Ask Teresa

[Admin Note: At first glance, this may seem like it has more to do with training in the prophetic than with intercession. But the sad truth is that most intercessors will be on the receiving end of a "word of disqualification" at some point in their life. Why? Because the devil does all he can to try and make an intercessor believe that have somehow blown it and been disqualified. That is one of his primary strategies against intercessors.]

Dear Teresa

There is a verse that states, "Many are called but few are chosen."

I believe the Lord had shown me through a dream my brother-in-law was involved in a particular sin, and because of that, he is no longer chosen to serve as a priest (e.g., a minister). Several days after the dream, his fiance confirmed to me that he was really involved in the sin I dreamt about.

God told me to deliver a written word to him which included a rebuke, instructions, and a promise that if he repented, then God would use him as a musical prophet. He took a long time to repent, then he fell back into that sin again. My brother-in-law says that he is not interested in being a minister, he would rather be in the entertainment industry. However, my husband and many others think he is called to be a minister.

The conflict comes because my husband thinks I have given a false word to his brother. I disagree. I feel the concept of being disqualified because of sin is very Biblical. Many were called into Joshua's army, but only 300 chosen. Jesus called many, but He only chose 12 as apostles. The Bible has many examples of people who were disqualified from their call: Saul was disqualified, Eli and his son's (the entire lineage of Aaron), the Zadoks were chosen over the Levites thereby disqualifying the Levites...I could go on with more examples.

My husband does not understand or respect the prophet in me, which makes me feel down about myself.

- Few Are Chosen

There are two separate dynamics going in your question. One is the issue of the disqualification in regard to the word you gave your brother-in- law. The other is the concept of being respected and understood in your gifting. I will discuss them separately.

IRespect For The Gifting

I have two quick thoughts on this. The first is that Jesus said that a prophet is not without respect except for in his home city. Sometimes familiarity breeds disrespect. It may be harder for a spouse or close relative to respect someone's gifting than it is for a stranger to do so.

Second, I hold the philosophy that the gifting makes the way. I don't go around calling myself as a prophet or saying that I have this gift or that gift. I don't worry about titles, I simply operate in the gifting and anointing that God has given me. Most of the time others see the anointing operate, and they begin to respect it. I have almost never called myself a prophet. But other people see me operate strongly in that anointing, and they start calling me one.

I think it is much better to demonstrate the gifting/anointing than it is to announce that you have it. Don't worry about whether others know what treasures God has put in you. Just move in them to do with Him what He is doing, and allow Him to glorify His name through you. If you have a true gifting, it will soon become apparent to those around you, and most of them will begin to respect it. Again, spouses can be harder to win over than others, so be patient and take your value from God and not from man.

Disqualification

You may want to revisit your Bible study on this topic, as it does not seem very accurate to me. Most of what you cited as Bible "examples of disqualification" were in error. (I don't want to bog my answer down by getting into those details here, so I included them at the end.)

You do cite one very valid example of rebellion against God leading to being a person being disqualified: of King Saul from the Old Testament. God instructed His prophet Samuel tell him, "Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king" (1 Samuel 15:23). That is a clear-cut case of God revoking his calling because he dishonored and disobeyed God. I do believe there are occasional cases of that happening today, but I think they are extremely rare. It would depend on the hard-heartedness of the sinner rather than on God's willingness to forgive and restore.

Saul was disqualified from his calling as king. That happened in the Old Testament, under the law. That was before there was grace, before the blood of Jesus covered our sins. Romans 8:1 tells us that "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Why? Because His sacrifice did away with the power of the law to condemn us; it placed us under mercy and forgiveness instead of justice and judgment. If Saul had lived in New Testament times, I think God might have treated him differently.

Both the Old and New Testament have stories of people who "should" have been disqualified for behaving poorly, but who were not. Look at the Apostle Peter, who denied Jesus. If anything should disqualify a person, I would think that that should do it! But Jesus did not disqualify Peter--He restored him and recommissioned him (see John 21:15-17).

What about Jonah, the prophet who God called to go prophesy against Nineveh. He disobeyed God and ran the other direction. God would have been perfectly within His rights to disqualify Jonah and rise up some other prophet to do His bidding. But He did not do that. Instead He pursued Jonah (the storm at sea) and returned him to Nineveh (in a belly of a giant fish) and re-commissioned him to go prophesy. Jonah wanted to be excused from his destiny, but God would not let that happen.

