Prophetic Exhortation

Witchcraft in the Name of Prophecy? A Sad Reality in the Church

By Ryan LeStrange

Before I dive into this topic, let me make one thing clear: I fully embrace, welcome and participate in the prophetic ministry. I believe that the Bible is true when it declares, "Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be supported. Believe His prophets, and you will succeed" (2 Chr. 20:20).

The prophetic ministry is one of the most powerful and often misunderstood in the body of Christ. Yet, I believe that it is a prophetic generation that will empower the effective weapons of war and release God's people to surge forth with divine direction. Prophetic ministry is crucial to the emerging move of God, bringing revival and awakening in the earth. There is a great need for powerful and authentic prophetic ministry.

Unfortunately, the enemy loves to twist and pervert something that God is using. He works very hard to find cracks in a person's armor or a breach in the hedge so that he can come in and create havoc.

I was stunned when a good friend of mine shared the story of a prophetic meeting in which the primary minister would only give a detailed word for a monetary gift. Let me pause and say that I believe a workman is worthy of his hire (1 Tim. 5:18). Historically, prophets have been blessed people because there is a divine attraction related to their gift. As people receive life-giving words, they often desire to sow and support. This is biblical and healthy.

However, prostituting a gift by putting monetary demands upon people in order to allow them to benefit from a gift is a breach of character at best, manipulation and witchcraft at worst! I don't care how many books you have written, hours you've been on television or who has endorsed you. This practice is abusive and creates a tremendous stain upon the prophetic ministry. The body of Christ and leaders in particular need to stop tolerating this and put a stop to it.

Prophetic people have a tendency to walk alone because they are often rejected by those who do not understand their gift. The enemy loves to use the tool of isolation. Spiritual isolation can can create a toxic situation in the life of a prophet. When Elijah was under a spiritual attack, the enemy isolated him so that he retreated into a cave.

"He came to a cave and camped there, and the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, "Why are you here, Elijah?" And he said, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, Lord of Hosts, for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, thrown down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword, and I alone am left, and they seek to take my life" (1 Kings 19:9-10, MEV).

Many times prophets find themselves isolated and feeling rejected. This creates a platform for deception! I believe that this is one of the many reasons why the Lord linked the apostolic and prophetic ministries together. A seasoned spiritual father or mother with integrity would teach a young prophet valuable lessons about stewarding their gift with integrity to avoid deceptive practices.

Yet, many prophets spend much of their time alone and in prayer. Often they travel without being faithful to a local assembly or committed to an apostolic father or mother, lacking any real accountability. When they begin to describe physical conditions, calling out people's names and sharing intimate details of people's lives, their meetings grow and their influence increases. It becomes very easy for them to lose their footing and slip down a path of error.

Again, this is where the body of Christ needs maturity! Why are we so enamored with accurate information? Could this be a revelation as to why the modern-day disciples of Jesus are so spiritually dry? They flock to anyone that they believe is hearing from God because His voice is so dim in their own lives? Has the American and Western church drifted so far from the supernatural that any sign of Holy Spirit life is like a breath of fresh air to God's people? I believe the answer to these questions is a resounding, "Yes."

It is time that passionate devotion, daily prayer, Holy Spirit leading and the believer's ministry be restored to the church. Many large gatherings will reject these thoughts but there is a remnant people who really want to walk with the Father! We must get back to foundational Christianity and New Testament ministry that includes the supernatural! We must also be mature enough to put a stop to abuses and nonsense in the name of the prophetic.

A prophetic gift that is not properly stewarded can easily give way to witchcraft (control and manipulation) in the name of prophecy. I am not accusing prophets who flow in power of any evil motive. Again, I love and embrace the prophetic ministry. I myself spend a lot of time ministering one-on-one and releasing prophetic words by the leading of the Spirit of God. I enjoy revival and wild manifestations of God's power. I am talking very specifically about wrong operations.

Here are four signs of danger in prophetic ministry:

1. Tying a monetary gift to receiving a prophetic word. This should not be tolerated by the body of Christ. It is time to cleanse the oil and rid the body of abusive hirelings. I don't care how famous you are or how accurate your revelation is, if you demand money before you prophesy to someone then you are in sin and need to repent.

