Beware of False Gifts

NOT your calling or duties, not your gifts He gave you, but rather FERVENTLY, RELENTLESSLY SEEKING AND WORSHIPPING THE LORD IN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE must become and be established as the first and foremost priority of your personal life. THEN, His divine power will be resident in your life and ALL that He is leading you to do. Memorize Matthew 6:33 today. The devil does not want you to come to this simple Gospel realization. Lay it all down afresh, now precious saint. The LORD is going to blow your doors off, as the saying goes.

False Gifts and False Prophets are Nothing New

“The prophetic”??? The written Word is the WORD of God, not some clown using fake prophecy to tickle the ears of the un-grounded flakes among us.

Any person calling themself “apostle” or “prophet” is not. These are functions to serve, not titles to tout in an attempt to lift up self.

To hear the voice of God, simply read HIS Word – the Bible (KJB). So many today in the false flake “prophetic” movement talk about “hearing the voice of God” repeatedly and yet the WORD is never mentioned! Delusion! Run! Prophetic or Pathetic?

“But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet. ¹⁷ These are wells without water (empty, no substance), clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. ¹⁸ For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.” 2 Peter 2:16-18

Jude wrote:

“These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;” Jude 12

To know your gifts is one thing. To focus on and to proclaim your supposed gift and calling to bring attention to yourself is deceitful and evil.

Those who fake gifts do so to be seen of men and for whatever other false motive they may have. They are not in God’s Word and therefore have no substance (Jeremiah 23:18). They do not edify others in any way. Jude wrote that these “clouds” (ministers-posers) are “without water” and “whose fruit withereth.” Isn’t this exactly how it is when clouds pass over dry, parched ground and do not drop any water to bring refreshment, healing, and wholeness to that dry ground?

The Future for all Actors who are Not Rooted in Christ

In the divine economy fruit is more important than gifts. Authentic fruit can only be produced from a born again, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Gifts can be faked. Gifts do not prove that one is saved. In fact, Jesus told us that “MANY” would brag about their gifts just before being terminated into hell. Fruit is the clear that one has a saving relationship with Jesus Christ! (Matthew 7:13-29)  Nearly anyone can feign to have spiritual gifts. The Buddhists priests, Shamans, and occultic gurus do that and so do all false religious leaders.

Those rooted in intimate relationship with Christ are few among the many who claim to be saved (John 15:1-16). Many who jump and holler in praise, acting like they have the gifts of the Spirit and are loyal church goers, have no fruit to prove that they genuinely know Jesus Christ. They do not possess the “fruit of the Spirit.” 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,²³ Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. ²⁴ And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” Galatians 5:22-24

• “love”
• “joy”
• “peace”
• “longsuffering”
• “gentleness”
• “goodness”
• “faith”
• “Meekness”
• “temperance”

If a person is not dying to self daily, they do not have these tell tale evidences of knowing Christ as listed above. If one is  truly putting Jesus first and seeking His holy face perpetually, he or she will demonstrate these fruits in his or her life, as well as a deep love for God’s written Word and sound doctrine. If not, this person is not being used of God in the gifts they may be feigning.

Let’s peer into what Jesus foretold would be fate of these wolves and their gullible dupes who through their own unrepentant, self-serving and covetous hearts would use religion and their places of leadership to beguile many, leading them to eternal damnation in the lake of fire.

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ²³ And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:21-23

They refuse to die to self or preach the cross but instead revel in gifts or supposed gifts of the Spirit, doctrines that enthrone self (self-love), and greedy lies of covetous proportions. These wolves are fulfilling Bible prophecy (2 Peter 2:1-3).

The fruit of the Holy Spirit is what is to be judged, not the gifts of the Spirit. While we do not discount the authentic gifts God gave to His body, we are also well aware by Scripture that gifts (or supposed gifts) are no proof of salvation. In the scenario revealed in the passage above (Matthew 7:22-23), Christ makes it clear that “Many” will say on the Day of Judgment that they “prophesied” and even “cast out devils” in His holy name and yet, these same people died not knowing Him. They will hear from the Son of God “depart from me, ye that work iniquity” which means lawlessness. Notice the absence of any of these people saying “But LORD, we walked in your love.” Why won’t those who walked in love be going to hell? It’s because God’s love in us is “the fruit (evidence) of the Spirit” which can only be born/produced by an authentic relationship with Christ; a relationship which assures eternal life (Galatians 5:22-23).

Gifts vs Fruit

Doctrine is More Important than Gifts

Note here that receiving and obeying sound doctrine is essential to being made free from sin.

“But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 (as a result) Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” Romans 6:17-18

Remember that Jesus says that His sheep hear His voice (John 10:16). The point of this message is in no way to limit God or foolishly claim He no longer speaks to people in dreams, visions, or the vocal gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7-10; Hebrews 13:8). Yet, today, most of those claiming to be getting words, visions, dreams, and prophecies, are not grounded in Christ and most of them make it abundantly obvious by their lack of preaching the essential doctrines of the original Gospel such as Christ’s cross, judgment, hell, repentance, the necessity for personal holiness, the return of Christ, and the crucified life – the cross life.

