Seers, Prophets, and Fortunetellers

[HOPE - Psalm 43:5]

At many carnivals you will find a booth with a palm reader or a fortuneteller or someone who says they will tell you your future ... For a nominal fee of course. For some who pay the price it is a novelty...a carnival experience that is just as exciting as the roller coaster ride, the cotton candy and smoked turkey legs, and the fun house. But for others, it is a serious decision. They will base significant life choices on what is told to them by these persons.

I noticed that we do the same thing in the Body of Christ.

Have you noticed that many people flock to prophetic conferences or try to position themselves in a seer/prophets path in hopes to get a "reading". They run to the conferences with offerings in hand in hopes of hearing a word from God from the seer/prophet. They hope that somehow that Lord will give that person insight to their situation and information will be shared that they can use to make difficult decisions. Others go for the novelty and entertainment of signs and wonders. To them it is a spiritual sideshow.

Is this really the role of the seer/prophet?

Are the prophetic gatherings nothing more than a sideshow for spiritually starved spectators?

Have you ever had a person give you a "word from the Lord" and it didn't come true?

Or have you only had great prosperity prophesied to you but never gloom and doom? Where are the prophets like the ones we read about in the Bible that will tell you the true things that will happen to you...those things that don't sound so good but in fact tell of hard times, times of testing and trying, or possible discipline from the Lord if you don't straighten up and fly right? Where are those prophets...spokespersons of God?

Why don't we hear these types of things said at "prophetic conferences"?

Something was said to me by a person who doesn't even go by the title "prophet" and I KNEW it was God speaking to them. Why? Because they spoke details about my PAST, present, and what would happen in my future if I didn't make certain decisions. I didn't know this person at all and they knew specific details about my past. I did not seek them for advice, didn't even mention things that were in my heart when we met. But in the same pattern we see in the Bible, God will send someone to you to speak to you when you either can't hear God speak to you Himself or are willingly ignoring God.

Will I run to a prophetic conference just because that is what someone chooses to call it... Most likely no. But will I listen when I recognize God using a willing vessel to come across my path in Biblical pattern... Well you be the judge of that.

Am I totally against prophetic conferences? Eh, if you choose to go, I won't condemn you. I just know how God typically deals with me and it is always in accordance to the Biblical pattern.

Feel free to share your thoughts on thr topic.

[HOPE - Psalm 43:5]

I guess my point wasn't to bash a persons title nor ALL orophetic conferences. But like many...I'm really frustrated with those I have come in contact with that have titles but that's it...just a title.

I was watching TBN the other night and Donnie McClurkin was interviewing Steve Harvey. Steve broke out crying! He was so frustrated with church folk who acted like they had been holy from the womb. He described himself as a "borderline" person who had just enough word in him from his mother who engrained it in her kids and enough sin in him to make him "borderline" in his life. He mentioned just wanting someone to talk to abd just be real with but Church folk turn him away.

I think that happens with ministry leaders as well. There is a desire to just expose your humanity to fellow leaders and you can't because there is this blatant hypocrisy or just plain fakeness that you see so prevelant that one just gets frustrated with it all.

You would even welcome and receive rebuke and reproof but sometimes the ones who are all in your face trying to do it are dripping with habitual sinful lifestyles. I mean not like David...he had a repentant heart even though his sins were intentional and calculated.

For me, services that are solely emotional are so misleading (again I say for me). Don't appeal to my emotions because like a flag in the wind emotions change direction depending on the mood of the moment or the circumstance.

I compared the prophetic conferences that I have attended to circuses bcuz that is what it was like. Notice I mentioned both the people and the prophets. Even when it was a genuine prophetic word going forth the people would be all emotional about the prophetic word but when I'd check with them afterwards days or weeks they did nothing with the word. No change. You soon forget the fun of the carnival until the next one comes along. I've seen Believers act like conference groupies. It reminds me of my days in middle school/junior high and high school where we woukd flock to concerts. We'd get all excited about the merchandise and would sport our new "gear" the next day. It was an emotional high and fun and fellowship bit that was all.

