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Bill Hamon says this is the year of divine reversal—but God's people have to do their job! He says it will take plenty of prayer, decreeing and warfare. But the potential results could be amazing: "This year is a vital, pivotal turning year—and if we obey God, and the church will walk like it's supposed to, we're going to see a turnaround and revival in America."
Bill Hamon: "Open Doors, Opportunities & Advancement Through God's World War III Weapons"
THE ELIJAH LIST Jan 19, 2017
From the desk of Steve Shultz:
I highly, highly revere Bishop Bill Hamon and his ministry of CI (Christian International). For those who don't know, I was first trained in "the prophetic" at CI...and the rest is history and my destiny unfolded.
Bishop Bill Hamon is not only the father of our current day prophetic movement, his knowledge of the Word of Lord is very deep...I'd consider him a scholar when it comes to Biblical teaching as well!
In Bishop Hamon's word for 2017, you are going to get an in-depth teaching at best...of what is ahead for the year(s) to come. It is in outline form...so it will be like you, the student, taking notes from the teacher, so to speak. It's very key, detailed and right to the point. I encourage you to take time and study this out for yourself as you could spend hours just reading and searching this revelation out.
Bishop Hamon shares this key word for 2017:
The word I am sharing is from Christ's letter to the Philadelphia Church, about us being granted an "Open Door" that no man or demon can shut. It is directed mainly to those who have ears to hear what Christ is saying to His Church, who are walking in all presently restored truth, and have volunteered to be a warrior in God's newly activated, offensive and powerful army called, "God's World War III."
Jesus, as Commander-in-Chief of His army, is coming to put His mighty warrior anointing upon them to destroy the powers of darkness and demonstrate God's Kingdom throughout the earth.
Again...there are great things in our future...and we are being called to engage in the army of the Lord! Even now...you are being called! (To Subscribe to the Elijah Listgo here.)
Enjoy! And thanks for forwarding this to your friends! They can subscribe here.
Steve Shultz, Founder and Publisher The Elijah List & Breaking Christian News http://www.elijahlist.com
P.S. – Oh, and a Quick Note to our readers: To EXPLORE our more than 4,000 Christian Prophetic books, CDs, and gifts go to: elijahshopper.com.
"Open Doors, Opportunities & Advancement Through God's World War III Weapons"
Bishop Bill Hamon, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida
Word of the Lord for 2017
I started giving the "Word of the Lord for the year" in 1988. It was originally intended for Christian International Ministers. However, in the late 1990s, Cindy Jacobs and I, and several others, started the International Round Table of Prophets. After that we started giving a more corporate word.
The word I am sharing is from Christ's letter to the Philadelphia Church, about us being granted an "Open Door" that no man or demon can shut. It is directed mainly to those who have ears to hear what Christ is saying to His Church, who are walking in all presently restored truth, and have volunteered to be a warrior in God's newly activated, offensive and powerful army called, "God's World War III."
Psalm 110:3says,"Your people will be volunteers in the day of Your power."Or the NIV says,"Your troops will be willing on your day of battle."
Right now, God is searching for soldiers of the Cross who are willing to volunteer for God's WWIII offensive army. Jesus is looking for those who have level-four heart soil (Mt. 13:23), which have been purged from all weed-seed attitudes. They are righteous and fearless, for they have attained to level three of the overcomers—"They love not their lives unto death"(Rev. 12:11). God is going to give them His mighty strength (2 Chron. 16:9).
Jesus, as Commander-in-Chief of His army, is coming to put His mighty warrior anointing upon them to destroy the powers of darkness and demonstrate God's Kingdom throughout the earth.
Revelation 3:7-13:
Letter to Philadelphia Church
• Open Doors (see verse 7): The Lord is saying, "I who am Holy and True, am also He who shuts and no one opens, and opens and no one shuts. I know your works, SEE, I HAVE SET BEFORE YOU AN OPEN DOOR! And NO One can shut it!"
In 2017, we have an Open Door: Opportunities never had before. The only judgment in this letter is if we do not go through the Open Door set before us.
• Open Heaven (see Deut. 28:12): If we are diligently obeying the "Voice of the Lord" then we have the blessings (vs. 1-14) and not the curses (vs. 15-68). The voice of Lord includes Logos, Rhema and personal prophecy.
