THE GENUINE PROPHET

Ptr. Erwin Concepcion

September 2, 2019

 

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Jeremiah 23:22 (KJV)

 

               "But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words,                       then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their                      doings.”

 

Reflection:

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Every true prophet of God in the Old Testament was an evangelist. His ministry drew people back to God and His Word. The call to righteousness was the standard which separated the genuine prophet from the imitation, as the prophet Jeremiah wrote.

 

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If you come across someone who claims to be a prophet, but who is not involved in calling people to a righteous walk with God, you may be dealing with a counterfeit. In the New Testament, the gift of prophecy has one primary purpose: to reveal unrighteousness and bring conviction. Paul wrote that, as a result of prophecy, "And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth."

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1 Corinthians 14:25 / KJV. The Lord revealed through Jeremiah another criterion for distinguishing a true prophet from a false prophet in

Jeremiah 23:25-28 (KJV)

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25. I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.

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26. How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;

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27. Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.

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28. The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord.

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God is warning His people against prophets who value their dreams above His Word. God is not saying that dreams are unimportant. Indeed, He often spoke to people in the Bible through dreams before the full revelation of Scripture was complete. But in comparison to the nutritious grain of His Word, dreams are mere straw. If you feed straw to cattle, they'll die. They will sleep on it, but they won't eat it because it has no nutrients. Similarly, dreams may be of some value, but they are never to be equated with God's Word as the basis for our faith or our walk with Him.

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Prayer:

Thank You, Lord, for the power of Your Word, which cuts through falsehood and brings to light everything hidden in darkness. Thank you that by referring Your Word, every false prophet and their deceptive teachings can be identified and confronted. Thank You for Your Word. I pray to You, in Jesus Name, Amen.