God's Truth In Love

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Man and the Prophet / Part 2

In Advice, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Encouragement, End Times, Exhortation, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Persecution, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Remnant, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Truth, Uncategorized on October 10, 2014 at 1:08 pm

Throughout this series if the solitary word Prophet is used it is meant to include both the male prophet and the female prophetess whose roles as mouthpieces for God are interchangeable.

Bottom line, the prophets felt I presented how they are without presenting the other side of the coin – how people treat them and why. Therefore, through this series, I am addressing those concerns and the questions associated with those concerns.

Question Summary:

I was asked for confirmation that prophets are often treated by the world and some religious systems as having some form of disorder or mental illness because they hear God and see vision with regularity.

The feeling is that the prophets are not treated fairly or viewed accurately.

Response:

This is by far people’s greatest concern and therefore I am addressing it first.

Let me start by acknowledging that the prophets are not treated fairly or viewed accurately by the world system and some religious systems. However, if you are a prophet I would say to you, ‘Toughen up and trust God!’ you are going to have to do both in order to survive and thrive as a prophet. For that matter, this includes any of you who are a prophetic person or have a prophetic spirit upon you.

Should the prophet be chary about how they present their gifts to the world and even the church? I say they absolutely should. They must clearly distinguish between a worldly view that would label the hearing of voices as schizophrenia and seeing things as delusions thus always giving context to what they hear and see. When properly presented, intelligently, as spiritual gifts, not mental abnormalities, most prophets have been able to keep clear of the grip of psychiatry, which has greatly damaged America. One must be willing however to be clear and address the matter openly or else they will be misunderstood. Hiding will not work; you must confront situations at times.

Now on a personal note, let me assure each of you of one Truth. If you are on God’s side of the situation God will protect you, not matter what and I mean I that; I have lived it and I know for a fact that it is true. Now understand me, He may not keep you out of the scrape or keep you from encountering persecution but I promise you if you stay within His Will He will protect and deliver you from the situation and when He is done, He will have given you an experience He intends to use to build up other people and glorify Him. You must trust Him however, you must!

I wrote in a previous piece in the last series, “All too often what some view as a mental abnormality or disorder is actually a higher spiritual order.” There is a life beyond this one. There is a Creator communicating with this world and His creation. God is at work each day within the world and within the lives of people who know Him and those who do not know Him. Spiritual forces both godly and evil are at work everywhere you go. This is why a prophetic person and/or prophets will walk into a public place or even someone’s home and immediately become disturbed, angry, agitated, sad, etc. These are all part of the “higher spiritual order” and connecting the dots, interceding, and interacting within that spiritual order is not something most people embrace or are capable of doing. Therefore, for those prophetic people out there, those upon whom the prophetic spirit rest, and the prophets out there – don’t expect the people to understand this higher spiritual order just spread the Light of God and present Truth where you can.

Whether you are a prophetic person, someone upon whom the prophetic spirit rest or a prophet you must remember with all humility that when you get to a certain place with the Lord there will be fewer people who will be able to relate to you. Prophets are so humble inside that as a result when they are immature in their calling they do not realize this is what is happening to them, that this is why people are pulling back, steering clear, et cetera or why they are often misunderstood.

Because the prophet is attempting in all circumstances to present God’s Will for the present situation and in so doing he or she is seeking to obtain an answer from mankind for God’s questions of them this leaves them continually presenting challenges to people. All too often, these challenges go unmet by the individual, yet, it is still the prophet’s responsibility to present them and in so doing the people begin to associate the prophet with a continually reminder that they are not living up to all God desires for them.

I mentioned in a previous piece in the last series that people have this dynamic backward, when I wrote, ‘The prophet is attempting in all circumstances to present God’s Will for the a situation and in so doing he or she is seeking to obtain an answer from mankind for God’s questions of them.’ Then I challenged the reader with the statement. “Some people have that second point backwards – – think on that for a moment.”

People often seek God for answers or even demand answers from God otherwise they will…, they will not…, and so forth; but in Truth it is God who has a holy right to demand answers from us!

I wish to remind the readers that these are not simply my own beliefs this series is a collection of agreed upon beliefs by many respected servants of God, highly versed in this topic.

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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Man and the Prophet / Part 1 – Introduction

In Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, End Times, Exhortation, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Love, Persecution, Prayer, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Remnant, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Truth, Uncategorized on October 6, 2014 at 3:38 pm

Throughout this series if the solitary word Prophet is used it is meant to include both the male prophet and the female prophetess whose roles as mouthpieces for God are interchangeable.

The series that was just completed “The Pesty Moralist – The Prophet” was intended to explain the characteristics of the prophets and the interactions of the prophets with man primarily from the prophet’s side of things. However, it has been brought to my attention that perhaps further explanation is needed on a few points when it comes to “why” people react toward prophets as they do and why people treat prophets as they do. Some people felt I did not explain this as I should have and they were concerned that I might have left people with the impression that all the interactions prophets have that are negative are their own doing or because of their own characteristics, discounting the part man plays by how they treat the prophet or act toward the prophet.

I gathered the input of several people most of whom were prophets or were married to prophets but not all, some were lay people; as a result, I have decided that it is best to proceed with this series and that the best way to proceed is to combine some further input with addressing direct questions, which have been posed. Thank you to each of you; you know who you are, for your input and feedback.