• Open Earth: In the USA, we have been given earthly, legal and natural opportunities to arise and shine as the Church.
• Verse 7 continued: "Who has the Key of David." The Key of David has three notches that unlock Christ's purposes and provisions: 1. Spirit of Revelation. 2.Worship. 3. Warfare.
• Revelation: David had tremendous amount of revelation as revealed in his Psalms. David never had many visions, dreams or angelic visitations, but he had prophetic revelation more than any other.
• Worship: Worship to God was a love and passion of David. He knew the power and purposes of praise. He had the revelation that God inhabits our praise and is enthroned in power for us (Ps.22:3). (Pre-prayers of Jesus.) (Photo via Flickr)
• Warfare: David and Joshua are the two greatest Biblical warriors and generals in God's army. General Joshua fought with his army and conquered Canaan for Israel's inheritance and national home land. David fought with his army, extending Israel's inheritance to its full borders as God promised to Abraham (Gen.15:18). In 2017, we are to war against our enemies until we fulfill our personal prophecies and possess our full inheritance.
• Joshua Generation: God is raising up a Joshua generation with the Key of David to fulfill all of God's prophetic promises to Israel and His Beloved Church.
• War Angels: David learned how to co-labor with General Michael and his war angels in his warfare against his enemies (2 Sam.5:22-25). This is the day of God's power, and His chosen ones are volunteering to be warriors in God's WWIII.
Psalm 103:20-21 declares that God's angels excel in strength and heed the voice of the Lord and those Saints who speak for their Commander-In-Chief, Jesus Christ. David is the only man that the Bible declares that he was a man after God's own heart. We can be both God-loving worshipers and bold and fearless warriors.
• Verse 8:"You have kept My word, and have not denied My Name." This reveals that we have not forsaken any restored truth and have maintained a balance in the truths of God. For 30 years, we have not denied His name as Prophet and Apostle, but have boldly declared and demonstrated that Jesus is still ministering in His Church as Prophet and Apostle. We are now manifesting Jesus as the Mighty Warrior and the Lord of Hosts/Armies.
• Verse 9: God is separating the Sheep from the Goats. He is going to favor those He approves as His Sheep and make the goats acknowledge that we are God's true Sheep. God is going to start vindicating His own.
• Verse 10: This verse will be made a reality before the end of 2018. The world is going to be tested by the threat of a natural WWIII being activated with the potential of nuclear warfare. If we have persevered in Christ-like living and doing spiritual warfare for God's purposes, "He shall keep us from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell upon the earth."
• Verse 11:"Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown."Crown represents your calling and ministry in Christ. Regardless of the persecution by the worldly church and the ungodly, maintain your calling regardless of the cost. (Memorize Romans 8:18.)
• Verse 12: If we overcome, Jesus will make us a permanent fixture (pillar) in the Temple of His God. Jesus will write on us the name of His God and His new name. That means He will not allow us to miss out on any new thing that He shall do with His Church on the earth and in Heaven. (Photo via Pixabay)
• Verse 13: We must have open spiritual ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church in 2017.
Advancement Throughout History to Now
• 1st Reformation: 30AD-400AD: Church Birthed, established worldwide.
• 2nd Church Reformation: 1517-2007: Eight Major Restoration Movements.
• 3rd And Final Church Reformation: 2008: Rev. 11:15: "Kingdoms of this world become the Kingdom of God."
Advancement of Restoration Correlated With Israel's Journey: Egypt to Canaan:
• 1517 Protestant Movement: Blood applied—came out of Egypt.
• 1600 Evangelical Movement: Crossing Red Sea—Baptized.
• 1700 Holiness Movement: Banks of Red Sea, separated.
• 1800 Faith Healing Movement: Waters of Marah—People Healed.
• 1900 Pentecostal Movement: Water From Rock-Spirit Language.
• 1950 Charismatic Movement: Mt. Sinai—Body of Christ.
First Phase of Resurrection of the Dead Doctrine- Resurrection Life:
• 2016: Activation of the Army of the Lord into Offensive Warfare.
• 2020: First Phase of The Eternal Judgment Doctrine (Ps. 149:5-9).
• 2017: An Open Door with Opportunities for Promotion and Possessing.
• 2017 till His Kingdom is established: full ministry of God's World War III. We will engage in spiritual warfare with Prophetic Acts of Faith, with God's Weapon of Mass Destruction to powers of darkness, and satan's army of wicked spirits. The Shout of Faith is the Church's WMD.