I guess I'm expecting too much. *sigh*

[Archbishop Trevor 'Elihu' Greene]

Such is your own individual assignment, Prophetess.

[HOPE - Psalm 43:5]

The prophetic conferences I attended were usually put on by the church where I was a member at that time. And any others outside of that I was invited by someone who was participating and wanted me to attend to support them. I didn't go to get a word from the Lord.

Usually when I get a "word" from someone else other than Gof impressing upon my heart or me just reading the scriptures....in those other cases, it didn't come at a conference of any sort. It was usually a one on one convo about something else and then the person would tell me what God had just laid on their heart.

The times when the Lord would communicate directly to me thru His word or to my spirit ...He would ALWAYS confirm His word in various ways.

Againmy frustration is not bcuz I'm looking for a word ....

Honestly, right now I'm frustrated with so much that I have seen and experienced with church folk. *sigh* I really can't fully explain it without someone thinking I'm attacking them individually. My frustration is with the "collective" of certain church folk. Does that make sense??

I know soooo many just down right good folk in the Body of Christ but the funny thing is that they don't do "church" like most would do it.

Anyway...maybe this is just my season of frustration on various levels and this posting topic is just one way for me to emote. I don't feel so bad about my frustration when I know that others have had the same experiences that were great, good, bad and ugly

It was mentioned here that instead of complaining we should put on our own confernces. Honestly I just don't believe that another conference is the answer to bad conferences. It still doesn't solve the problem of people who chase after a "spiritual high" by going to conf after conf hoping that their lives will be changed by heaping a boat load of conference attendances to ther spiritual resume.

But...*sigh*...I just don't have the answer for that itching ear problem.

[HOPE - Psalm 43:5]

Thank you Min. Warren. You can call me Tracy. I changed my profile name to "Hope" because here lately I was beginning to lose hope about ministry. I mean just frustrated about soooo manu things. When I get like that I have to get just ONE word frome ONE scripture and hold on tightly. So I found my one scripture and I'm clinging to it until I get out of this weird slump of frustration.

Psalm 43:5 - why art thou cast down o my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

THIS is where I am today.

[HOPE - Psalm 43:5]

One of the things the Lord has shared with me is that all these years I have been living my life ina "its good to have the Lord" in my life mindset instead of a " I need and depend on the Lord" mindset. This is what He showed me...He typically deals with me with His word and with dreams and visions... I saw America, the land of plenty not many people wanting for food. Yes we have homeless but Americas homeless are wealthy compared to a third world country. In those countries most of the people literally depend on others like people in America to feed them daily or they will starve and or die from sickness and disease. He was showing me that I have not experienced a "daily bread" walk with Him. He says I'm spoiled rotten. Right now, I'm experiencing frustrations that I have not ever imagined I would experience. I told a friend that I'm a like an emotional robot ...just going thru the motions and each day I open my mouth for daily bread from the Lord just to make it thru the day. My nights are filled with dream after dream after dream. All kinds of dreams. Last night I was reading Daniel and what stood out to me was the angel that appoeared to him and how that angel needed help from the archangel Michael. I had dreams of angels holding demons at bay. I had a dream about a demon called Fear and I speak to it in order for it to leave. I saw fear and people in the church hiding.... I sleep but wake up as if I have just lay down...like I've been fighting all night long. Lack of sleep with all the other stuff going on in my life is .... Just wearing me out. All I got is daily bread. If not for that I would probably hurt someone. LOL

[HOPE - Psalm 43:5]

Min Warren that is PRECISELY what this feels like. I am even frustrated with myself for some decisions I made and what is worse I have so little patience with whinners and I find myself whinning to God all the time LOL. It is like there is this war within me one whinning and one telling me to get over it get out of it or just HOLD ON bcuz its gonna be a bumpy ride.

[HOPE - Psalm 43:5]

Oh man membership in the bad decision club is expensive!!! And when it is a repeated bad decision that has you going around trhe mountain YET AGAIN.... GRRRR

You ever think you will never make the same bad decision and you do but don't realize it until AFTER the fact. I looked back on the situation and realized HEY I've been here before.! What the heck! I thought I had learned that lesson Lord. LOL. (Guess not)