Years ago I met a flamboyant preacher from New York. He was very popular, but something about him was really creepy. He claimed to be a prophet, and he was applauded for his uncanny ability to “read people’s mail.” But he strutted arrogantly on the stage, spoke harshly to his staff and spent a lot of time taking up offerings.
Then he launched a website and encouraged his followers to register for “monthly prophetic words.” You could purchase these personal messages once a month or pay $365 for a full year of prophecies. Once I called his ministry’s office and recorded this man making his “sales” just so I would have proof that he charged people a fee to hear from God for them.
I wasn’t sure which was worse—that a conniving minister could be that corrupt or that naïve Christians could actually trust a swindler to give them divine guidance.
That was more than 20 years ago. I thought these kinds of charismatic shenanigans had ended, but I found out recently that the disturbing trend continues in the era of PayPal. One ministry now encourages people to fork out $30 a month for a regular prophetic word.
I believe in the gift of prophecy. Friends as well as strangers have shared powerful prophetic messages with me that brought encouragement and confirmation of what God was already saying to me. I have also given many words of prophetic encouragement to others. But every good gift has its counterfeit—and the devil stays busy offering cheap substitutes for the Holy Spirit’s anointing.
Please don’t fall for this trick! If you or someone you know has come under the spell of a charlatan, please take note of these simple principles:
God wants you to hear from Him directly. If you are a born-again Christian, you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you—and He wants close fellowship. People in the Old Testament had to visit a priest to obtain God’s guidance as well as forgiveness of sins. Today, because of what Jesus did for us, we have direct access to God. We are all priests (see 1 Peter 2:9).
It is idolatry to put a man in the place of God and expect him to show you the future or trust him to guide your life. That doesn’t mean the Lord will not sometimes use a person to teach, mentor, correct or give you a message from God. But we must never worship the human vessel God uses.
Instead of chasing a prophet for a word (or paying him or her for it), read your Bible and pray. Expect God to speak to you. If you need a prophecy, God knows where you live, and He can send His messengers to you. And the best part? It’s free!
There’s no biblical basis, ever, for charging for a prophecy. Before the prophet Samuel died, he reminded the people that he had never cheated or swindled anyone. The apostle Paul told the Ephesian elders the same thing in his farewell message. He said, “I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothing” (Acts 20:33).
Samuel and Paul reminded us that genuine Christian leaders are humble servants of God, and they never exploit for personal gain. When ministers in the New Testament preached, healed the sick or prophesied, they did it without expectation of reward. And when people give tithes or offerings to a church or a preacher, the money is never payment for a spiritual gift. It is blasphemous to suggest that God’s guidance, healing or favor can be bought.
People who sell spiritual gifts have corrupt character. After Elisha prayed for Naaman’s healing, Naaman tried to give Elisha an offering—but the prophet refused to take it. Then Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, went to Naaman and lied to him—telling him that Elisha really wanted him to give him a gift. Gehazi came home with two big bags of silver and some fancy new clothes, but God judged him for his greed.
The moral of this story is simple: Never try to profit off of the Lord’s miracle power! We still have Gehazis in the church who think they can turn the Holy Spirit’s anointing into a get-rich-quick scheme. No matter what kind of payment plan they offer or how spiritual they sound, stay as far away as possible from charlatans and sorcerers.
J. Lee Grady was editor of Charisma for 11 years and now serves as contributing editor. He directs The Mordecai Project (themordecaiproject.org), an international ministry that protects women and girls from gender-based violence. His latest book is Set My Heart on Fire (Charisma House).
This article was excerpted from the December issue of Charisma magazine. If you don’t subscribe to Charisma, click here to get every issue delivered to your mailbox. During this time of change, your subscription is a vote of confidence for the kind of Spirit-filled content we offer. In the same way you would support a ministry with a donation, subscribing is your way to support Charisma. Also, we encourage you to give gift subscriptions at shop.charismamag.com, and share our articles on social media.
J. Lee Grady is an author, award-winning journalist and ordained minister. He served as a news writer and magazine editor for many years before launching into full-time ministry.
Lee is the author of six books, including 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, 10 Lies Men Believe and Fearless Daughters of the Bible. His years at Charisma magazine also gave him a unique perspective of the Spirit-filled church and led him to write The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale and Set My Heart on Fire, which is a Bible study on the work of the Holy Spirit.
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