The God I know and serve is not looking for some trivial excuse to disqualify someone. He just is not like that. He is full of mercy and grace that leads to repentance (Matthew 9:13). Many times God will not tolerate our sin and rebelling. He will discipline His children as any good Father would, because He loves us (Hebrews 12:6). His goal is for us to turn and repent so He can restore us. Look what Jesus said in Revelation 3:19: "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent."

When we repent, we are not condemned or disqualified. We are restored to our destiny and calling by the grace of Jesus Christ. Romans 11:29 explains it this way: "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance"

Let me give a real life example from a Christian leader: Aimee Semple McPherson. Aimee was called as an evangelist, but her husband disapproved of that calling. She disobeyed God and stayed at home with her family, then she became deathly sick. She had surgery, but instead of getting better, she got worse. Here is a short exert in her own words from the book "Aimee, life story of Aimee Semple McPherson," copyright 1979, published by Foursquare Publications, page 75:

Finally my condition became critical, and I was taken to a separate room to die. A nurse sat by me in the early hours of the morning, watching my flickering pulse. Through the death silence which was broken only by my own painful breathing came the voice of the Lord in trumpet tones, "NOW WILL YOU GO?"

Laying there face to face with the Grim Reaper, I realized that I was either going into the grave or out into the field with the gospel. I made my decision and gasped the words, "Yes--Lord-- I'll--go!"

Instantly, new life and warmth surged through my being. I was healed and turned over on my side, much to the consternation of the nurse. In a few days I was up and about.

God was disciplining her for disobedience; that is why she was sick. But as soon as she repented and yielded to His will, He healed her. She went on to become one of the most powerful healing evangelists of her day, and she became the founder of the Foursquare denomination. God did not disqualify her from her call, even in the face of a disobedience that almost caused her death. Instead He restored her ] to it and empowered her in it.

I believe that is God's general method of operation (M.0.) for dealing with His kids. In general, He is not a God of disqualification, He is a God of restoration.

Now let's discuss the "word" you gave your brother-in-law. I do agree that you got a word of knowledge that he was in sin.

Have you considered that maybe God did not give that information to you for you to prophesy to him, but for you to pray and intercede for him? It is so easy for a prophetic person to fall into the assumption that any God gives supernatural revelation, we are to deliver it as a word. But that is not always His intent--sometimes He just wants us to pray.

When we have secret sin information on someone, then it is easy for our own theology an thinking to jump in and turn that into a judgment or a warning or a disqualification word. I am wondering if maybe that happened in this case?

If that is what happened in your case, then don't respond by getting down on yourself. You can be sure that Satan, the accuser of the brethren, is going to try to get you to disqualify yourself if you discover you misspoke and delivered a word that wasn't really from God.

Remember that the same God who did nod disqualify Peter from his calling his not going to disqualify you from yours either. Think of this as a learning experience. Next time you get secret sin revelation, you will be much more inclined to go back to God for greater clarity on what He wants you to do with that information. If you did in fact make a mistake on that word, you can use it as a learning/growing process to make you better in your gifting. They say we learn more from 1 mistake than we do from one thousand successes. Sometimes God sets us up to make a mistake so we can learn from it and grow even more in our gifting.

Blessings

- Teresa

Appendix - RESPONSE TO YOUR BIBLE REFERENCES OF DISQUALFICATION

You said that Eli and his sons, and the entire linage of Aaron were disqualified from their call as priest. That statement is not accurate. Eli's two sons were struck dead in judgment because of repeated sin and disrespect for priestly law. Eli (who was very old) died shortly after his sons did. I suppose in a sense, you could consider dying as a type of disqualification, but that is nothing like the type of disqualification you were talking about in your word to your brother-in-law--you were not prophesying is eminent death.

Eli's linage (which is only a small part of Aaron's linage) was not removed from being priests. The prophecy against them is found in 1 Samuel 2:31-33. The specifics of that prophecy is that everyone in the family line must die young. God does not cut off every male in his family line from the priestly role. In fact, verse 33 says, "But any of your men whom I do not cut off from My altar..." That verse is makes it very clear that not all of Eli's descendents are not "cut off for the altar" e.g., disqualified from the priestly role.

I am not familiar with your reference to Zadoks disqualifying the Levites. My understanding is that Zadok was a Levite who served as high priest when David was king.

The men with Gideon were not disqualified from a destiny, God merely trimmed down the army because He wanted to make a point that His power (and not human strength) was what won the victory.

The other followers of Jesus were not disqualified, they were still allowed to follow Jesus. They simply were not hand-picked for a special role of disciple/apostle. That is still true in the church today. The vast majority of believers are not called as apostles, but that doesn't mean they have been disqualified for God's call or plan or destiny for their lives.