How to test prophecies (Part 1)
Men naturally want to know how the next day looks. Those who do not have Jesus consult witchdoctors or seers while Christians consult Prophets but both want to have information about their future.
Above all, we must understand the purpose of a prophecy. A prophecy is simply a message from God to inform, guide, edify and correct his people. However, there is a big difference between the prophecies of the Old Testament and those of the New Testament.
In the Old Testament, God always sent a prophet to inform his people, and everyone had to listen and follow his instructions exactly as it was said. In the contrary, in the New Testament, God informs his people through the Holy Spirit who resides in the body of the believer. This is why Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will tell us things to come (John 16: 13).
In reading the Old and New Testament, it is clear that in the New Testament, God rarely informed his people by means of the prophets as it was the case of the Old Testament. If you read this teaching until the end, you will clearly understand that our time is totally different to the time of Moses because today the law is spiritual and not carnal.
God is no longer limited in a tabernacle, but He is in our body which is his temple. This means that in the New Testament, most of our divine messages are often sent directly to us and rarely through the prophets. I say this because this is what I see in the Bible and especially in the book of Acts.
God often spoke through the Word (preaching and different letters of the apostles) but it also happened that he spoke through prophets. We also need to understand that there is a difference between a gift and a ministry of prophecy (I will talk about it in the teaching).
In the Old Testament, a God’s prophet had to be listened in silence and everybody was supposed to obey and execute the prophecy without any discussion because the Holy Spirit visited the prophet during the prophecy. But today, in the New Testament, the Bible gives us the right to review all prophecies and only keep what is good (1 Thessalonians 5: 20-21) because we have the Holy Spirit within us. In fact it is the same Holy Spirit in the prophet that is in us and He helps us to discern whether the prophecy is true or false.
My goal is to give to God's people the tools to unmask the false prophets (without judging them) that hide in the Church behind the Word of God. These tools are in the Bible and the devil does not want us to discover them.
To be continued in Part 2
Chris Ndikumana
How to test prophecies (Part 2)
As I said in the first part, my goal is to give to God's people the tools to unmask the false prophets. Today the Church is full of false prophets and many Christians are deceived and follow them.
The appearance of false prophets is not a surprise as Jesus had prophesied when he was with the disciples. He said that false Christs and false prophets will rise to deceive, if possible, even the elect (Matthew 24: 24). Today we live Jesus' prophecy because many of God's children are seduced by false prophets that have replaced the Holy Spirit. It is written in Romans 8: 14 that God's children should be led by the Holy Spirit but the false prophets are now in the process of replacing the Holy Spirit. When a child of God must consult a prophet before making an important decision, it is clear that he ignores the role of the Holy Spirit.
Still on the subject of false prophets, Jesus was very clear in saying: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves"(Matt 7: 15). They come as spiritual men sent by God but inwardly they are animated by a destructive spirit of Satan. What is shocking is that there are even pastors of churches that are false prophets. If a church is led by a false prophet, you can imagine the spiritual future of the Christians.
In the verse we just read (Matt 7: 15), Jesus asks us to beware of false prophets. In other words, He asks us to distance ourselves from those who claim to be prophets of God while they are false prophets. He compares them to ravenous wolves. That is why God's people must be informed that there is a danger in the Church. Being informed of the danger is not enough as long as we do not learn how to protect ourselves.
John wrote by saying: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world"(1 John 4: 1).
The big question is how to test Prophets. I'll give you indicators to unmask the false prophets by comparing a true to a false prophet. Those who manufacture counterfeit notes are not stupid. They make notes which resemble to the real to the point of confusing. This is why big banks have specialized equipment to detect counterfeits.
In the third part, I will start to give you the biblical indicators to detect false prophets. I would also ask you to share this teaching to your friends and they will thank you one day.
Chris Ndikumana
How to test prophecies (Part 3)
It's time to answer the big question which is "How to test prophecies?"
As promised, I will give you the indicators to unmask the prophets by comparing a false to a true prophet.
First indicator: The fulfillment of a prophecy
As I said in the second part, those who make counterfeit notes do everything to imitate the real ones in order to get your attention.
When a prophet speaks, he speaks from God. This means that the prophet’s message must be respected as a message from God. We all know that God is omniscient (He knows everything) and He cannot make a mistake or fumble.
Here is what Moses said concerning prophecies: " When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him"(Deuteronomy 18: 22).
This Word is very powerful; If a prophet adventures in announcing one thing and the thing does not happen, the verse tells us that the prophet has spoken it presumptuously which means that it is not what the Lord has spoken. I believe that there is nothing to speculate on that. In Jeremiah 1: 12, God says, “I am ready to perform my word". If God really said something, He would be ready to perform his word.
If a prophet announces something and you see the opposite or the thing is not fulfilled, that means that it is not the Lord who spoke because if it was so, he would be ready to perform it. In that case, it is a false prophecy and a false prophecy is announced by a false prophet. However, there are true servants of God who venture in prophesying by themselves but when they realize that their prophecies are not fulfilled, they step back and stop prophesying. But those who persevere in lies (false prophecies) are not servants of Jesus.
