Suppose one day your daughter goes missing. The police are called. As you sit down at your kitchen table, they pepper you with lots of questions. They learn as much as they can about your daughter and what she was doing when you saw her last. They retrace her steps. Before walking out the door, they say, “We will bring your daughter home. We promise.” You hold on to this promise. But a year later, she still has not been found. Here’s the thing… no one can make that kind of promise. Even though they know they will work really hard to find your loved one, there are no guarantees.
I’ve heard pastors basically say the same thing. They speak over their congregation… I say today is going to be a good day for you. You will be blessed with abundance. You are going to have victory. God is going to heal you. The congregation raises their voices admitting they accept what their pastor is saying. But that day is nothing like what the pastor promised. You go home from church still broken, still sick, still stuck with financial burdens, and still in bondage. And nothing changes. This will throw anyone into a state of disillusionment.
Many Christians are dupped by empty promises… promises that seem good and biblical. Here’s the thing… no pastor, no teacher, no leader in the church has the authority to make such promises. It doesn’t matter how filled with the Spirit of God they are… they cannot make promises like this. God, the maker of heaven and earth, is the only One who can make promises that will be fulfilled.
However, pastors and teachers can promise what the Bible promises… You will get the desires of your heart if you delight in the Lord (Psalm 37:4), you will be victorious if you let God fight for you (Deuteronomy 20:4), you will soar high if you trust in the Lord (Isaiah 41:31), you will find rest if you come to Jesus (Matthew 11:28), you will get your prayers answered if you abide in Jesus (John 15:7), you will find contentment if you drink from the living water (John 4:10), you will have success if you are careful to meditate on and obey the Word of God (Joshua 1:8). If they would back their promises with Scripture and refrain from taking things out of context, the people under their leadership would grow to become mature believers. If more churches would focus on discipleship rather than giving empty promises, the people of God would thrive so much more in their Christian life. And they would come to know God in a way they never knew before.
Abundant living usually comes at a cost… obedience to the Word of God, following Jesus the way He said to follow, and loving Jesus and His people. I can say with certainty that it DOES NOT come because someone prophesied over you or spoke a word over you. Let’s be diligent in discernment.