I ended the last series with an addendum, Part 17, which touched on the areas where prophets viewed my one-sided approach as lacking. I fully acknowledge the difficulty it takes to honor the calling of a prophet, for the prophet and for their spouse. The people the prophets must deal with, the carnality within the people, the religious spirits, the demonic spirits, the self-seeking self-serving attitudes, the demands, etc. are more than half of the reason prophets and the people are at odds with one another.

Prophets are use to acceptance without explanation, aka faith, their relationship with God is based on that Truth. This played a key role in why my approach was only from the perspective of the prophet’s behavior, demeanor, and/or actions. What I am being called upon to address, will bring balance, showing the other side of the situation, the people’s behavior, demeanor, and/or actions toward the prophet that creates and affects the prophet’s behavior, demeanor, and/or actions leading to them being misunderstood.

The “why” factor has so many answers when it comes to the following two statements. 1] The prophets and prophetess suffer from being misunderstood, disliked, and ill-treated by people. 2] They endure great hostility directed toward them from both the world and the church. I will address some of those whys, from the other side of the coin – man’s actions toward or reactions to the prophets, for my brothers and sisters through this short series in a way that honors them and their calling. However, I would like to end this introduction with a simple, yet, wise statement from a prophet friend.

quote – “In all my many years of trying to protect myself from getting hurt or trying not to hurt others, not once did God tell me anything more than that many do not understand. He didn’t explain details as to why.”

“The Truth is that God loves us, Jesus was persecuted so shall we be, and people fear what they don’t understand.” – end quote

I wish to remind the readers that these are not simply my own beliefs this series is a collection of agreed upon beliefs by many respected servants of God, highly versed in this topic.

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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The Pesty Moralist – The Prophet / Part 16 – Conclusion

In Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Exhortation, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Persecution, Prayer, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Remnant, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Truth, Uncategorized on September 8, 2014 at 7:00 pm

Throughout this series if the solitary word prophet is used it is meant to include both the male prophet and the female prophetess whose roles as mouthpieces for God are interchangeable.

Something I have heard a great deal about is the passion, the attitude, the boldness, the dogmatic nature, the frustration, the intensity, etc. of the prophets. There are those who seem extreme even to me and some call me extreme. Then there are those who barely speak. Then there are those who seem like they are about to become unhinged. People have experienced many different types of prophets and prophetess.

The first point I want to make is that they are not all alike. If you are use to a mild-mannered, for lack of a better term, prophet, which is rare but there are a few, you must keep in mind they are not all that way and you might encounter one that gets a bit excited. If you are use to what I would deem a brutal prophet, thank God those are not the norm either, then you may have been wounded or you might not recognize a prophet who is quite balanced in their approach.

Some people have said that the moods and attitudes of the prophets go from one extreme to another. In my view, this might be true to a small degree. However, those extremes dissipate as the prophet grows and matures thus God brings balance to the living out of their calling. One must know and never forget that God works through the person and that there are parts of the person, the person’s temperament, and the person’s personality that will show through even during prophetic moments.

The prophets do seem to have similar temperaments and thus we find similarities in their demeanor. A reminder here…The temperament is instill by God before birth and is not the same as the personality. God implants a specific temperament in a prophet before birth because God knows that one day He will call that man or woman to the calling of a prophet or prophetess.

There is a theory by Schopenhauer, again as I said previously this is not someone I would typically read but these particular sayings of his are applicable. He believed a life of powerful passion results in abnormal irritability. I would have to agree that this can be true of prophets based on the prophets and prophetess I have known, studied or researched. He also believed that for those who detach from “normal” intelligence to the service of and/or to rely upon something, or for the prophet someone greater, the One True God, for insight, deeper understanding, and greater intelligence beyond what the mind can reason, what I call a God-intelligence; these are people who find themselves often suffering from loneliness and deep melancholy. I also find this to be true of most of the prophets and prophetess I have known.

Why do the prophets have the irritability, the loneliness, and the deep melancholy? Because unless you are a prophet it is extremely hard to understand a prophet and this leaves them vulnerable to being misunderstood, disliked, and often attacked unjustly. The way their mind works, the things in their spirit, the passion that they feel for God, His Will, His Ways, His concerns, etc. is so different from most people’s, even other Believers, it is hard for them to communicate with others. There is more than one reason God said, ‘let the prophets be subject to the prophets’ actually there are several.

1 Corinthians 14:32 (NKJV) And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.

My point here and the application here is that only other prophets are meant to adequately discern the spirit of another prophet, the key being “adequately” or accurately. The second point is that only another prophet can truly understand and relate to a prophet, how they think, what they feel, what life is like for them. Therefore, since you cannot find a prophet on every street corner, or even in every congregation for that matter, the prophets can get a bit melancholy or even lonely at times because they know that people for the most part just don’t get them. Not to mention they endure great hostility directed toward them from both the world and the church.

All too often what some view as a mental abnormality or disorder is actually a higher spiritual order. I threw that one in for the actually prophets who read this, they are about the only ones who will really understand that statement. The prophets have aspects to their demeanor, temperament, and/or personality that are not the average but one cannot draw any conclusions about the individuals overall makeup due to those “aspects” that deviate from what is considered average or typical.