DECREE AND SHOUT IT TO BE! (To Subscribe to the Elijah List go here.)
Dr. Bill Hamon is the founder of Christian International Ministries, a premier prophetic ministry for over 45 years. A prophet for 60 years, he has prophesied to more than 50,000 people and provided training for over 250,000 in prophetic ministry. He has authored nine major books, specializing in the restoration of the Church and what to expect next on God's agenda.
Dr. Bill Hamon is respected by church leaders around the world as a senior leader of the prophetic/apostolic company God is raising up in these last days. He serves as bishop to over 3,000 ministers and churches and CI's headquarters on five continents. Bill resides in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, along with his three children, eleven grandchildren, and fourteen great-grandchildren. "Mom" Hamon's legacy lives on through their family and the work that continues at Christian International Ministries.
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Most of us have "fought" battles with satan only when it was necessary.
In our attempt to live in peace, we have often left satan alone. But that has changed, now that God has declared WORLD WAR III in the Church.
This is an "offensive" war, not one in which we only defend ourselves. To put it another way, if we are Believers then we are IN THIS WAR. No longer do we get to leave the fighting to others.
Read through this article once or twice, and then be sure to watch the video by Dr. Hamon, which we've included a video link to his "Word of the Lord" below...they both go together.
Hey! Now one last thing. The "What is God Saying for 2016?" conference has JUST ended and NOW YOU CAN ORDER THE CDs, DVDs OR MP3 DOWNLOAD.
Friends, this truly, truly, truly was the best conference yet and I've NEVER EVER heard so many positive words coming forth from God's prophets. Our speakers were: Chuck Pierce, Jane Hamon, Dutch Sheets, and Dr. Alveda King (niece to Martin Luther King, Jr).
Here is the link to purchase the full message sets in DVD, CD, or MP3 audio formats:
Enjoy! And thanks for forwarding this to your friends! They cansubscribe just below... Steve Shultz, Founder and Publisher The Elijah List & Breaking Christian News http://www.elijahlist.com
P.S. – Oh, and a Quick Note to our readers: To have daily, encouraging prophetic emails from The Elijah List sent to your inbox, just CLICK HERE or go to: http://elijahlist.com/subscribe.
PLUS: HEY! Please EXPLORE our more than 4,000 Christian Prophetic books, CDs, and gifts at: elijahshopper.com.
"God's World War III"
Bishop Bill Hamon, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida
One of the most important things for Christians to know is God's times and seasons in which we live. We must know God's present-day purpose and what Christ Jesus seeks to accomplish in and through His Church in order to be co-laborers with Christ. There is a difference between working for Christ and working with Christ Jesus. Many ministers of past restoration movements faithfully preach the Biblical truths that were restored, including those of their own restoration movement.
God is still restoring and doing new things in His Church. There are still Scriptural truths to be restored and divine purposes that must be fulfilled before Jesus can return from Heaven (Acts 3:21; Hebrews 10:13).
The First and Second World Wars
The Church has now entered God's WWIII. For God to have a third world war, He had to have a first and second.
God's WWI was fought to produce the First reformation of the Church. God sent His Commander-in-Chief of the armies of Heaven to earth as a human baby.
He grew to a man, and at the age of 30, Jesus launched His campaign.
The war was to destroy the works of the devil and provide redemption for mankind.
Jesus fought His first battle with the devil at the temptation in the wilderness. Father God then anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power, as He went about destroying the works of the devils by healing people of their devilish afflictions and casting satan's demons out of people.
Jesus' winning battle was on the Cross where He provided redemption for mankind, and then by His resurrection from the dead, He took the keys of death and Hell from the devil. Jesus then birthed His Church and gave His Church power and authority over the devil and all his demons. Thereby WWI was won.(Photo via eyesright)
God's WWII began in 1517 at the beginning of the 2nd Reformation, which was for the purpose of restoring all truth and ministries back to being active in the Church.
The first shot was fired when God's General Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis to the door of his Church in Wittenberg, Germany.
It took many battle-restoration movements over 490 years to retake all the truths and ministries that the devil had captured during the 1000 year Dark Age of the Church. Most of them were restored back into the Church by the end of 2007.
Thereby God's WWII was won and the Second Reformation of the Church was fulfilled.
