What seest thou, Jeremiah? The Lord posed that revelatory query to the
youthful prophet just after He set him over nations and kingdoms.
With the word of the Lord in his mouth and a mandate to speak it
forth boldly, Jeremiah was given the familiar prophetic commission
to root out, pull down, destroy, throw down, build and plant.
Before releasing Jeremiah into ministry, however, God in His
magnificent wisdom had to make sure the seer's perspective was
right. So He asked Jeremiah a simple question whose answer would
speak volumes: What seest thou?
In other words, "I've just told you who you are, what you are called
to do, and assured you that I will be with you in every battle. Do
you trust Me? Do you see yourself the way I do? Or does your mind's
eye still view yourself as a timid child who cannot speak? Are you
suddenly puffed up because you will go down in Bible history as the
weeping prophet? What do you see, prophet?" Thank God Jeremiah
recognized the authority given him. That revelation of who he was -
and who his God was - allowed Jeremiah to be both humble and
courageous throughout his easier-said-than-done ministry.
I believe the Lord is asking His prophets and prophetic people the same question today.
What do you see? Do you see a rod budding with almonds (a symbol of
your authority)? Do you see yourself as a child (unprepared for your
calling)? Do you see yourself through the eyes of pride (lifted up
in your own sight because of the spiritual gift you carry)? These
are critical questions - and questions that all prophets should ask
themselves now and again.
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We know that Jesus has given us eyes to see and ears to hear what
says the Spirit of God. We know that pivotal revelation belongs to
those who have exercised their spiritual senses to discern both good
and evil (Hebrews 5:14). And we know that the devil would like
nothing more than to warp our spiritual senses so he can pervert our
prophetic gift. Satan wants us to look at the wrong thing so that we
can't see the right things God desires to show us.
Prophets, if you don't see yourself the way God sees you - whether
that flawed perspective is inferiority or self-exaltation - you
cannot walk worthy of your vocation. So I ask again. What seest
thou? Just like Jeremiah, we must have a revelation of who we really
are in Christ and who Christ really is in us. Only then can we walk
in the simultaneous humility and courage that Jeremiah demonstrated.
You see, God has given a certain measure of authority to the
prophetic ministry. That measure of authority differs based on
callings and maturity, but generally speaking it is the authority to
speak forth the word of the Lord boldly. The authority to root out,
pull down, destroy and throw down spiritual opposition. The
authority to build the Church of Jesus Christ. The authority to
plant the seed of the Kingdom of God in the earth. Walking in that
authority requires courage to face all that stands in the way of the
will of God.
On the other hand, we must also walk in humility, with utter
dependence on God. We do not have the authority to utter prophecies
without an unction. We do not have the authority to be judgmental
and critical of others just because we have exercised our senses to
discern good and evil. We do not have the authority to question how
or when God decides to move. These are some of the areas that lead
us into deception so that we see ourselves high and lifted up
instead of humbly acknowledging Jesus as the supreme authority and
trusting Him in all things.
Even John the Baptist, the one Jesus described as more eminent and
remarkable than any other prophet, had to struggle with this. Let me
explain. Herod put John in prison where he awaited his execution.
Doubtless, he was a little distressed by the proposition that his
head would soon be delivered on a silver platter to a manipulative
woman with an axe to grind. He probably heard about how Jesus was
setting the captives free. The devil may have whispered in his
imagination, “Jesus could come to your rescue, but He is hanging you
out to dry.” John sent his disciples to Jesus with a question: Are
you the Messiah or should we wait for another?”
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John wasn’t questioning that Jesus was the Son of Man. Rather, he
was questioning why Jesus wouldn’t come to his rescue – and he
seemed a little irritated about it. Jesus’ reply was interesting. He
told John’s disciples to send a message back to the prophet that the
blind can see, the lame can walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf
hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached
to them.
“And blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is he who takes no
offense at Me and finds no cause for stumbling in or through Me and
is not hindered from seeing the Truth” (Matthew 11:6 AMP). That is
an interesting “and.” Jesus warned John not to be offended; not to
stumble in distrust; not to let the devil warp his perspective
because things weren’t happening according to his expectations.
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Prophets, we have to trust God. We have to trust that He has given
us authority. We have to trust those in authority over us. We have
to trust that we are who He says we are. We have to trust that He
will give us the right prophetic words to say to the right people at
the right time. We have to be humble enough to trust Him with our
lives and ministries, just as Jeremiah did. The alternative is
clear: if we stumble in distrust, we can’t see the truth.
Distrust. It’s a prophetic pitfall that is so fundamental to
Christianity that it is oft overlooked. You see, we tend to focus on
the deceptions of the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and
the pride of life when discussing doorways to delusion – and we
should recognize those dangers. But the trust factor covers every
perception issue known to man. If we trust God we will see ourselves
in the right light and we will see Him in the right light. Only then
can we walk in the level of authority that will allow us to root
out, pull down, destroy, throw down, build and plant. So I ask
again, What seest thou?
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Will your perception of yourself propel you to destiny or drive you to a dead end?
