Spirit of Slander Is Raging Against Believers in This Season
The spirit of slander attacks at strategic times—and we're in one right now. I've witnessed in past weeks men and women of God take hits from people operating in a false murderous spirit, and it both grieves and thrills me at the same time. More on that in a minute.
Slander is to make a false spoken statement that causes people to have a bad opinion of someone, according to Merriam-Webster. It means to defame, malign, vilify and asperse, which is a fancy word for a continued attack on one's reputation. Back in 2013, I addressed the slanderous accuser of the brethren, and it has returned at a more opportune time.
Over the last week, I've been accused of having a Jezebel spirit, splitting churches, cussing out pastors, being a lesbian, breaking and entering and stealing from churches, refusing to cooperate with pastors in my city for revival and a few other choice things. Time to rejoice! It looks like I'm doing something right since Jesus said we'd be lied about for His sake just as He was lied about. And the more people spread ridiculous lies and rumors, the more I'll lift up Jesus.
Prophecy: False Revivalists Rising in Emerging Move of God
Intercession broke out. Travail ensued. Groanings too deep for utterance seemed to echo throughout the church—and then the spirit of the fear of the Lord fell on the entire congregation (Is. 11:2).
Everybody froze. The intercession stopped. The travail stopped. The groanings stopped. The church was silent. The spirit of the fear of the Lord permeated the atmosphere. There was an awe among us, a reverence for God. It was a holy moment. You could hear the proverbial pin drop.
In that moment, the Holy Spirit spoke something that shook me. He told me, “False revivalists would rise up in this hour.” These false revivalists don't truly have a heart for revival or awakening or transformation. Rather, they are motivated by the potential profits in the latest church trend.
Nikki Mathis’ Prophetic Worship Carries Sound of Revival
I first met Nikki Mathis at a conference where Dutch Sheets was ministering. When she put her hands to the keyboard and lifted up her voice, I heard the sound of revival.
I've since enjoyed listened to her albums: Sounds of Rain, Overcome and her latest, Radical Love. She even recently put out a Portuguese album called Me Chamas para Teu Fogo, which translates My Flames for Your Fire.
I recently sat down with Nikki to find out what inspires her music and why music is so vital to the next great move of God:
What Mike Bickle Taught Me About Enjoyable Prayer
I was in a faith crisis. I had just left a spiritually abusive church and didn't know where to go from there. I didn't know who to trust or what to believe. I wasn't sure if I could darken the door of a church ever again.
That's when a friend recommended I soak to the 24/7 livestream out of International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City. I went to sleep listening to prophetic singers and musicians declaring the Word of God over my life. I woke up to devotional music led by worshippers with a passion for Jesus. It was healing to my weary soul.
Eventually, I started listening to IHOP Director Mike Bickle's expansive online teaching library. His approach to prayer and intercession was much more intimate than the spiritual warfare-only camps I knew. His teachings on the Sermon on the Mount lifestyle challenged my faith. And his in-depth Bible studies on the Song of Solomon, Revelation and Daniel exposed me to Scripture angles I had never considered. I was inspired.
When Believers Can’t Tell the Difference Between Prophets and Psychics
Prophets and psychics can both make accurate predictions. Accuracy is not the only test of a true prophet. Test the spirit behind the word because there are many false prophets making true predictions (1 John 4:1).
I posted that on my Facebook page last week, and it stirred up a hornet's nest I never would have expected. I thought I'd get a few thousand hearty “amens,” open the eyes of some people who had not thought to judge prophecy in this crucial hour and stir up a few devils. As it turned out, it stirred up more than a few devils who seem to enjoy swimming in impure prophetic pools.
Several people asked me to give Scripture to back up the comment. Of course, the Scripture was listed in the comment. In 1 John 4:1, John the apostle clearly states by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
The Gift of the Spirit Fewer Want to Exercise
The charismatic world is known for embracing the gifts of the Spirit. Who doesn't like to get a prophetic word? See a miracle, sign or wonder? Receive a healing? Discern a spirit? Flow in words of knowledge and words of wisdom? Pray in tongues and hear the interpretation?
I love to operate in the gifts of the Spirit and watch others step into that stream. It's refreshing—and it's the sign of a healthy congregation. Where the Spirit of the Lord is given liberty—when we get out of the way and let Him have His way—He will often manifest His gifts in our midst. Of course, the greatest gift of all is His presence. Ultimately, that's all we need.
But there is a gift of the Spirit fewer seem to want to exercise in this hour. It's not one of the nine gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12, but it's a gift from the Spirit of God just the same. It's the gift of repentance.
When Jezebel and Saul Conspire Against You
When the Holy Spirit showed me word curses were coming against me, I was sort of surprised. Given the demon-inspired comments on my articles and Facebook posts—and the hate mail that lands in my inbox every day from people who don't believe in women preachers, 21st-century prophets or the authority of the Word of God—it seemed an obvious revelation.
So I asked Him, “Who's releasing these word curses?” He showed me a particular church I went to many years ago. That didn't naturally make sense to me. Why in the world would I even be on their minds, much less in their mouths, after the better part of a decade had passed?
I told the people closest to me, broke word curses, blessed the ones cursing me and moved on. I thought that was the end of it—and then it manifested. One of my colleagues received a not-so-random note from a woman attending that church. A prophet on staff wanted my friend to call her right away. Though it was tempting to have her call and find out exactly what curses were being released against me, we decided not to open that Pandora's false prophetic box.
Spirit of Slander Is Raging Against Believers in This Season
The spirit of slander attacks at strategic times—and we're in one right now. I've witnessed in past weeks men and women of God take hits from people operating in a false murderous spirit, and it both grieves and thrills me at the same time. More on that in a minute.
