The Body in the recent era has created a vast army of what I term Positive Encouragement "Prophets". Yes, "prophets" is in parentheses because these folks are sadly and disastrously self-appointed "messengers of God".
There is no dipping from the same ladle as God when engaging others. Rather, these are self-driven and radicaly obsessed with the concept that they can "make the world a better place" (or you'll hear said, "advance the Kingdom" and "be an encouragement") by employing PMA tactics emulated from motivational speakers, corporate 'life coaches', etc.
But wait! It's very, very slick what these folks are doing. They have a huge cavalcade of bible verses which they have at the ready to justify the self-inebriated quest.
Several weeks ago I was in a church. During some announcement stuff the pastor says:
"As some of you may know, Tom and Suzanne Jones are leaving us. It's always hard to say goodbye to people. Many of you have seen Suzanne with the children here, how she works with them and is such a blessing to them. Well, Tom and Suzanne are expecting their first child. We know that as they leave that God is going to bless them, that things are going to go well and they're going to have a healthy baby. They have also promised that they will come back here to have the baby baptized."
As I heard this, I couldn't believe my ears (but knowing the Body today, I really could). When the man spoke this "prophecy", my thought was "what the hell do you know is going to happen? You don't know how the pregnancy is going to go. You don't know what is going to take place."
It was such a classic example of Christians today. They think that by "speaking positive" that they can somehow influence life and what is going to happen in this world, in people's lives (particularly Christians).
The sad thing is that there is no shortage of bible verses people cherry-pick to embrace (and defend) this ridiculous, not-of-God paradigm.
So fast-forward two weeks. I went back to that same place, and lo and behold the same pastor says:
"You may remember that two weeks ago we said goodbye to Tom and Suzanne. I got a phone call this past week. There was a complication and Suzanne was rushed in for an emergency C-section. The baby was born premature, three months early. It only weighs three and a half pounds. They don't know what is going to happen, and they're literally hanging on a thread moment by moment."
There you go, folks. The Body of Christ slinging this "positive confession" and encouragement-based "prophecy" bullshit left and right--justifying doing so with their army of bible verses and their delusions they are "called" and "supposed" (by biblical decree) to babble positive/encouragement nonsense God-speak every time they open their mouth.
I was privy to a couple of Christians conversing recently. One of them was talking about some waves of hardship they are currently enduring. The other person looks at them and says "I can't wait to see what God does next in your life".
I didn't say anything, but my thought silently was "what do you know about what's next in their life? What if the next chapter in their life is even more severe trial than now? What if this is the 3rd stage in a 5-stage storm? What if this is the lead squall in a hurricane God is penning for them, and they aren't even close to the severest winds in this yet?"
Person B had no business speaking Person A's future like that. They don't know what God is scripting in/for them. But what did they do? They spoke of A's future as if they knew it was going to be good, great, awesome, warm-fuzzy...
I was at another place a couple of weeks ago. I happened to be in the company of a group of people who know some of the more intimate details of what has been going on in my life. It's a very tough season, a long one, with some recent spikes of hardship, and everyone present knew and knows this.
I kid you not, one person comes up to greet me when they first arrived, hugs me, and as they are hugging me asks "Are things going good for you?"
I could not believe this (well, yes I can). I replied to this person honestly, "No." They then had the gall to say with a positive, chirpy tone, "Well, I hope that will change soon", as though they know something I don't...that God is waiting just around the corner to bless my little socks off.
That so fucking pissed me off. I didn't say anything in reply, but inside I thought "What do you know is going to happen soon in my life? You don't know what is going to happen. You have no idea. What if I'm two years into a 40-year desert?"
(Contrast this with someone else there who asked me "so how are you?", to which I replied "not good" and they replied "well, at least you're honest". They were neutral, and did not attempt to speak any Positive Encouragement Prophecy my way.)
I used to give people a pretty long rope of patience when they would babble nonsense. Nonsense from their own mouths, not from God. I'm pretty much done with giving people the benefit of the doubt with their well-meaning "prophetic" stuff.
Makes me think of Jesus telling us straight up: "Many will come to Me on that day, saying 'Lord, didn't we speak prophecies and drive out demons and do many mighty works in Your name?' I will turn and solemnly say to them, 'I never knew you. Depart from Me, you who act wickedly."
It sucks being on the business end of this wickedness.
