ISSUE 403 FEBRUARY 2ND 2011

Prophetic Brief
Insight and Analysis for the 21st Century
Building a Powerful Church to Thrive During a
Time of Crisis - Part 13
Is There Such a Thing as a Bad Word from God?
I was at a major crossroads in my life at age 22, having been saved the
New Video Series previous year and being faced with major decisions about career and the
possibilities of ministry. I was in my last semester of school and had been
interviewing with various companies, though no job offers came my way
since there was a major recession taking place in 1981. I also had an acute
sense that I was called to do the things I am doing now, yet I could not
figure out how God was going to lead me into the prophetic while at the
same time I was pursuing a professional career. And there was this girl
named Kathy…

As major as the career and ministry

issues were, the most intense level of
uncertainty had to do with relationship
with Kathy. She was my good friend –
We are living in an unmatched time we met in church and since Kathy was
in the earth; a time when crisis is already good friends with my cousins
erupting through natural disasters, and brothers who were in the same
political destabilization, and church, I was brought right into that
economic meltdown.   circle of friends and family which
formed the relational basis of my first
Politicians and religious leaders are months and years in Christ. I had a
genuine brother/sister relationship and
all weighing in on these events, but
a quality friendship with Kathy, but as time went on I found myself liking
they don’t seem to have the Kathy as more than a friend and a sister in Christ. I was not clear about
answers to a world in intense these big steps of marriage, career and ministry and I was very uncertain.
distress, and are rightly wondering:
The summer of 1981 was a very long one for me. I prayed at length –
What in the World usually at night after school and work – and you have to know what
summers are like in Phoenix to appreciate my desperation. The days are
is Going On? blazing hot with temperatures in excess of 100, and at night there is little
relief as the mercury falls only into the 90s. I would pray as I walked
In this series of Prophetic Briefs, around the neighborhood and I usually ended up on the grounds of Galilee
Scott Webster addresses questions Baptist Church in Glendale, AZ. I had never gone to the church and knew
no one who did, but it was close to my home and a quiet place to sit and
that are on people’s minds, and
pray.
brings prophetic perspective to the
events happening in the earth I would sit and pray for hours while bugs that were attracted to the
today, so that we can stand floodlight fell into my hair as sweat coated my face and trickled down my
effectively in a day when so many neck. I definitely felt that God owed me for the way I was devoutly
things are falling apart. seeking Him. Yet despite intense and sustained prayer and also many
conversations with family and friends, I simply could not discern the
View the first four episodes in the mind of the Lord.
series “What in the World is Going
On” at scottwebsterministries.org. Ouch!
It was in that condition of confusion that I asked a team of prophets for
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 ISSUE 403 FEBRUARY 2ND 2011

1 Kings 22:8
 e ki ng o f Isra el
answered Jehoshaphat,
"ere is still one man
through whom we can
inquire of the LORD,
but I hate him because
he never prophesies
anything good about me,
but always bad. He is
Micaiah son of Imlah.
prayer and ministry. I approached the meeting with great anticipation – I
even had a handful of tissue because I was sure that God would tell me There is no such thing as a bad
many great things about myself and I would cry in gratitude and
thankfulness. With my hands lifted up the prophet laid his hands on my word from God. Each time
head and the first words out of his mouth were “A double minded man is He talks, no matter what He
unstable in all of his ways.” My hands came down as I listened and tried says, it comes from His heart of
to digest the rebuke. Next I was told “You are like a reed tossed back and
forth in the wind.” I felt like telling the prophet “I got the message, please goodness, love and care. Therefore
stop” but he went on and on, explaining that my confusion was based in I was alarmed when I recently
my mind telling me one thing and my heart another. He elaborated on the read a comment by a leader who
process that God had me in of learning to trust God more deeply and said “I like this prophet because
living authentically out of my heart. I was told that I would never be able
to figure it all out – job, ministry, future wife – and that I must walk he always has something good to
forward in faith and trust the Lord. It was mildly embarrassing to receive s a y a b o u t A m e r i c a .” T h i s
such a direct rebuke in front of all those people, many of which were my statement reveals a standard of
friends and family – but that was nothing compared to what happened
next. assessment that separates what is
perceived as good vs. bad, but the
As I took my seat the prophet asked Kathy to come forward next to big problem is that this is NOT a
receive ministry; he didn’t know we were “in a relationship” and my ears Biblical standard.
perked right up. I have to confess I thought it might be nice for Kathy to
receive a little rebuke also (what can I say – immaturity was the order of
the day). Instead, God doubled up on me and gave me even worse blows
through His speaking to Kathy than I had gotten directly. The first words
this prophet said to Kathy are seared into my memory: “I’ve got a plan for
you and I’ve got a man for you, but you will have to be the stable one
right now while as he is wavering and flakey.”
2778 Cumberland Blvd
At that point the humiliation was total. I can’t recall how I escaped from
the meeting but I have a clear memory of my friends shooting me looks Suite 163
and smirks that expressed their agreement with the prophet that “Webster Symrna GA 30080
is a flake.” And the problem was that I had no defense – when the Holy Tel: 678.302.3052
Spirit declares you to be “wavering and flakey” there isn’t much you can
[email protected]
say, except OUCH!!!
www.scottwebsterministries.org
© 2010 Scott Webster Ministries.
As I drove from the church I had some definite thoughts that I shouted at
All Rights Reserved.
God from my heart: What about my long prayers every night for months?
Didn’t God see my devotion? What about the bugs falling in my hair while © 2010 Copyright by SWM, copy and
I diligently sought His will? Did you have to expose me in front of all my duplication without permission is prohibited.

