The Problem with Crying Wolf in the Prophetic

By John E. Thomas

What naturally begins to happen when prophetic voices give public words that don’t come true?

There’s a famous tale of a bored shepherd boy watching over the village sheep. With nothing to do but count sheep and try not to doze, he hatched a plan to get some attention—he would cry, “Wolf!” and the townsfolk would come entertain him for a while.

So he raised the alarm: “Wolf! Wolf!” The men of the village grabbed their weapons and rushed out to stop the wolf from harming their livelihood. But no wolf could be found.

The young boy swore he’d seen a wolf and suggested it must have run off when he sounded the alarm. A short time later, bored again, he did the same thing. Once more everyone ran out ready for a battle—but there was no wolf. The men realized the boy was just making noise to get attention.

A few weeks later, the boy saw a real wolf stalking a stray sheep. He cried out with everything in him, “Wolf! Wolf!”

But no one came. They didn’t believe there actually was a wolf—he had made up the story one too many times. The wolf captured the sheep and dragged it away.

I am afraid that the prophetic movement is almost at this point. We have “cried wolf” so many times and been wrong that few people listen anymore, and out of those few, an even smaller number do anything about what we said. To be sure, there are accurate voices out there—but as a movement, we are losing credibility.

What Now?

Since the beginning of this virus, I’ve observed a host of prophetic words declaring how it will end, when it will end, what it will look like, and what God is saying about it. Dozens have been completely wrong. Dates have come and gone, theories touted as revelation have been debunked, and it seems like certain agendas are speaking louder than a pure voice.

Recently I was talking to a friend about how easy it is in a social media culture to make noise and spread revelation. In such a culture, we need to understand righteous protocols and practices that will allow revelation to be safe for our listeners.

Integrity demands authenticity and abhors exaggeration! Lately too many hunches and feelings have been embellished into “revelation.” Too many imaginative scenes have been dramatized into “encounters,” and too many soulish dreams have been aggrandized into prophetic promises. “This is exactly what God’s going to do!” Here are three of the many problems we’re facing today:

1. The voice of God is not feared anymore. It takes too much work to sort out the fluff from the substance, and those who are actively expanding the kingdom of God don’t have that much time.

• People are starting to think of the prophetic as “charismatic entertainment” rather than a real way God speaks to His people.

• The lack of a clear voice is confusing the church and making room for false prophets and wounded sheep (men and women with questionable motives but a real gift from God) to rise up and take influence that God hasn’t actually given them.

Quick to Hear, Slow to Speak

We need discernment more than ever! Yes, clear revelation is coming forth—but I think God is actually saying much less about the current situation than the church is. It is time for healthy shepherds to rise up. These are men and women who are truly concerned for the flock of God and don’t cry, “Wolf!” to draw a crowd or increase views and likes (see Jer. 23).

Perhaps now is the time for prophetic people to heed the encouragement of James: “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (1:19 ESV). It is okay to say less—as long as we say only what God is saying.

Have we allowed people’s fear and confusion to press us into speaking when God is not? Are we trying too hard to be relevant when God has called us to be revelatory?

Ask the Lord for Discernment

About ten years ago, I sat in a room with over seventy international prophetic leaders* who generally agreed that, based on its current trajectory, the prophetic would eventually lead to a certain point. If a course correction did not happen, God would likely withdraw favor from the prophetic, and a generation would arise that wouldn’t desire to hear His voice. I believe God is holding this heartbreaking outcome at bay right now, but there is a real chance it could occur unless change happens.

May the real prophetic voices rise up—those that exalt Jesus over current events and are more concerned with making disciples than drawing crowds!

May those God has anointed for this time come to the surface, and may discernment be a core concern for the church of God.

May there be clear revelation of eternal value based on the kingdom that cannot be shaken—revelation that truly helps anchor people to the one true rock of revelation, Jesus Christ. It is time.

*These 70 international leaders discussed protocols for New Testament prophetic ministry. The document they covered can be found here: https://streamsministries.com/about-us/what-we-believe/. For more information about mature prophetic communities, check out “Prophetic Reformation” (link) available as a CD or MP3 from Streams Ministries.

Suggested Resources:

Developing Your Prophetic Gift

Practical Prophetic Training