Most and I repeat saying that MOST people today are criticizing men of God. They talk about their greed, their promiscuity, their distorted teachings, and their personal lives. They think that they need advice or realignment to what they think is true faith. They treat them like softwares that need to be updated or to be reset to manufacturer’s default settings. I have a question for them, “Did you anoint them?”
Most people actually think that they can correct their spiritual authorities for their misdeeds. They bestow power unto them to act as judges on men of God (by men of God I refer to ministers). I recently saw a thread online that said,
“Today we have a problem in the church. We have placed many men of God in a zone where they cannot be corrected or checked. We have misunderstood the concept of accountability and what it helps with in the life of a man, Pastor or not. We have kept quiet.”
The same people think that they can be accountable for anointed men of God because they are fallible humans made of flesh and blood. They use the concept that all believers are anointed by God and no one is greater in the kingdom. They believe that they are on the same level as their pastors, prophets, or any other spiritual authority.
Psalms 105:15 says, “Do not touch My anointed ones! Do no harm to My prophets!”
Even if I am a staunch believer who doesn’t miss Church every Sunday, am I on the same level as Abraham, Moses, or Elijah? 🤔 Does it mean my prophet and I are on the same level? Am I on the same level with someone who sits in the council of God, who can see into my future, or who by their word can bring a curse or a blessing?
We see prophet Elisha in 2nd Kings 22:23-24 sending a curse on 42 boys.
23 From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said. “Get out of here, baldy!” 24 He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.
Some would argue that that was too harsh for prophet Elisha to do or that God is so barbaric to do such a thing. The verse clearly notes that the prophet called down a curse on them in the name of the Lord. Elisha was not operating under his own authority but God’s. The kids were not ridiculing the prophet but God Himself. Sometimes we do not know the extent of our actions and we bring ourselves to ruin with what comes from our mouths.
In Acts 5:3, Ananias and his wife Sapphira die because of lying to the Holy Spirit.
3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”
Ananias did not physically speak directly to the Holy Spirit. He spoke to Peter the apostle who affirms to him that he has not just lied to mere beings but to God Himself.
In verse 9, Sapphira comes in and faces the same predicament as her husband.
9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”
Peter is so sure that Sapphira will die too. He is not in doubt that she will face the same predicament as her husband. This shows that he was speaking from a position of authority and power and that he was not just speaking as mere believer.
In Genesis 9, Noah curses the offspring and lineage of his son Ham because he laughed at his nakedness.
24 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,
“Cursed be Canaan!
The lowest of slaves
will he be to his brothers.”
But why did Noah curse his own son just for seeing and laughing at his nakedness? Can we also say that he was not laughing at his father’s nakedness but the nakedness of the authority that his father carried? Some may think that it was because he was drunk but he well knew what he was doing when he woke up because he blessed Shem and Japheth.
26 He also said,
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the slave of Shem.
27 May God extend Japheth’s territory;
may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,
and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”
There is a blessing when you serve your spiritual authority and protect them even in their ‘nakedness’. Though Noah got drunk with wine and was naked, Shem and Japheth purposed not to see their father’s nakedness but covered him. Quick question, how did Noah know that Ham laughed at him and Shem and Japheth covered him? Would just a normal person drunk with wine lying naked in their tent know that?
Never at any moment in your life ridicule your spiritual authority. Even if you see them ‘naked’, cover them. There is a great blessing in that. Never utter negative or ‘corrective’ words to any man of God. Do not criticize them as you are not the one who called them. Even if they are known for doing worse things, just don’t. Even if their ills are documented by the media worldwide, just shut your mouth.
Most people are wondering why they are not making it in life, why they input so much but reap very little not knowing that their tongues are their ruin. The Bible clearly states in Proverbs 18:21 that “The tongue has the power of life and death.”
Touch not the anointed and do not see their nakedness. Let He who called them judge them. Some may ask, “What if they are false teachers or prophets and one has just realized that?” Well, pray for the gift of discerning spirits. I believe that this is one of the most powerful gifts to have.
When leaving a ministry, leave with peace and do not go criticizing and/or talking ill of the anointed leaders of that ministry. You do not know how many souls have been saved through them. All things work together for good. God will use that which you see as evil, nasty or useless to bring out something magnificent.
Finally, learn to extend grace. It took 120 years for the ark to be built. This was because God was giving these evil people time to repent and turn back to Him. Do not just speak ill against men of God but everyone. You bring curses upon yourself by speaking ill against others for you do not know what they carry. You also bring upon yourself blessings when you speak things that edify and build the body of Christ.
2 Chronicles 36:16
16 But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.
