Prophetic Ministries Today

When God is not given glory for His works, He becomes angry and He often strikes with vengeance. To fear the Lord is not to be scared so much as it is to know that if we do not do His will, He may send His wrath our way. If you have never been chastised by the Lord, then you have not experienced the love of God. Christians are corrected by the hand of God when they get out of line or do not follow His word. The closer you walk with the Lord, the quicker you will see His rod of correction. Where much is given, much is require. If you are given much from the Lord, you will be expected to shoulder more responsibility. Now, if you have recently been saved and do not know much about God's ways, you will experience more of His mercy. His rod could be spared for a season until you know enough about Him and His character to be held accountable. However, there are those who teach that God only blesses and never chastens believers. This is not solid Bible teaching. His angels can bring havoc in our lives as much as they do our enemies. The difference is that God delivers correction to His children as a chastening rod, rather than destruction, which is reserved for His enemies whom He hates.

“And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives." If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.” Hebrews 12:5-8

“And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel. So David said to God, "I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing; but now, I pray, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly." And the LORD spoke to Gad, David's seer, saying, "Go and tell David, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you."' "So Gad came to David and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Choose for yourself, either three years of famine, or three months to be defeated by your foes with the sword of your enemies overtaking you, or else for three days the sword of the LORD; the plague in the land, with the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.' Now consider what answer I should take back to Him who sent me." And David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Please let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man." So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand (70,000) men of Israel fell. And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was destroying, the LORD looked and relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who was destroying, "It is enough; now restrain your hand." And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. Then David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between earth and heaven, having in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. So David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces. And David said to God, "Was it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? I am the one who has sinned and done evil indeed; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, O LORD my God, be against me and my father's house, but not against Your people that they should be plagued." Therefore, the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David that David should go and erect an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. I Chronicles 21:7-18

One thing we know is that God will not share His glory. There have been ministers who believed that God could do nothing on earth without their help. Others have claimed to be Elijah or John the Baptist returned in the flesh. Some fall into the trap of gloating and proclaiming all the great things people say about them. Dwight D. Eisenhower said it well, "Sweet praise is like perfume. It is fine if you don't swallow it."

In the book of Acts, we see that King Herod took glory and praise from the people and did not give God the credit. His failure to give thanks and honor to God before the people, receiving all of the glory for himself, cost him greatly. This act of haughtiness cost the king more than just a good chastening; it cost him his life.

So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. And the people kept shouting, "The voice of a god and not of a man!" Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. Acts 12:21-23