1 Kings 22:7

New International Version

But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?”

For Encouragement

Too many voices are rising in the name of Jesus in the church today. But who is speaking His word? 

The prophetic ministry has trivialized the essence of listening to and hearing from God through the Bible. This plethora of men and women of God who supposedly have direct access to God and have received sanctified ears to receive directly from Him has made Christians dependent on humans instead of God. 

People claim the Bible as the only source of truth, God’s word, yet what it says never satisfies them. They want to know more. There is always a mystery to reveal and unpack. Something new is on the horizon, and they want in on it to direct their lives. 

The devil is destroying them, and they want to know who has become his agent. Nothing happens because of their poor choices. It is always somebody’s doing — someone who hates them, and that prophet should know and would divulge it to them. If only they have the right gift or can give an offering, God will open His treasury of prophecy, word of wisdom, and material blessings to them. Therefore, the church has dismissed the genuine professors of sound doctrine as old and unresponsive to change—where change means giving the people what their itching ears want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3). 

King Ahab typifies such people in the church today. He gathered a company of false prophets around Him who told him what he desired. So, when he picked a war with Ramoth Gilead and asked King Jehoshaphat to accompany him, they falsely urged him on (1 Kings 22:6). However, Jehoshaphat felt uneasy in his seat. A person with a heart tuned to God knows His voice and can discern false prophecies.  

Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of? Jehoshaphat asked Ahab (7).

The Ahab syndrome rules the church of today. People seek after prophecy for their interest and not to hear from God. Ahab confessed to hating Micaiah, the true prophet of God because he prophesied nothing good about him (8). Does it sound familiar? 

What do you desire to hear when you sit under the voice of a preacher—affirmation or challenge? Do you read the Bible contextually to guide your path or to impose your mind on it? Have you trained your mind by the word (Romans 12:2; Hebrews 5:14) to distinguish the voice of the Good Shepherd — Jesus Christ — from that of the enemy (John 10:3-5)?