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:” Acts 2:17

Do we not take the name of the LORD in vain and give Him a bad name when we put His name on supposed words from Him that do not come to pass? Beware of the false prophetic movements and the flakes they are producing who go around giving out “words” or having supposed dreams from God that contradict Scripture. These same people who dish out words to bring glory to themselves, have no desire to be sound in doctrinal truth. 1 Corinthians 14:29 and 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 tell us that prophecy is to be judged – against God’s written Word (Acts 17:11).  Beware!

You see, those who are truly walking with Christ, love and diligently seek Him in His Word daily (2 Timothy 2:15). They therefore honor HIS Word and so they feel no need to contrive “a word” for people. The self righteousness who run to and fro throwing “words” around like they are going out of style are not  honoring God by simply putting forth HIS Word. Why? It’s simple – they wish to bring glory to themselves and not Jesus. Those who authentically honor God put forth His Word – just as it’s written.

Those who go about with their false giftings refuse to spend time learning, memorizing, and getting grounded in God’s written Word and yet, they use the same energy to go about spewing “words” out that they feign are from God. This is the definition of using His holy name in vain.

The following is an essential, landmark Bible passage that will significantly elevate your ability to discern who is true and who is false.  A close look at Deuteronomy 13:1-11 makes it more than obvious that God elevates His Word/doctrine above gifts. In fact, the LORD told us that He has elevated His written Word even above His holy name!

“For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” Psalms 138:2

UNTIL you have the revelation given us in 2 Peter 1:12-21, you are vulnerable to be deceived and ultimately “fall away” from the LORD – to apostatize (Luke 8:13; 1 Timothy 4:1, etc.). WHAT is the LORD conveying to us, His people, in 2 Peter 1:12-21?

False Prophets Present Us with a Test to See Who We Truly Love

According to the following passage of divine Writ, even if someone has an accurate, proven gift, that fact does not authenticate them as a true prophet. Read this closely:

“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. ⁵ And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the Lord thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee. ⁶ If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; ⁷ Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; ⁸ Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him:⁹ But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. ¹⁰ And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. ¹¹ And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you.” Deuteronomy 13:1-11

Deuteronomy 13 is a strong passage we must acknowledge where the LORD says to not spare in stoning and ridding yourselves of false prophets. Specifically, these are people who actually give a prophecy that comes to pass and then, that same person misleads by teaching false doctrine. They must be marked, especially if they are shown their error and refuse to repent and change their doctrine to God’s Word (Romans 16:17-18).

A people who do not police themselves will soon cease to be a people. Meditate upon this. Think about the God-ordained civil system which includes police to punish evildoers, right? (Romans 13) Would you respect this country, even as a citizen, if we didn’t punish evil doers? No. You see how the lost are being turned away from the LORD due to the lack of expose’ and policing of those in leadership? It’s a fiasco of wolves at this point as the Word foretold in many places, including Amos 8:11 and 2 Timothy 3:13.

Do the lost and young Christians not discern when someone is faking the gifts? Does falsifying gifts glorify or defame Christ?

Know the Truth and Do Not Conceal Lies or Liars

“Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him.” Deuteronomy 13:8

In Deuteronomy 13, we are instructed not to “conceal” a false prophet. In this specific case the LORD tells His people not to “conceal” any prophet who accurately foretells the future (prophesies), which actually does come to pass, yet seeks to lead God’s people astray through false teaching.

The LORD is calling us to maturity in His holy fear. We are to come to the place where we refuse to conceal or hide any person operating as a Christian leader who is leading God’s people astray through his false doctrine.

This Deuteronomy 13 text holds an extremely important discernment key that will surely help save people from the deceptions that abound in today’s church world. So many Christians today believe that, where there are miracles or accurate prophecies, it has to be of God. They do not consider though that the devil has always had power to unleash miracles.

“Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9

A plethora of “strange fire” experiences and phenomena are being pawned off as being from God (Lev. 10:1-2). One of the biggest errors believers make is thinking that any miracle automatically validates that phenomenon as proceeding from divine origin. This is simply not true. All miracles, signs, and wonders are not from God. “Satan” works in our midst “with all power and signs and lying wonders.”

Deuteronomy 13:8 tells us not to “conceal” those who work against the LORD by leading people away from Him while claiming to be one of His leaders. God instructs us NOT to hide, make excuse for, or in any way cover for deceitful workers, and if we do, we become enemies of the Almighty.

The exposing of those who have determined to undermine the doctrines of the LORD is a matter of walking in obedience and truthfulness.

