DCLM DAILY MANNA DEVOTIONAL FOR SATRUDAY 4TH JULY 2020 - SELF-STYLED PROPHETS
TOPIC: SELF-STYLED
PROPHETS
KEY VERSE: Jeremiah 23:21
“I have not
sent these prophets, yet they ran: i have not spoken to them, yet they
prophesied.”
TEXT: Jeremiah 23:9-22
9. Mine heart
within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; i am like a
drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the lord, and
because of the words of his holiness.
10. For the land is full of
adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourneth; the pleasant places of
the wilderness are dried up, and their course is evil, and their force is not
right.
11. For both prophet and priest
are profane; yea, in my house have i found their wickedness, saith the lord.
12. Wherefore
their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness; they shall be
driven on, and fall therein; for i will bring evil upon them, even the year of
their visitation, saith the lord.
13. And i have seen folly in the
prophets of samaria; they prophesied in baal, and caused my people israel to
err.
14. I have seen also in the
prophets of jerusalem an horrible thing; they commit adultery, and walk in
lies; they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from
his wickedness; they are all of them unto me as sodom, and the inhabitants
thereof as gomorrah.
15. Therefore thus saith the lord
of hosts concerning the prophets; behold, i will feed them with wormwood, and
make them drink the water of gall; for from the prophets of jerusalem is
profaneness gone forth into all the land.
16. Thus saith the lord of hosts,
hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you; they make
you vain; they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of
the lord.
17. They say still unto them that
despise me, the lord hath said, ye shall have peace; and they say unto every
one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, no evil shall come
upon you.
18. For who hath stood in the
counsel of the lord, and hath perceived and heard his word? Who hath marked his
word, and heard it?
19. Behold, a whirlwind of the
lord is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind; it shall fall grievously
upon the head of the wicked.
20. The anger of the lord shall
not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of
his heart; in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.
21. I have not sent these
prophets, yet they ran; i have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
22. But if they had stood in my
counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have
turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
MESSAGE:
Imagine if
you own a shop and someone you have never met goes to the landlord on your
behalf to demand part of the money you paid as rent. The stranger tells the
landlord that you sent him and that the money should be paid right away. If
this situation is brought to your notice, will you not disown the stranger and
call him a fraudster?
This is
exactly the situation in today’s text. The lord through prophet Jeremiah
laments the situation of prophets and priests in Israel before the exile to Babylon.
The prophets and priests were profane.
They
prophesied for Baal, led the people into idolatry, adultery and wickedness.
They did not speak for the lord but for themselves. They told lies; spoke
visions of their own hearts and encouraged sins and sinners. The lord then
pronounced judgment on them.
Every day
and everywhere, churches and Christian assemblies are being established. Many
of the ministers who established these congregations did not receive god’s
call. He has not sent nor spoken to them; yet, they prophesy in his name.
Outright lies are usually easier to detect than the twisting of the truth.
Herein lies
the danger that many Christians face these days. Some preachers even speculate
that simple faith in Jesus Christ is not enough to lead to salvation and deliverance.
These are signs of false teachings and prophecies.
There is no
other salvation anywhere else except in the name of
Jesus. You
must shun all peddlers of perverted gospel and houses of worship that use
self-help. To visit such places is to agree with them that the blood of Jesus Christ
shed on the cross at Calvary is not sufficient to save from sins and deliver
from all forms of oppression and afflictions. Beware, we are in the last days
and many false prophets and antichrists are everywhere. May the lord keep you from them!
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Be cautious of false prophets and their teachings.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Kings 9-10
Daily Manna is the daily devotional of the Deeper
Christian Life Bible Ministry (DCLM) by Pastor W.F. Kumuyi
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