Selfishness, Prophecy, Prosperity

Rev. 19:10
    And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Deut. 13:1-4
    If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, [2] And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; [3] Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. [4] Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.

I am going into certain territory on this.  Again, I make this disclaimer, I am not an expert in any way on this, only the Holy Spirit is, for He is the Teacher and Guide to all truth.  But there are a few things I have learned in this portion of the path God has me on.  I definitely do not expect people to agree with me, but hear this out why I am concerned, especially in the prophetic.




First, I wonder how Christians have become more self-centered than Christ like.  Understand, there are believers who seek Jesus, others who are desperate but are being misled, others that are just plain selfish while not realizing their faith ultimately returns to them.  I did mention in an earlier blog that people will seek healing more than obedience and conviction in a sermon.  I actually got to observe this, as a man from Sweden came to preach with word of the healing anointing, the church was decently filled up.  This Sunday, with word he was back in Sweden, the church returned to its normal level.  Again, I am not saying healing is wrong in itself, but if God chases you down, it becomes He will.  If we chase it, it is more our will.
I have found the same thing with prophecy.  My wife used to attend a Bible study where there was "prophecy" after the teaching.  Every week, she would come home with a tape of the prophetic word spoken over her.  (Before I move on, I am not disclaiming there love for the LORD, for debate sake.)  She would get excited and want me to listen to them, so I would ask her what they taught on...she could not recall.  But she could with the prophetic word.  She could not understand why I wasn't intrigued.  After a couple years passed and a move away from the area, none of the words came to pass.  As I later told my wife, it did not draw her closer to God, but got her seeking the spoken word of His Word. 
What many prophets, no matter who pronounced they are proclaimed in the Christian realm, miss the reality of Ezekiel 14:1-5.  God tells that if anyone seeks a prophet, He will speak to them according the idols in their heart, and it will become a stumblingblock to them.  As God has given me the privilege to prophecy over people, I always pray that this will not come to fruition, for many times, including myself, are unaware of the idols hidden in our heart.  In fact, it becomes increasingly difficult for any believer to admit their faults, they just accept that the Blood covers all.
What is our motive for chasing God?  Is it what we want, like a good encouraging word or do we need a word of reproof?  Do we prefer a word of comfort when God wants to give a nudge?  If we are being led by the Spirit, He will direct us where He wills, and if it is to cross paths with one of His spokepersons (prophets), then He will do it.  But these words should not be fully judged (OK, I will use "discern," I know some who get fragile with the word "judge") not by accuracy alone, but where it directs you.  It should give you a more hunger to draw closer to Him, for ultimately, that is what God truly wants. 
In Revelations 19:10, the spirit of prophecy IS the testimony, or better word "witness" of Jesus.  It shows Him, it speaks for Him, it should point you to Him.  If it does not do this, it may be directed to selfish motives and/or idols hidden in your heart. 
There is nothing wrong with seeking that in the Word that will increase your faith, that will move you from glory to glory, that will make you grow to chew "real spiritual food."  The real issue is does it draw you closer, working holiness in you to be more in His presence, or does it feed your flesh with repentance?  The Word is better suited for us to serve and esteem others, not for others to serve us. 
"As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."  - Joshua 24-15

Lastly, I will very rarely agree with prosperity words.  Many of the dsciples either walked with Jesus or met Him in Hs glory (Saul).  Yet, nowhere does it say they live in prosperity.  All except John died or horrific death for their faith.  Paul wrote much of the NT in prison.  I doubt that being stripped with a cat-o-nine tails and iron rods to your back are blessings according to Western standards.  People who accept Christ in North Korea are imprisoned and tortured, and eventually die behind bars.  This is the "witness" of Jesus, not materialism. 
The biggest blessing you will ever have occurred almost two thousand years ago.  No other should compare, or we should want.  God will supply our NEEDS.  Don't be consumed with no other.

Blessings,
Michael