When Prophets Speak

What should take place when prophets speak? Should we only be encouraged, comforted, and edified? Or should more take place? It’s my belief, which scripture affirms, that much more should happen when prophets speak. Namely, there is required a conviction of sin and turning from sin towards God when prophets speak. But today, it seems that truth regarding the prophet and their ministry has been lost. Instead, we have prophecy feasts where God is absent. We lift up ourselves through self exaltation, rather than having times of self examination. No conviction. No conversion. No change. Yet, we call ourselves prophets. (I think Jesus just vomited). My question: Where’s the conviction when prophets speak? That’s what I’d like to talk about in this post.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a time where there’s less conviction than today. The lack of the fear of the Lord is overwhelming. Taking God’s name in vain, treating God’s House as our playroom, and talking smack about God’s men and women. Where’s our shame?! Truth is, we have none. Further, we no longer have modesty. Instead, we have self indulgence. And the reason for our gluttony on fleshly attitudes and actions is simple: We lack conviction, the fear of the Lord, modesty, and shame. Yet, we call ourselves prophets and believers. Truth is, we barely make it out of bed to attend church services. And that’s where so many “prophets” and “believers” are AWOL. 

 “There’s no victim mentality or victim races in heaven or hell.”—Scott Wallis 

What do we need? A prophet. Not prophets of self indulgence, self exaltation, and self gratification. No! We prophets carrying the mantle of conviction to bring true conversion so we might enter the place of self examination, true repentance, and modesty and shamefacedness and sobriety. Do you really think God honors our sinful ways? Or does scripture teach something else? I believe scripture teaches that we are responsible for our own actions. There’s no victim mentality or victim races in heaven or hell. Only responsible men and women. I can even hear their cries and sobs in hell. That’s the kind of thing people need to hear today — a message of reality and responsibility. 

Yes, you’re responsible and accountable before God — for every deed, every word, and every thought. When we meet Christ, who do you think He will be? Not only king, judge of ALL mankind. Your time in His court awaits you. Are you ready?!!! It’s the proclamation and declaration of that reality that puts fear in men and women’s hearts. That’s what we need to recognize and realize. The judge already has authority to judge us. He’s not asking our opinion. No! He’s showing us reality — from His perspective, not ours. 

In truth, we are deceived by our own self delusions of grandeur. Yes, the reality of heaven is real. But even the Apostle Paul said, that I might “be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith”. Philippians 3:9; KJV.  Yes, the Apostle Paul was concerned about his own salvation, even after he preached Christ to many people, for he said, “I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” Notice, a castaway, a man overboard, a man lost. Wow! Would to God we had the same fear of the Lord the Apostle Paul had! But we don’t have it. Why? The absence of the prophet’s voice in the Church.

What does the prophet’s voice bring that sets it apart from every other ministry gift? That should be the question we ask. Instead, we compare it with and to the other ministry gifts. And yes, there are some similarities. But it’s the prophet’s difference that we desperately need. And to understand that difference, we must ask the question, How is the prophet’s ministry different from the other ministries? The prophet’s difference lay in their voice. The prophet is a voice crying. Why is the prophet crying out? What is the prophet saying? We gain that revelation from the prophet, John the Baptist, a voice crying out from the desert, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Matthew 3:2, KJV.   Simple. Straightforward. And anointed. That was John the Baptist’s message. 

Yet, he drew the crowds. Why? Because there are times when people need someone who can cut through the noise of the age. John the Baptist was free from that noise, secured in the desert for many seasons until “the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.” Luke 3:2, Berean Standard Bible. The word came and John the Baptist went forward preaching what he heard. Notice, he didn’t preach what he thought. His thinking wasn’t included in the equation. Rather, the word came and John the Baptist went. That’s the prophet’s call — the word comes and the prophet goes to speak the word they’ve received — nothing more, nothing less.

Prophets deliver words they receive from God. And that’s their assignment — to bring a word from the Lord to the ones they are sent. Now, the prophet’s ministry can go from church to church bringing encouragement and comfort to believers, as took place with the Apostle Paul and Silas were able to do, “confirming the churches”. Acts 15:41. Or a prophet may be sent to a city, as happened with the prophet Jonah. Or a prophet may be assigned to a nation, as was the prophet Ezekiel. Or a prophet may be called to nations and to comfort God’s people, as prophet Isaiah was. Or a prophet may be called to strengthen, correct, and govern, as the prophet Nathan did. In each case, the prophet’s message came from God, and the prophet faithfully delivered that message for the entirety of their ministry, as determined by God not man.

That’s the difference today. We have many voices but we lack the voice of Him. The prophet carries God’s voice with him wherever they go and in whatever they do. They are God’s voice. They not only have His Word; they become His voice to the ones they are assigned — whoever that might be. Prophets are not all things to all people. No! They’re the right thing to the right people with the right message at the right time, for even the prophet’s times are in God’s hands. The prophet’s life is a sacrifice to God and the prophet is continually on God’s altar. Prophets don’t just build altars, they become God’s altar. And they alter those people, places, and situations where they’re assigned. 

That’s why we the prophet’s voice today — to cut through the noise of our own confusion towards God, and our own indifference to God. And that describes the Church today — indifferent and confused — about who God is, what God will do, when God will do what He will do, and why God chooses to do what He does the way He does. The prophet brings clarity not confusion, the prophet carries the sound of heaven not static of the world. When the prophet speaks, people listen…because they must…their voice is inescapable, even if it’s derided in public. In private, it’s known. They’ll say, “Why does he/she have to say that?!”; “Why can’t they keep their mouth shut?!”; and “Why do they have to be so dramatic?!” Can’t they be normal?

The obvious answer is, no. Prophets cannot stay silent when they are sent to speak. Prophets are assigned. Prophets are given. Prophets become living sacrifices for and to the One who called them. They’re not there for the applause of people. No! They’re present for the applause of One — the One who called them. And that’s why we need the true prophet’s voice in the Church today — they’re not an echo or regurgitation of a recitation from previous generations. No! They carry fresh bread from heaven, manna, the sound of the new thing God’s doing, clarity not confusion, uniqueness not conformity, individuality not groupthink. That’s why we desperately need the prophet voice today — to cut through the noise of this age.

Let us pray!

— Scott Wallis