Now, God's World War III
Now God's WWIII was declared in 2008 when the 3rd and Final Church Reformation was birthed in the Church. God's warriors and army officers have been intensely tested, trained and equipped for the last seven years for the launching of God's offensive warfare in 2016.
Israel's 7-day march around Jericho typifies these 7 years. The Restoration Movements during the 2nd Reformation are illustrated by Israel's experiences during their journey from Egypt to Canaan. The First being the Protestant Movement that brought the Church out of its Egyptian bondage of religious dead works, the Sixth being the Charismatic movement that brought the Church to its Jordan River, and the Seventh being the Prophetic-Apostolic Movement that crossed the Church over its Jordan River into its Canaan Land.
Israel's inheritance was the land of Canaan. Their challenge was to make the kingdoms of Canaan the Kingdom of Israel. The inheritance of the Church is the Earth. Our challenge is to make the kingdoms of this world the Kingdom of God (Revelation 5:10; 11:15).
When all this is accomplished, God's WWIII will be won and "The 3rd and Final Church Reformation" will be fulfilled.
I have written a book covering the First, Second and Third Reformation, called Prophetic Scriptures Yet To Be Fulfilled. It mostly covers the Church demonstrating and establishing God's Kingdom. The book I am writing now on God's WWIII covers the warfare, our weapons of warfare and how to use them. The new book will also cover the final battle that will decisively win the war as described in Revelation 19.
The Army of the Lord
We have entered an offensive warfare that will not end until Jesus personally leads His army of saints in the final battle. This is now the time that saints must know their weapons of war and how to use them. Pastors and all fivefold ministers must now function as drill sergeants and generals and diligently train the saints to be soldiers who know how to fight as warriors in the army of our Commander-In-Chief, Jesus Christ our Lord.
We must make sure we are fully dressed in our Protective Defensive Armor: Our helmet of Salvation, breastplate of righteousness, belt of truth, and combat boots of the Gospel. The shield of faith is mainly defensive but can be used offensively.
Our Offensive Weapons: Sword of the Spirit, In the Name of Jesus, high praises, shout of faith, praying in tongues, prophetic acts and praying and making apostolic decrees. I have led numerous nations in warfare with the Church's greatest corporate weapon – the shout of faith – which explodes demons in the spirit realm like an atomic bomb exploding in the natural. Many ministers have testified of major changes and a shift in the nation. A few years ago Cindy Jacobs prophesied, "Dr. Bill, Jesus is commissioning you to be a 5-Star General in the Army of the Lord."
Someone gave me some documents stating that 5-Star Generals are only commissioned during a time of war. I lead churches in warfare as a 5-Star General more than as a 5-Fold minister. The reason Prophets are motivated to warfare is because of what God said to Prophet Jeremiah:
"I have set you (prophet) over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down (evil demonic principalities). Then plant and build the Kingdom of God" (Jeremiah 1:10). We absolutely do have weapons of warfare that are mighty in pulling down strongholds of satan (2 Corinthians 10:4: Ephesians 6:12). (Photo via Wikimedia)
I write in my new book, "The next great move of God is the manifest Army of the Lord. It will produce the most manifestations of God's power and glory ever recorded in church history." It will continue until the glory of the Lord fills the earth as the waters cover the sea (Numbers 14:21; Habakkuk 2:14). Jesus is calling forth tried and proven ministers to fulfill His timely present purpose and co-labor with Him to win His WWIII.
Ministers let us now prepare Christian soldiers as men and women of valor and mighty warriors, like David's 30 mighty men, Gideon's 300 and Joshua's conquering army. These special forces of saints will fight along with Jesus, the Commander-in-Chief of His army of angels in Heaven and His warrior saints on earth, until His World War III is won. Be assured that Jesus, with His victorious overcomer warriors, will win this war and triumphant valiantly. Jesus and His overcomer warriors will then rule and reign over everything! (Revelation 2:26-27; 5:10; 21:7; Daniel 7:14, 18, 22, 27.)
Dr. Bill Hamon is the founder of Christian International Ministries, a premier prophetic ministry for over 45 years. A prophet for 60 years, he has prophesied to more than 50,000 people and provided training for over 250,000 in prophetic ministry. He has authored nine major books, specializing in the restoration of the Church and what to expect next on God's agenda.