2. Prophesying from a soulish realm. This is something that every prophetic minister, including myself, has wrestled with. We must do our very best not to operate out of our own desires or knowledge when ministering prophetically but really tapping into the realm of the spirit. We should avoid speaking in the name of prophecy over situations of which we have an intense amount of knowledge. One example is prophets getting wrapped so deeply in political issues. It is extremely difficult to give a pure word of the Lord when your emotions are actively involved in the outcome.

3. Controlling prophecies. The gift of prophecy should exhort people not tie them down. I believe there can be prophetic warnings and even rebukes but it must not be from a false motive of control. Ministry leaders should not continually prophesy over people their own desires to build their ministries. This is a false operation that needs to be torn down by rooting our hearts deeply in prayer and daily checking our motives.

4. Operating under false fire. The Bible tells us that we are to know them that labor among us (1 Thess. 5:12). We are to know their fruit. We have gotten ourselves into great deception by seeking gifts and not fruit. Many people operating in the spirit of witchcraft and carrying strange fire have been allowed to masquerade as prophets. This has polluted the stream!

I am giving my time and life to stirring fresh fire in God's people and setting the nations ablaze. I see revival hubs being raised up in various territories to host the presence of God and release Holy Fire. I see a new generation of signs and wonders ministries arising in the earth today! I believe that there is a generation that longs for the authentic miracle working power of God.

I am encouraged by the growing hunger that I sense. I am passionately striving to establish a pure generation of apostolic leaders to build the hubs, stoke the fire and release the army. It is an impossible task without the prophetic ministry. We need those who see, hear and know by the Spirit. The church is in dire need of a prophetic release from heaven. We need regional words to empower revival! We need national prophetic voices to speak the heart and plans of the Father.

We need fresh fire not strange fire! We need revelation not manipulation. We must establish sound teaching and guidance concerning prophetic ministry. My question is: Where are the fathers? Where are those who provide guidance, warning and solid teaching to the body of Christ in order to avoid deception? We need your voices to arise!

Let's do this thing with integrity, purity and honor.

Ryan LeStrange has been preaching the gospel for more than half of his life. As a young man, God led him to leave his home and travel to Tennessee to study and train under Dr. Norvel Hayes, who later became his spiritual father. Pastor Ryan shares the apostolic call of Dr. Hayes to establish churches, ministries and Bible colleges, and to train leaders in the body of Christ. Ryan hosts a weekly television show on God TV called Power4Today. Ryan is the apostle and leader of Impact International Apostolic Fellowship, a network of churches and ministries around the world with a single vision to birth revival. He has founded two Bible colleges, served as an associate pastor and traveled as an evangelist. Visit him online at www.ryanlestrange.com.

Source Website : http://www.charismamag.com/spirit/prophecy/23761-witchcraft-in-the-name-of-prophecy-a-sad-reality-in-the-church

Do Not Be Disappointed And Wait For His Appointed Time!!

Your Appointment Awaits You

Francis Frangipane

Appointed Times

In spite of escalating turmoil in our world, there still remains one last, great outpouring of mercy before the time of the end (Matt 24:14; Acts 2:17). This supernatural season is not something for which we must beg God. No, its coming has been predetermined. It is the “appointed time” of the Lord.

For those unaware, an “appointed time” is, in truth, an open display of the sovereignty and power of God. In it we discover with absolute certainty that nothing is impossible for God. It is a season when God fulfills the hopes and dreams of His people. The Psalmist wrote, “But You, O LORD, abide forever, and Your name to all generations. You will arise and have compassion on Zion; for it is time to be gracious to her, for the appointed time has come” (Ps 102:12-13).

During an “appointed time” it’s as though the Lord physically rises and moves in unfailing compassion on behalf of His people. It is the time when divine promises, dreams and spiritual hopes are fulfilled. Recall: Abraham and Sarah had waited in faith for a quarter century for the promise of God. Finally, as they neared one hundred years of age, the Lord told Abraham, “At the appointed time I will return to you . . . and Sarah will have a son” (Gen 18:14). One year later, “at the appointed time” (Gen 21:2), Isaac was born to aged parents!

While there are, indeed, appointed times of judgment (Mk 13:33), the phrase most frequently represents a time, preset by God, when He invades mankind with “wonders, plans formed long ago, [that unfold] with perfect faithfulness”(Isa 25:1).

