Are You Pursuing God or the Prophet? by JOSEPH MATTERA for Charisma News
During a crisis, the prophetic always becomes very popular. The uncertainty of our contemporary time motivates people to long for an assuring, personal word from the Lord. Many people who function in the prophetic know they can easily garner many followers on social media by dispensing prophetic statements. However, when we read the Scriptures, we learn that it is valuable to know God’s ways. To know God’s ways is to understand His attributes. Knowing this illustrates not only His character, but also what He loves and loathes (Ps. 97:10, Prov. 8:13). Unlike receiving a prophetic word, understanding God’s ways is a lifelong journey.
The best way to get to know God is by being filled with His Spirit while saturating oneself with the Word of God (Ps. 119:97-99, Eph. 5:18-20). One time, a young man asked me for a “word from God.” I asked this young man if he went to church, and he said, “Rarely.” I asked him if he took the time to pray; he said, “Rarely.” I asked him if he read his Bible regularly, and he said, “Once in a while.” I responded, “This is the word of the Lord for you: Read the Bible and obey it!”
Allowing the Word of God to saturate us the same way the rays of the sun saturate the Earth will transform us to be like Yahweh (Ps. 19). A lifestyle of meditating on the Word of God causes us to flourish and bear much fruit because doing so transforms us into His image (Ps. 1, Ps. 2, 2 Cor. 3:18, Rom. 12:1-2).
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The Bible is filled with references that teach the various attributes of God’s character (Ex. 34:5-7, Ps. 36:5-7, Ps. 97:2, Ps. 145:8-20, Ex. 20:5-6, John 4:23-24). Once we know His ways, we can discern His paths (Ps. 25:4). Several weeks ago, I was asked to give my perspective on the coronavirus. I disagreed with the prophetic voices that indicated it would leave quickly. Some people said that around the time of Passover, there would be a substantial downward shift and it would dissipate soon. The reason I disagreed with these statements is not that I had a particular “prophetic word,” but because, based on my knowledge of God’s ways, I felt this crisis would linger longer than many expected. I discerned that God was presently working through this crisis to purge and prepare His church for a real spiritual awakening.
