By Andrew Williams
Series: The Year of the Prophet- Month 8: False Prophets & Mature Discernment
Week 32: Religious Spirits & Strategic Counterfeits
Anchor Scripture: “These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: … A false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.” — Proverbs 6:16, 19 (NKJV)
The Teaching
As we continue exposing strategic counterfeits, we must address the Prophet of Strife. One of the seven things God explicitly states that He “hates” is someone who “sows discord among brethren.” In the prophetic office, this manifests as a person who uses their “revelation” to create Suspicion, Division, and Isolation.
The Prophet of Strife often masquerades as a “high-level discerner.” They walk into a church and start “seeing” demons in the leadership, “sensing” hidden sin in the members, and “hearing” that everyone is against them. While a true prophet does identify the “Achan Factor” (Day 126), they do so for the purpose of Restoration and Purity. The Prophet of Strife, however, does so for the purpose of Ego and Destruction.
The goal of this counterfeit voice is to “tear the fabric” of the community. They make people doubt their leaders, doubt each other, and eventually doubt their own sanity. They thrive on being the “only one” who sees the truth, which leads back to the “Diotrephes Spirit” (Day 225). If a prophetic voice consistently leaves a trail of broken relationships, split churches, and “us vs. them” mentalities, that voice is an abomination to the Lord.
Prophetic Insight
Maturity is measured by “The Spirit of Peace” (Day 227). If your “discernment” always makes you want to gossip about someone’s “demons” rather than go into the “gap” to pray for their deliverance, you are sowing discord. A true prophet is a Bridge-Builder, not a Bridge-Burner. You see the breach (Day 168) so that you can repair it, not so you can exploit it. If you find yourself enjoying the “drama” of spiritual warfare or the “special status” of being the whistleblower, you are operating in a spirit of strife. Your job is to lead the people toward the Unity of the Faith. If your word divides the Body, it better be because you are separating the “Holy from the Profane,” not because you are separating the “Brethren from the Brethren.”
The Activation
Identify a “Suspicion” you have been carrying about someone in your circle—a thought that makes you feel “superior” or “distrustful” of them. Today, “Execute the Discord.” Stop talking about them and start praying for them. Ask the Lord: “Is this true discernment, or is it a spirit of strife in me? Give me Your heart for this person.” Commit to speaking a word of “Peace” or “Blessing” that builds a bridge where there was a gap.
Daily Prayer: Lord God, I thank You that You are the God of Peace. I repent for any time I have sown discord or suspicion among my brothers and sisters. Forgive me for my pride and my love of drama. I ask that You would break the spirit of strife off my heart and my tongue. Help me to be a repairer of the breach. Use my gift to unify Your Body and to bring Your people into ‘one accord.’ I choose to be a peacemaker today. Amen.
