A Word about Prophets by Roberts Liardon

After visiting Fox’s modern day headquarters in London, I can sadly say that today it consists mainly of Liberites. It seems they have forsaken the truths of their leader concerning the working of the Holy Spirit and biblical principles, and, instead, they rely totally on the intellect, rationalizing everything. If you spoke to them about this period of Fox’s life, they would probably attribute it to a mental melancholy or psychological depression. I believe they felt it was a deficit in his mental and physical abilities. It wasn’t.

Roberts Liardon tells us that prophets can experience times of anguish, but normally it’s not a mental weakness. They see differently than others and, many times, intensely feel the heart of God in a given situation. If a prophet can’t find the correct outlet for what he sees or feels, it can cause anguish. Feelings of anguish are usually caused when prophets fail to understand the balance between timing and practical living. Sometimes the situation they see is so large to them, they feel it’s the only message that needs to be preached. When others don’t see it as the prophet does (because they weren’t the ones to hear it from heaven), their responses—their words and reactions—can hurt an immature prophet.

Roberts Liardon tells us that a prophet must deliver the message of the Lord, but he must leave the results of that message with the Lord. Prophets can never allow their message and their dramatic, passionate concern for souls to interfere with the will of the person or the work of the Lord in the lives of others. A prophet’s job is to tell it like he heard it, then leave it to the Lord and the audience to follow through.