Prayer: Father, I ask for discernment regarding Your prophet’s warnings. Are they from You or are they making things up, claiming they are words from You. Amen.
Reading: Jeremiah 14 key: vs. 13-14 “Then I said: “Oh my Lord, Adonai! The prophets keep telling them: ‘You will not see the sword nor famine, but I will give you true peace in this place.’” Then Adonai said to me: “The prophets prophesy lies in My Name! I did not send them, nor commanded them, nor did I speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, divination, futility, a delusion of their heart.” TLV
Attention: I find it interesting that Jeremiah’s day and time was filled with prophets who claimed to be representing Adonai’s message yet were not. Sounds familiar with today’s narrative of theologians and prophets.
The key issue, were they “sent.” Were those prophets commissioned by Adonai. Jeremiah was commissioned. He was given the message directly from Adonai and then commissioned to tell Israel, “This is what Adonai told me!”
The messenger is not responsible for the response. He is only responsible to tell the God given message. A true prophet of God must be obedient to His message. A true prophet does not add or delete portions of God’s message. They dare not alter His message.
Notice that when the message is not from God, those false messengers’ fate will be what they claimed would not happen; “‘Sword and famine will never be in this land’—by sword and famine will those prophets be consumed (vs. 15b).”
The judgement and consequences of speaking for God but not of Him, should be enough to scare false messengers from imitating His prophets. It is an impossibility to imitate God, even though our common enemy vigilantly tries.
There is an account of what can happen to those who imitate God’s messengers, found in Acts 19, “Seven sons of a Jewish ruling kohen named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, “I know Yeshua and I know about Paul, but who are you?” Then the man with the evil spirit sprang at them, subduing and overpowering all of them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded (vs. 14-16).” It did not work out so well for the imposters. They were beaten and fled “naked.”
Yeshua’s name is powerful, and all authority was given to Him by the Father. He is also the Way, the Truth, the Life. Veracity is the middle character of Yeshua. He cannot lie, as He cannot deny Himself. As a caution, do not represent Yeshua if He has not commissioned to do so.
Action: I choose to be obedient to the gift of prophesy and only speak what God commissions me to speak.
Yield: I choose to submit to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Engage: I choose to engage with the help of the Holy Spirit to be His messenger.
Relationship: I choose to live in obedient, intimate relationship with Adonai.
Prayer: Father, there will always be imposters and imitators, for the evil one is a counterfeiter. Thank You for the example of Jeremiah, as he gave Your message in counter to the false message being given to the nation of Israel. Amen.
Memory Verse: Acts 19:15-16 “But the evil spirit answered them, “I know Yeshua and I know about Paul, but who are you?” Then the man with the evil spirit sprang at them, subduing and overpowering all of them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.” TLV
Music Video: Hillsong United—Spirit Lead Me https://youtu.be/CHAAfC6gjnw?si=KaQsmyF01JTNvaBh
Remember, “Abide in Yeshua, today!”