Prophet vs. Soothsayer

 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. (Matthew 7:15).

Right now, we’re living in “uncertain times.” People are scared and are looking for answers, for the certainty of what’s to come. We are also living in a time where false prophets, aka soothsayers, are popping up all over the place, especially on social media. So how do you tell the difference between a prophet that God sends and a soothsayer sent by satan? You can differentiate between both through the Word of God and heavy reliance upon the Holy Spirit.

There’s a consistent pattern of the prophets in the Bible. When they came or were called upon to deliver a message, it was a warning, a foretelling of the future (good or bad), instructions for a corrupt spiritual state of a people, or to declare God’s judgment (good or bad). The prophet Moses prophesied blessings to the Israel children if they obeyed God and cursings for disobeying God (Deuteronomy 28). Deborah, the prophetess, told Barak that God will subdue Jabin, a king of Cannan, who oppressed the Israel children for many years into his hands (Judges 4). The prophet Isaiah gave Judah and the Israel children instructions to turn from their wicked ways (Isaiah 1). The prophet Jeremiah prophesied to Jerusalem about God’s judgment of destruction and the Babylonian seizure because they disobeyed God (Jeremiah 16).

Unlike today, Biblically, people were not waiting in line, anxiously to hear a word from a prophet, usually because they were aware of their spiritual state and knew that the news they would receive was “not sweet” to their ears. I used to listen to this prophetess/pastor religiously driving home from work. She had a 3:00 p.m. radio segment where you could hear her prophesying over people and people’s testimonies of her prophecy coming true. People would line up to get a word from her. One day, I asked the Holy Spirit if I should go to her to inquire about a personal matter. The Holy Spirit immediately responded with, “She’s a witch.” Later, He revealed that it does not matter if what she (a soothsayer) speaks comes to pass. God will prove your love for Him, to see if you will obey Him or go after other gods (Deuteronomy 13:1-4).

A false prophet is similar to a soothsayer. They say what’s soothing to the ears. The only difference is that a false prophet comes in the name of Jesus. Here are some tips to determine the difference between a prophetess and a soothsayer:

• A prophet cannot give a word upon request. This is not Biblical. There is no record in the Bible where you will read a group of people standing in line to receive individual prophecies. Prophets spend a lot of their time in solitude, waiting to hear from the Holy Spirit. They are not to prophesy unless God has given them a word (Deuteronomy 18:19-22).
• If you are given a message about your current situation that is contrary to God’s laws, commandments, covenants, precepts, judgments, and statutes, you are hearing from a soothsayer. For example, if the Holy Spirit gave you specific instructions to follow and confirmed the instructions through the Word of God, and a prophet comes along with a contrary message and gives you a scripture to gain your confidence, then this is satan. Read the story of the man of God and the old prophet in Bethel in 1 Kings 13.
• If a prophet says to you that God is going to bless you and you know that you are out of the will of God and living a sinful life, then you are being lied to (Jeremiah 23:16-17).

Remember queens, before receiving a word from a prophet, ask the Holy Spirit to verify if the word is for you and if it’s from God.

 XOXO,

Jay

Are Your Angels Out of Commission? Part II

Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word (Psalm 103:20).

Last week, we addressed how to commission your angels (see previous week's article, "Are Your Angels Out of Commission?). This week, we will address how angels act on our behalf and on behalf of others once they are commissioned through the Word of God.

One day, the Holy Spirit awoke me suddenly out of my sleep, and He compelled me to pray immediately for one of my sisters because satan had sent a fiery dart to devastate her. I immediately started praying, "No weapon formed against [my sister's name] or her family shall prosper. Every tongue that riseth against her in judgment, she shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and her righteousness is of the Lord, thus sayeth the Lord (Isaiah 54:17)." A week later, I received a call from my sister telling me that my brother-in-law had a stroke and had to have emergency heart surgery. Today, my brother-in-law is in excellent condition, as if he had never been ill. The Word of God did not say that a weapon would not form; it says that it would not prosper. When my sister had shared the news of my brother-in-law's rapid recovery, the Holy Spirit reminded me that the angels of God hearken at God's Word and God's Word only. So when we pray God's Word over someone, we are sending out our angels to accomplish the Word of God in that person's life.