I have heard it said that prophets are professional agitators and are viewed as foreign agents to the world. The prophet is merely attempting in all circumstances to present God’s Will for that situation and in so doing he or she is seeking to obtain an answer from mankind for God’s questions of them. Some people have that second point backwards – – think on that for a moment.

The true prophet or prophetess never seeks the title, it was given to him or her, and once again, the true prophet seeks to make God’s Will known to all that will listen for there is no self-understanding without God-understanding.

I mentioned the following in earlier parts to this series but I wish to mention it again now. The modern-day prophets and the ancient prophets are not exactly the same and whereas they serve similar purposes their purposes overall are not the same. Many years ago God gave me a name that depicts the modern-day prophets with greater understanding and that name is Truth-bearer.

This concludes this series on the prophets and I pray you have been blessed in some way through its words. Thank you for your questions, I have tried to address them all within the context of the series or privately. If I have failed to address something about the prophets and prophetess you would like to know please send me your questions or input and I will attempt to bring greater clarity. Additionally, if you have input regarding a topic for the next series please do let me know.

I wish to remind the readers that these are not simply my own beliefs this series is a collection of agreed upon beliefs by many respected servants of God, highly versed in this topic.

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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The Pesty Moralist – The Prophet / Part 15

In Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Love, Persecution, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Remnant, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Truth, Uncategorized on September 1, 2014 at 8:15 am

Throughout this series if the solitary word prophet is used it is meant to include both the male prophet and the female prophetess whose roles as mouthpieces for God are interchangeable.

The most exceptional mark of the prophet’s manner is their awareness of being one with God in a very deep intimate fellowship, not a fusion – as God is God and man is man. God in all His Godhead approaches the prophet in a manner they can relate to, God as God and the prophet as the person the prophet is. In this way, the Divine can communicate with the created, with His called, with His mouthpiece in a way the prophet can understand. The prophet’s personal identity does not vanish instead the prophet gains power under the overwhelming impact of the communication from God, even when the message is disturbing to the prophet. The prophet is often even responsive to God during these times. The prophet will react to the Word he or she receives.

When God does approach the prophet, there is an awareness of a personal mission to a particular person or group of people.

Whereas prophecy is in a manner a vocation, one that exhibits charisma and comes through election, it presupposes neither training nor the gradual development of a talent. It comes entirely by an act of God’s grace. Prophecy and the job of the prophets is to communicate the insight of God inspired within them. The purpose of God’s communion with the prophet is to bring about righteousness, justice, and piety within people, the Body of Christ, and society. The prophet receives the Word and proclaims the Word.

You can spot a mystical act as not being true prophesy. A mystical act is when “something” happens and a prophetic act is when something is said. Prophecy is a confrontation. The prophet definitely knows what his or her Word implies but they do not elaborate with their views. Their primary concern is the message and not the form of delivery.

A difference between the prophet and ordinary people is the possession of a heightened and unified awareness of certain aspect of life.

I wish to remind the readers that these are not simply my own beliefs this series is a collection of agreed upon beliefs by many respected servants of God, highly versed in this topic.

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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The Pesty Moralist – The Prophet / Part 13

In Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christianity, Exhortation, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Persecution, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Remnant, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Truth, Uncategorized on August 20, 2014 at 11:59 am

Throughout this series if the solitary word prophet is used it is meant to include both the male prophet and the female prophetess whose roles as mouthpieces for God are interchangeable.

The prophet present and represent a Holy God, a God who put in place and defined all the virtues we would like to see in people. Holiness originated with God, comes from God, and is imparted to mankind by God through the surrender of self-will.

Despite all the fear the wrath of God brings to people, the prophet is not crushed or shaken in his or her understanding of God and trust in God. To the prophet what is Divine is never strange, odd, or weird. Amazingly, the prophet can convert fear, shock, or terror into a song of praise, for the prophet sees that when the Lord smites He is often both smiting and healing (Isa. 19:22 and Hos.6:1). People look at their lives, the problems they are in, and rail against or complain to God, the prophet looks at the problems and recognizes that God is disciplining because someone refuses to change, to obey, to surrender their self-will.

Hosea 6:1 (AV – KJV)

Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.

Isaiah 19:22 (AV – KJV)

And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the LORD, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them.

When it comes to injustice or sin done against a person the prophet internally suffers those harms done to another in their own self, they so identify and empathize with the injured that it seems to them that they too are the injured party or prey. This is an aspect of the ‘anger of God’ that they carry in their spirits – the end to indifference.

Exodus 22:21 (NKJV)

“You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

“The man who is angry at the right things and with the right people and further, as he ought, when he ought, and as long as he ought, is praised.” – Nicomachean Ethics – This is not someone or something I would read or recommend, as philosophy cannot be reconciled with Scripture but this particular quote is fitting as it support Scripture’s views on righteous anger or righteous indignation.

“Severity must tame whom love cannot win.” – Abraham Heschel

I wish to remind the readers that these are not simply my own beliefs this series is a collection of agreed upon beliefs by many respected servants of God, highly versed in this topic.

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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The Pesty Moralist – The Prophet / Part 11

In Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, Exhortation, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Persecution, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Remnant, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Remnant, Truth, Uncategorized on August 14, 2014 at 7:27 pm

Throughout this series if the solitary word prophet is used it is meant to include both the male prophet and the female prophetess whose roles as mouthpieces for God are interchangeable.

