Discerning A Baal Prophet

“The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’ Those who taught my word ignored me, the rulers turned against me, and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal, wasting their time on worthless idols” ( Jeremiah 2:8).

The church was in a mess.

The priests were the spiritual leaders of the nation—those who were supposed to bring blessing upon the nation—and they were falling down on the job. (That’s actually an understatement, but you get the point.)

The law-handlers did not know the Lord. The pastors were sinning against the Lord. One would hope that the prophets would rise up and speak a word of correction. But the prophets failed Israel at a critical time. They were listening to the wrong spirit.

Specifically, the Lord said the prophets prophesied by Baal—a false god—and walked after things that do not profit. In other words, they strayed from the one true God and chased after idols, to the point of gaining prophetic intelligence from them. This is a tragedy and it’s still happening today. Many in prophetic ministry are following Baal and other false gods. Their words are not only worthless—they are leading people astray.

How can you discern if you are prophesying out of a Baal spirit? Baal was the god of prosperity, weather, harvest, sex, and fertility. Baal prophets prophesy almost exclusively in these realms—promising peace where there is no peace (see Ezek. 13:10), promising prosperity with a motive to raise a huge offering for their ministry, prophesying weather predictions for the sake of demonstrating their accuracy, prophesying marriages and babies.

Don’t get me wrong, any true prophet can prophesy prosperity, weather, harvests, marriages, or babies. But a balanced prophet will not merely prophesy things people want to hear. Remember, King Ahab was surrounded by Baal prophets who told him he would reign victorious in a war in which he ultimately died. Baal prophets are yes-man prophets who want to tickle people’s ears for personal gain.

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you rid your life—and your heart—of Baal’s tendencies and to overcome Baal’s temptations in your prophetic ministry. Determine to stay focused on the one true God so that even if the priests, the pastors, and the law-handlers fail you will have the authority to rise up and prophesy what the Lord says.

Prayer

Father, in the name of Jesus, show me if I have any Baal tendencies in me. If I was taught wrong, re-teach me the truth about prophetic ministry I need to know. If I have spoken Baal’s words, forgive me and cleanse me from this unrighteousness.