“Lie not against the truth.” James 3:14

Fake Gifts

Let me say here that faking the gifts of the Spirit is very common today. Anyone can do that, especially today with so many false apostles and false prophet ministries like IHOP and the likes of which are totally false. They are teaching many to just fake the gifts of the Spirit – to just go about acting like you have them, laying hands on and praying for people and just saying whatever comes to your mind. They say that it is God working. Baloney! Let’s look at what’s glaringly missing:

These false ministries almost never even touch on, much less preach and teach the daily cross. This alone makes them false (Philippians 3:18-19; Luke 9:23-24, etc.). Here’s what a real apostle of Jesus Christ taught:

“Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. ¹¹ For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. ¹² So then death worketh in us, but life in you.” 2 Corinthians 4:10-12

It’s only as death works in us (the daily cross-crucifixion of self) that God can bring His life through us – manifest the life of Jesus “in our mortal flesh.”

The daily cross Jesus commanded to be taken up in order to follow Him is completely ignored in all of these counterfeit “ministries”. This is certainly a fulfillment of prophecy. These false churches who do not hold to sound biblical truth are sweeping millions of self-loving, Christ-denying, willingly ignorant dupes down the wide road that leads to eternal destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). They glory in self and therefore walk in a mere “form(ula) of godliness”, yet are “denying the power (Christ’s reign of authority) thereof.” (2 Timothy 3:5)

The absence of the “daily” – yes Jesus said “DAILY” – cross is clear evidence that they are preaching and living “another gospel” and not the original Gospel of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2-5; Galatians 1:6-9).  Their false gospel caters to mere sinful, unrepentant men who want to glory in themselves instead of the one, nail-scarred, risen Savior who alone is worthy of our praise.

If someone is walking with Jesus, they are setting self aside and crying “He must increase but I must decrease!” (John 3:30) All true followers of Christ also teach the life of a true disciple exactly how Jesus gave it to us in His Word.The true disciple is sound in the faith, possesses sound doctrine, and is sound in heart and mind (Proverbs 14:30; 2 Timothy 1:7; 4:3; Titus 2:1, etc.).

Jesus and His apostles weren’t spiritual con-men who went around trying to show everyone how wonderful they were by prophesying over everyone and getting a “word” for them. They gave people God’s Word!

These same gift-fakers are simply following the wolves they have learned under and are never – I mean NEVER – heard speaking the words of Christ and His holy apostles seen throughout Scripture concerning crucifying the self-life. On this basis alone, we know they are utterly false and in need of repentance before it’s too late.

Speaking God’s Word and letting Him bring His authentic gifts through us are fore HIS glory and not ours.

“If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 4:11

These people wear titles and falsify gifts in order to bring attention to themSELVES, which means they are robbing that glory from Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul was just the opposite. We know this because he was always announcing his own utter poverty of spirit, nothingness, and pointing to the One who alone is the Resurrection and the Life, Jesus Christ!

“But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead.” 2 Corinthians 1:9

ANY person who is truly following Jesus is, putting self aside daily, in God’s Word daily, and can see these false apostles and counterfeit prophets from a long way off. Paul repeatedly warns us of these “enemies of the cross of Christ.”

“(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: ¹⁹ Whose end is destruction (hell bound), whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)” Philippians 3:18-19

Be not led astray by the error of the wicked who pose as ministers in this late hour. They allure and bait you to worship at the altar of self.

“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. ² And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. ³ And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. … ¹⁷ Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.” 2 Peter 2:1-3; 3:17

Instead of taking Satan’s bait through His false ministers who pose as Christian leaders today, obey Christ who died and rose again for you. He told us exactly how to follow Him and any and every other way is a “false way” to be hated by all who truly love Jesus (Psalms 119:104, 128).

You best life will not be in this fleeting life but rather in the next life – when you are with Christ in eternal glory! Endure to the end. Do not look to the left hand to the right. Satan has many snares to grab your feet and move them off the narrow road that leads to life and onto the wide road that leads to eternal damnation (Matthew 7:13-14). Obey Jesus’ command to die to self, allowing Him to raise you up to a fruitful that brings Him glory and not yourself (Matthew 16:24-25).

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. ²⁵ For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” Matthew 16:24-25

“ Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. ²⁵ He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” John 12:24-25

Memorize Colossians 3:3 (KJV). Begin learning to die to self – today.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are to be desired and yet, the fruit or evidence of the Holy Spirit are more important so monitor and test yourself (2 Corinthians 13:4-5). See whether or not Christ’s fruit is truly in you (Galatians 5:22-23). Refuse to go along with those who fake the gifts of the Spirit and honor their own supposed words, visions, and dreams above God’s written Word.

Jeremiah 23

“And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria; they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err. ¹⁴ I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness; they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.¹⁵ Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land. ¹⁶ Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord. ¹⁷ They say still unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you. ¹⁸ For who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?¹⁹ Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. ²⁰ The anger of the Lord shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly. ²¹ I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. ²² But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.” Jeremiah 23:13-22

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