adminPeople consult dubious characters for life challenges and this compounds their problems. One can see the yearning of spiritual solutions to life challenges. If you ask these people whom they consult for their life issues, they will tell you prophets.
Prophet Hosea has already warned us that for lack of knowledge people perish because they have rejected knowledge. Many people of the world would want to know who really is the man of God. Mark 16v20, tells us that the disciples went out to preach everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following them.
A man of God should be able to preach from the bible and after the preaching of the word, signs should follow him, confirming what he was preaching that it is the truth and the Lord is with him.
If there are signs following without the preaching of the word then it becomes magic and occultic. Acts 2v22, when the community of Israel gets perplexed by the Pentecost experience upon the disciples, Apostle Peter filled with the Holy Ghost said, “Ye men of Israel, hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of
God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know.”
From this scripture, we can easily come to an understanding that a man of God can only be approved by God alone, not men. When a man of God is approved by God, we should see him working out miracles, signs and wonders! Elijah, Moses, Elisha, just to mention but a few, were all miracle workers and approved of God.
Oh, glory be to God! You cannot claim to be a man of God if you cannot preach, no one follows you, you can’t hear from God, no sign, no wonder and no miracle is following you. You are full of bitterness, poison and anger, then who are you and who is your father? Who called you then into this ministry of opposing and fighting God? What do we mean when we speak of prophets and who are prophets?
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The first person in the Bible to be called a prophet was Abraham, the “Father of the Faithful”. It is important to notice also that it was God who gave him this title. According to Genesis 20v6-7, a heathen prince had taken Abraham’s wife and God commanded him to restore her, saying of Abraham, “he is a prophet . . .” (the Hebrew word is “nabi” as it is also in Arabic).
Enoch was one, for instance, but Abraham was the first person to be designated a prophet by God. Moses was adopted in infancy by an Egyptian princess and thus received a prince’s education. Ezekiel and Jeremiah were priests as well as prophets.
David was first a shepherd, then warrior, king and poet and a prophet as well. Amos was a herdsman. Elisha was a ploughman and Daniel was a government administrator. From such diverse backgrounds, God chose His prophets. Their influence and authority did not come from their rank, education, wisdom or wealth, but entirely from the fact that God chose them to be His messengers. So we may define a prophet as one appointed by God Himself to be His messenger.
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go out from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household to the land that I will show you . . .
“So now, go and I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, or that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
He replied, “Surely I will be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: When you bring the people out of Egypt, you and they will serve God on this mountain.” (Exodus 3v11-12).
Then the Lord came and stood nearby, calling as he had previously done, “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel replied, “Speak, for your servant is listening!” The Lord said to
Samuel, “Look! I am about to do something in Israel, when anyone hears about it, both of his ears will tingle.” (1 Samuel 3v10-11). The Lord said to me, “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb I chose you. Before you were born I set you apart. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.”
I answered, “Oh, Lord God, I really do not know how to speak well enough for that, for I am too young.” The Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ But go to whomever I send you and say whatever I tell you. Do not be afraid of those to whom I send you, for I will be with you to rescue you,” says the Lord (Jeremiah 1v5-8).
God in His wisdom chose men who would obey Him faithfully and He gave them authority to speak on His behalf. Prophets were not chosen or elected by men, and they were not permitted to inherit the title or regard it as an official post to be filled by a man specially trained for it. As evidenced in the Bible, the nation of Israel was in the hands of prophets. Even though Judah and Samaria had kings but prophets wielded power and maintained spiritual standards for the people of Israel.
In Prophet Elijah’s days, there was moral decadence in Israel and Elijah destroyed the prophets of Baal responsible for idol worship, witchcraft and stagnation in Israel. Rain came when Prophet Elijah repaired the altar of the Lord in Israel and killed all the prophets of Baal. In Prophet Elisha’s time, the nation suffered from famine but nobody consulted a prophet who lived among them. When he declared that within 24 hours, there would be food to eat, it happened.
The prophetic ministry is very critical for the survival of a nation. When I read various reports bashing our credible prophets the likes of Prophet Emmanuel
Makandiwa and others, I think of Prophet Hosea’s words that for lack of knowledge my people perish because they have rejected knowledge. I am talking to a well-meaning Zimbabwean, have you not rejected knowledge when you disown the voice of God speaking to you about your life issues and the nation issues.
Let us visit Joseph as a prophet in his own right who served the nation of Egypt because of his prophetic counselling to Pharaoh. Seven fat years followed by seven lean years demonstrated that which God had revealed happened. Egypt as a nation was served from economic disaster because of embracing the voice of a prophet.
The Bible is full of all sorts of examples where the prophetic ministry served nations from natural and human made disasters. Beloved, harken to the voice of a prophet. Your life will never be the same again. Remember the people of Nineveh, They averted disaster when they harkened to the voice of Prophet Jonah.
So certain is this fact that the Apostle Peter said, Every person who does not obey that prophet will be destroyed and thus removed from the people.’ (Acts 3:23).
This is a solemn warning to those who reject the claims of Jesus Christ. A non-christian is an anti-Christ, how can one comment or speak on behalf of Christ when one is not of His?
Zimbabwe you are blessed, listen to the true prophets God has given you. Your choice, your destiny is in their hands. May we continue in prayer alongside our father in the Lord Prophet Makandiwa, praying for the peace and continual prosperity of our dear nation Zimbabwe.
Online Reporter