“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” – Deuteronomy 13:1-3
We live in a time when an increasing number of prominent people who say they’re Christians also claim to be prophets, receiving words and visions from God. God can absolutely talk to anyone with whom He desires. However, as a follower of Jesus, YOU MUST BE VERY CAREFUL about who you listen to! Most of these “prophets” are hearing from their own ego, the world, or the devil!
Most of them are simply false prophets. Don’t let yourself get excited about what they’re saying now until you’ve reviewed their prior statements. Don’t share and repost without doing your homework first. Check their track record (especially in late 2020 and early 2021). If they were EVER wrong about anything, NEVER listen to their so called words of prophecy. The Bible is VERY clear on this point! In Old Testament Israel God’s people were commanded to stone such false prophets to death. We don’t need to do that, but we do need to never listen to those individuals again. EVER.
However, if their word or vision has always come true (or was so vague they could argue it always came true), you still need to be careful! The Bible is clear that you still have homework to do! If their word of prophesy is more about grabbing earthly power than drawing closer to Jesus, you’re being tested and must reject their prophecy! If their prophecy encourages the people of God to act in ways contrary to the character of Christ, the command of Christ, or the commands of our New Covenant in Christ (the New Testament), DO NOT LISTEN. If their prophecy doesn’t call on the Spirit-filled people of God to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control), DO NOT LISTEN.
Always give more attention to God’s word than to the latest excitement from a so-called prophet. Spend time in God’s word, for yourself, every single day to grow in Christ and protect yourself from false prophets who would lead you after false gods in the name of Jesus. If you run across someone claiming to be a prophet, be extremely careful, do lots of homework, and test every word they say against the heart, character, and commands of Christ. #FollowJesus