May 1, 2007
Enabler: One who enables another to persist in self-destructive behavior by providing excuses or by helping that individual avoid the consequences of such behavior.
As of late I have been receiving an increasing number of correspondence, enough so that it warranted a public response, concerning the contradictory revelations, dreams and visions that are being touted by some well known Evangelists, who foresee not judgment or hardships, but rather an unprecedented season of blessing, prosperity, and human understanding, a utopian world of men living and coexisting in peace.
I have been asked to comment, to confirm or deny, to make a case for what God is showing this ministry, to attempt and convince the divided heart that we are on the side of right. In this case, as in most other cases of this nature, I will defer to the Word, wherein we find wisdom knowledge and understanding, wherein we find the answers to the questions that fill our hearts and minds. I have never in my life attempted to sway anyone when it came to prophecy, or try to prove that I am on the side of right, but merely directed them to the Bible, and asked them to confirm, in the Word, what they are hearing from the mouths of men. Simply put, I stand on the Word of God, and look to it for confirmation of every word I hear, no matter how respected an individual that person might be in Christian circles, or how well known.
It seems to me, and increasingly so, that the current prophetic climate in this country is closely mimicking the prophetic climate during Jeremiah's time, wherein although sin abounded, men despised God, and walked according to the imagination of their own hearts, the prophets of that time prophesied only peace, and good times ahead.
I realize the instinctive reaction of many is to say, 'let them speak, they're not hurting anyone, because even those of the world, those with no insight or foresight into prophecy, and the Word can see where humanity is headed', and to be honest I wish it were that simple. There is however an underlying issue, a true and undeniable problem with those still prophesying peace and prosperity, in that those who believe them are enabled, and emboldened to persist in their wickedness. The hands of evildoers are strengthened, and due to the prophetic utterance of 'prophet' Bob, informing them of blue skies, and clear sailing ahead, no one turns back from their wickedness.
The real tragedy, is due to the fact that such men are not hearing from God, due to the fact that God has neither spoken to them nor sent them, they are perpetuating the justification and rationalization of sin in the hearts and lives of God's people. There is nothing greater than a sense of security, no matter how false that sense of security might be, to keep someone from turning from evil.
Jeremiah 23:14, "Also I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem: They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns back form his wickedness. All of them are like Sodom to Me, and her inhabitants like Gomorrah."
Jeremiah 23:16-17, "Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless. They speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the Lord. They continually say to those who despise Me, 'The Lord has said, you shall have peace;' And to everyone who walks according to the imagination of his own heart, no evil shall come upon you."
Jeremiah 23:21-22, "I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in My counsel, and had caused My people to hear My words, then they would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings."
One thing is certain, it is much easier to speak a vision of one's own heart, to take optimism and unrealistic expectation, package them up into a bundle, and label them prophecy, than it is to stand before God day and night, weeping and broken, and await His voice, being silent until He speaks, standing still until He sends you.
Too often today, if God is silent, men take it upon themselves to guess the mind of God, and speak on His behalf, thinking they are doing something good and noble, when in fact they are causing untold damage to the body of Christ. If only they had stood in God's counsel, if only they were pure of heart, if only they realized they were merely vessels, of no use until something was poured into them, perhaps they would have heard His voice, and known His heart and preached the much needed message of repentance, that God's people, as Jeremiah so simply puts it, would turn from their evil way.
But no, we have built ministries on our reputations; we have built kingdoms on this earth; we have built a supporter base based on our charisma, and how can we let all that slip away by keeping silent when God is silent? Though God has not spoken, we are forced to speak for fear of losing donations, and though the writing is on the wall, though the signs of the times are all around us, though heaven and earth cry out 'repent', we have come too far, we have cast our lot, and we cannot turn back now. What would people think if suddenly we started preaching repentance when once we preached never-ending prosperity? How would our support base react if suddenly we began echoing the Bible in saying that God punishes sin, especially in His own house, and among His own people, when all this time we've been saying that as long as your check is big enough, God will turn a blind eye to your indiscretion, He will overlook your sin for all that good you've done? What will come of the endless invitations to be a guest on cable news networks as an expert and authority on Bible Prophecy once we start preaching that friendship with the world is enmity with God?
No, we've come too far, we can't turn back now, and so we continue to shout 'peace and safety, peace and safety' until we are hoarse, until the day the wrath of God and sudden destruction sweeps down and overtakes us.
Jeremiah 23:1-2, "Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!" says the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel against the shepherds who feed my people: 'you have scattered my flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings," says the Lord."
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.