The Old Testament prophet Baalam is an example of this form of prophetic presentation. He possessed a genuine gift and was recognized as a prophet, but he used his gift and authority for selfish gain.
The Scriptures clearly advise us to earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but in order to use them effectively we must have the right spirit. We need the Holy Spirit to guard and protect our hearts from every form of corruption that would prostitute or merchandise God’s priceless gifts.
Obtaining prophetic warnings is an advantage of revelatory ministry. The Holy Spirit will provide enlightenment regarding the enemy’s plans and strategies against the church. Numerous prophetic people are presently being endowed to discover and disclose the schemes of the adversary. This is an important weapon in God’s arsenal for mobilizing troops for prayer and intercession to overcome Satan’s sabotages.
I have been intrigued by the many creative ways military forces spy on their enemies. Often, the victory in a battle hinges on the validity and accuracy of intelligence information provided by spies. When an opposing force has insight into the plans and strategy of its enemies, the victories generally are assured.
This is also true in spiritual battles. Our God is all-knowing and is willing to share His insight.
He is willing to enlighten us to the plans of the enemy against specific individual lives, churches, cities or conferences. As a result of this intelligence, our forces can be mobilized to counterattack through prayer and intercession and also identify the enemy’s spies infiltrating our camp to disrupt and divide.
The day is fast approaching when the prophetic ministry of the church, through the spirit of Elijah resting upon a company of people, will once again encounter the “prophets of Baal” in a Mount Carmel showdown. The church should not fear to take the prophetic gospel to the marketplace where our enemy is presently attempting–often successfully–to dominate.
In this showdown, the Spirit of truth will render the false spirits of revelation powerless, as with Paul, Elijah and other loyal servants of the Lord. The prophecies of those with the true revelatory mantle will precipitate immobility and disarray in the camp of the enemy.
The Lord is prophetically indicating in this hour that He is going to release the Zadok or righteous priesthood to teach the distinction between the sacred and the profane (see Ezek. 44:15-16). This ministry will be the government of God providing a cleansing light to purify the glorious bride of Christ.
The prototype for this righteous priesthood is Melchizedek (which is Hebrew for “my King is righteous”)–the Lord Jesus. If we are grounded in the truth of His Word and led by His Spirit, we will develop the discernment we need to determine if what we are hearing–in our own spirits or from others–is truly from Him.
