5 Smooth Stones

While Balaam was never called a false prophet, he bore the fruit of a false prophet even though his prophecies were true. There is fruit of the ministry, but also fruit of the minister. The fruit of the minister is the fruit of the spirit. Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsu ff ering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” If a minister is not diligent to perfect the fruit of the spirit in his life, even though he may have a powerful gift and ministry, good fruit will not be produced, and Jesus warned us to beware. Ma tt hew 7:18 “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fi re. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them. 21 Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” 1 Kings 13 gives an account of a young man of God from Judah that prophesied against the altars in Bethel. With tremendous con fi rmation of his word, immediately the altar split and fi re came down from heaven. Instantly king Jeroboam pointed to him and ordered the soldiers to arrest him. As soon as Jeroboam pointed at him the king’s hand withered up causing him to call back his troops and ask the young man of God to pray for him. The man of God agreed and the Lord healed Jeroboam immediately. Jeroboam o ff ered him a gift which was wisely declined because the Lord's instructions to the young man were to return without recompense. On his way back home an old prophet who was not walking with the Lord, it does not say he was a false prophet, came and found him. It appears he just wanted fellowship with this young man because he had heard of the manifestation of the power of God. The story ends as the young man of God lost his life because he submi tt ed himself to illegitimate authority with poor fruit. This caused him to disobey the instructions which the Lord had given him, and took him o ff the path of safety that the Lord had instructed to him to follow. The young man was called a man of God, signifying his character. He was never called a prophet until the old prophet wanted to fl a tt er him and manipulate him, which the young man of God fell prey to. If he had stayed on course with the instruction the Lord had given him, had he waited for the title “prophet” to be granted by the proper authority, he would not have died prematurely and Israel would have had a great prophetic ministry through him in time. Instead he was called “The man of God who disobeyed.” (I Kings 13:26). 77