All prophets experience rejection, if their words are not always accepted and obeyed. If this happens frequently, the prophet can become frustrated, and frustration can lead to bitterness. Words spoken out of frustration and bitterness will be contaminated by these things and will not come out pure. This is one of the most serious problems faced by prophets. They must learn to deal with rejection without going into frustration and bitterness.
More at Prophetic Pitfalls
Joseph said to Pharaoh,Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them (Gen 41:29-30).
Joseph was accepted by Pharaoh, because had received a clear straightforward message from the Holy Spirit.
Daniel said the King,This is what these words mean:
The Spirit gave Daniel words that the King could not understand.
God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians. (Dan 5:26-28).
God wants his prophets to speak to political and business leaders. These leaders will only listen, if the prophets bring clear words. If prophets bring confusion and mystery, they will be ignored.
Prophets must learn to hear what the Spirit is saying to the political and business leaders, so they can bring a clear word. They must also learn to remain silent, if they have not heard from him.
The accepted practice among internet prophets at New Year is to issue a prediction/prophecy for the following year. A potential prophet who is silent at New Year will not be taken seriously.
I am not sure about this practice. I have had a quick scan of the latest New Year messages, but I did not find anything that really stirred my heart. Most of these offerings seem rather tame, not much different to the prognostications of secular economic and political commentators.
I have two concerns about the practice. First, God does not think in human concepts of time. He manages history in epochs and seasons. The Julian calendar that we use is irrelevant to his timing. 2010 does not many anything to him, because he measures time in sevens, not decimals or decades. There is no reason why he has anything specifically new to say about 2010.
My other problem is that prophecy is usually initiated by God. He spoke and his servants listened and then spoke what he had revealed. There are a few incidents in the scriptures, where prophets like Jeremiah sought a word from the Lord during a time of crisis and God responded, but the flow of revelation was usually the other way round with God speaking an the prophets responding.
I am pleased that so many prophetic people have been listening for the Lord’s voice, but we should not assume that God will speak, just because another year and decade has ticked over on our human calendar. Assuming that God will speak, when we are ready to listen is just another example of the humanism that pervades our age.
The root problem with one-man leadership is that those who get to the top often feel insecure, so they surround themselves with sycophants and “Yes Men”. Anyone who might challenge their authority is kept at a distance.
The other side of this problem is the platform or pedestal prophet. The senior pastor who does not have his own pet prophet brings one in from outside and puts him on a pedestal. From that platform, the prophet is allowed to give encouragement to the people and challenge those that need sorting out, but the senior pastor always stands behind the prophet, safe from his words.
The pedestal prophet has authority because the senior pastor testifies to his credibility. In return for this authentication, the platform prophet must submit to the authority of the pastor/manager and honour him. The prophet is kept on the pedestal where his ministry can be controlled. The platform prophet must go along with this charade, or be kept in silence.
The truth is that a prophet is not needed to expose the problems of a Ted or Todd . The people who are close to the leader, usually know what is going on. The problem is that they are too loyal to challenge a person that they look up to.
The real problem is that God has provided a way to protect leaders and people, but the church consistently refuses to adopt it. These incidents will only stop when we go back to Balanced Ministry, with churches led by a team of pastors, prophets and evangelists working together in submission to each other. As long as we perpetuate the myth that one guy must be "top dog", these embarrassing incidents will continue to shame the church and hurt innocent Christians. God cannot protect his people from evil, while the leaders of his church refuse to adopt the Spiritual Protection he has provided.
