The Daily Fountain Daily Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 16 October 2019 – Watch Out For False Prophets

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TOPIC: Watch Out For False Prophets

READ: Jeremiah 29:24-32 King James Version (KJV)

24 Thus shalt thou also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying,

25 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast sent letters in thy name unto all the people that are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying,

26 The LORD hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the LORD, for every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in prison, and in the stocks.

27 Now therefore why hast thou not reproved Jeremiah of Anathoth, which maketh himself a prophet to you?

28 For therefore he sent unto us in Babylon, saying, This captivity is long: build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.

29 And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.

30 Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,

31 Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie:

32 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed: he shall not have a man to dwell among this people; neither shall he behold the good that I will do for my people, saith the LORD; because he hath taught rebellion against the LORD.

THE MESSAGE:

False prophets have always been there. Jeremiah, a prophet of God, found himself in the midst of false prophets, one of whom is Shemaiah the Nehelamite (verse 24). The message of Jeremiah to the exiles in Babylon was that: It will be a long time. Therefore build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce” (verse 28). Although Jeremiah spoke as God gave him utterance, the message did not go down well with the people because it did not offer them hope for a quick return. This is where false prophets like Shemaiah come in to falsely assure the people of what they want to hear – imminent return to Jerusalem, when the Lord had not spoken.

A prophet of God will not tell you that you will never encounter difficulties, but rather would let you know that because the Lord is with you, when you pass through the waters/rivers/fire, no harm will befall you (cf Isaiah 43:2). This is unlike the false prophets who will make you believe that God does not take interest in allowing His children go through trouble.

Beloved, we must watch out when we are faced with life’s challenges so that we do not become easy prey for false prophets. We can easily be lured by them when we are looking for a quick solution. Jesus Christ has to warn in this regard: “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Matthew 7:15).

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me that I may never be a victim of false prophets in Jesus name. Amen.