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Topic: Self-Styled Prophet
[DCLM Daily Manna 4 July 2020 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
Text: Jeremiah 23:9-22
9 Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness.
10 For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not right.
11 For both prophet and priest are profane; yea, in my house have I found their wickedness, saith the LORD.
12 Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, saith the LORD.
13 And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err.
14 I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.
15 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.
16 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.
17 They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.
18 For who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?
19 Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.
20 The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.
21 I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
22 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.
Key Verse: “I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.” – (Jeremiah 23:21)
MESSAGE:
Imagine if you own a shop and someone you have never met goes to the landlord on your behalf to demand part of the money you paid as rent. The stranger tells the landlord that you sent him and that the money should be paid right away. If this situation is brought to your notice, will you not disown the stranger and call him a fraudster?
This is exactly the situation in today’s text. The Lord through Prophet Jeremiah laments the situation of prophets and priests in Israel before the exile to Babylon. The prophets and priests were profane. They prophesied for Baal, led the people into idolatry, adultery and wickedness. They did not speak for the Lord but for themselves. They told lies; spoke visions of their own hearts and encouraged sins and sinners. The Lord then pronounced judgment on them.
Every day and everywhere, churches and Christian assemblies are being established. Many of the ministers who established these congregations did not receive God’s call. He has not sent nor spoken to them; yet, they prophesy in His name. Outright lies are usually easier to detect than the twisting of the truth. Herein lies the danger that many Christians face these days. Some preachers even speculate that simple faith in Jesus Christ is not enough to lead to salvation and deliverance. These are signs of false teachings and prophecies.
There is no other salvation anywhere else except in the name of Jesus. You must shun all peddlers of perverted gospel and houses of worship that use self-help. To visit such places is to agree with them that the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross at Calvary is not sufficient to save from sins and deliver from all forms of oppression and afflictions. Beware, we are in the last days and many false prophets and antichrists are everywhere. May the Lord keep you from them!
Thought For The Day: Be cautious of false prophets and their teachings.
The Bible In One Year: 2 Kings 9-10