A common theme since I started this series has been comments to the effect of, ‘Thank you so much for this series, I now understand my spouse so much better. It has been hard to connect with how they think and their passions but this series has helped me understand them in a deeper way.’

I thank you for your comments and I encourage each one of you who has a prophet or prophetess for a spouse to pray fervently and often for your spouse. They need your love and prayers daily in order to continue in their call. Also, if your spouse is new to their call or for whatever reason they lack full understanding of their call please encourage them to read this series; the better they understand their call the better they will understand themselves and the greater their peace will be.

Now to continue…

By God revealing His Word to the people through the prophets, He is acting to exemplify justice. One of the purposes of prophecy is to be one of the tools God uses to maintain His covenant with His people and to establish and/or keep right relationships between Himself (God) and man.

Because the prophet has such a profound awareness of injustice this drives them in what appears to be their endless preoccupation with justice and righteousness. Prophets have no remorse about unveiling injustice and oppression whether the oppression and injustice be motivated by political, social, or religious evils.

The presence of oppression and corruption is always uppermost in the prophet’s mind. The prophet’s urgency regarding justice is about aiding and saving the victims of oppression. Oppression and injustice angers a prophet extremely. God will often allow prophets to go through injustices of their own to deepen their understanding, empathy, and compassion for the problem and to expand their understand regarding just how much, and why, God hates injustice so much.

A prophet’s calling could be described in part as an advocate, activist, or champion who speaks for those who do not have their own voice with which to plead their case. Prophets often run interference dealing with wrongs imposed on other people; this can happen to the degree that they might be viewed as interfering in matters that are not their responsibility. Prophets will step in and intervene in a situation even when they have not been asked to do so or authorized to do so. They do this because they are not tolerant of the injustices and the wrongs done to other people and they actually identify with the suffering of another person to such a degree they can resent other peoples injuries as if they were their own.

Prophets call other people to be the champions, defenders, backers, advocates of …

I wish to remind the readers that these are not simply my own beliefs this series is a collection of agreed upon beliefs by many respected servants of God, highly versed in this topic.

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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Return to Full Devotion

In Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, End Times, Exhortation, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Persecution, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Remnant, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Truth, Uncategorized on August 11, 2014 at 6:27 pm

Ezekiel 34 – Today we see a similar situation among the spiritual leadership of, and within, the Body of Christ in America and elsewhere. The words recorded in the Book of Ezekiel, Words given to the prophet, stand as a warning to us even today.

May the apostate leaders and apostate church congregations, those who have left the path of being solely devoted to Jesus, the Christ, and His gospel, turn back to full wholehearted devotion to Christ.

Ezekiel 34:1–31 (NKJV)

Irresponsible Shepherds

34 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3 You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. 6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.”

7 ‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 “As I live,” says the Lord God, “surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock”—9 therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the Lord! 10 Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.”

God, the True Shepherd

11 ‘For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God. 16 “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.”

17 ‘And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. 18 Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture—and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet? 19 And as for My flock, they eat what you have trampled with your feet, and they drink what you have fouled with your feet.”

20 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God to them: “Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. 21 Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, 22 therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23 I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.

25 “I will make a covenant of peace with them, and cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26 I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing. 27 Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them. 28 And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid. 29 I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore. 30 Thus they shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are My people,” says the Lord God.’ ”

31 “You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,” says the Lord God.

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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The Pesty Moralist – The Prophet / Part 10

In Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christianity, Exhortation, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Persecution, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Remnant, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Remnant, Truth, Uncategorized on August 9, 2014 at 11:48 am

Throughout this series if the solitary word prophet is used it is meant to include both the male prophet and the female prophetess whose roles as mouthpieces for God are interchangeable.

Righteousness and peace are interdependent Ps. 85:10. “The work of righteousness will be peace, And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.” Isaiah 32:17 (NKJV)

Prophets are adamant about the need for mankind’s redemption. Without redemption, there is no hope for mankind. People need redemption both in this life and redemption in the next, when all people shall stand before God’s throne of judgment.

We find with the prophets that despite their inner identification with God they are not always ready to accept Divine judgment as final. They often attempt to plead and intercede before God for the people. They might even complain about God’s way of doing things in a particular circumstance. However, once God acts and the affliction, scourge, or punishment begins the prophets are neither crushed nor aggrieved.

The state of feeling perplexed is not foreign to the prophets. Their experience and observation has brought them to a rather haunting awareness; the Truths of what they are called to proclaim they often find difficult to sustain.

The prophets are also perplexed at the power, impact, and work of God; the voice of God is so clear to them yet, seems to remain unnoticed by most people. The prophets are set on fire by the Word of God yet the people are not. For the prophets human situations and circumstances can only be understood in combination with God and what God is doing yet not so for the people. To the prophets God and/or His Truths can be seen in everything yet not true for the people. The prophets view, experience, and interact with life differently than most people, which leads to both a closeness to God and a barrier with their fellow mankind.

There are two absolute facts about the life of a true prophet. 1 – God sought them, they are chosen by God and God’s Word is so clear to them. 2 – People will reject and to some degree fear the prophet because God’s Word through them is incomprehensible to them.