God commands His angels to protect those that are not yet Saved but are predestined to be Saved (Psalm 91:11 and Hebrews 1:14), therefore, giving them the chance to repent. Years ago, I heard a testimony from a young lady who tried to take her life by stepping in front of a moving train. The train hit her, and as she was lying there waiting to die, she heard the song "Amazing Grace" playing. An angel was sent to spare her life. She said she felt such peace. Shortly after this incident, she asked Jesus to become her Savior and Lord.

If you have been praying the Word of God for seed money to start a business, God will use his angels to position people to give, including a stranger off the street. About a year ago, I started praying aloud, Deuteronomy 28:2-8. I would pray these scriptures often on my daily walks. A few months later, I needed an item for my business, but I could not afford it at the time. While I was out running an errand, a man walked up to me and offered the item to me for free. My mouth dropped. Two months following, during a business call, the person I was on the phone with switched up the conversation and asked me, "what do you need?" My response was silence. Then I started to fumble over my words. I was not aware of how and when God would position His angels to bring forth blessings that I have been praying for. Later, the Holy Spirit brought to my attention the verses in Deuteronomy that I have constantly been praying do not come back void (Isaiah 55:11), so I should not be surprised that God’s Words accomplish what it sets out to do.

As we advance queens, I hope you find inspiration in the shared testimonies of commissioning your angels. As a reminder, for your angels to move on your behalf, you not only have to speak the Word of God, but you must remain in the Word of God (John 15:7).

 

XOXO,

 

Jay

Are Your Angels Out of Commission?

  Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word (Psalm 103:20).

Every Born Again Believer is assigned ministering angels (Hebrews 1:14). Each ministering angel has a purpose. Some are sent to protect us from harm (Psalm 91:11-12) and bring and carry blessings (Luke 1:19). Many of our angels are out of commission because we do not understand how to employ them. Some of our angels sit, waiting for instructions. Imagine one of the Sim’s characters from the video game, The Sims. The characters do not move unless a player sends them a command; otherwise, they stand there until we tell them what to do. To get our angels to act on our behalf, we must speak the Word of God (Psalm 103:20).

God’s angels are created to glorify God (Psalm 148:2 and Luke 2:13). Therefore, they only listen to the Word of God. It’s not that they refuse to listen to anyone else, whereas they are not capable of listening to another’s word. For example, if your native language is English and that is the only language you know or understand, you will have much difficulty following commands in another language. God’s angels operate in the same manner. When you speak the Word of God, the Bible says they hearken to God’s Word (Psalm 103:20). Hearken in Hebrew means to obey, take orders, hear, listen, pay heed, or attend. So when you speak the Word of God, they will hearken to you just as they do God.

While Daniel prayed on behalf of the children of Israel according to the Word of God, the angel Gabriel came to give him skill and understanding concerning a matter (Daniel 9:20-27). On another occasion, when Daniel fasted and prayed according to the Word of God, it took twenty-one days for him to receive a response because one of the angels of darkness tried to stop Daniel’s prayer from being answered. However, Michael, the Archangel, withstood the angel of darkness, so Daniel was able to receive an understanding of what was to come of the children of Israel in the last days (Daniel 10:14). When we pray God’s Word, people, things, positions, and situations get moved around in the spiritual realm before they are manifested naturally.

Queens, be mindful that we do not pray to angels (Colossians 2:18). We are to pray to God only. When we pray the Word of God aloud, then the angels move. Angels do not work in the same capacity of the Holy Spirit; they are not a discerner of thoughts (Matthew 12:25 and Hebrews 4:12). Therefore, we must speak the Word of God.

Next week, we will continue with part two of “Are Your Angels Out of Commission?”

XOXO,

Jay