Self-Proclaimed prophets -- nobody needs them, but it seems society can't do without them. Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Oprah (well, maybe not Oprah, but a lot of people seem to worship her, don't they?) -- With all these people who seem to be running after their prophets, I think it is time we reexamine the concept of prophecy. What is prophecy all about? Who can be a prophet? How about you and I, can we prophets?

The prophetic voice is all about being willing to say what is right and what is wrong (what is God's will and what is not). Essentially, each person who does this, is in a way, a prophet. It was the intention of the prophets to help others hear the prophetic voice of “honest indignation” and act upon it. Anyone who acts upon God's word (whether in prayer or in the Bible) is hearing the voice of God and seeing God at work.

Thankfully, we have the words of the previous prophets recorded in the Bible, including the words of the greatest prophet of all, Jesus. We can measure truth by these words.

Above all, we should think for ourselves and closely examine everything. It was Socrates who said, "A life unexamined is not worth living." If something is true, right and good, it will hold up to examination.

Weigh what a person says, not who you think they are (someone's words often reveal their true feelings, because their actions will follow their words). We are not to judge people, but we are to test their words against what God has said. There is nothing worse than a self-proclaimed prophet; there is nothing more dangerous than someone who deceives others by claiming they (and they alone) have the very words of God.

I often ask myself, what kind of radical will I be? What kind of voice will I possess? Am I willing to be thought of as crazy when I say what I know is right?

Well, what do you think? Do you think I am on the mark here? Or would you take a different approach?

How does this help us see the Infinite God in everything?