I wish to remind the readers that these are not simply my own beliefs this series is a collection of agreed upon beliefs by many respected servants of God, highly versed in this topic.

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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The Pesty Moralist – The Prophet / Part 9

In Bible, Christian Living, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Persecution, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Remnant, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Truth, Uncategorized on August 5, 2014 at 5:00 am

Throughout this series if the solitary word prophet is used it is meant to include both the male prophet and the female prophetess whose roles as mouthpieces for God are interchangeable.

Let us continue to examine Jeremiah as an example of the prophets. God had to transform Jeremiah as a person because God had to use Jeremiah with a defiant person. In essence, God had to transform Jeremiah into the opposite of who he had been. The same is true more times than not for modern day prophets.

Jeremiah 17:14,17 (AV)(KJV) – Jeremiah Prays for Deliverance

14 Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.

16 As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have I desired the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right before thee.

Because prophets are gentle and compassionate by birth, traits found in their temperament, the idea of the task they are called to as prophets is often difficult for them to accept and at first somewhat distasteful to them. This explains the need for the transforming work of God in their lives.

The role of the prophet to some of his or her contemporaries is indefinite at times. People often confuse the godly indignation they feel, which is born out their sympathy with God’s Divine wrath, with the prophet having a personal axe to grind with them. This happens because the indignation they feel becomes so much a part of them through that Divine sympathy that it is hard for them and others to distinguish the difference between the prophet’s personal feelings and the feelings coming through their sympathy and understanding of God and how God feels toward His creation at times. The prophet is not giving vent to personal hostility; most of the time the indignation he or she feels is not something they control the presence of in any manner it is independent of their being yet, it is also something they must not lose control of when they are dealing with people.

Please read that last sentence a couple of times in order to absorb what I am expressing through that statement because the statement is of vital importance to understanding a prophet or being a prophet.

There is little doubt that the prophets feel the extreme of emotions. They can go from agony and pit to tremendous joy. They might also be enveloped in Divine wrath or ache with compassion for people. Prophets will go from words of accusation and admonition to pleading with God on the people’s behalf for mercy. However, get in the way of God’s prophetic Word and the prophet will call for retribution from God. God’s Word is always first priority for the prophet or prophetess.

These extremes in emotions can be misleading to people because it makes the prophet appear to lack consistency, which can be misunderstood as a lack of integrity. This makes people wonder if there is a moral problem. However, one must understand that a prophets inner life is not solely their own. His or her emotional state reflects Divine relationship to the Body of Christ, God’s people, and the world. Both the compassion and anger they feel does not always originate with them. It is often more than the prophet feels he or she can bear as well.

Jeremiah was accused of taking delight in the harsh words of negative future events if the people refused to turn from their sin or they refuse to begin to act; yet, he took no such delight in the Words he had to speak. A man who loved his people and served his people was now considered an enemy to them because he spoke Words they refused to hear or accept. Such is true in this period in history with the current prophets. This leaves the current prophets feeling much the same as Jeremiah felt, they must accept the anguish of having to bring the Words and the aching soul, which comes from the defamation.

The prophets and prophetesses of today are similar to Jeremiah in that they are continuously exposed to the situation of God. They are assiduously attentive to the mood of the people offering with boldness the challenge, warning or call needed to untangle the knots in the relationship between God and man.

I wish to remind the readers that these are not simply my own beliefs this series is a collection of agreed upon beliefs by many respected servants of God, highly versed in this topic.

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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The Pesty Moralist – The Prophet / Part 8

In Biblical Principles, Exhortation, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Persecution, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Remnant, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Remnant, Truth, Uncategorized on August 2, 2014 at 5:15 am

Throughout this series if the solitary word prophet is used it is meant to include both the male prophet and the female prophetess whose roles as mouthpieces for God are interchangeable.

Although the prophets and prophetess have revelation about the future along with insight and understanding of the past, they also have a responsibly to the present. The prophets have a responsibility to the period in history in which they live. For that matter, the prophets have a responsibility to be open to God in every moment, to what He is revealing to him or her in every moment, within every encounter.

There have been in biblical times and there are today what one might call ‘prophets of wrath’ who express the anger of God against injustice, evil, sin, and ungodliness. These individuals house a passion within their spirits that requires, if not demands, release because trying to contain it for them is like carrying around a fireball in the center of their being that scorches their hearts, spirits, mind, and souls. They feel this Divine wrath spring up from deep inside their spirits. In a society, that values vanilla, no opinion, politically correct, empty people their passion can both inflame and inspire those around them.

The prophet’s Divine wrath is an inner condition of sympathy with the Divine anger of God. This fire of anger against ungodliness that burns within them is something that must be expressed by the prophet. For a REAL godly prophet that inner prophetic sympathy with God is stronger than their will and that inner passion much more powerful than their personal disposition.

Just examine the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah, it is safe to say, hated his prophetic assignment. For a person filled with love, it is horrible to be a prophet of correction, discipline, restraint, penance or wrath. They love the people so much they do not desire any harm or hurt to come to them and they certainly do not desire personally to injure them yet, it is because of that same love they cannot stay silent. Ungodly people’s responses to and views of the prophets today are much the same as it was for Jeremiah in his day; prophets are considered a laughingstock by some, mocked by others, publically rejected by most and suffer from inner misery often. Reference Jeremiah chapter twenty especially verses seven and eight.