Demons may stand arrayed against the Lord; nations may align themselves to fight Him. It does not matter. He who sits in the heavens laughs. For He makes all things His servants (Ps 119:91), even His enemies’ plans for evil are reversed and made to serve the purpose of God (Gen 50:20; Rom 8:28; Acts 2:22-24).

If God gave you a vision, a spiritual hope or dream for your future, there will be an appointed time when that which God spoke comes to pass. Thus the Lord assures us, “Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, that the one who reads it may run. For the vision is yet for the appointed time. It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay” (Hab 2:2-3).

If you have a vision or promise from God, that vision also has a time of fulfillment. Though it tarries, wait for it. For it will certainly come to pass at the appointed time.

Appointed Servants of God

Prior to the unveiling of an appointed time, God has, of course, been actively working in hiddenness. When He rises and moves, He is moving the power grid He laid in secret. The work manifests suddenly, but the preparation may have taken years. Likewise, the Lord also appoints people. He predestines the time of their breakthrough in advance, even as He works silently within their hearts in preparation.

Consider the Lord’s word to His disciples. He said, “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain” (Jn 15:16).

I’m sure the disciples felt that they had chosen Christ. Yet, the deeper truth is that God chose us before the foundation of the world and predestined us to come to Christ (Eph 1:3-5). We could not even come to Christ had not the Father drawn us (Jn 6:44). So, let us make no mistake: God chose us. Yet, He who chose us also appointed us to bear fruit. The same power that worked in us surrender and then inspired our faith continues to work in our hearts throughout our days, appointing us to bear fruit.

You may look at your life and feel unfruitful. But God is not done with you yet. Do you believe God has chosen you? Then believe also that He has appointed you to bear fruit. The same power that drew you to Christ is now working to conform you to Him as well.

The Enemy’s Work

One may argue, “But I know people who were good Christians who have fallen away.” Yes, but in most cases you will find that, at some point, they fell into deep disappointment about some failed spiritual expectation. Disappointment is not just a sad emotional state of mind; deep disappointment actually can sever our hearts from faith. It can “dis-appoint” us from our appointed destiny.

I have known many who were doing well, moving toward their appointed destiny. The future God had for them seemed almost close enough to taste. Then they became disappointed in someone or something. By accepting dis-appointment into their spirits, a bitter cold winter took over their souls and their faith turned dormant.

When one is dis-appointed, he is cut off from his appointment with destiny; the appointment remains in the heart of God, but the individual is isolated. It is here, even in the throes of disappointment, that the righteous must learn to live by faith

(see Hab 2:1-4).

I, too, have been through disappointment. Indeed, the promise of God was so distant that it seemed like a foolish spiritual fantasy. For nearly three years I had not been involved in pastoral ministry. No doors would open. God was doing a work in my soul to cause me to trust Him, but I felt abandoned and cut off from my calling. In a moment of abject honesty, I prayed, “Lord, you promised that those who believed in You would not be disappointed. Master, You know all things. Look at my heart. I am full of disappointment.”

The Lord simply replied, “You’re life is not over.” Of course, I knew that. I was a healthy young man not older than forty. Yet, the spell of disappointment had flooded my soul with darkness, causing me to conclude erroneously that God was done with me.

Listen well my friend: Satan can stop our destiny if we accept the power of disappointment into our lives. Once we accept the heaviness of a deep dis-appointment, backsliding is often not far away. You see, dis-appointment cuts us off from our vision and without a vision people perish.

Therefore, let me ask you: are you carrying disappointment in your heart? Renounce it. Forgive those who have let you down. Have you personally or morally failed? Repent deeply and return to your Redeemer. Right now, I ask the Holy Spirit to remove disappointment’s paralyzing sting! Beloved, the Spirit of God has come to release you of the effect of the dis-appointment. He reminds you, “Your appointment with your destiny is still set.

Holy Spirit, I confess that disappointment has crept into my soul. I forgive those who have disappointed me and release them back to You. I also forgive myself for accepting disappointment. I renounce unbelief and submit again to Your call on my life. Lord, prepare me again to move into the future You have appointed for my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Prophetic Admonition

WHY ARE SOME in THE PROPHETIC MOVEMENT Still NAMING ANGELS?