If this is the case, why false prophets are always listened in spite of the things that are not fulfilled? As I said in the second part of the teaching, those who make counterfeit money try to imitate the real ones. False prophets do not only tell lies. Sometimes they say things and things are accomplished exactly as prophesied. It is the fulfillment of those things that encourages desperate people who have lost faith in the Lord. They will tell you: "It's true that this was not done but one day he told me one thing and the thing was done".
This is the strategy of the devil to encourage Christians to put their trust in a false prophet by showing them that one day he said one thing and the thing was done. Before being converted, I consulted a wizard and some of what he told me was true.
Therefore, even false prophets may say things that are accomplished but there will always be things that will not be accomplished because the mouth of a false prophet must absolutely produces lies. A true prophet says the truth and nothing but the truth. If a mouth produces some lies, do not waste your time listening.
In the fourth part, I will show you what can block the fulfillment of God’s prophecy and you will have other indicators to test prophecies.
Chris Ndikumana
How to test prophecies (Part 4)
It is important to know that God wants to speak to his children. God wants to communicate with us and He does it constantly even if we do not realize it. If you have the Holy Spirit, God wants to speak to you constantly through his Spirit. But if you fail to understand his message, he sometimes sends a prophet.
God normally prefers to talk to you directly without intermediaries and the prophet will come only to confirm what God has already said. A believer of the New Testament should not be guided by a prophet but by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8: 14). If God is always obliged to seek an intermediary (a prophet) in order to communicate with you, it means that there is a communication problem between you and your God. Being always in search of the prophets is a sign of spiritual childhood or poor relationship with the Lord.
Concerning the prophecies, when God says something, the thing must absolutely happens because God will orchestrate the circumstances for His Word to be fulfilled (Jer 1: 12). No human being can block the fulfillment of God's Word but in some cases, a sin can be an obstacle.
I can pick a case in the Bible: God promised to bless forever the house of Eli the priest but because of the sins of his sons, he said: “I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before me forever.’ But now the Lord says: ‘Far be it from me; for those who honor me I will honor and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed”. (1 Sam 2:30).
It is sin that ruined everything despite the good promise. God has good plans for us but we have to walk in his Word to facilitate their achievement. Sometimes we make mistakes or commit sins but if the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, we must repent immediately (1 John 1: 9).
Let us continue with the indicators to test prophecies.
Second indicator: Compliance with the Word of God
False prophets often take advantage of the Christian lack of knowledge of the Word by manipulating them. This is why I totally give myself in the Ministry of Teaching in order to equip God's children in the knowledge of God's Word. You cannot be sure to test a prophet if you do not have the knowledge of the Word of God.
For example, if a prophet tells you that God is going to judge a country and those who are not sanctified (sinners) will perish but the holy ones shall be saved, you would need to have read the Bible and remember that in 2 Peter 3: 9, it is written: " The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance ".
If a prophet tells you that God wants to kill sinners as we just read that He is not willing that any sinner should perish, it is clear that this is a false prophet.
All prophecies must be scanned (tested) in the light of the Word of God. Never accept a prophecy that is contrary to God's Word.
In the fifth part I will give you more indicators
Chris Ndikumana
How to test prophecies (Part 5)
Today I finish this teaching by giving you more indicators to test prophecies. In addition to test prophecies, we must also learn to test the prophets. This is at least Jesus suggestion when he spoke of the prophets, saying: "You shall know them by their FRUITS" (Matt 7: 16). By "fruits," Jesus was referring to the behavior, character, attitude and maturity of the prophet.
Third indicator: The spirit of seduction: Most false prophets are recognized by a spirit of seduction. They always want to please those who listen to them. They always say that the ears want to hear. It is as if God agrees with everything we do and that we do not need any correction. Our God is a Father who loves us, encourages us and also corrects us as a Father. Most false prophets promise us money, contracts and are not interested in our spiritual life.
If you see a prophet who only says sweet words, be careful and consult with the Holy Spirit in you.
Fourth indicator: Terror: In this category, false prophets only speak with terrifying words and show a still angry and unforgiving god who wants to exterminate all those who do not want to cooperate. The Bible says that our God is full of love, slow to anger and rich in mercy. He is patient and gives us time to correct us and the Holy Spirit is described by Jesus as the Comforter or Helper and He will tell of things to come (John 14:26 / John 16: 13). If a prophet gives you a message and your spirit is broken, it is possible that the spirit he used is not the Comforter or the Helper. In this case, you must pray and seek the Holy Spirit in you.
Fifth indicator: Humility: If you see a prophet filled with pride, who wants to have a lot of respect and honor, it is an indicator that it is a false prophet. A prophet of God is always humble and never wants to impress. A false prophet will show you that he is the only one that is important God’s eyes and all those who resist will be punished by God.
Sixth indicator: A life of prayer: A Prophet of God who is constantly used by the Holy Spirit should be a man / woman of prayer. Most false prophets I met rarely pray. They put more attention to the gift of prophecy but do not pray.
Finally, I should mention that God gives the gift of prophecy but He also gives the Ministry of Prophet which is one of five ministries in the church (Ephesians 4: 11). One with the Ministry of Prophet is used by God to guide the church according to God's plan. It is he who informs and warns what is going on in the spiritual world. Each church should pray that God rise up a prophet for growth and stability.
I hope that this teaching has helped you but if you still have questions you do not have an answer, write me.
God bless you
Chris Ndikumana