Despite their inner struggle with their calling, despite the misery they often feel the real prophet is unable to disengage from God’s Words and/or revelations and is unable to discard the Divine burden they carry. The root of the prophet’s aguish is that those he or she loves dearly he or she is also called upon to correct, exhort, or rebuke. As God Wills, the prophet must bring about Words of correction to the person or peoples actions.

Those individuals that long for or desire a prophetic prophet calling are most likely not really true called prophetic people or prophets; for the true prophets have typically wrestled against accepting their calling, at least in the early stages. Those individuals who seek after a prophetic call are usually immature and do not understand the prophetic call for what it is, if they did they would have the same type of response we find in the true prophet. Some individual seek to find a means by which they can feel seen and valued within the world and Body of Christ thus they seek a prophetic calling or the prophetic gifts. They too are most likely not truly called of God or not truly prophetically gifted. Still other individuals are simply confused and do not understand the difference between a prophetic call, a prophetic call as a prophet or prophetess, and flowing in the occasional act of prophesying. These individuals believe that if they have prophesied on occasion, that equals a prophetic call and gifting or a prophetic call as a prophet and it does not.

Back to the response of people to the true prophet. When a prophet is sent by God to approach a person regarding sin or ungodly behavior, it is almost always because the individual failed to search their own lives for the sin and ungodliness or refused to respond to God’s previous promptings on a matter. The result of their own failure to do what they should have done is transferred to the prophet in the form of resentment toward the prophet for accusing them of ill-will – as though their behavior or lack of response to God was the prophet’s fault. In this situation if the prophet is not a seasoned prophet their love for the person can lead them to be deeply hurt by the person’s response and they may even protest to God because after all it was God who sent them, who told them to open their mouths – the Word was not born in their own hearts but in the heart of God.

I wish to remind the readers that these are not simply my own beliefs this series is a collection of agreed upon beliefs by many respected servants of God, highly versed in this topic.

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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The Pesty Moralist – The Prophet / Part 7

In Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian, Christian Living, Christianity, End Times, Exhortation, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Persecution, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Remnant, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Fruit, Spiritual Remnant, Truth, Uncategorized on July 30, 2014 at 4:01 pm

Throughout this series if the solitary word prophet is used it is meant to include both the male prophet and the female prophetess whose roles as mouthpieces for God are interchangeable.

God will often use the prophet’s life experiences to help the prophet share pathos with the Divine and thus understand the heart of God in a greater way. An example of this would be Hosea the prophet’s marriage to Gomer, the lady, let us just say, of less than a stellar reputation who caused Hosea much grief during their marriage. God is not beyond placing the prophet in difficult relationships and circumstances.

The prophet however, is also difficult to live with at times. The prophet’s standards are extremely high, his or her spiritual stature can be too much for people sometimes, and their concerns too intense for people to understand. This makes life difficult for the family, friends, and associates of the prophet, just as it makes life equally difficult for the prophet himself, or the prophetess herself, at various times in life. For the prophet this can lead to aloneness, even in a crowd, and if that aloneness is not managed properly, it can lead to loneliness. It takes a special, divinely selected person to be married to, or the friend of, a prophet.

A reader pointed out something that I wrote in part four of this series, which prompted me to bring some added clarity to my remarks. What I wrote was, "The predications of the prophet can always be proven wrong by a change brought about in man conduct."

The reader went on to state in their comments, “This hadn’t really occurred to me. I thought that prophecy had to come true. I didn’t think about the purpose behind the message – leading people to change.”

I would like to add a bit more clarity to my previous statement. In so doing, it is important to remember that my various comments throughout this series are merely that, various aspects of a huge topic; they are not meant to be an exhaustive explanation of prophets and prophecy. You would have to understand a good bit about prophecy and how it works to understand my previous remark but I will try to give a basic explanation that should help readers understand in a greater capacity.

You have to consider the context of a prophecy and the form of the prophecy being given. There are some prophecies that will come to pass regardless and there are some that do not have to, or cannot come to pass based on how the people respond to the Word of God.

In the Bible, you will often hear God say to His people, if you do this then this will happen, if you will go or do this or that then I will do this for you or I will make this happen. God’s promises, found in the Word of God are much the same way in that they often are contingent upon an “if” that God has put into place. Those ifs are our invitation from Almighty God to subject our freewill to His Will. God communicates with His people in a similar fashion in some forms of prophecy.

If the prophecy is a conditional prophecy where God is commanding change, if the people will respond and change their course of action or behavior a prophecy regarding what will happen if they do not does not have to come to pass.

If it is a prophecy of God’s Will for the person or group, if people choose to respond to God and act then a prophecy can come to pass but if they choose not to act then a prophecy cannot come to pass.

I do hope this helps to bring more clarity to my previous statement about the ability for a prophet’s prophecies to be proven wrong, (adverted or missed out on) based on the conduct of the people. My statement was primarily meant to help people understand that what they perceive as a prophet being proven wrong or their prophecies failing is often the result of God’s actions due to the response of the people, or lack of response from the people, to the prophecy.

I wish to remind the readers that these are not simply my own beliefs this series is a collection of agreed upon beliefs by many respected servants of God, highly versed in this topic.

