One of the things I have noticed by being in prophetic churches (and I have been in a number of them over the years) and in prophetic communities (because prophets and the prophetic type tend to hang out together) is that the prophetic ministry is often taken for granted and the prophetic blessing is lost.

When "everyone is a prophet" then the ministry often focuses on the "prophetic word" and not THE Word of God. And because of that, the prophetic blessing from the Lord is diminished or lost. Because I read so many prophetic words to do this email List, I see that the amount of variations in them is incredible. It is work to discern a fad sometimes from a true word of consensus, because when God speaks by His Spirit, the prophets will pick it up, but fads will also have a bandwagon.

Because declared words have a power to move on creation, many are into that exercise, and too frequently the honor of Spiritual authority is lost in the free for all. Now certainly we know and too often see that authority can be overdone and taken in the wrong direction. It's why knowing the true Character of God is so important. But when things considered precious become commonplace, they can lose their value.

I have had some people write to me about the seeming different posts that God was going to bless this nation and that God was going to remove His Hand of covering over it. God will most definitely bless His faithful ones but the nation can go either way. It can even go both ways with the outpouring of His Spirit in the midst of great trials and tribulations.

When the Word of God is not esteemed precious because it is so commonplace, we need to look at the issues that have made it that way. Perhaps there is over-saturation in some areas where a needy area is being overlooked. Leaders are the ones who bear the responsibilities of those final determinations. The prophetic responsibility is for that of caring intercession. The increasing amounts of "Christian" television here in the US have certainly given us the rank of being qualified for secular talk show fodder. On radio and television and on the internet we sell our product(s) and our agendas and political clout. We look just like the world.

Many use product sales to finance their ministries more than they use donations of willing givers. When God is not depended on for finances, any work will do to provide for it and so the accountability is really to the job effort and not to the Lord.

It makes money the god, and we are certainly free to choose that, and offerings are valid, but money and the material world of mammon will always work to compete with the Spirit of God. It will feed off of the popular. Today people want their churches to cater to them. I am not opposed to seeker friendly churches, there can be good wisdom in that, but if we are bringing up people not equipped for doing the work of the ministry, then we have really failed as the church body.

Sometimes in churches and ministry we have to say no to what is wrong. When any ministry will do by any "prophetic" person, we may be getting mixtures that we have no idea that we are getting until it's time to do recoup from the losses. We really need to seek out the true pastors of the flock and prophetically we need to hold a standard of accountability. We also must need to know that we are growing in this understanding. No one group has is "all figured out." The work of the Kingdom is not complete yet.

We cannot hold any accountability without authority. The Church has been highly shamed over the last years for needing the world to pass judgments on Her problems. When the Church has to go to the heathen for justice, we have a major Spiritual deficit going on. Some of this, I believe, is because of the misuse of authority.

But without authority, many think church is a democracy or a sales job. Great persuasive skills are used for motivating the people rather than giving them the liberty to respond from their hearts. In these cases, comfort has really become the god.

God does want us to progress into better ways of living, but He has standards that need to be met for the true life of His Spirit. His ways are free but price is sacrifice. The sacrifice is not to "vote" or to "support men" but to speak of sincerety before God and to further His Kingdom.

When it becomes all about man's efforts, we have missed the God factor in there. Suddenly He is no longer needed and we redesign churches to fit our carnal natures like we very much see going on via the news reports today. We can become so frivolous in the prophetic that we treat that the same way.

Instead of "prophet" having a meaning, it becomes a commonplace title that no longer has the fear of God in its ministry. It begins to be about anything but the fear of God and so divination enters in. People can see "power" there and then the prophetic becomes diluted, defiled, and inept to change lives. Thus it must compete with the marketplace products trafficking in "self" improvement.

There is safety in the multitude of counselors but when they are all saying something different, there can also be confusion. Equipping ministries must equip God's followers to hear with the ears of the Spirit. Grumpy people need to press through and break through, not ram through. People must learn that when their local area is letting them down, that maybe God is calling them up higher; but if they want to be controlled and forfeit their birthright, they can do that, because there is the freedom to do that.

God wants to be wanted. It's why the whole reconciliation ministry of Jesus is based on the sacrifice. He did not come to manipulate us by it, but to see if we will press through past the flesh into His Spirit. If the carnal fruit is more appealing, then we do not value our life in the Spirit, and sadly it seems many do not.

Because it is based on sacrifice, we cannot coerce or covertly usurp the will of another and our religion be pure and undefiled. Our genuine efforts have meaning to God and strongly affects our faith. When we base our faith on the Word, we have the power it takes to overcome the evils of this present day world.

Pastors are needed to tend and teachers are needed to teach the flock. Evangelists need to win souls and the church is called to support that work and be open to that ministry. We are all called to win souls in our individual ways but the Church is also called on to recognize those who carry that gift calling, as for each of the five fold ministry. You recognize the true five fold because it equips you in your work of THE MINISTRY.

If it just caters to your flesh and emotional needs, then it is either a very young ministry or a false one. If it does not train you to make sacrifices and teach you HOW to glean from those sacrifices, it is not true ministry. We have many with their hands out today willing to take your gifts but who offer something other than true ministry.

We can be promised a prophetic blessing that never comes through because the promised blessing was not given in the context of true Church the way God has designed it. There is a prophetic frustration that comes when people demand something other than what the Lord has to give, but the equipping of the true calling is given with the true gift, and the true enabling often has to be sought out. If we don't have to earn it or put out a price, we often will not value it.

Many are burned out because they are not doing what they are called to do. Some are doing it wrong and some are not supposed to be doing what they are doing at all but something else. If the prophetic ministry is not true, then the prophetic blessing will not true or validated. If we deceive ourselves that all is right when it is not and we are really are in comfort more than the Kingdom, then when the true battle and test and shaking and dangers come, confusion will be the order of the day.

We must esteem the Word of God.

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