By Jennifer LeClaire, news editor, Charisma

www.jenniferleclaire.org

I recently heard a prophetic word that described an angelic visitation. Of course, I am all for angelic visitations. Both the Old and New Testament offer plenty of examples of angels appearing to people to deliver heavenly messages. But this angel apparently had a creative name. Its name was supposedly "Safe Passage."

It grieves me that we have to go around this mountain yet again in the body of Christ. Wasn´t the controversy over Emma - the female angel who purportedly started the modern-day prophetic movement - enough to put an end to this sort of nonsense? Apparently not.

Let me be clear: There is no angel named Emma and there is no angel named Safe Passage - and it´s assignment is not to escort you safely into new opportunities or to clear fearsome corners and honor your unsung courage.

However, if you Google the keywords "angel safe passage," you might see where a misguided prophetic pen could draw such erroneous inspiration. There´s a Safe Passage playing card that´s a prominent "white angel" in a Dungeons & Dragons-style game. In this context, "Safe Passage" is a sorcerer. On the more benign side, "Safe Passage" was the title of a script for a 1997 episode of Touched by an Angel. Either way, there is no God-sent angel named Safe Passage.

It just so happened that when I stumbled upon the so-called revelation of this angel named Safe Passage I was already studying the topic of angels. In fact, I was in the midst of reading Dr. Lester Sumrall´s Angels to Help You for a second time. Sumrall offered abundant Scripture about the reality of angels, the categories of angels-including their names and ranks - what angels do, what angels know, angels and prophecy, what kind of people receive angelic service, and much more.

Angels are real. Angels are mentioned 108 times in the Old Testament and 165 times in the New Testament. Angels are messengers. Angels are innumerable. The Bible mentions three angels by name: Michael, Gabriel and Lucifer. But beyond that, you have to go to religions like Zoroastrianism to find the names of angels.

Zoroastrianism, also called Mazdaism, is a religion based on a self-styled prophet named Zoroaster (also known as Avestan or Zarathustra). Zoroastrianism was once among the largest religions in the world, a political power in pre-Islamic Iran. Mazdaism believers prayed to angels like Ameretat, Asha Vahishta and Vohu Mano for protection.

In modern times, the New Age movement has an A-to-Z list of named angels, some of which are supposedly rooted in Scripture. There´s Abdiel, the professed "Angel of Faith." At the end of the New Age list, you´ll find Zuriel, the "Angel of Harmony" who has dominion over the sun sign of Libra.

As you can see, false teaching about angels has been circulating the world since before Christ was born and well after He ascended to the right hand of the Father. False teachings about angels was an issue in the early church and it´s an issue in the end-time church. "And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:14).

Paul had an apostolic message for those who hyper-focused on angels and their "teachings" at the expense of exalting Christ. Paul was so bold as to say that if he - or an angel from heaven - preached any other gospel than the gospel of Christ he should be accursed (Gal. 1:8). Those are pretty strong words and ones that should be heeded before we preach sermons or pen articles that exalt angels.

Paul also said, "Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God" (Col. 2:18-19).

Matthew Henry, an 18th century minister whose well-known commentary provides an exhaustive verse-by-verse study of the Bible, gets to the root of such angel exaltation: "They advanced those notions to gratify their own carnal fancy, and were fond of being thought wiser than other people. Pride is at the bottom of a great many errors and corruptions, and even of many evil practices, which have great show and appearance of humility."

Yes, angels are ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14). That´s us! Angels are sent to execute God´s Word. By revelation of the Holy Spirit, David wrote, "Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word" (Ps.103:20). Angels stand ready to obey the Word of God and bring it to pass.

Yes, in a way angels may help provide us with safe passage. When we make the Lord our dwelling place, no evil shall befall us nor shall any plague come near our dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over us, to keep us in all our ways. In their hands they shall bear us up, lest we dash our foot against a stone (Psalm 91:9-12). But there is no angel named Safe Passage, at least none of God´s angels.

One last thought: John mistakenly fell down to worship at the feet of an angel who had shown him the revelations he recorded in the book of Revelation. The angel immediately told him to worship God (Rev. 22:8-9). We don´t know the name of this angel. If it were important, the Holy Spirit would have revealed it. I suppose some in the modern church would name him "Revelation," - some may even claim "Revelation" is a female - and that would be yet another error.

Let me end with the words of Jesus Himself: "Take heed that no one deceives you... for false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect" (Mk 13:5; 22). Amen.