Most people think that anyone who makes a prediction that manifests is a prophet, but this is not true. There are many magicians, astrologians, witchdoctors, occultists, shamans and African traditional healers who can accurately predict an event (Act16:16). There are certain qualities that are supposed to be seen in the life of a true prophet of God. Consider a few of these qualities.

The call: A prophet must receive his call and gifts from God, not anointed by another prophet or receive his gift by other spiritual means (Ephesians4:11).

Training:  A prophet must be properly trained, experienced and mature in the word of God (1Timothy3:6)

Evidence of the Fruits of the Spirit: Despite the accuracy of one’s prophecies or predictions, if that person does not have the character of Christ,  if he is not bearing the fruits of the Holy Spirit which are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control  etc (Galatians5: 22). That person is not a true prophet of God (Mathew7:16, 20).

Humility: A prophet must be extremely humble, for the secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant (Psalm25:14). The fear of the LORD means to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth (Proverbs8:13). God cannot reveal his secret to a proud person! Moses was very humble—more humble than any other person on earth. (Number12:3).

Ability to teach and make disciples:  As mentioned earlier, a New testament Prophet must be an absolute preacher or a teacher of an accurate revelation of God. Jesus commanded every Christian to  go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. To teach the new disciples to obey all that He has commanded (Mathew28:19). One who only forecasts for people without rebuking the wicked and teaching repentance and salvation to sinners is not of Christ…Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins. (Isaiaah58:1)

Does not contradict the Word of God:  A t true prophet's words will be in absolute harmony with the written words of God; for instance, a true prophet cannot proclaim peace to the wicked when the Lord has spoken through the prophets of old that there shall be no peace unto the wicked. The scripture reads…To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light  in them(Isaiah8:20).

Genuine Love of Christ: True love of Christ is what makes every true child of God, for The Lord has commanded us to love other people just as he loves us. He says when we do love other people exactly the same way He loves us means we are his true disciples (John13:34-35). If one performs miracles and prophecies accurately without fulfilling God’s commandment which is “to Love” as Jesus loves, he will still be known as a false prophet…Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity (Mathew7:21-23).

Fearlessness:  True prophets are fearless; they don’t compromise the word of God, but always willing to die for the truth (1kings22:10-51).

Not fame seekers: True Prophets don’t seek for popularity, but always seek for a deeper intimacy with God. Not a president or head high-ranking governmental official can bribe a prophet to make them compromise the word of the Lord. And they don’t advertise miracles (John7: 1-5).

Doesn’t prophesy at own will: A true prophet does not prophesy any time he wishes, or any time people consult him. A prophet prophesies only when the Holy Spirit moves him (2Peter1:20). You can’t pay a prophet and ask him to prophesy to you.

Not Money conscious:  A true prophet is not money conscious (Daniel 5:13-17, 2Kings5:14-19,1Timothy 3:3). He does not ask people for an offering before he prophesies, or asks people to “sow a seed” in order to claim their prophecies.

Directing people to Christ: Directly or indirectly, a true prophet does not receive praises or worship from People; instead, he will sincerely abase himself and allow the people to see Jesus Christ. A true prophet does not allow people to depend on him, he encourages people to inquire  directly from Jesus Christ (John1:24-36). The purpose of the prophetic ministry is to help in bringing people to Jesus Christ. A prophet does not consider his assignment as a guiding ministry and with craftiness, uses it to replace the Holy Spirit .

Prayer:  true prophets are intercessors; real spiritual watchmen who bear the burden of the saints and the nations of the earth in his heart…O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray day and night, continually. Take no rest, all you who pray to the LORD (Isaiah62:6).

Preachers of righteousness: Prophets are preachers of holiness and righteousness (2Peter2:5, Isaiah58:1). Not only do they preach holiness, they practice what they preach…  These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah  walked with
God (Genesis 6:9).

Not a man of diverse faith: A t rue prophet is a man of one faith; He believes and establishes his faith in Christ alone (John14:6). Any person who claims to be a true born again prophet of God, but still follows the teachings and practices other religions apart from Christ is an agent of darkness. One cannot claim to  be a Christian  and  at the same time believe and practice Metaphysics, mysticism, spiritualism, shamanism, Amorc, Universalism, Islam, New Age movement, Hinduism, Mind Science, Gnosticism and so forth.

Shalom!

What an excellent description of a true prophet of God. Thank you. God bless you. God2man.

