We can create prophetic words that are formed by our assumptions. Those words will affirm what people want to hear or repeat what misguided teachers have taught us to believe. We need to be careful what we speak, especially regarding the social and spiritual terrain into which we are currently moving.
At a similar time in history, the Lord called Jeremiah to speak to God’s people. What he had to say was not widely accepted. Jeremiah was not great by human measurement. He was poor, unpopular, and persecuted, but he loved the people to whom he prophesied so much that he was called “the weeping prophet.” Even though Jeremiah’s words were strong, they were created because of his love for the people.
At one point, Jeremiah said to the Lord, “O SovereignLord, their prophets are telling them, ‘All is well—no war or famine will come. The Lord will surely send you peace’”(Jeremiah 14:13). Similar prophetic messages are being spoken to the Church today and many are believing those messages to be true.
Then the Lord responded to Jeremiah, “These prophets are telling lies in my name. I did not send them or tell them to speak. I did not give them any messages. They prophesy of visions and revelations they have never seen or heard. They speak foolishness made up in their own lying hearts. Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I will punish these lying prophets, for they have spoken in my name even though I never sent them”(vs. 14-15).
A prophet is a person who must first and foremost love the people to whom they speak. To speak in the name of the Lord is a consequential assumption. It can have dire consequences if what we prophesy is not from the Lord.
Not all prophetic words are encouraging joy-filled messages. Some will contain warnings. The Lord encouraged His followers, but He also warned them about how to live and what was coming. If we think we are called to speak in God’s name, it is better to remain silent than to create assumptive words and attach God’s name to that word if the word is something He never told us to speak.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Garris Elkins
Featured Image by Ihor Kuryliak from Pixabay
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