quoted in Deuteronomy 13:1-4 as saying:
"If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you saying, 'Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul."
Now I've heard plenty about false prophecies not coming true to prove whether or not a prophet is really from God. But these verses say even if a prophet's prediction does come true, if he directs the hearer to go in a direction that is not toward God, it is a testing from God to see how real and devoted the hearer really is to God.
Remember! God is sovereign over ALL. He can allow a false prophet to have a vision that is not from Him, even if it comes true. A duped listener who sees that fulfillment as proof of the prophet's validity, follows what the prophet next says, however wrong it is. It always leads away from God, not to Him.
Therefore, what is a person supposed to do? How can we discrern the false from the true? How can we be sure our feet are following Jesus, not a counterfeit antichrist and false prophet? God never leaves us stranded and without help. He provided an answer in the same cluster of verses as the ones quoted above.
Listen to verse five that follows the ones just quoted:
"You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him."
That fifth verse lays out the correct path every believer must follow in order to live a life of true love for God here on earth and certainty of making it to heaven when life on earth ceases. We shall look at those features carefully, for they define the difference betweens spiritual life and spiritual death---it's a matter of Life and death!
First, forget about prophets, regardless of how anointed and blessed they appear to be. You don't absolutely need their words in order to follow God correctly. They may be real or they might be false; you don't need to spend your precious time proving one or the other. Devote your strength and attention to God Himself. Make up your mind that you are going after God and His truth, no holds barred.
Moses' first admonition in verse five is "You shall follow the LORD your God." It is not a suggestion: it is a command, an imperative that is the basis of everything else going forward. Determine that no matter what it demands from you, you are going to seek God and His will to do it. Regardless of what distractions come your way to steal your time and attention, keep striving after knowing God and doing His will.
"...and fear Him;" The present generation of folks has been raised to believe they are entitled, 'it,' and untouchable. By and large, parents do not expect or demand obedience. Children do not obey parents or other authorities, and, therefore, they do not seek to obey God nor do they fear His consequences if they don't.
People do not fear God as their Heavenly Father because they never learned to fear and respect their earthly father or parents---if they had one or both in the home at all. If a person does not fear God out of respect and honor, he or she has no reason to keep His commandments and obey them...and they don't believe heaven or hell exist either! They are in everlasting danger and don't know it!
Schools teach the theory of evolution as though it is truth. Evolution ignores and rules out God as the Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe. If He is not Lord over all, what He has said does not matter nor must it be regarded as truth. Therefore, people in the world--and even in the Church--do not fear the consequences of their sins. Some do not even believe sin is sin!
If you are determined to follow God in all His ways and make them yours, too, honestly tell God that you do not fear Him, but want to. Ask Him to show you what you must do to learn that fear. He will hear and answer that sincere prayer.
Next, "...you shall keep His commandments." How can you know His commandments if you don't read His Bible to learn what they are? So, this commandment means that you read and let the word of God permeate every fiber of your person. Memorize Bible verses that can echo in your memory while you're on the job, asleep at night or mowing the lawn. When the Holy Spirit of God zeroes in on a verse or phrase of a Bible verse, think about it over and over as it sinks into your personality, not just your mind. God will make it live for you and in you.
And, then, "...listen to His voice." Because so many false prophets are afoot today claiming the voice of God told them this or that, true shepherds of God's people are careful not to say God told them this or that apart from the Word itself.
While I agree with that approach to some degree, it is still true that God does speak to the individual heart--your heart. If you will be obedient to Him, saturate yourself with His word and meet in prayer with Him daily, yes, hourly, He will and does speak to us individually. His voice comes through many different vehicles. An old prophet once heard God's warning through the voice of a donkey. Saul heard Jesus speak from heaven while he was on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians. The apostle Peter heard a voice tell him all animals were clean even while a vision showed him a sheet filled with various animals used for meat.
When the Holy Spirit speaks to you clearly so that you are convicted and convinced in your heart that you heard His voice, obey Him. What He says must be in agreement with the Bible. Follow carefully the path He opens to your feet. His voice is not loud. In fact, it is quite faint, meaning you won't probably hear Him much when you're out running around. Rather, He speaks in the quiet place where just you and He meet in fellowship together.
Next, "...serve Him." To serve someone speaks of humility, obedience and unwavering faithfulness to one higher than yourself. Loyalty, honor, respect, standing up FOR Him in the face of adversity, constant availability to His needs and wants are wrapped in servitude to Jesus. It is loving obedience, not a grievous duty. That's what Jesus' words mean: "My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." It is a joy to do whatever He directs.
Finally, ""...cling to Him." I suppose you might cling to Him in fear, but that isn't what this phrase points to. It upholds God as the most important treasure of your heart. The merchant in Jesus' parables about the Kingdom in Matthew 13 speaks of the value put on the Pearl of Great Price. God is that pearl. He is the dearest treasure our heart can ever own. While His price demands everything from us, His value is priceless, and the only vault He chooses to live in is our heart, His temple. At all costs, cherish Him and His presence within your heart. He is the most costly possession you will ever own. Guard Him with your life!
So, there we have it. The measures we must put into place in our spiritual lives to avoid being led astray by false prophets. Instead, they will lead us in the correct path to heaven.
You shall follow the LORD your God..."
"...and fear Him;"
"...you shall keep His commandments."
"...listen to His voice."
"...serve Him."
"...cling to Him."/