The Plumbline of The Prophet

Yesterday, as I was ministering on my broadcast, The Prophet’s House, I made the statement — God has set the prophet as a plumbline in the Church. I was citing the prophet Amos, “And the LORD said to me, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ I answered, ‘A plumb line.’ And the Lord replied, ‘I will test my people with this plumb line. I will no longer ignore all their sins.’” Amos 7:8, NLT. Truth is, we need the prophet set as a plumbline within the Church to bring order out of our chaos. And we have a lot of that. But divine order? Not so much. God, ever the problem solver that He is, has a solution — the prophet — who He establishes as a plumbline within His Church. And isn’t that what we need? Yes, it’s what we need. That’s what I’d like to talk about in this post. 

God chose Amos to speak to Israel. Amos said to Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs.” Amos 7:14, ESV. The prophet Amos, prior to being called by God as a prophet was happy as a herdsman. He had no desire to be a prophet. I can relate to the prophet Amos, for I had no desire to be a minister. Me, I wanted to be a professional golfer. And I was a scratch golfer (on a handicapping scale) who’d regularly score around 74 on a par 72 golf course from the championship tees. I loved playing golf. From sunup to sundown, I would golf during my summers. Then, on February 23, 1987, I heard the voice of God and was born again. My life, in an instant, changed. God had called me. 

After being called into the ministry, I had no idea of what to do or where to start. Where do you go to be trained as a prophet? There was nothing available at that time. So, I wandered. I searched for how to fulfill my calling as a prophet. And along the way, I met different people who were prophets. The first person to prophesy over me and lay hands on me was Rick Renner. Now, that was back the late 1980s. Then, I met other prophets, Rusty Russell, Tom Slone, Bill Hamon, Burton Seavey, Paul Cain, Roberts Liardon, Bob Jones, Augustine Acula, John Paul Jackson, John Sandford, Graham Cooke, Bill and Judy Weinkauff, Kenneth Hagin, Sr., Lester Sumrall, and many more. Each helped me to understand more and more of the prophet’s ministry. 

Being a prophet isn’t easy. Trust me. When God calls a man or woman to be a prophet, I know what awaits them — hardships, misunderstandings, persecutions, and worse. That’s what I walked through. There’s no manual on how to live as a prophet, function as a prophet, work as a prophet, or pay your bills as a prophet. Each prophet learns, grows, and walks according to the calling on their life. And, as I said, it’s not easy. Rather, it’s often hard, especially when God sends you to give hard words to those who are obstinate people. And we have a lot of those today. And that’s why the prophet is needed more than ever before — people, even God’s people, have become obstinate, stiff necked, and hard hearted. 

I can already hear someone saying, “who do you think you are, calling me obstinate, stiff necked, and hard hearted?” Before, I might have shied away from responding. Now, not so much. Truth is, prophets are often sent to those who don’t want to hear them say what God is speaking through them. God, speaking to the prophet Ezekiel, said, “The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn.” Ezekiel 2:4, NIV. And some people think God doesn’t clearly state what He thinks. Nothing could be further from the truth. God, in fact, has a history of speaking to stubborn, stiff necked, and hard hearted people. To Moses, the pattern prophet, God said, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are a stiff-necked (stubborn, rebellious) people. Exodus 32:9, Amplified Bible.

Prophets, especially as a plumbline, are sent stiff necked, stubborn, rebellious, wicked, and sinful men and women. God uses prophets to measure, adjust, alter, change, and rearrange the hearts of people. A plumbline prophet is unavoidable. Even when others ignore them, their words disrupt, bring discernment, and can literally destroy demonic strongholds being built by those with wrong motives, lying lifestyles, or false and deceptive teachings. The prophet is set as a plumbline by God to diagnose. The doctor comes with his stethoscope to listen to the inward parts of men and women. Then, that which is hidden on the inside emerges as a result of the plumbline prophet’s presence. The plumbline prophet reveals those who are under demonic control.

Jesus Himself had that happen — “Suddenly, they screamed, ‘What do you want with us, Son of God? Did you come here to torture us before the proper time?’” Matthew 8:29, ISV. Notice, the demon couldn’t handle what Jesus had and began screaming. Yes, they knew who He was. Yes, He came unexpectedly. Yes, they got scared. That’s what happens when the plumbline prophet appears — hell starts to scream; it has no defense to the plumbline of the prophet — the prophetic word, revelation, and Spirit they bring. The plumbline prophet is a weapon in God’s hand: “You are My war club, My weapon for battle. With you I shatter nations; with you I bring kingdoms to ruin.” Jeremiah 51:20, Berean Standard Bible. 

What a weapon the plumbline prophet is in God’s hand! Powerful, deliberate, decisive, and destructive to demonic forces and powers. No wonder Satan, our adversary, hates prophets. No wonder leaders tremble when a plumbline prophet appears — God is about to disrupt everything and overthrow all that’s out of alignment and agreement with Him. The plumbline prophet brings an end to the natural state of mankind — lukewarmness. And when plumbline prophets appears, the vomit starts to fly. Demons know that cannot hide from them, they’re scared by their presence of exposure; demons hate the light in the plumbline prophets bring. 

“The plumbline prophet is a necessary precursor to the move of God”—Scott Wallis

As I said, the Lord is setting the prophet as a plumbline in the Church. Expect disruption. Expect demonic manifestation. Expect confrontation. Expect yelling and screaming, people acting crazy when the prophet appears. Think Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS), only worse. Expect things to get crazy. Why? The plumbline is being set for a reason — to expose. Not just sin, but deeper, hidden, unaddressed issues that have long been undealt with — foundational, root issues. 

God’s going to get to the heart of the matter. Hallelujah! That should bring great rejoicing to us. Why? Because God’s getting ready to move mightily and He’s removing every impediment to His move. This must precede the move of God. The plumbline prophet is a necessary precursor to the move of God. So, the plumbline prophet’s release reveals God’s next move. Are you ready? Let the plumbline prophet be released today, our day! 

Let us pray!

— Scott Wallis