How Some Christians Are Using Prophecy as Fortunetelling

Prophetic words are powerful, and true prophetic words should produce results. People want to desperately hear from the Spirit of the Lord, but are we tapping into another spirit when we pay for prophecy? Are we inviting a familiar spirit to speak through a prophet when we give money for a prophetic word? Are we opening the doors to the demonic by paying for a word?

The Bible instructs us to be honorable to a prophet. “He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward” (Matt. 10:41). We should, by all means, give love offerings and financial support to a prophet. God loves a cheerful giver. “Let every man give according to the purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). However, it also says, not grudgingly or out of necessity. We should desire to give to a prophet because they have blessed us. Usually, giving to a prophet after a time of ministry, during a love offering, in the following weeks following ministry or for a special need. However, we should not be giving a love offering in advance for a prophetic word.

I’ve seen countless websites that say to send in a $25 or $50 love offering for a prophetic word. I’ve also seen churches saying to sign up for a prophetic word at this time with this person. We are then crossing the borders of fortunetelling and expecting a prophet or a prophetic person operating in the gifts of the Spirit to be able to give us a prophetic word. Most people operating in the gifts of the Spirit, and specifically the gift of prophecy, cannot turn their prophetic on at a moment’s notice. If prophets are soliciting money for a prophetic word, how can the purity and integrity of the ministry and word be trusted? You don’t know what they just did an hour before they recorded your word and sent it back to you. Honestly, you don’t know if they have one general word they send out to all their “paying” clients.

There is no difference between paying for a fortuneteller versus paying for a prophetic word. We shouldn’t have assigned times and amounts to give to receive a word. I remember one time I was invited to another country to minister. The conference host had set times the ministers were to sit at tables, and people from the conference could form a line at their table and get a word. Being a minister, I was assigned to be at one of these tables. I didn’t show up for the prophetic time. I would not participate, and I heard my table had a line of people waiting and asking for me. However, that type of prophetic ministry does not come from the unction of the Holy Spirit and is not keeping the prophetic pure.

When people come up and ask me for a word, I tell them, “You can get all the words you want, just open your Bible and read it. It is full of words for you.” We wonder why churches don’t embrace the prophetic and street evangelism is so difficult. There is so much false and wishy-washy prophetic content out there, and Christians not using it purely because people are hesitant and have shut off being open to the prophetic.

We need to test the spirits, and what Christians don’t know is that paying for prophecy can invite a familiar spirit in to operate. We can tap into a false spirit just as they did in the Bible. We don’t know the struggles prophets are experiencing, how much they are praying before sending or giving you that paid word or what else is going on in their life to distort their discernment. Most importantly, it is not pure and right to sell a prophetic word and mask it as “give us a love offering, and we’ll send you a word.” If we want to release the prophetic, we must clean up the prophetic. If we want to be prophetic, we need to honor the prophetic. Where do you need to change your thinking today to be part of the generation who wants to come forth and bring forth pure prophetic? {eoa}

Kathy DeGraw is a prophetic deliverance minister releasing the love and power of God, to ignite and activate people, release prophetic destinies and deliver people from the bondage of the enemy. She is the founder of Kathy DeGraw Ministries and Be Love Outreach. She is the author of several books, including Speak Out, Discerning and Destroying the Works of Satan, Identity Invasion, Who is Speaking? and Warfare Declarations. You can connect with Kathy on Facebook at facebook.com/kathydegraw or visit kathydegrawministries.org.