Slander is to make a false spoken statement that causes people to have a bad opinion of someone, according to Merriam-Webster. It means to defame, malign, vilify and asperse, which is a fancy word for a continued attack on one's reputation. Back in 2013, I addressed the slanderous accuser of the brethren, and it has returned at a more opportune time.
Over the last week, I've been accused of having a Jezebel spirit, splitting churches, cussing out pastors, being a lesbian, breaking and entering and stealing from churches, refusing to cooperate with pastors in my city for revival and a few other choice things. Time to rejoice! It looks like I'm doing something right since Jesus said we'd be lied about for His sake just as He was lied about. And the more people spread ridiculous lies and rumors, the more I'll lift up Jesus.
Prophecy: False Revivalists Rising in Emerging Move of God
Intercession broke out. Travail ensued. Groanings too deep for utterance seemed to echo throughout the church—and then the spirit of the fear of the Lord fell on the entire congregation (Is. 11:2).
Everybody froze. The intercession stopped. The travail stopped. The groanings stopped. The church was silent. The spirit of the fear of the Lord permeated the atmosphere. There was an awe among us, a reverence for God. It was a holy moment. You could hear the proverbial pin drop.
In that moment, the Holy Spirit spoke something that shook me. He told me, “False revivalists would rise up in this hour.” These false revivalists don't truly have a heart for revival or awakening or transformation. Rather, they are motivated by the potential profits in the latest church trend.
5 Ways to Recognize False Friends
False friends. The Bible has plenty to say about them—and you've probably had one or two yourself. Of course, you probably didn't know they were false when you first befriended them or you wouldn't have put yourself through the grief!
In my role as editor of Charisma magazine, I've met my fair share of false friends. They usually walk in my life with a big smile on their face, suggesting they can lift my load, open new doors or be a confidential sounding board. I've fallen for it once or twice, but after getting a third-degree friendship burn, I learned how to spot false friends from a mile away.
I'm not flowing in suspicion, mind you. I'm operating out of discerning of spirits and what I've learned from past experience. I also lean heavily on the Word of God, which, as I mentioned, has plenty to say about the topic. Here are at least five ways to discern false friends.
Nikki Mathis’ Prophetic Worship Carries Sound of Revival
I first met Nikki Mathis at a conference where Dutch Sheets was ministering. When she put her hands to the keyboard and lifted up her voice, I heard the sound of revival.
I've since enjoyed listened to her albums: Sounds of Rain, Overcome and her latest, Radical Love. She even recently put out a Portuguese album called Me Chamas para Teu Fogo, which translates My Flames for Your Fire.
I recently sat down with Nikki to find out what inspires her music and why music is so vital to the next great move of God:
What Mike Bickle Taught Me About Enjoyable Prayer
I was in a faith crisis. I had just left a spiritually abusive church and didn't know where to go from there. I didn't know who to trust or what to believe. I wasn't sure if I could darken the door of a church ever again.
That's when a friend recommended I soak to the 24/7 livestream out of International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City. I went to sleep listening to prophetic singers and musicians declaring the Word of God over my life. I woke up to devotional music led by worshippers with a passion for Jesus. It was healing to my weary soul.
Eventually, I started listening to IHOP Director Mike Bickle's expansive online teaching library. His approach to prayer and intercession was much more intimate than the spiritual warfare-only camps I knew. His teachings on the Sermon on the Mount lifestyle challenged my faith. And his in-depth Bible studies on the Song of Solomon, Revelation and Daniel exposed me to Scripture angles I had never considered. I was inspired.
When Believers Can’t Tell the Difference Between Prophets and Psychics
Prophets and psychics can both make accurate predictions. Accuracy is not the only test of a true prophet. Test the spirit behind the word because there are many false prophets making true predictions (1 John 4:1).
I posted that on my Facebook page last week, and it stirred up a hornet's nest I never would have expected. I thought I'd get a few thousand hearty “amens,” open the eyes of some people who had not thought to judge prophecy in this crucial hour and stir up a few devils. As it turned out, it stirred up more than a few devils who seem to enjoy swimming in impure prophetic pools.
Several people asked me to give Scripture to back up the comment. Of course, the Scripture was listed in the comment. In 1 John 4:1, John the apostle clearly states by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
The Gift of the Spirit Fewer Want to Exercise
The charismatic world is known for embracing the gifts of the Spirit. Who doesn't like to get a prophetic word? See a miracle, sign or wonder? Receive a healing? Discern a spirit? Flow in words of knowledge and words of wisdom? Pray in tongues and hear the interpretation?
I love to operate in the gifts of the Spirit and watch others step into that stream. It's refreshing—and it's the sign of a healthy congregation. Where the Spirit of the Lord is given liberty—when we get out of the way and let Him have His way—He will often manifest His gifts in our midst. Of course, the greatest gift of all is His presence. Ultimately, that's all we need.
But there is a gift of the Spirit fewer seem to want to exercise in this hour. It's not one of the nine gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12, but it's a gift from the Spirit of God just the same. It's the gift of repentance.
5 More Ways to Recognize False Friends
False friends. About a month ago I wrote a column called “5 Ways to Recognize False Friends,” and it struck a nerve—apparently a raw one.
As I shared, the Bible has plenty to say about false friends—and you've probably had one or two yourself. Of course, you probably didn't know they were false when you first befriended them or you wouldn't have put yourself through the grief!
I've had a number of false friends over the years. Some had selfish ambition and thought I could open a door for them. Others had a Judas spirit and walked with me until they didn't agree with a decision. Still others were subtle manipulators who manifested when I said “no.”