Dr. Bill Hamon is respected by church leaders around the world as a senior leader of the prophetic/apostolic company God is raising up in these last days. He serves as bishop to over 3,000 ministers and churches and CI's headquarters on five continents. Bill resides in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, along with his three children, eleven grandchildren, and fourteen great-grandchildren. "Mom" Hamon's legacy lives on through their family and the work that continues at Christian International Ministries.
With several months of the year of the whirlwind before us, how should we position ourselves amid the doom and gloom? That's a good question—and one I've been pondering more and more lately. In fact, I've discussed it with many prophets and prophetic people in the last couple of weeks—and I've prayed plenty.
Should we store up three years worth of food? Take all of our money out of the bank? Hide in a cave, praying for the best but believing the worst? Leave the country? What should be our response? I, for one, refuse to let a spirit of fear over take me, despite all the doom and gloom prophecies.
Cindy Jacobs, co-founder of Generals International, says first of all we are to obey the admonition from Scripture to not give in to fear. She is convinced the enemy wants to stir up panic and distress. But she is also convinced we have to stand firm, trusting God's faithfulness.
"I want to share with you what I am hearing prophetically at this moment. On a global level, God is changing the landscape of financial power. Some nations are going to find that their 'cash cows'—the commodities that have propped up their ideologies—are diminishing or being taken away. This will even begin to affect the terrorist organization, ISIS," Jacobs says.
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"Is there going to be a total collapse such as we saw in 2008? If there is, I do not have a word about that. In past economic shakings, I have known in advance that a severe crisis would take place," Jacobs continues. "For instance, in January of 2008, the Lord spoke the word to me, 'There will be no more business as usual.' It could be that this time around the Lord has simply chosen to speak to other prophets and not me, and that is His prerogative."
Still, because so many voices—both prophetic and secular economic analysts—are pointing to extreme economic trouble this fall and even into 2016, Jacobs is praying hard through this season. I am praying with her—and so should you. She reports positive prayer answers after taking her prayer team to Wall Street to intercede for God to give us a course correction instead of a complete economic meltdown.
"As we move into the September/October months of the Jewish New Year and the appearance of the fourth blood moon, what do I know that I have heard? Historic changes will take place in the coming days that will be a prophetic catalyst for a great awakening. God is setting the stage for revival and harvest," Jacobs says. "I also have a strong admonition that we are in a time of hearts being tested—whether we will rely on our own strength and capabilities, rather than God's."
I stand in 100 percent total agreement. I'm hearing the similar things are so are the likes of Chuck Pierce, Bill Hamon, Barbara Yoder and Ryan LeStrange. I'll share more with you about the revelations in the days ahead, but for now, let's get to the question about storing food. Should we store up mass amounts of food?
I live in South Florida, where hurricane season has caused devastation so I do have food and water stored. But I do not have three years worth of dried food in my house. Even if I wanted to, I could not possibly store up that much food in my little beachfront condo. If the Lord has told you to do that, obey—but don't move out of fear. Jacobs says if we're hoarding out of fear it's not from the Lord.
"In truth, no matter what comes, we are called to be overcomers. There have been many dire prophecies, but they all are conditional upon a lack of repentant hearts. At the moment, there are a number of prayer projects and fasts being called by various ministries, and our Reformation Prayer Network stands with them as well," Jacobs says.
"God will be the same great God in the coming days as He is right now at this very moment. He is not about to forsake His children, no matter what transpires. He is vitally interested in our personhood, families, and futures. God is setting the stage to make some serious history, and I, for one, am not afraid of the future because He is my future—eternally!"
Prophetic ministry can empower or destroy the church. (Lightstock )
Note: This article ran in the November 1990 issue of Charisma.
Where are the prophets? In every quarter of the church today we hear that question ringing. Not only in charismatic and Pentecostal churches, but even in the old mainline denominations, Christians are experiencing prophetic ministry, acknowledging prophetic ministers and wondering where the Holy Spirit is headed in these closing years of the 20th century.
I believe that we are actually in the midst of a divinely ordained move of God—what many are calling the prophetic movement. The Holy Spirit has designed this movement to bring full recognition, restoration and activation of prophets and prophetic ministry—within church ministry and structure. The current move of God is in fact an extension of earlier restoration movements throughout the last 500 years that have brought back to the church a number of truths and spiritual experiences that had previously been neglected—in particular, the Protestant, Holiness, Pentecostal and charismatic movements.
