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The Elementary Things of God

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Fish Bait Prophecy

 
Have you ever wondered why your prophecy did not come to pass? Shouldn’t there be a stricter judgment enforced against those who prophesy in the name of Jesus and it not come to pass? Why is it sometimes you know without a doubt you heard God and you spoke His Word but it did not come to pass?
 

“Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, When the Lord has not commanded it?” (Lamentations 3:37).

 
There is a lesson to learn here that everyone who prophesies should know. It happens rarely, but sometimes God will set you up to deliver His Word, yet He knows beforehand that it will not come to pass. We have a term for this. We call it a “fish bait prophecy”, because when it happens to you it really makes you stink. You can deliver His word and you know that you know in your knower that you have heard His voice clearly. He even gives you a name and time it is to come to pass; however, when the designated time has passed you have egg on your face and you want to find a hole and pull the earth over yourself. God does not care about your reputation or if you look good in the eyes of men. As long as He gets what He wants done then He will use whomever He wills to send His word.
 
Do you recall the story of Jonah and the whale? Most of us remember this story being told or read from various children’s books, for it is a fascinating biblical event. Jonah at first did not want to deliver God’s word, which was “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me” (Jonah 1:2).
 
Because Jonah did not want to do as the Lord commanded, he boarded a ship departing from a nearby port. It wasn’t very long before God caused the seas to roll and the storm to toss the ship around until finally the crew threw Jonah overboard. Isn’t it just like God? When we are not in His will things just turn upside down, especially when you blatantly disobey His word. It was the same for Jonah when God sent a whale to swallow and deliver him to Nineveh and spew him out on the beach for all to see. When God wants you to do something for Him and you have committed to doing everything He commands of you, you will fulfill that promise one way or the other, either the hard way or the easy way.
 
You can image what Jonah looked like after spending three days and nights in the belly of the whale. We know the symbolism of this part of the story prophetically speaks of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, coming out of the tomb on the third day, which carries a very powerful message. However, we are headed in a different direction to stress another point found in this wonderful event. When Jonah finally decided to follow God’s commission, he was delivered and immediately started speaking what God had placed on his heart.
 

“Then Jonah cried out and said, ‘Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!‘” (Jonah 3:4).

 
However, when forty days had passed the great city was still standing and had not been overthrown. Jonah was very angry with God for making him deliver His word. God had changed His mind after the King had everyone repent and fast in ashes and sackcloth. Well, that was not the deal. Jonah obviously felt like God should do what He said regardless, so Jonah felt betrayed and went out of the city and found a place where he could feel sorry for himself.
 

“Then he wished death for himself, and said, ‘It is better for me to die than to live‘” (Jonah 4:8).

 
God came to Jonah and in His own way showed him that he should not be put out because He did not kill 120,000 people just so he could be right.
 
You see, serving God is not always rewarding in the way we may think. Sometimes being used of God means sacrificing our dignity. We either serve God or man, but we cannot serve both. If you get too haughty and God sees that you need to be humbled, He may make you a spectacle by serving you up as fish bait, which is not too palatable for many. In the end do all you can to remain humble, give all the glory to Him, and be willing to be used of God no matter what the cost, for that is the price of being a true servant of God.
 

“However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all Truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come”
(John 16:13).

 

Written by, Kent Simpson, Apostolic Prophet

 

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