• Jeremiah 23:15 “Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.
• 16 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.
• 17 They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.”
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In these last days, we have “positivity” preaching just like Israel had during its last days of the Old Testament. False prophets today do not declare God’s inevitable judgment upon sin nor that mankind is sinful. They overemphasize “You shall have peace” and safety and God’s love and declare “No evil shall come upon you” to backslidden believers and lost souls that “despise” God and His holiness. These same false prophets “speak…of their own heart” that it is okay for God’s people to mingle and be unequally yoked with unbelievers (II Cor. 6:14). These false prophets, without the backing of God’s Word, declare to God’s people that it is okay to drink alcohol, to party like the world, to listen to rock music, to miss church, to close our churches, etc….

Where do these false prophets get these “positive” messages? “They speak a vision of their own heart.” Listen closely to them. These preachers are not interested in helping you and reaching the lost. False preachers only quote God’s Word if it sounds “positive.” And yet, the real Word of God is filled with Jeremiahs (our text) and Pauls and Peters who denounced sin, preached judgment, declared God’s love, and revealed man’s sin. We need more true preachers who preach everything that proceeds from “the mouth of the Lord.” We need more real preachers who preach according to God’s Word and not the “vision of their own heart.”

Final Note: Preaching all of God’s Word, which means both God’s love and God’s judgment, should never be considered “negative”. It is a good and “positive” act to preach “all the counsel of God.” (Acts 20:27)