Each of these great restoration movements has been more powerful and gained a greater potential for salvation, or self-destruction, than the one before. The process is like the progressive invention of modern warfare weapons, from gunpowder to dynamite to nitroglycerin to nuclear bombs. As the latest and most powerful force and spiritual weapon of warfare being brought forth in the church, the prophetic movement has the most potential for blessing or destruction of any restoration movement during the last five centuries.
If nuclear or laser weapons were to fall into the hands of unprincipled, self-centered terrorists, they would have no scruples about using this power to destroy many lives in furthering their own selfish ends. They would use these weapons to intimidate, manipulate and control people to build their own dictatorial kingdom. In the same way, if a prophetic minister does not have Christ's character, biblical principles of operation, and a right spirit and motivation, he or she has the potential to control and manipulate people with supernatural knowledge, visions, revelations and miracles. False prophets, wrongly motivated ministers and immature believers misusing prophetic ministry can cause great destruction.
On the other hand, with the right character and spirit, prophetic ministers have great power to influence people for God toward unity, obedience, humility and Christlikeness. Thus prophetic ministry can bring life or death, blessing or blasting. Like atomic or laser power, the prophetic can be used for good or evil.
Swings in the Pendulum
When truth is in the process of being restored to the church, it usually swings extremely to the right, then to the left. At last it finally hangs straight with a balanced message, like the pendulum of a grandfather clock, in the middle of the two extremes.
Those who are stuck out on the extreme left become cultic in their doctrines and practices. Those who don't make it back from the extreme right become an exclusive group who separate themselves from the rest of the body of Christ. In between is the group that brings itself together from both extremes to maintain a balance of wisdom and maturity in proper biblical doctrine and practice as God originally intended it to be restored to the church.
At the same time, the "balanced" group may become so protective of the truth and so reactionary toward the extremists that they keep the original form—yet lose the flow of the Holy Spirit. They may keep the purity of the doctrine yet lose the fresh anointing that restored those truths. They may maintain the proper preaching and practices yet lose God's mighty presence and power that originally accompanied the ministry.
Sad to say, church history reveals that this "balanced" group usually becomes the main persecutors of the next restorational movement of the Holy Spirit. They establish "wineskins" of doctrinal limitations with regard to what, when, where, who and how the truth can be ministered. Their wineskins become dry and set with such limitations that they cannot receive the new wine of restored truth that adds new dimensions to the church.
For that reason, we must keep our wineskins flexible so that we can go from movement to movement of the Holy Spirit, incorporating into our personal lives and our churches all that God wants to restore to His church (2 Cor. 3:18). At the same time, we must not become vulnerable to extremism and fanaticism. As the apostle Peter declared, we must continually "be established in the present truth" without forsaking any of the truths and practices that have already been restored (2 Pet. 1:12). Jesus said that a wise scribe is one who brings out of his treasure chest treasures both old and new (Matt. 13:52).
The true apostles and prophets called to pioneer the prophetic movement will do all they can to maintain balance and to keep prophetic ministers from doing foolish things that bring reproach and disgrace upon the movement as a whole. But none of the past restoration movements were able to prevent abuses and extremes totally, and neither will we be able to do so.
In the Protestant Reformation, for example, some groups reacting to Catholic control became extremely lawless. In the Holiness movement, some extremists succumbed to the bondage of legalism. Among the early Pentecostals, some went so far as to teach that speaking in tongues was necessary for salvation. And most of us are familiar with the past charismatic extremes in demonology, discipleship and prosperity teaching.
Every movement will manifest some people who are biblically uneducated and who never become birthed in the present truth. There will always be those emotionally unstable and spiritually immature people who cannot handle the truth and thus exhibit weird behavior. And there will always be charlatans, false ministers and others who are wrongly motivated, looking for an opportunity to promote themselves and to profit from the movement.
Abuses to Avoid
As with every move of God, the prophetic movement will produce its share of abuses when people carry it too far or totally misapply the truths God is restoring. God's Spirit is pure and restores unadulterated truth and ministry, but such truth and ministry are poured into earthen vessels that can be faulty (2 Cor. 4:7). So I want to raise a warning against perverting the truths being restored or using them for personal gain or for other ungodly purposes.
