When the young person looked at the waves of the tsunami, he saw spots of extreme darkness. As the young person looked closer at these spots, in these spots were well known preachers and prophets of God. They have become the epicentre of this darkness. These preachers are vessels of Balaam, who enticed people into doing things or acts against God that will result in God’s destruction and wrath. These preachers preached a compromised Gospel by introducing idol worship and encouraging immoral behaviour leading to sexual immorality (Revelation 2:14). They make believers adapt to sins or works that attract God’s wrath. Idol worship and sexual immorality attract God’s direct wrath. Sexual immorality is a dangerous contiguous sin. It’s a sin that quickly spreads among believers. These sins can turn a city into Sodom and Gomorrah. Sexual sin is an enticing sin that leads to many other sins.
The dark spots are preachers like Balaam who through their doctrines, have ruined the lives of millions of believers. Balaam was a person to whom God spoke. The Bible contains numerous examples of how God spoke and dealt with Balaam.
- God came to Balaam
- God met Balaam
- God said to Balaam
- The Lordput a word in Balaam’s mouth
- The Lordopened Balaam’s eyes
- The Angel of the Lordsaid to Balaam
Balaam was a diviner who can foretell the future, curse, bless, and advice people. Balaam used to collect a diviner’s fee for consultation. Balaam provided consultation to everyone, good or evil. Balaam provided consultation to people who went against the Lord’s commandments or will. When Balak sent people to curse others, instead of rebuking them, he associated with them and asked the Lord.
Balaam has all his spiritual senses tuned by God himself so that he may hear, see, speak and pronounce God’s plans. Balaam had a track record of receiving an answer from God in an overnight. All these experiences and track record with God did not change his thinking, greed and covetousness nature.
Balaam started to earn a living by selling these revelations and prophecies. To the outside world, Balaam appeared to be someone who saw and communicated with God, but his inside world was filled with covetousness and gain. When our experiences and encounters with God do not transform our inner selves—such as our lust, greed, and materialistic desires—we risk becoming like Balaam. Maybe God has given all these experiences to Balaam to correct and save him.
Balaam was a person to whom God spoke but was used by Balak to destroy Israelites. God sent a plague that killed 24000 Israelites because of Balaam’s advice to Balak about enticing Israelites with idol worship and immorality. Balaam was directly responsible for the death of 24000 Israelites.
Balaam’s advice was to introduce the seed of idol worship and sexual immorality. The seeds of sins must be identified in Balaam’s advice or doctrine.
Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. Numbers 25:1 & 2
Today also there are preachers and prophets, like Balaam, to whom God speaks but used by the enemy to destroy God’s church. Although the Balaam’s can perform amazing miracles, healings, and supernatural signs, but there is a distortion in their doctrine and their lives. Beware of them.
These preachers make money from their revelations and prophecies. When there is covetousness and greed, the preachers to whom God communicates turn into the enemy’s weapons. Covetousness and greed have the power to transform a preacher or a ministry from being God’s vessels to enemy’s vessels. Genuine prophets of God can become diviners like Balaam because of covetousness or greed.
These preachers or prophets like Balaam introduce seeds of lustful sins which will entice believers. The teachings of Balaam entice believers and lead them to consider and explore living a sinful wicked lifestyle. Joseph ran from lustful sin whereas Israelites allowed the lustful sin. If their doctrine directly induces God’s wrath, run away from those Balaam’s. Those preachers themselves will be destroyed and they will destroy you also.
These Balaam’s have already destroyed millions of believers in the past. The same Balaam’s teachings will bring God’s wrath on lot of believers.
As intercessors, do pray for the below points
- Believers to recognize and protect themselves from preachers like Balaam in the church
- God to open the Balaam’s eyes so that he could see evil or devastation ahead of him
- God to open the mouths of donkeys so that they could speak to preachers like Balaam.
- God to overturn Balaam’s enticement on believers.
- The teachings of Balaam to be exposed and destroyed.