@ Habinger,

Where have you been all this while? I believe God brought you to this forum for such a time as this. I have been paying attention to your teachings recently and I must say you are on spot. God bless you. I cannot over emphasis one of the above points more than the other one. They are all Great virtues. Thanks for the good work and God bless you for sharing this teachings. Bookmarked.

@goshen360

Shalom Bro! So happy to read your posts as well! we are in this battle together against the forces of darkness trying to blind fold young Christians, !

I guess you reside in the US, kindly email me: goshen360@yahoo.co.uk. Will love to connect and work with you bro. Thanks.@ Habinger.

this is a great post goshen360 did you get my post today

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-886134.0.html

Habinger:

Most people think that anyone who makes a prediction that manifests is a prophet, but this is not true. There are many magicians, astrologians, witchdoctors, occultists, shamans and African traditional healers who can accurately predict an event (Act16:16). There are certain qualities that are supposed to be seen in the life of a true prophet of God. Consider a few of these qualities.

I do agree that there many sons of satan disguising as prophets of God, but your definition, is fallacy on its own.

The call: A prophet must receive his call and gifts from God, not anointed by another prophet or receive his gift by other spiritual means (Ephesians4:11).

Samuel anointed David. David was the only OT prophet who saw the hill of God and saw Christ along with the father. by your definition is David a false prophet?
Elijah anointed Elisha, does that make Elisha a false prophet? The apostles laid hands on all those who believed the gospel, many of whom later became prophets, does that make them false prophets? There is no one way through which God calls prophets.

Training:  A prophet must be properly trained, experienced and mature in the word of God (1Timothy3:6)

who trained 17 year old Joseph in the art of prophecy? who trained David? who trained Daniel?
The only training u need is at the feet of God. That explains why Christ promised believers the holy spirit to teach them all things.

Evidence of the Fruits of the Spirit: Despite the accuracy of one’s prophecies or predictions, if that person does not have the character of Christ,  if he is not bearing the fruits of the Holy Spirit which are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control  etc (Galatians5: 22). That person is not a true prophet of God (Mathew7:16, 20).

Elisha prayed that a lion consume 40 kids, Moses prayed that hundreds of thousands should die a miserable death (they died by earthquake), David killed 200 phillistines as a bride price to kind saul, Jeremiah and Isaiah cursed the inhabitants of Israel for disobeying God . . , .does this make any of them a false prophet, even though these actions are not fruits of the spirit? . . . . .true prophets do the will of God and God only . . . The will of God is NOT always pleasant.

Humility: A prophet must be extremely humble, for the secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant (Psalm25:14). The fear of the LORD means to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth (Proverbs8:13). God cannot reveal his secret to a proud person! Moses was very humble—more humble than any other person on earth. (Number12:3).

uhmn . . . . Moses was humble only in God's opinion . . . humility is subjective.

Does not contradict the Word of God:  A t true prophet's words will be in absolute harmony with the written words of God; for instance, a true prophet cannot proclaim peace to the wicked when the Lord has spoken through the prophets of old that there shall be no peace unto the wicked. The scripture reads…To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light  in them(Isaiah8:20).

in the days of Jeremiah, all other prophets said that Israel would not go into captivity as long as the Lord lives . . . Jeremiah stood out by saying that this captivity is the will of God. God is not a robot, He says new things everyday. The word of God is not static.

Fearlessness:  True prophets are fearless; they don’t compromise the word of God, but always willing to die for the truth (1kings22:10-51).

read your bible carefully and show me one prophet who did not have fear or doubts at the beginning or during his ministry?

Doesn’t prophesy at own will: A true prophet does not prophesy any time he wishes, or any time people consult him. A prophet prophesies only when the Holy Spirit moves him (2Peter1:20). You can’t pay a prophet and ask him to prophesy to you.

Actually prophets do seek God and hear from Him ANYTIME . . holiness is the requirement.

Not Money conscious:  A true prophet is not money conscious (Daniel 5:13-17, 2Kings5:14-19,1Timothy 3:3). He does not ask people for an offering before he prophesies, or asks people to “sow a seed” in order to claim their prophecies.

the priests and sons of levi were materially conscious, they asked for offerings from the remaining tribes as God commanded. They were not to work but to live on the gifts of the other 11 tribes. This was the commandment of God, that they do no work, except to feed of the sacrifices and gifts in the temple.

@noetic16

hello noetic! Try to study the differences between the Old testament prophetic ministry with the New testament prophetic dimension,

this is fantastic post

Habinger:
Most people think that anyone who makes a prediction that manifests is a prophet, but this is not true. There are many magicians, astrologians, witchdoctors, occultists, shamans and African traditional healers who can accurately predict an event (Act16:16). There are certain qualities that are supposed to be seen in the life of a true prophet of God. Consider a few of these qualities.

