PROPHECIES OR WISHFUL DECLARATIONS?
Some years ago, when Hank Hanegraeff came out with his book: CHRISTIANITY IN CRISES, many thought he went too dangerously far in his criticisms of the happenings in Christianity and of Pastors and Bishops whose interpretation of Scriptures are out rightly faulty. What I personally considered a wonderful masterpiece that should challenge and stir the thoughts of every believer into positive and wholesome walk with the Lord; many believers (especially in Nigeria) received it with a pinch of salt.
But the happenings and practices in Christianity today are all too dangerous and devious, leaving one wondering if the Word is ever diligently studied and faithfully taught (or even read) at all in the churches these days. Quite often, I receive motivational messages on my mobile phone considered by those who send them as prophesies when as a matter of fact many of these messages are pointless and meaningless, yet they are presented in biblical terms, but barely represent Christian views. On the internet as well, the walls of many on Face book and similar social networks are filled with motivational thoughts colored in Bible languages, but can hardly be regarded as Christian thoughts.
The other day, a friend sent me this message: “God has given you the Tabernacle of David. Everything you touch this month shall prosper and you shall be head and not tail in all you do …” Another one reads: “Welcome to your month of DOMINION. Every step you take this month shall be ordered unto life in the Name of JESUS CHRIST. John 10:10b”. Messages or so called prophecies like these are common these days and they can neither be regarded as prayer or prophecies.
At face value, these wishful declarations appear harmless and okay. But they are not. They are a reflection of a deep rooted problem confronting Christianity today, especially in our land. For instance, when and how did God tell my friend that He has given me the Tabernacle of David? Who told him that as a New Testament believer, I desired David’s Tabernacle? Why should I even get David’s Tabernacle? Or my other friend who was kind enough to declare to me that the month was my month of DOMINION, what about other months of my life? Dominion in what respect? Was he aware of my spiritual status at the time of his declaration to me, whether I was living carnally or not? Does he think that we are blessed just because we claim such pronouncements? Did John 10:10b quoted to support his declaration mean what his declaration meant? These are questions begging for answers. And sadly enough, many of us are so gullible in claiming them without asking questions. John 10:10 speaks of what the Lord offered to all who believe in Him – abundant life, or a robust spiritual life that can only be found in Him; NOT DOMINION in that particular month. In any case, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, so long as I walk in Him, in the power of the Spirit, “every step I take is always ordered unto life”, – the eternal life found in Him.
Think with me for a while. Does Christianity even encourage these self centered pursuits and declarations? Hardly! We have become like the heathens who are only after what they can get from any system, as our emphases these days are only on I, me and myself. These are the only driving forces of many believers today as they shop for miracles from one place to another. The problem as I see it is our refusal (and sometimes our unwillingness) to understand what Christianity is and being content with being Christians.
The pages of the New Testament never give us the slightest approbation to these wishful declarations tagged as prophecies by many today. Even the Old Testament does not support them either. The true Prophets of Israel who made authentic prophetic declarations in the Old Testament were always Spirit-led and their declarations were pointed, focused and circumstances induced. No Old Testament prophets made baseless wishful pronouncements just to appeal to the emotions of his hearers and admirers. Prophecies were serious issues in God’s Word.
It has often been said (and it is true) that Christianity is a relationship with God, not a religion. It is the most wonderful relationship with The Almighty God through His uniquely born Son, Jesus Christ. Christianity is not Judaism either and must not be regarded as such. Once anyone believes in Christ as his savior, he becomes a Christian and from that moment, he enters into the most wonderful relationship any mortal can know with God. Like any normal relationship, it is not self seeking or self demanding. At spiritual birth, (which begins at the moment faith is expressed in Christ as Savior), God in grace blesses us with definite spiritual blessings. And these blessing are irrevocable. The Word says that “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance (Rom 11:29).
What I see many of us do today is to motivate believers to become what they already are in Christ with these so called prophecies. Christianity as portrayed in the New Testament is absolutely void of this nonsense and baseless wishful declarations which I cannot even dare to regard as prophecies, for they are not. God calls every believer to walk with Him in obedience to His Word and to execute his spiritual life (received at spiritual birth) in the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. We are not called to run our live on the principle of sensation, empty excitement and emotional razzmatazz. Blessings come to the believer from God alone – and not from fellow mortals who have the old sin nature in them as well. God alone blesses! Of a truth, God blesses His own in grace, but a great deal of our blessings in time and in eternity is predicated on the quality of our walk with Him here and now; on whether we are positive to Bible doctrine or not and on our being filled with the Holy Spirit on a moment by moment basis.
Perhaps it is important to state that there is a great difference between Prayer and these wishful declarations. It must be said that ALL biblical prayers focus on God and they are addressed to Him as well. And any declaration that is not address to God in form of request cannot be regarded as prayer from biblical view point. A statement like: “You are blessed” or “God bless you”, cannot be rightly regarded as prayers at all for the simple reason that they are not addressed to God. All biblical prayers are all addressed to God before they can be regarded as prayers. Hence I regard them as wishful declarations which sometimes amount to nothing in the real sense of it. If we must pray for others, let us pray, following the biblical patterns.
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