Profanity In The House Of God

“For both prophet and priest are profane; Yes, in My house I have found their wickedness,” says the LORD. (Jer. 23:11)

What are the signs of wickedness that the LORD found so disturbing in the midst of His own children? And are those signs in the church today? As citizens of the Kingdom of God it behooves us to examine our own temples and traditions and drive out the money changers who have talked us into exchanging the anointing of God for the things of this world and spending our eternal inheritance on instant gratification and short cuts.

Paul admonishes us to examine ourselves to see if we be in the faith, (II Cor. 13:5). Denial and Excuse Making are first cousins to Deception and all three of them work for Destruction. The Truth is your friend, no matter how harsh it may at first seem to be.

So, what are the signs of the counterfeit that pass so freely between the priest and prophet and the people of God? The characteristics of profanity in the house of God as practiced by the prophet and priest, and warnings for the shepherds and overseers of the flock of God as given by the prophet Jeremiah include:

• Prophesying by Baal, (the world system of thinking, reasoning, promotion, religion, self-indulgence and greedy gain), all run by the Devil for the express purpose of causing God’s people to err. (Jer. 23:13)
• Committing adultery and idolatry, practicing both sexual perversion and pursuing a lust for the things of this world that replaces our first love meant to be for God; (Jer. 23:14)
• Walking in lies and strengthening the hands of evildoers, and help them get into religious and political positions of power so they can destroy more. (Jer. 23:14)
• Failing to turn back others from wickedness. (Jer. 23:14)
• Becoming like Sodom and living like the inhabitants of Gomorrah. (Jer. 23:14)
• Speaking “a vision out of their own heart. Not from the mouth of the LORD.” (Jer. 23:16)
• Walking according to the imagination of their own heart. (Jer. 23:17)
• Prophesying a “false peace” when there is no peace. (Jer. 23: 17)
• Running in the name of the LORD and saying, “Thus saith the LORD,” when He has not said or sent them. “I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.” (Jer. 23:21)
• What do their words do to the land? Cause the land to be full of uncleanness, profanity, and violence, and weakness and shame and reproach. Even the soil is weakened by the spilling of innocent blood and unable to bring forth its fruit.
• And what is the fruit of the false prophets among God’s people? Their lies cause the fury of the LORD to arise and bring forth a violent whirlwind of his anger on the head of the wicked. (Jer. 23:19-20)
• It has caused God’s people to become “worthless”, full of falsehood, vanity, emptiness, falsity and futility. It has caused us to chase after every wind of doctrine and stirred up the whirlwind of God’s fury. (Jer. 23:16 & 19)
• Their words and prophecies have allowed us to remain in our evil ways and not brought forth the fruit of repentance or righteousness. (Jer. 23:22).Where do these men and women get their counsel? “From the imagination of their own hearts”, (Jer. 23:17), out or their own mouths, from dreams that the LORD did not give.
•  “Indeed, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart, who try to make My people forget My name by their dreams which everyone tells his neighbor”, (Jer. 23:26-27).
• “Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” says the LORD, and tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies and by their recklessness. (lightness, frivolity, and vain boasting). Yet, I did not send them or command them; therefore they shall not profit this people at all, says the LORD”. (Jer. 23:32)

How can we at all deny that these words are not true in our day? Even hundreds of years before Christ died on the Cross, God told Jeremiah that the anger of the LORD will not turn back until He has executed and performed the thoughts of His heart. “In the latter days you will understand it perfectly.” He said. (Jer. 23:20)

And how clear it now is! Just as God told Jeremiah. We see it all around us; we are surrounded, immersed in an insidious folly and foolishness exalted in the name of Jesus Christ and lifted up instead of Him. We see gold dusting (Ruth Heflin) and feathers flying (Patricia King) and gems falling from heaven (Patricia King) all given as evidence of these preachers exclusivity and their gospel’s authenticity. They’ve got us charting dreams (John Paul Jackson) and looking for omens among the fortune cookies of this wicked and perverse generation. They are leading the hungry into trance dancing in ‘ekstasis’ worship (Patricia King) to get to ‘stand out side of one’s self’ (dissassociative disorder) to be removed to somewhere else (astro-projection, practiced in paganism and witchcraft) to get to a higher plane of experience and a state of hypnotic ecstasy (YouTube expo video).

Hasn’t the Gospel’s power and our justification already been completely substantiated in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? What need do we have of “Christianised” Eastern Meditation, Yoga and Contemplative Prayer in the Church, New Age Mysticism (Emerging Church practices) in our bible studies and vulgarity and profanity preached from the pulpits to verify or clarify the message of God’s forgiveness?

Is His gospel better preached to the poor and the sick by frisking their emotions for another offering; or by planting a biker’s boot in the belly of one seeking healing (Todd Bentley) and calling it an act of obedience to the ‘Holy Spirit’?  How is this not all blasphemyagainst the Holy Spirit and an abomination to a God Who is so Holy the Israelites would not even dare speak His name? And finally how are we not all in big trouble for letting such nonsense continue to be promoted among the young and undiscerning without saying a word against it?

Prayer: Lord have mercy upon us for our silence and our secret and blatant participation in these things that are only and completely an abomination to Your Heart. Forgive us for our prayerlessness and absence, in not being vigilant to watch and wait and warn. We confess our failure to “earnestly contend for the Faith” (Jud.1:3) that was first brought to us by Your Holy Word. We ask for a new heart wherein dwells truth, discernment and righteousness.

To Ponder: What will you say when God asks you where were you when you were being called to fight the good fight of faith? (1Tit. 6:12)