Have you ever tried to have a conversation with someone and felt they just were not listening? You may have felt they were speaking to you and seemed to be interested in you and what you were saying, but their body language and responses told you otherwise. They were preoccupied with other thoughts. All of us have probably had these kinds of conversations from time to time. We may have been the ones who were preoccupied because of circumstances around us or situations in our lives, but a false prophet will always be preoccupied with other thoughts. Their chief goal in any conversation or meeting is to benefit themselves. To be preoccupied is to have another goal in mind rather than what you want others to believe.
A false prophet will be preoccupied with what God can do for them, not with God himself. They do not see God as the Almighty, sovereign ruler of the world. He is not the all-knowing, all-present, or all-powerful God. He is viewed as a God who gives His children whatever they desire. He wants them to be wealthy and happy. While God does want to give to His children to meet their needs, He is not the promoter of getting rich. He even cautions in scripture about being rich. In I Timothy 6:10, Paul warns about seeking after money. Money itself is not sinful; it is the consuming desire to have money that is sinful. It is how you view what you have and how you use it that is sinful. False teachers covet after money and will prey on those who have it. Paul tells us that their love for money has caused them to err from the faith. Their desire is the driving force in their lives, not God. We know that God was not against men having wealth because we see Abraham as a wealthy man in Genesis 13:2, but he was fully devoted to following God and serving God. Read the life of Abraham, and you will see that this wealthy man was not concerned with his riches. Matthew 6:24 teaches us no man can serve two masters. Beware of a preacher who is rich and preoccupied with new ways to get more money. It is his master, not God. A false prophet is seeking God for blessings of God, instead of the glory of God.
I Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Genesis 13:2 “And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.”
Matthew 6:24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
A false prophet will be preoccupied with self-help. They see the Bible as a book of formulas or a how-to book for what they desire instead of a book to get to know God. They see verses like Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” as a formula to manipulate God for material gain. They see “all these things ” as wealth, not daily needs. Our desire, and a preacher’s desire, should be to please the Father above everything else. We should study the Bible to know God and how to please Him. A false prophet seeks to find out how the Bible can help him to manipulate God and achieve more here. That sounds ridiculous to even write. Yet, many follow these preachers and hang on to their every word until they have given and given to these ministries and realize they are not receiving what they were promised. Sadly, many blame God and not the false prophet for their poverty and suffering.
There is only one way to have the favor of God in our lives, and that is to trust Jesus as our personal Savior and live a life of obedience to Him. When this is our goal, we will study the Bible to get to know God better. We will pray and seek Him for everything, and we will be satisfied in Him. A true believer understands this life is not the end. This is just a staging ground for eternity where everything will be perfect. When we follow God’s pattern of study, prayer, and obedience, we will be aware when we hear a false teacher, and we will not be sucked into following him and his charismatic ways. The best way to identify counterfeit money is to know what real money looks and feels like. When we know the one true God and His word, we will be able to identify a false teacher.
