Moment of Truth: Casting Down Lies #5

“This is your year!”

In all your years of reading the Holy Bible, have you ever read about a man of God standing in front of a huge congregation and stating these words?

“This is your year!”

I remember back in 2009, when several preachers were saying this on television. Now I’m hearing it again for 2016. Keep in mind, when you hear this statement, the preacher who states it is claiming that they have the gift of prophecy by announcing that the imminent future of the hearer is guaranteed to be blessed and it actually makes the Christian crowd cheer wildly. Plus, these preachers are not bringing the message to one man, but to an entire broadcast audience of people. Moreover, they are attaching this claim to faith, that if you believe, it will happen to you.

[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.’ ~Jeremiah 23:16-17 KJV

Having faith is about believing in God’s word that it will come to pass, which activates through acts of godliness. However, to use “This is your year” as a means of hope to get what you want because you were convinced by a preacher that faith is a prophetic, genie wish of blessings, then you’ve been duped.

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. ~James 4:3 KJV

When God’s prophets prophesied, they typically warned the people (e.g. Moses, John the Baptist, Jonah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Elijah, Isaiah, Paul, Peter, Stephen, Jesus…).

The Lord says,

[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 23:21-22 KJV

The faith of God only works for those who work in Christ, not in self— and those entertaining preachers are not prophesying to you, they are making faith feel good without work.

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. ~James 2:26 KJV