Hello, my friends! I been waiting on this one! LOL I see so many people online talking about how this person and that person is a false prophet, and that we shouldn't believe x y and z prophecy. But no one is telling the gorls how to trust God after believing a false prophecy or false doctrine; or giving the gurls the tools on how to spot false messages. So I will tell you all about the time that I slipped up and fell for a false prophecy, and I'll tell y'all about how I coped and give you tools on how to spot false messages.
This happened relatively recently (like within the last six months), so even a withered old Christian can fall for the okie doke sometimes lol. So I was scrolling through YouTube, as one does, and this prophet pops up in my recommends. I click on the video, and this prophet says that someone who watches the video would eventually end up going viral in six weeks. I'm not typically someone who cares about fame, (in fact, I actively try to avoid it in many cases) but I had also been seeing things that God was telling me about my ministry. He was telling me that my ministry would get exposure, and that when it happened, that it would happen very quickly. So when I saw the viral prophecy I was like okay, that lines up with the other stuff that I was seeing so it made sense to me. But I also didn't want to believe this prophecy, because I didn't want to get my hopes up. So I asked God for a confirmation, and He confirmed it like immediately. So I finally started to convince myself that this thing was gonna happen in my life. So for the six weeks, I updated my website, added new features, and redesigned some things. I even updated my social medias for the ministry, and added a LinkTree to all my bios. I made my stuff look better, and more accessible, and I was really proud of all of the changes that I made to my website and app! I was really excited about my message finally breaking out into the mainstream for so many queer people to be able to get free and be healed. I waited during the sixth week after hearing the message with bated breath, and everyday I was checking my social media around the clock to see if that would be the day that I went viral. Nothing happened during that sixth week, so I even waited till the next week to see if I was counting the weeks wrong or something. But still, nothing had happened. So when the six weeks had come and gone I was completely crushed.
After this had happened, I was HIGHLY upset with God. I felt myself pulling away from Him and I barely wanted to speak to Him throughout the day. I felt so betrayed, and lied to, and for a while, I was so crushed that I was even kinda considering taking a break from God. I was so angry, and I felt like a complete fool. I mean, I asked for confirmation! I made sure of it! And He confirmed this message to me and it still didn't happen! I mean my emotions were all over the place, and I wanted to find someone else who had gone through what I had gone through, so I googled stuff about believing false prophets. I saw the things that people said could be interpreted incorrectly like God giving someone a date like Jan 1st and they think it's of that year but it's actually the next or something. That didn't apply to me. Or some others would be like God told me to put an offer in for a house, so they assumed that they were getting the house, but God never told them that. That also didn't apply to me. So I looked up a message online about when God lies to you, and one on youtube showed up. She was explaining those scenarios that I saw earlier on Google so I was like kinda frustrated. But then she started to talk about some prophets are not "false" per se, they are just not that good at their gift yet. So some people can speak a word, and they do believe that it was from God (and some of it may be) but they may not have all of the details correct about it. So I felt a little bit better about it, and I started to look at the comment section and I saw someone who had gone through the same thing as me. They saw a prophecy and they knew it was from God, but the timeline that the person said wasn't right. So they just took the message and threw out the timeline. So after I heard that I realized that I probably needed to learn not to take the timelines into account when I see prophetic messages. Or at least not focus so much on them. Because even to this day I still see the confirmation about this prophecy. So I know that this event is still going to take place in my life, I guess I'm waiting on the when.
So to give the gorls some peace of mind, yes even an old withered and seasoned Christian can still fall for a false prophecy or false interpretation of a prophecy. It can happen to anyone, so don't beat yourself up if you ever fall for any of these false things. With the internet being a thing, and the fact that humans are literally not designed to be perfect, we gone slip up every now and again. But if this has happened to you and you feel cross with God about it, I recommend being extremely frank with the Lord. You can't heal what you hide from Him, so tell the Lord how you feel. You can be honest with Him so tell Him when you feel betrayed by Him, or angry at Him, or impatient with His timing. Being honest with the Lord *truly* helps you to let go of everything that has come in between your relationship with God.
So for those of us who have been through a deception in any form and want to prevent future deception, or if you just want to be more aware of false messages, I have compiled a list of signs that a prophetic message or sermon is not from God. Obviously, I don't know everything so there are probably more ways that aren't listed down below, so just pray to God so that He can show you a way to know.
Signs That A Message Is Not From God
1. The Message Is Money Hungry
If the person talking to you is demanding money for "God to move on your behalf" or says that God has a message for you, but they need money for you to hear it, RUN! God does NOT need money to do ANYTHING. When Jesus performed miracles in the bible He never charged anyone a dime! So if anyone is focusing on money or even gives you the feeling that they are money hungry then don't listen to them. God has many servants and He has NO problem getting a message across to you. If you need to hear something, He will tell you.
2. The Prophet Is Being Sexual Or Romantic Towards You
I've seen some prophets try to be sexual or romantic towards people and say that they need to do sexual or romantic acts to "get the message" or "transfer the blessing". This is NOT TRUE and if they are doing this, not only RUN but also if you feel safe enough, please alert the authorities about this person. This is spiritual and sexual coercion so please stay away from this person. God NEVER requires sex or romance from people (even in marriage) so if you feel forced to do something, that is not from God.