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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The Pesty Moralist – The Prophet / Part 6

In Agape Love, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian Living, Encouragement, End Times, Exhortation, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Persecution, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Remnant, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Remnant, Truth, Uncategorized on July 29, 2014 at 6:23 pm

Throughout this series if the solitary word prophet is used it is meant to include both the male prophet and the female prophetess whose roles as mouthpieces for God are interchangeable.

The prophet or prophetess is often viewed as some impersonal reproducer of the God inspired message but in actuality, they participate in the act and personally respond to the message that is being communicated by God. Prophets are not mere mouthpieces they are people. They are not just instruments, but vessels used of God, vessels with a hearts and emotions both of which are effected by what they hear and see.

For the prophet the overwhelming impact of the Divine Pathos upon their mind and heart can grip their personality in such depth that it seems at times to almost completely absorb them. There is an unrelieved distress to some degree that comes from involvement with conveying the Word of God. Therefore, the prophet should not be thought of as someone who must be dispassionate in order to be effective.

For the prophet the focal point for their understanding of God is God’s Word and their experience with God. The prophet or prophetess not only lives his or her personal life, they also live God’s life insomuch as they hear God’s voice and feel His heart. The prophet tries to impart the Pathos and Rhema Word of God together with the Logos Word of God. At times the prophet’s soul overflows, thus he or she speaks as they do out of the richness of their sympathy with God and the people.

If there is a disagreement between God or God’s Truth and man the prophet will always take God’s side, thus the results at times can be little understanding from the prophet for the weakness of man. The prophet shares an emotional solidarity with God.

The prophet shares God’s heart in reconciling the tenderness of Divine love with Divine punishment or justice. Love does not ignore evil, sin, and wickedness. The Lord Jesus loves His people but He also has a passionate love for right, justice, and holiness and a burning hatred for wrong, injustice and ungodliness. Hence, we see the prophet exhibit similar feelings that must be controlled and regulated according to Christian agape love and in balance with the Will of God.

I wish to remind the readers that these are not simply my own beliefs this series is a collection of agreed upon beliefs by many respected servants of God, highly versed in this topic.

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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The Pesty Moralist – The Prophet / Part 5

In Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, End Times, Exhortation, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Persecution, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Remnant, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Remnant, Truth, Uncategorized on July 21, 2014 at 10:32 am

Throughout this series if the solitary word prophet is used it is meant to include both the male prophet and the female prophetess whose roles as mouthpieces for God are interchangeable.

I have had a couple of inquires about the boldness of prophets, their actions, and reactions, therefore, I have woven my responses throughout this piece.

People may choose not to listen to or respond favorably to a prophet’s admonitions, yet, they cannot remain indifferent to the prophet’s existence because God has provided them with the understanding that a prophet has been among them, Ezek. 3:27. People respond when the Spirit of God speaks the Will of God through the Prophet of God and the power of God is thus present therefore one way or another people cannot help but respond to Him, meaning God through the prophet.

The prophet is considered a servant, a watchman, a messenger of God, one who warns the people, as well as an assayer (one who analyzes, discerns or judges) and tester of people’s ways. The prophet’s words and actions continually reflect his or her calling and the gifts that accompany that calling. Prophets judge people or discern their actions from God’s point of view not their own. The prophet’s is endowed with the insight to say not that they approve or disapprove of a person’s actions but that God approves or disapproves of a person’s actions.

Prophets are bold and strong, even forceful most of the time but their hearts are never cruel toward the people. Their forcefulness is born out of compassion for the person’s wellbeing. Meekness is a trait that a prophet will have in some measure as it is a fruit of the Holy Spirit but the meekness is often not external but instead internal and is manifest by inner feelings of humility. The prophet’s meekness is an inner meekness not an outward display.

Society and societies conduct is the prophets main topic, followed by the church and the church’s conduct and relationship with the society that surrounds them. A prophet is a person struck by the Glory and Presence of God in both environments. The greatest ability of the prophet is his or her ability to hold God and mankind in a single thought.

Regarding apparent contradictions by prophets. Prophets deals with relations between God and man, where contradiction is inevitable. Conformity to earthly logical standards is not characteristic of a prophet’s conduct, thus the reason for apparent contradictions. Jesus often appeared to contradict Himself to those around Him, yet, His goal was to help people find their Divine balance based upon Divine perspective, which is the source of ALL TRUTH. The prophet’s main goal is to bring the world around to Divine focus.

I wish to remind the readers that these are not simply my own beliefs this series is a collection of agreed upon beliefs by many respected servants of God, highly versed in this topic.

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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The Pesty Moralist – The Prophet / Part 4

In Apostasy, Bible, Biblical Principles, Chrisitan Lifestyle, Christian Living, End Times, Exhortation, God, God's Voice, Godliness, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Persecution, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Remnant, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Remnant, Truth, Uncategorized on July 14, 2014 at 1:51 pm

Throughout this series if the solitary word prophet is used it is meant to include both the male prophet and the female prophetess whose roles as mouthpieces for God are interchangeable.

Continuing in this piece will be the exploration and attempted understanding of the prophet and how the prophet or prophetess’s mind, heart, and spirit functions. Through understanding the messengers, we see through the windowpanes of the temporal into the eternal.

