Oct 26
Week
Our own likes or dislikes, or any other motives, should never be a motivation for prophesying, but rather revelation from the Lord. I have been accused of making predictions about earthquakes and volcanoes erupting on the West Coast out of a dislike of California, but that could not be further from the truth. First, I love California. I do make a lot of jokes about California, and Texas, but I only joke about those I have a high affection for. These two states would both be in the top five places I would want to live if I were not called to be where I am. Even so, to allow our likes or dislikes to affect what we prophesy is a serious transgression, and something we have taught for many years is a main source of false prophecies.
We also must be careful to never assign attributes to God and His ways from our own likes, dislikes, or from anything else but the Scriptures. This too is a serious transgression for any who would be His messengers. What king or President would send an emissary who is prone to give his own opinions, or who would add to their words? This is one of the primary ways that we can disqualify ourselves from an important prophetic ministry. It is better to say we do not understand something than to just give our opinions, unless we clearly state that these are our opinions, which even the Apostle Paul did in his letters.
The Scriptures are clear that the judgment of God will come upon the world at the end of this age. Even so, there are events that we might categorize as “natural,” or the earth itself groaning and travailing. How can we distinguish the difference, or is there a difference? Even if God is not doing them to us, He is at least allowing them. Not all are a message from God, but if they are, we want to get that message so He does not have to speak louder the next time through a more severe situation. The Scriptures are clear that many of these things are judgments of God, and if we do not get the message, there is no hope of repentance that might turn away His further judgments.
Most of the troubles and tribulations coming upon the world at the end of this age are our own doing. These are the result of mankind having the arrogance to think that we can run this world, or even our own lives, without God. Mankind has done some things very well, but in many basic areas we have done very poorly, and we will reap what we have sown. There is considerable evidence, backed up by Scripture, that God has actually held back the destruction with which mankind would have destroyed himself out of His patience and desire for men to be saved. This has been the grace and mercy of the Lord and His judgments, and in many cases, are the result of Him simply not restraining some things any longer and letting the consequences of mankind’s rebellion and debauchery be released. These too are the judgments of God, even if they are in the sense that He is refusing to restrain any longer and allowing them to happen.
The ultimate cause of every human problem is our turning away from God and thinking we can do this without Him. The ultimate answer is to turn back to God in repentance and humility, acknowledging that we need Him and we want to obey Him. That this would happen is my hope for having the impending judgments coming upon our nation restrained. If you think you are just dealing with nature instead of God and not connecting our rebellions and transgressions to what is coming upon us, repentance is not likely, and the terrible destruction that could have been avoided will come.