The call: A prophet must receive his call and gifts from God, not anointed by another prophet or receive his gift by other spiritual means (Ephesians4:11).

Training:  A prophet must be properly trained, experienced and mature in the word of God (1Timothy3:6)

Evidence of the Fruits of the Spirit: Despite the accuracy of one’s prophecies or predictions, if that person does not have the character of Christ,  if he is not bearing the fruits of the Holy Spirit which are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control  etc (Galatians5: 22). That person is not a true prophet of God (Mathew7:16, 20).

Humility: A prophet must be extremely humble, for the secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant (Psalm25:14). The fear of the LORD means to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth (Proverbs8:13). God cannot reveal his secret to a proud person! Moses was very humble—more humble than any other person on earth. (Number12:3).

Ability to teach and make disciples:  As mentioned earlier, a New testament Prophet must be an absolute preacher or a teacher of an accurate revelation of God. Jesus commanded every Christian to  go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. To teach the new disciples to obey all that He has commanded (Mathew28:19). One who only forecasts for people without rebuking the wicked and teaching repentance and salvation to sinners is not of Christ…Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins. (Isaiaah58:1)

Does not contradict the Word of God:  A t true prophet's words will be in absolute harmony with the written words of God; for instance, a true prophet cannot proclaim peace to the wicked when the Lord has spoken through the prophets of old that there shall be no peace unto the wicked. The scripture reads…To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light  in them(Isaiah8:20).

Genuine Love of Christ: True love of Christ is what makes every true child of God, for The Lord has commanded us to love other people just as he loves us. He says when we do love other people exactly the same way He loves us means we are his true disciples (John13:34-35). If one performs miracles and prophecies accurately without fulfilling God’s commandment which is “to Love” as Jesus loves, he will still be known as a false prophet…Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity (Mathew7:21-23).

Fearlessness:  True prophets are fearless; they don’t compromise the word of God, but always willing to die for the truth (1kings22:10-51).

Not fame seekers: True Prophets don’t seek for popularity, but always seek for a deeper intimacy with God. Not a president or head high-ranking governmental official can bribe a prophet to make them compromise the word of the Lord. And they don’t advertise miracles (John7: 1-5).

Doesn’t prophesy at own will: A true prophet does not prophesy any time he wishes, or any time people consult him. A prophet prophesies only when the Holy Spirit moves him (2Peter1:20). You can’t pay a prophet and ask him to prophesy to you.

Not Money conscious:  A true prophet is not money conscious (Daniel 5:13-17, 2Kings5:14-19,1Timothy 3:3). He does not ask people for an offering before he prophesies, or asks people to “sow a seed” in order to claim their prophecies.

Directing people to Christ: Directly or indirectly, a true prophet does not receive praises or worship from People; instead, he will sincerely abase himself and allow the people to see Jesus Christ. A true prophet does not allow people to depend on him, he encourages people to inquire  directly from Jesus Christ (John1:24-36). The purpose of the prophetic ministry is to help in bringing people to Jesus Christ. A prophet does not consider his assignment as a guiding ministry and with craftiness, uses it to replace the Holy Spirit .

Prayer:  true prophets are intercessors; real spiritual watchmen who bear the burden of the saints and the nations of the earth in his heart…O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray day and night, continually. Take no rest, all you who pray to the LORD (Isaiah62:6).

Preachers of righteousness: Prophets are preachers of holiness and righteousness (2Peter2:5, Isaiah58:1). Not only do they preach holiness, they practice what they preach…  These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah  walked with
God (Genesis 6:9).

Not a man of diverse faith: A t rue prophet is a man of one faith; He believes and establishes his faith in Christ alone (John14:6). Any person who claims to be a true born again prophet of God, but still follows the teachings and practices other religions apart from Christ is an agent of darkness. One cannot claim to  be a Christian  and  at the same time believe and practice Metaphysics, mysticism, spiritualism, shamanism, Amorc, Universalism, Islam, New Age movement, Hinduism, Mind Science, Gnosticism and so forth.

Shalom!

As much as your words are well articulated, you have not mentioned how a prophet should ideally receive his remuneration. Can you biblically shed light on this?

not a man with 2 or 3 wives bible says a man shall leave his family and cling unto his wife(not wives)

not a man who has just finished sleeping with a churchmember and yet sees visions nothing is more annoying about a pastor than this.

not a man whose neck chain reaches the navel and whose plane was used to smuggle arms into the country we know them @ the top of a christian association