True Vs. False Prophets: How to Tell the Difference
In a world where we are constantly seeing people seek to either give or receive prophetic words, it can become easy to wonder what’s really from God and what isn’t. In a new video discussing how to discern between true and false prophets, Chris Garcia explained how you can look for the characteristics of a true prophet of the Lord.
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“A true prophet will never lead you to themselves. They’ll lead you to Christ,” Garcia says.
Garcia says a true prophet of God will guide and direct you to hear from the Lord yourself, not become dependent on them. Garcia also reminds believers that we have a natural desire to despise the prophetic because it has been abused in the past. However, Scripture tells us that we should not avoid prophecy simply because we are wary of it.
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“There’s a human inclination to despise it because it gets so abused, but you can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater,” Garcia says. “Just because someone is prophesying, number one, doesn’t always mean it’s God, but number two, just because you’ve seen abuses and prophetic utterances you cannot throw prophecy away.”
When it comes to receiving a prophetic word, we must also keep in mind not to become obsessed with seeking them out. This too is dangerous, and undermines the reality that the Lord wants to commune with us daily in a personal and intimate relationship with Him.
“If God wants to give you a word, He’ll give you a word. Stop obsessing over words and get obsessed with His face,” says Garcia.
It’s also important to recognize that sometimes the Lord will give us words, but they are not for us to speak.
“Not every word, prophetic person, is for you to say,” says Garcia. “Just because you get a word doesn’t mean that you always give it. Sometimes, it’s for you to hold in your heart and for you to pray.”
True prophets and those who are diligently listening to the voice of the Lord will use wisdom and discernment, pointing the focus back to Christ. Prophecy is meant to get us to lean into Jesus, not run away from Him. When we put Him at the center, it becomes easier to see what is truly from the Lord.
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Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.
