Fake prophets
Rev. IPHURIE PIUS has a special gifting. He can discern the spirit working in both the leader and the people being led. He shares his thought on the prophetic ministry with ISAIAH OMOBUDE recently at his church headquarters in Mosogar, Ethiopia West Local Government Area of Delta State. Below are excerpts:
“Prophetic gift is the ability to discern the mind and purpose of God and declare to others. In the Bible days, prophets and prophetesses were the media between God and men, and their gifts to perceive and proclaim divine truth stamped them as being divinely inspired. In other words, they hear the latest from God and declare it to men.
“Prophetic office, whether occupied by a male or female, was a high one and corresponds to the ministry of the word today.
“We are living in strange days when so many are parading themselves as prophets of God. The great challenge for the church today is to properly discern those who are fake prophets and the genuine ones. The Bible warns us of tremendous increase in deception, specifically mentioning increase of fake prophets within the church, Matt. 7:15, I Pet. 4:1-6.
“Jesus told us that fake prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead many astray, even the very elect, Matt. 24:24. The church needs to stand firm to detect and to root out these self-acclaimed evil prophets and prophetesses that are making great mess of our dear faith.
“The so-called miracles we watch and see in some churches and television media are not proofs that the man is a genuine God’s servant. Majority of the miracles are manipulated and manufactured with satanic powers. A prophet called a young guy out from the congregation during service and told the young man to go home and bring the suit case given to him as gift a day before, and that there is a live human head in the suit case.
“The guy actually ran home and came back with it, on his arrival with the suit case, the so-called prophet ordered the guy to open it, Behold, there was a live human head in it. He ordered that petrol be brought, and he burnt the fresh human head right on the demonic altar. The questions are, does our living God accept human sacrifices? Why the burning on the altar? Who was the giver of that gift to that young man? This was a murder and criminal offence, but nothing was said about this heinous crime. And I suspect the burning of the human head on the altar to be renewal of charms
“You see minsters bathing women naked in the name of miracles. You see so many anointing women private parts, and having sex with both married women and young girls in their churches. There are so many out there operating as talismen and native doctors all in the name of being God’s prophets. The Association of Native Doctors in my locality (Mosogar) visited a Prophet some years ago demanding that he must join their association or quit his fetish operation and focus on his ministry. (This is quite funny).
”There are several cases of persons confessing witchcraft today and becoming founders and overseers of churches tomorrow as prophets and prophetesses, and gullible believers drifts from genuine churches “and follow them as members. Please my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, before you submit yourself to the Shepherdship of any man or woman who claimed to be a minister of the most high God, it is necessary you know his or her foundation/background and the genuiness of his or her spiritual mentor.
“We must note that the Bible teaches us that they will come claiming to represent Christ, Matt.24:5. We must watch out for them. The false prophet will come to you in sheep clothing, they appear like real Christians and God’s servants in their language, expressions and actions. They have convincing knowledge of the Bible scriptures, they have strong prophetic terminologies to convince gullible believers.
“Acts of the Apostles told us a story of a young fake soothsaying damsel whom some group of men were using as means of livelihood, but when she saw Paul and Barnabas, she proclaimed that they were true prophets of God. These fake ones are many in our churches today.
The gifts of the fake prophet is being used to satisfy his own hunger and needs, to gain recognition, praise, honour and power. They give fake prophecies for money and material gains instead of serving the church of the Lord freely. They draw attention to themselves instead of taking people’s attention to God.
“Beware of prophets who say “thus saith the Lord” when the Lord has not spoken. Believers in Christ, be careful of who you address as your spiritual mentors, be careful of who anoints you, be careful of who prays for you, because there are numerous demonic prophets out there looking for whom to initiate and lead astray.
Pray that God should give you the grace to know a true prophet, and the grace to know and reject a counterfeit prophet that comes your way. It is my candid advice that you stick to your known prophet or pastor, hear and follow his voice, and the Lord shall prosper you in all ways. Don’t forget that any blessing or miracle you get from a demonic prophet is fake and carries sorrows.
“Beloved, let your focus be on heaven, and never allow signs and wonders carry us astray.
“I also call on my dear brothers and sisters who are using the name of the LORD in vain, I mean those ordained by Satan as prophets, to come back to their senses and embrace the true God, as Christ second coming is very, very, very near. GOD bless.”
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