Those endowed with prophetic sight and prophetic insight looks around at a world filled with people who appear blind to them. For someone who perceives the voice of God most of the world seems deaf.

The prophets come across as possessing the opinion that no amount of knowing is strong enough, no person is just, and no trust is complete because for them there is no middle of the road. There is no form of half way or approximate that works for the prophet. Therefore, to most individuals the prophet is strange and one-sided an unbearable extremist. Their continual challenge of mankind to straighten out their ways makes them appear to be extremist; yet, to them they are simply voicing the heart of God, which has existed since the fall in the Garden of Eden.

Interesting enough some will tell you a prophet should never be wrong. Simply not, true. The predications of the prophet can always be proven wrong by a change brought about in man conduct. If this were not so then there would be no need for the prophet to begin with. The very nature of their assignment is to provoke change in order that man will not suffer the consequences of his or her own actions.

It is an insult and mortification to real prophets that so many pretenders run about predicting prosperity, peace, offering cheerful words, shoring up self-reliance, all in the mist of sin, while the true prophet predicts the agony, destruction and disaster that sin inevitability generates.

What many people do not understand mainly because of the pretenders, the false prophets, who make being a prophet look so grand, is that being a true godly prophet is both a distinction and an affliction. For the true godly prophet his mission is both unpleasant to him and obnoxious to others. The prophets bear both reproach and scorn from the world and the religious church. In a most modern secular society, prophets can even be viewed as madmen and abnormal. Yes, they are abnormal if the measuring stick for normal is a sinful secular society. They face misery, being mocked, being persecuted, facing reproach, and dealing with loneliness. Yet, God has promised them protection in many ways.

Jeremiah 15:20–21 (NKJV)

20 And I will make you to this people a fortified bronze wall;

And they will fight against you,

But they shall not prevail against you;

For I am with you to save you

And deliver you,” says the LORD.

21 “I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked,

And I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.”

Yes, the prophet may be a lonely person because he or she alienates the wicked, pious detractors, carnal believers, worldly and religious judges, and false prophets but that is what it means to be a prophet, one must challenge, defy, and cast out fear.

I wish to remind the readers that these are not simply my own beliefs this series is a collection of agreed upon beliefs by many respected servants of God, highly versed in this topic.

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

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The Pesty Moralist – The Prophet / Part 3

In Bible, Biblical Principles, Christian Living, Encouragement, Exhortation, God, God's Voice, Godly Counsel, Holy Spirit, Persecution, Prophecy, Prophet, Prophetess, Remnant, Revival, Rhema Words, Spiritual Activism, Spiritual Activists, Spiritual Remnant, Truth, Uncategorized on July 12, 2014 at 5:00 am

Throughout this series if the solitary word prophet is used it is meant to include both the male prophet and the female prophetess whose roles as mouthpieces for God are interchangeable.

The prophet views injustice differently from most people. To the majority the solitary act of injustice is a slight injustice, this is not so for the prophet. For the prophet injustice, any injustice, is considered a threat to world as a whole and is a catastrophe. When injustice is manifest in falsehood, misery, hypocrisy, or outrage the impatience of the prophet becomes apparent to all who sees or hears him or her because the individual feels fiercely the wrath of God against ungodliness and sin. God hates injustice and the prophet hates injustice – intensely.

For the prophet he or she takes what they say so seriously that from their perspective, their life and soul are at stake due to what is going to happen with what he or she says. Those prophetic utterances are both urging and alarming, they are forcing people onward, and they carry a summons. The prophet’s language is often explosive, glowing, firm, harsh, compassionate, and fused with contradictions. Their apparent contradictions are more paradoxes than actual literal contradictions.

The prophet loves people but with a much deeper love than is common, a form of holy love. Therefore, the prophet is intent on intensifying responsibility, contemptuous of pretense and self-pity, along with being impatient with excuses. Their tone of voice is rarely sweet and caressing but instead it is often both consoling and disturbing. Their words can cut at the heart, sometimes horrify, and often are shocking to people when they expect to be edify through a kinder gentler means. Their mouths are a “sharp sword” they are a “polished arrow” from God (Isaiah 49:2) as they are an agent of Christ.

You may see life as tranquil but the prophet’s eyes see the world reeling in confusion. You may see the here and now the prophet sees a vision of an end. The prophet is human yet hears things others do not hear (the voice of God) and experiences things that defy understanding. The prophet’s words begin to prick where people’s conscience ends and thus they are viewed as someone who assaults the minds of people. The prophet destroys the false images people have erected in their minds. They challenge the religiously holy and religiously revered, exposing pretensions in religion. In so doing their words come across as stern, sour, and stinging yet, behind them is compassion and love for mankind. Why do they do this?

Exhortation is a prophet and prophetess’s prominent theme not mere prediction. Their ability to foretell is a sign of authority, yet his or her essential task is to declare the Word of God in the here and now. Prophets see the world from God’s point of view as transcendent not immanent truth. Their apparent exaggerations are simply a deeper penetration of truth – truth again, from God’s point of view, not the prophet’s. A prophet’s accusations are more easily understood when you evaluate them not through what man views as good but instead through what God views as holy.

I wish to remind the readers that these are not simply my own beliefs this series is a collection of agreed upon beliefs by many respected servants of God, highly versed in this topic.

 

 

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

11And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.