Restoring Integrity to the Prophetic Voice
The apostle Paul had great influence at national levels. He spoke before kings, governors, and rulers (Acts 24:10-21; 25:8-12; 26). He knew the “grace” given to him to operate at those levels of apostolic authority. But that “grace” is not extended to all. He taught in Ephesians 4:7 that each one has been apportioned a “measure” of grace for their particular call. The Greek word is “metron” and means an allotted portion. It means that some will be called to lead a local fellowship and others will be called to lead entire regions. Still others will carry great influence at national levels. Paul points out these “boundaries” and consistently urged believers to recognize the distinctions and judge accordingly (Romans 12:3).
This is why weighing prophetic revelation at the national level is tested most effectively among those within that same metron (field). Just as local prophetic voices should collaborate together to weigh what is said (1 Cor 14:29-33), so must national prophetic voices collaborate together and weigh what is said. This is also true of those who have social media platforms with a global reach. And without any clear scriptural directive given for this kind of modern day field, we can only go by the principles already established concerning personal character, consistent fruit, and scriptural integrity.
This is what has been greatly lacking in the prophetic movement in recent years. With the surge of national prophets and social media voices sharing the latest Word of the Lord (myself included), there is a much greater need for prophetic accountability at those levels. True, there are a few “prophetic councils” and even a few YouTube channels who have attempted to test and weigh prophetic words in recent years. But unless these attempts of oversight are in sync with character accountability from the local level, we are still missing the mark.
What I am suggesting is that if we are to adequately weigh or test a prophetic revelation, especially at the national level or on social media, both the message and the messenger should be rightly discerned. Public persona can be misleading and even deceptive. Ascertaining motives based on a social media platform is not only unwise, but dangerous. And even if one’s character has already been proven trustworthy from those at home, their prophetic revelations must still be appropriately weighed and considered according to the biblical standard. To weigh the revelation of even a “trusted voice” is not an indication of mistrust, but an act of scriptural obedience. It is the only way to ensure the integrity of the word and receive God’s intended purpose.
Based on all the recent exposures of prophetic abuse and misconduct, it is clear we have failed at properly vetting both prophetic messengers and prophetic messages. And it’s not just a matter of whether or not either are false. What’s even harder to detect – and even more deceptive – is MIXTURE. A mixture of Spirit and flesh; a combination of truth and error; an allowance of bad fruit as long as there’s some good along the way. Maybe the reason we have been “fooled” by some of these charlatans is because we have not recognized the mixture of righteous zeal and selfish ambition. We have tolerated carnal motives in order to get spiritual insight.
Thus, the very real and present danger in the prophetic movement may not be false prophets as much as double-minded ones. Those who pretend to “…have zeal for God, but not according to knowledge…seeking to establish their own righteousness” (Romans 10:2-3). If we are to restore integrity to the prophetic gifts, we simply must do better at pursuing a righteous standard that honors the Word of God above the word of our favorite prophet. And perhaps we need to collectively repent for allowing things to get this bad before recognizing how far we’ve drifted. If we want to operate in the true spirit of prophecy, let’s get back to the testimony of Jesus in both word and conduct (Rev 19:10).