I believe that several specific cautions are necessary at this point as Christians seek to maintain integrity and balance in the prophetic movement:
Overemphasis on personal prophecy. Some Christians will think they need a "word from the Lord" to make every major and minor decision. They will no longer depend on their personal convictions, the Holy Spirit's leadings, or pastoral counsel and wisdom to walk daily before the Lord. In some lives, personal prophecy will replace personal prayer and hearing from God for oneself.
This is not of the Lord. Personal prophecy has a valid place in the church and in the lives of individual Christians, but it was never intended to be a "quick fix" or a replacement for seeking God.
Elevating prophecy to the level of Scripture. Another form that abuse will take is an elevation of contemporary prophecy to the same level of authority and inspiration as the written Word of God, causing cultic groups who esteem prophetic utterance as Scripture. All orthodox Christians, however, believe that the Scriptures are complete and sufficient, and will reject all extrabiblical revelation claiming authority equal to the Bible,
Ministering out from under authority. Some Christians will begin to prophesy in places other than those their church leadership has sanctioned as appropriate. I call these "parking lot prophecies," in which people draw others outside of meetings to prophesy strange things to them.
I believe it's critical that all prophecies be given only under spiritual oversight, and also that they be tape-recorded. This allows the local eldership to adjust or correct any words that are false, wrongly applied or untimely, thus saving, the person who is receiving the prophecy from confusion or misunderstanding. Sadly enough, some who are new to this movement will prophesy helter-skelter without allowing their words to be weighed and evaluated (1 Cor. 14:31; 1 Thess. 5:21). Because the prophetic ministry has the power either to bless or curse, all words must be witnessed to and judged by those who are spiritually mature and are in oversight in the local assembly.
Using prophecy to justify rebellion and sin.The charismatic movement caused many prayer groups and unstructured meetings to break themselves off from the church. Some were of God, as the Holy Spirit poured out new wine that old wineskins couldn't contain, causing inevitable splits. But many others were just rebellious groups who wanted to do their own thing without any oversight.
The prophetic movement will see a continuation of this trend, with personal prophecy used as a tool to justify rebellious factions and groups. When confronted by spiritual authority, some will say "God told me," and will produce as evidence several prophecies they gave themselves or which were given by others who endorse their group or ministry. God never intended prophecy to judge doctrinal or disciplinary matters, and He certainly has not appointed certain saints in the church to straighten out everybody else through their spiritual ministry.
Control and manipulation through prophecy. Some ministers or leaders who already have a problem with being controlling will use the gift of prophecy to dictate "orders from God" to those under them. The abuses of the discipleship movement may pale in comparison to this abuse of personal prophecy. Ministers will prophesy to people about whom to marry, which job to get, and when and where to move, all in the name of "spiritual revelation."
Scores of ignorant and immature believers will follow such leaders because they seem to prophesy the word of the Lord and have signs following their ministry. Moses told the Israelites the reason God allows such things to take place: "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" (Deut 13:3; NKJV). So Christians must understand the difference between obeying the word of the Lord and getting confirmation of major moves and life's decisions.
Using the prophetic gift for personal gain.This abuse of deceit will take two forms as people flock to prophetic ministry because God's anointing is upon it. First, many will hold "prophetic conferences" that are prophetic in name only. They will be more interested in drawing people in to pay large seminar fees to bolster their churches' finances than in ministering prophetically to the people. We will hear the word "prophetic" hung like a tag on nearly everything in the church as some try to manipulate people into becoming a part of ministries that are not at all prophetic.
The second form of this abuse is as ancient as Balaam, who tried to prophesy for his own personal gain. Even now certain ones prophesy, "Thus saith the Lord, God is saying if you will support His servant with a one-time gift of $1,000, He will surely bless you." Thousands of gullible Christians will send their money, thinking the man is speaking for God. In the end, however, these false prophets will be exposed as charlatans and judged for making merchandise of the gift of God.
Trying to fulfill personal prophecy out of proper timing.Many Christians who receive true personal prophecies about some great ministry or life situation will misunderstand God's dealing over a period of time and run out to try to fulfill their prophecy in their own strength. If God tells them prophetically that they will be raised up as a great pastor, prophet or apostle, they will run out and print up business cards with titles and proclaim themselves as God's wonder-workers.