That couple sat in that place a few weeks back, hearing a representative of God speak "prophetically" about how blessed they were going to be in life and how God was going to bless their pregnancy and their baby.
Now what? Now what do you have to say, representative of God? You talked out of your fucking ass, and now what? You gonna eat some humble pie and own up to slathering that nonsense? Are you rather going to try and smooth over it by talking about how God "works in mysterious ways" or some similar bullshit?
I was at the zoo this summer with my daughter. We were at the playground area they have there. It's a pretty big area, with a huge wooden fort in the middle. I was sitting on one side of the playground, and she had run off to play with some newfound friends on the other side.
It was hot that day, and after awhile I took the water jug I'd brought and went to find her on the other side of the playground. As I reached the other side of the playground equipment, I saw my daughter in the shade at a picnic table with some other kids and two ladies.
When I walked up one of the ladies walks up to me and says "your daughter told us about the divorce, and we just wanted you to know we're praying for you".
"Oh boy", I thought.
I had a few more thoughts:
(1) "Why?"
(2) "What does 'we're praying for you' mean?"
(3) "Well why don't you go ahead and pray now, cause I'm curious to know what kind of prayer you would pray. No, hold that, I already know. You would pray for God to 'bless' us. As in 'God, please be ooey gooey to them, because You're such a nice God'."
I said none of these things to the lady.
But wait, it didn't end there. As soon as the first lady said that nonsense the second lady was right on her heels, calling out to my daughter "We're praying you have a really good summer." My thought was, "what the hell does 'pray you have a good summer' mean?"
I was hoping that would be the last we'd see of these ladies (I couldn't get away from their Christian psychobabble quick enough), however they mentioned to their kids they were going to go see the snake exhibit before they left the zoo. Their saying that prodded my daughter to ask if we could go to the snake exhibit too. I said we could (we weren't in a rush, and she'd enjoyed playing with those kids).
I didn't think the b.s. from these ladies was over, and I was on the mark. As we walked toward the snake exhibit I was walking almost alongside one of the two women. Out of nowhere she says to me "I told your daughter the divorce was not her fault."
I could not believe my ears. What the fuck does she know about my daughter's situation? Not a God damn thing. And she, thinking she's being an "encourager", goes spouting off some utter bullshit in my daughter's ear about what's gone on in my daughter's life?
My daughter has NEVER once, ever, had any inkling, thought or expression whatsoever of divorce being "her fault". How she lives and is enduring the situation has never included any reference to "fault" or its bed-partner, guilt.
So, this "well-meaning" self-appointed Christian woman does nothing in the situation except plant seeds of guilt in my daughter by bringing up the concept of fault and guilt surrounding the divorce as pertains to her.
Great. Thank you so much.
You wonderful child of God.
That's the Body of Christ we live in today, folks. Ain't it great? A sea of inebriated "prophets" who scurry about to and fro blabbling nonsense in the name of God, thinking they're a great service to humanity and doing God's bidding. And never in the least checking their life, their paradigm, their modus operandi with the Holy Spirit.
It is not rocket science. It is not difficult in the least. It is simply a matter of listening to God. He says openly that He "gives His wisdom liberally to those who ask".
Hmm. This means people aren't asking, 'cause He gives liberally when asked...
It's also reflective of people not walking in step with the Holy Spirit. Jesus very plainly tells us, "the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you."
Elsewhere Jesus says (about the Holy Spirit) "He will guide you".
My question is, "Where are the people who are being taught and are being guided?" They sure as hell aren't the Christians I tend to be coming across. Why is it that followers of Jesus...aren't following?
We're also reminded "those who are led by the Spirit are the sons of God".
So, among the hordes of people filling the pews and on the airwaves and publishing all the books and doing all the 'life changing weekends', um, where are the sons of God?
This Spiritless, Godless self-inebriation has got to stop. It has bred, and is continuing to breed, a Body of unrelatable, calloused assholes.
Don't let the call-on-the-carpet of callousness be sloughed off as "persecution". It's not persecution. It's the world and the bruised trying to communicate to the Body that It is sick. Off-track. Shallow. Without heart. Not plugged into the One who is said to be plugged into.
The world and the bruised say: You can talk Jesus 'til you're blue in the fucking face...your heartlessness and callousness trump all.
Hope is not optimism. And optimism is not hope.
When is this going to seep in?