© 2011 SCOTT WEBSTER MINISTRIES. Page 2 of 5

 ISSUE 403 FEBRUARY 2ND 2011

friends, and tell the girl I was soon to marry about my instability in such
stark terms? It ain’t fair God!!! A Developed PROPHETIC
PERSPECTIVE
Are Hard Words Bad?
There is no such thing as a bad word from God. Each time He talks, no A fresh look
matter what He says, it comes from His heart of goodness, love and care. at Prophetic
Therefore I was alarmed when I recently read a comment by a leader who Operations
said “I like this prophet because he always has something good to say from a
about America.” This statement reveals a standard of assessment that Kingdom
separates what is perceived as good vs. bad, but the big problem is that this Viewpoint.
is NOT a Biblical standard.
Now
Available>
There are many false paradigms that exist in the church today that would
make a man make a statement like the one quoted above, including a) God
is only the God of beneficial outcomes b) God only wants to prosper you
and make you happy c) when we follow the Lord life will never be difficult; or if it is difficult and challenging it’s
because we lack faith. People who bring words that don’t reinforce these misperceptions are branded as: harsh,
negative, unpatriotic, etc.

e Real Word of God

But as we look at the Word of God we see a very different prophetic order in full operation, which I am listing in
the following table along with a contrast to the probable response of the compromised church today. The final
column provides an analysis of what would result from a wrong response to the true words of these ancient
prophet’s if given today:

Word of God Modern Church Result

God forbid him from going Would promptly put Moses Leaders who are no
Moses into the promised land for back into leadership longer graced by the Lord,
striking the rock, and his because God loves, resulting in dependence
leadership that forgives and always on good ideas and best
misrepresented the Lord restores. Would continue policy rather than the
to the people to be followed even after power of the Holy Spirit
God had removed him for
leading
Told the people that their Would tell Amos he didn’t A church which limits the
Amos worship was nauseating understand prophetic speaking of God through
and they should stop protocol, and he had no carnal control, missing
playing their music (Amos right to speak to the vast portions of God’s
5:20-24) church / worship team in communication to the
such stark terms earth today thus
continuing in incorrectness

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 ISSUE 403 FEBRUARY 2ND 2011

Word of God Modern Church Result

Warned of imminent Would denounce Believers who mix faith
Jeremiah invasion by foreign military Jeremiah as a liberal who with nationalism, and
power, and told the people sympathized with foreign become unable to discern
to accept their occupation nations and who didn’t the difference between the
as the will of God appreciate the spiritual Kingdom of God on the
heritage of their nation. one hand, and domestic
They probably had a and foreign policy on the
bumper sticker: “Israel: other
Love it or Leave it.”
Denounced business- Hosea would be A church with beautiful
Hosea people who used unethical condemned as one who facilities and bank
means and dishonest didn’t believe in prosperity accounts, but void of
methods to get more than and who was naïve God’s approval and open
their share of wealth, and because he didn’t know to spiritual attack. The
for the people generally that it took money to build meltdown was made for
who trusted in riches to a church this believer!
save them (Hosea 12:17)
Rebuked Ahab & Jezebel Builds an inclusive church A church which has so
Elijah for their family disorder, where everyone is compromised God’s divine
national sin and self- welcome in order to tap standards that God finally
indulgence, including into the ever increasing sends them into captivity
fostering same sex temple homosexual market
prostitutes as an act of demographic, leaving
worship at the temple of people in a state of
Baal unrepentant sin and
without the power to
withstand darkness

400 “Good Word ” Prophets vs. Micaiah

1 Kings 22:6 So the king of Israel brought together the prophets–about four hundred men–and asked them,
"Shall I go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?” "Go,” they answered, "for the Lord will give
it into the king's hand.” 77 But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there not a prophet of the LORD here whom we can
inquire of?" 8 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man through whom we can
inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but
always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." 10 Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and
Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of
Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them…19 Micaiah continued, “I saw the LORD sitting on
his throne with all the host of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. 20 And the LORD
said, 'Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’ 20 "One suggested
this, and another that. 21 Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice
him.’ 22 "'By what means’' the LORD asked." 'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his
prophets’' he said. 'You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the LORD. 'Go and do it.’