Others who are called to be financial stewards for the kingdom of God will rush into business situations based on a personal prophecy because they think one prophecy will cause them to prosper in all their endeavors. The results will be broken contracts, bankruptcy and ruined lives.
When a true prophecy is spoken to an individual, God intends to accomplish that prophecy at some point in that person's life, not necessarily in the following week or month. Christians must learn to wait on the timing of the Lord.
Presumptuous, critical and judgmental prophesying.One of the greatest dangers and abuses of the prophetic movement will be people prophesying presumptuously or critically. For some reason, folks with a critical or negative spirit seem to flock to prophetic ministry, feeling that congregational or personal prophecy is their platform to blast everyone else for living in sin, directly implying that they themselves are the true standard for righteousness. I have seen and heard many who felt they were God's lone prophet in the wilderness, proclaiming righteousness while the rest of the church was wicked and sinful (see Deut. 18:20-22).
I have found, however, that the result of such prophesying is bitter, fruitless and condemning. God has not anointed any sheriffs in the kingdom of God to judge and condemn others, and I believe He rarely, if ever, uses immature believers to give a true word of rebuke and correction. This will be left instead to the mature person whom God can trust with hard words that need to be delivered in the spirit of humility and healing.
Abuses Have Already Begun
My spirit is grieved when I see and hear how some are already abusing the truths and ministries being restored by the prophetic movement. Even now, there are those with television programs who are using the ministry of prophesying to manipulate people to give them financial support. They close their eyes and point their finger and say, "The Lord says" or "The Lord shows me" that someone is to send them a certain amount of money. If the Lord ever did anoint them to prophesy in the first place, then that anointing left when they started using the gift for personal promotion.
I was shocked and disgusted when I heard another television personality say, "Write to me, and I will send you your personal prophecy tape for personal prosperity." I sent for it just so I could hear for myself what was being said. It was a soulish sham of using prophetic ministry to manipulate and motivate people to support his ministry.
I sometimes wish I had the power to close the mouths of such ministers. But then the Lord reminds me of what Paul told the Corinthian church: "There must be also heresies among you, that they who are approved may be made manifest among you" (1 Cor. 11:19, KJV). In relation to this movement, that means there must be false prophets, the ignorant, the immature and the wrongly motivated prophetic ministers who are improperly using the office of the prophet and the ministry of prophesying, so that those who are true and proper may be made manifest as the true prophetic ministers within Christ's church. Jesus said we must let the tares grow along with the wheat until the time of the harvest (Matt. 13:24-30).
Let All Things Be Done
Paul declared, "Let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Cor. 14:40). But there is no need for decency and order unless something is being done. The emphasis should be placed on the first five words in this statement as much as it is on the last four. Let all things be done!
The preacher of old declared that the only way to have a totally clean stall was not to have an ox in it—thus losing the benefit of the ox's labor (Prov. 14:4). So it is with the prophetic movement. If we want the benefit of prophetic ministry in the church, we must expect a few messes in the "stall" as some believers demonstrate a lack of balance, integrity or maturity.
The ones who do not manifest the truth as God intended will not make it back to the middle from the extreme swings of the pendulum of restored truth. But those who have the heart of God and the mind of Christ for this movement will proceed with proper prophetic procedures and practices—bringing the church closer to full restoration, maturity and triumph.
From the desk of Steve Shultz:
• Worship: Worship to God was a love and passion of David. He knew the power and purposes of praise. He had the revelation that God inhabits our praise and is enthroned in power for us (Ps.22:3). (Pre-prayers of Jesus.) (Photo via Flickr)
• Verse 12: If we overcome, Jesus will make us a permanent fixture (pillar) in the Temple of His God. Jesus will write on us the name of His God and His new name. That means He will not allow us to miss out on any new thing that He shall do with His Church on the earth and in Heaven. (Photo via Pixabay)
From the desk of Steve Shultz:
Jesus' winning battle was on the Cross where He provided redemption for mankind, and then by His resurrection from the dead, He took the keys of death and Hell from the devil. Jesus then birthed His Church and gave His Church power and authority over the devil and all his demons. Thereby WWI was won.(Photo via eyesright)
Someone gave me some documents stating that 5-Star Generals are only commissioned during a time of war. I lead churches in warfare as a 5-Star General more than as a 5-Fold minister. The reason Prophets are motivated to warfare is because of what God said to Prophet Jeremiah:
