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Wednesday, January 1, 2025
Traits of a True Prophet
Traits of a True Prophet
“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13).
1. A prophet must be called by God.
There are many people calling themselves prophets who are leading the masses astray. Yet, the Word is clear that a prophet must be called by God himself. The Bible says: “ The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:4-5).
2. A prophet must speak the truth.
One of the major characteristics of true prophets of God is that they will speak the truth of God just as it is and they won’t add anything of their own or try to dilute God’s truth for the sake of church numbers. The Bible says: “You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?” If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed” (Deuteronomy 18:21-22).
3. A true prophet will not be a prophet for profit.
A true prophet will not be compromised by money because he/she knows that God is their source. The Bible says: “Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money. Yet they look for the LORD's support and say, ‘Is not the LORD among us? No disaster will come upon us’ ” (Micah 3:11).
4. A true prophet teaches and preaches sound doctrine and not his/her own philosophies.
A true prophet will teach the unadulterated Word of God regardless of who it offends or its popularity in love. They will not change God’s message to meet the status quo or attempt to make it popular with the modern times. Most importantly, their prophecies will never contradict God’s Word. The Bible says: “ This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:16).
5. A true prophet will sound the alarm for God’s people to return to Him and away from sin.
A true prophet will have a heart for the people of God as a watchman on the wall. They will warn of God’s judgment should the people fail to repent and turn from their wicked ways. The Bible says: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself” (Ezekiel 3:17-19).
6. A true prophet will be filled and led by the Spirit of God, as he will stay continuously in God’s presence.
A true prophet will be Holy-Spirit filled and led by the Lord. He knows that he must get wisdom, knowledge, and understanding by staying connected to the Lord. The Bible says: “They keep saying to those who despise me, ‘The Lord says: You will have peace.’ And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts they say, ‘No harm will come to you.’ But which of them has stood in the council of the Lord to see or to hear his word? Who has listened and heard his word?” (Jeremiah 23:19-18).
7. A true prophet has a gifting for spiritual discernment.
A true prophet being led by God will understand the times in which we live and help the people to prepare accordingly just as the sons of Issachar did. The Bible says: “ from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do—200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command” (1 Chronicles 12:32).
8. A true prophet does not lead you into idolizing themselves, but they will point you to Jesus.
A true prophet does not try to take credit for what the Lord does or lift himself up on a pedistal to be praised. He is humble and knows that he is only a tool to be used by the Lord. He will always point you to the Gift-giver who is the One who gave him the prophetic annointing. The Bible says: “Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. ‘Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?’ they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the Lord heard this. Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:1-3).
9. A true prophet will not have hits and misses.
There are a lot of prophets today who will prophesy things they claim to come from God only to have them fail. However, a true prophet’s words will never fail, but should the prophecy be conditional, the Lord will make it known through His servant. The Bible says: “The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord. The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word” (1 Samuel 3:19-21).
10. A true prophet will oftentimes be misunderstood, rejected, abused, and ridiculed.
Most true prophets will not be liked by the majority of self-professed believers and non-believers. They will often face isolation, attacks, rejection, and various forms of abuse. Yet, they will hold fast to the Lord who gives them their strength. The Bible says: “Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith” (Mark 6:4-6).