Deuteronomy 18: Testing Prophets

"When a prophet speaks in the Lord's name, and the message does not come true or is not fulfilled, that message is a message the Lord has not spoken.  The prophet has spoken it presumptuously.  Do not be afraid of him."

Deuteronomy 18:22

What is a prophet?  When asked this question, most people give a response that's something like, "a person who tells the future before it happens."  This is actually not entirely true.  Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, Answers.com, Wikipedia, and Google Dictionary all use slightly different wording to define a prophet as a person who either speaks with God's voice or whose speaking is inspired by divine revelation of some form.

Every religion has its prophets, even today.  The word could easily be used to describe pastors (or their equivalent in other religions/denominations), religious authors, enlightened speakers, friends discussing religious beliefs on a sunny afternoon, or even most politicians.  Yes, we always hear them say things like, "I feel Called by the Lord to run for this office, so you should vote for me because I'm the Chosen One."  Okay, so they're usually more PC about it, but this is all I hear when the talking heads get on stage.

In all of these cases, we should test them based on the above-quoted criteria.  It's quite simple, really - check and double-check to see if their words have come true.  If not, they're a liar and an impersonator, and we shouldn't fear them (nor should we attend to their churches, share sunny afternoon debatess with, or vote for them ever again).

Challenge of the Day:

Next time someone says they're Called by God or claims to speak for Him, check the truth of what they say.  Read your bible to see if their words match with God's Word.  Look at the world around you to see if the things they talk about are really happening.  Even if the person has proven truthful in the past, check and double check to ensure their words are true.  Don't believe anything anybody tells you (especially not me) without looking a little deeper.

Prayer of the Day:

Guide me as I reach more readers with this blog, and prevent me from leading them away from You.  Guide my readers to check my words and correct me when I'm wrong.  Help all of us to recognize false prophets in the world around us, and help us to expose them and expel them from our lives, so that we will not be led astray by their untruths.  Amen.