This is a perfect example because Ahab, a self-indulgent and immature king, didn’t like Micaiah because he
“never prophesies anything good about me, only bad.” We learn from this that a self-indulgent church has its own
prophetic order that says only the things it wants to hear, and it ignores or persecutes the true prophetic voice.
There is a direct contrast between the 400 prophets and Micaiah:
➡ The mass of assembled prophets stood before Ahab’s throne, while Micaiah saw God sitting on His
throne. The 400 prophets are always referred to in the context of relationship with Ahab, the king. The
prophets were prophesying before them (v 10), and the lying spirit’s strategy was to be a lying spirit in the
mouth of all his (Ahab’s) prophets (v 22). The spirit realm knows very clearly who the Lord’s prophets
are, and who serve as the earthly king’s prophets.
➡ The 400 prophets had a bias that compelled them to say only good things for their nation. They began
their prophetic inquiry from a place of political agreement with the king, and a desire to see their nation
victorious in war. They saw their nation’s political and military agenda before they saw the throne of God,
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ISSUE 403 FEBRUARY 2ND 2011

and it made them false.

➡ In contrast Micaiah was not set against Ahab nor was he aligned with any other political or partisan
interest. If God’s purposes had required Ahab to prevail in war, Micaiah would have spoken victory. The
lying spirit had no basis to influence Micaiah because he had no stake in the political and military
movements in the nation. His objectivity also allowed him to assess the pronouncements of the 400 and
declare them false, as well as see the true origin of their speaking – God’s intention to kill Ahab.

Unfortunately little has changed since Israel’s failed attack on Ramoth Gilead. It seems that politicians and the
materialistic and nationalist church still desire prophets who will say what they want to hear. Likewise there is a
large pool of quasi-prophets who will prophesy from their firmly entrenched nationalistic worldview. We are
living in a time when there is a battle for insight, and false prophetic declarations are being authoritatively
released into the earth – lying spirits are fully operational within a compromised prophetic order.

That has produced a church that is unable to hear what God is saying through the economic meltdown. Wrong
perceptions of God disallow people from hearing that God can (and is) using crisis to produce His purposes in the
earth. This wrong perception of “only good” has made people unable to interact with God’s strategic objectives,
and they are therefore blind and unaware of what God is doing in the earth today.

Requirements for Prophets

Of course many hold a wrong view of “hard words” because they have never seen a correct prophetic operation –
the only hard words they might have heard came forth from “hard prophets”. So there is a responsibility for the
prophetic to grow and develop and become more like Christ, who is always redemptive. A prophet can have no
unresolved issues towards authority figures, otherwise he will be too happy to denounce a false shepherd.

Jonah had a true word about judgment, but his heart was not redemptive and he didn’t realize that the hard word
God gave him for Nineveh was for their redemption. He was more concerned about his rightness and his own
comfort than he was about the destiny of a city/state. His book concludes with God asking the prophet “But
Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and
many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?" (Jonah 4:11). In the end, the heathen city of
Nineveh was more aware of the grace and purpose of God than Jonah the prophet. Therefore until we are
concerned about those we speak to and carry the same compassion and pity that God does for them, we have no
right to speak any word to them.

Jeremiah was given the difficult and painful task of calling Israel back to God, but was told when called by the
Lord to be a prophet that the nation would not listen to him. His book is filled with dire warnings and predictions
of slavery, genocide and military occupation which the people rejected. In their rejection of this hard word they
mocked Jeremiah, asking him “where is the word of the Lord? Let it now be fulfilled!” (Jer 17:15). Yet when
Jeremiah was tempted to stop prophesying it was like fire shut up in his bones that would not allow him to be
quiet. In the end his speaking was correct not only in the detail of his prophecies, but the heart of Jeremiah was
correct also and he processed this before the Lord when he told God “I have not run away from being your
shepherd; you know I have not desired the day of despair. What passes my lips is open before you” (Jer 17:16). So
today’s prophets must engage in a correct and transparent process before the Lord to ensure that all they say is
seen (divine scrutiny) and approved (divine validation) of by the Lord.

…the Rest of the Story

It was only a few weeks after receiving that “hard word” that I asked Kathy to marry me – I was absolutely clear
that she was the one for me and I was finally able to express the love that I had for her in my heart which had been
cloaked by the confusion in my mind. The confusion and uncertainty I had struggled with for months was
dismantled by God’s speaking. I came to a place of internal peace and clarity that produced decisiveness. God’s
voice set me free!

The recession proved a blessing since it kept me from getting a job so that when I was invited to work
vocationally within the church/prophetic ministry, I was immediately available and ready. Every single concern
that plagued me was resolved and even more importantly, I changed and became more like Christ as I learned to
live authentically from my heart. God is good and His purposes are perfect, even when He says hard things!
Releasing The New Prophetic Dimension • Activating The Capacity To Build • Obeying The Command To Finish
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