"Feel-good" prophets.

Scripture:
“The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one prophet through whom we can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” “The king should not say such a thing,” Jehoshaphat replied...

Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’ “ ‘By what means?’ the Lord asked. “ ‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said. “ ‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’” 1 Kings‬ ‭22:8, 21-22‬ ‭(NIV‬‬)

Application:
In this rare biblical glimpse into heaven, we see how spirits can entice us through our own vanity. Seeking to hear just things that make us feel we are already perfect makes us vulnerable to deception. The unfiltered Word of God is what we need to hear in our churches. We can feel joy, but:
Our joy comes from truth. 
Our joy comes from knowing that despite our flaws, Jesus died for us, and He loves us eternally. 
Our joy makes us want to do good and serve God, not have God serve us. 

Prayer:
Give us what we need to hear, not what we want to hear, sweet Jesus. Amen. 
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