3. They Are Trying To Get You To "Prove" Your Faith In Jesus
This one is a BIG one that you see being used in many churches. You NEVER have to prove your love to Jesus because He already knows your heart, and already knows how you feel about Him. If anyone is telling you that you have to do anything in order to prove your love, then they are lying to you. You NEVER will have to prove your love.
4. They Are Proclaiming A Works-Based Gospel
If the message tells you that you have to perform deeds in order to receive salvation, then they are lying to you. Salvation is awarded to us through the GIFT of Jesus Christ, and we receive that GIFT through our faith in Him. It is not based on works so that NO MAN can boast! There is no work that can remove the salvation, nor is there any deed that can give it to you.
5. They Say Something That Is Against God's Character
If someone tells you a message that is supposedly from God but they are saying things that go against God's character (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) then they are not telling the truth.
6. The Prophet Makes You Uncomfortable
Sometimes the sign that God gives you when someone is not telling the truth is that they make you uncomfortable. If you feel a strange uneasiness around that person, and you don't feel a sense of peace around them, then maybe they aren't for you.
7. The Message Is Not Fruitful
So this is similar to number 5, however, this one is in reference to constructive ways to move forward. Many people may try to tell you that you are doing something wrong or against God, but if they just leave it at that and aren't giving you constructive ways on how to change your behavior; then I wouldn't take it to heart. If it feels like they are just insulting you, then tell them goodbye.
8. It Involves Witchcraft (tarot, new age, curses, spells, astrology, ancestors)
If any of you have read my book, you would know that I used to be involved with tarot. And y'all would also know that God also spoke to me through multiple tarot card readings when He was telling me to turn away from that and to follow Him. And I did. However, because He spoke to me through that, I asked Him if it was okay to continue in that, and He told me no. So while God has the ability to speak through anything He pleases to come get us, that doesn't mean He wants us to remain in those things. So if the prophet is using witchcraft to get their message to you, then that is not from God.
9. They Degrade You
If the messager is degrading you, calling you out of your name, or claiming that you don't deserve love or God or anything else that is good and comes from God, then they are not from God. It does not matter what you have done, you do not deserve to be degraded or treated badly, and God would NEVER treat you badly.
10. God, HIMSELF Did Not Confirm The Message
You can ask God to confirm any message that you hear from someone. You can even give God a specific thing that you would like to see as your confirmation. So if you asked God for it and He didn't give it to you, then don't believe that message.
11. God Leads Not Pushes
If you hear a message and it feels like they are trying to push you into something, then that is not from God. God leads His people not pushes them, so if you feel pushed into something then that is not from God, no matter how many times they try to convince you that it is.
12. The Message Is Behavior Focused
If the message is focusing on your behavior then that is a good sign that it's not from God. God ALWAYS wants to get at the heart of a problem and if someone believes that works make you right with God, then they are not correct.
13. You Feel Pressure To Conform, Not Be Transformed
This one of the biggest indicators of someone lying to you. God created all of us to be beautiful and unique individuals. We all have different gifts and talents and we all look different to each other. However, we are ALL made in the image of God. So if someone wants you to conform to how their church is or how they move, then that message is not from God.
14. They Are Trying To Invoke Fear
This also a HUGE indicator that something is not from God. God did not give us the spirit of fear and there is no fear in God. So if someone is giving you a message with the intention of trying to scare you (for any reason) then that is not from God.
15. The Prophet Is Physically, Sexually, Emotionally, Spiritually, or Financially Abusive
God does not condone abuse of ANY KIND for ANY REASON. The bible says that love does not side with a bully; and God does not side with abusers. If you are being abused by the messenger please run away from them and call the authorities on them. Do not believe a single word that they say.
16. The Message Is Putting You In Bondage
I saw a prophet once say that the truth sets you free, so if what someone is saying is putting you in bondage then you can tell that the message is a lie. So what does bondage look like? Bondage is fear, anxiety, depression, stress, and feeling overwhelmed.
17. They Want You To Advance Your Faith Without Knowing More About God
The way God moves is by building us up first in our knowledge of Him before He asks us to do something. God doesn't ever take us where our faith can't hold us. So if your church wants you to move in ways that God has not prepared you for yet, then that's how you can tell the message is not for you.
18. They Claim Your Salvation Can Be Taken Away
This one is also a big one that many false messengers preach. Your salvation CANNOT be taken away. Once you are saved you are saved! It will not go away! The bible says that God is a promise keeper, and He promised us that those who believe in Jesus will be saved; so believe what He said! (If you want more details look at the blog posts "Your Salvation Is Secure" Part 1 & 2)
19. It Straight Up Just Doesn't Come To Pass
Finally, last but not least, the way you can tell a message is not from God is that whatever the person said would happen, didn't come to pass. God is not a man that He would lie, so if a prophecy doesn't happen, then it didn't come from God.
So my friends those are all of the examples that God told me when I asked Him about this. I hope this helps you to weed through the false prophecies and doctrines better. And remember that even if we may fall for false messages, God is still working for us and is on our side!
