Mike Wells of Abiding Life Ministries International (ALMI) wrote this to Heather and myself.

Dear: Trent and Heather.

Thanks for the note, presently, I am working my way through the interior of Uruguay. I wanted to send you a quick note. I haven't met your friend so I can't really comment on him. But I can tell you my observations and you can, maybe, use them. I have constantly run into Prophets in the course of being a Christian for the last 35 years and generally they fall into one of four categories.
1. The real deal. I love those guys. They are purely Christ centered. They point to Jesus in a Spirit empowered way. They wouldn't let you spend one second talking about them, they are pointing to another-Jesus. These brothers have impacted my life in many ways and many times I can't remember their names as they were consumed with Christ. There are very few of these.
2. False Prophets. I have met only a couple. They were shocking as there were actually speaking on "behalf" of God and leading people away from Jesus and into blatant sin. These fellows have been consistent trouble for me.
3. Those that enjoy the title of Prophet. Africa and India are full of these brothers. They want a title, like an American wants to flash a Ph.D around. They generally do some ministry but want to be set apart. In many ways, I don't really think they have any idea what a Prophet is, it just sounds better than servant. I don't mind these fellows.
4. The neurotic person. This is quite common in the West and these are the "prophets", unfortunately, I have had the most dealing with. They are people that have had heaps of childhood rejection. Everything from a vicious father to no father. Generally they are thinkers and at some point commit suicide of the personality. They don't like who they are in real life, they have had very few successes, and are not the kind of person that people would naturally gravitate to. In short, you wouldn't put them in charge of a company. Mental hospitals have an equal number of people believing they are Jesus as believing they are a Prophet. The whole thing can quickly become psychotic. A psychotic will put the new identity in the hub of the wheel and make every spoke feed it. If you call them a prophet, that proves they are one. If you don't agree that they are a prophet, that proves they are one. Usually, their is an obsession with repentance and revelation. (repentance is only used in the Epistles three times) Revelations is open to nearly any interpretation and the Prophets are hearing God either on a person note for followers or having visions of heaven that really are of no help. I don't discuss with a psychotic, I direct them and therefore refuse to address the obvious, "Why is God tell you about me and God isn't telling me." or "How does the revelation move out of heaven into my home?" I just had a prophet at the conference in Argentina. He is a friend of my interpreter. I told the interpreter, "He introduced himself as a prophet and was calling people to repentance. He will be listening intently to find something I say that will give him an excuse to cut out of the meetings and accuse me." Well, it took four days as the conferences was all about Jesus and I admitted to my failed thinking. I could see him becoming uncomfortable as his obsession with being someone was moving his new identity of being a prophet out of the center. His wife was sunk in the despair of half brain washed and half with the realization that something was wrong with her husband. In the end, he bolted with an obscure complaint and telling that he had to get on in the truth or repentance. Basically, these are rejected people that have found a form of Christian religion to impose on followers and they have never had a follower up to that point. They need followers to validate their existence and to keep the follower on the hook, they dispense "secretes" slowly. If questioned or starting to feel abandoned, they will give the day or the Lord's coming a day Jesus doesn't know. They have a deep self-hatred. I am just giving you the text book cases. I have seen the Lord break through and get people out of varieties of psychosis. The psychotic prophet only sees two options. Remain a prophet or move back to being a rejected nobody. The goal is for them to see a third option, they can become a child of God and glory in the Christ that dwells within.

OK, that's my experience and again, I am not making any judgments about your friend as I have never meet him.

Finally, you are both special, you both have Christ in you. What man will add to that? If the brother is a Prophet, he will keep pointing you to Jesus in practical ways that work out in the exact expression of Matthew 5,6, and 7. He will point you to the "how" of I Cor. 13. If he is a Prophet, he will be thrilled and encouraged if you went on, deeper into Christ on your own. I would encourage you in all these things. Sometimes we keep one commandment and break ten others. Don't break the command to love and respect, to forgive, to ask for forgiveness, to remember the covenant that you have with each other (not a contract). Let nothing come between you. Nothing. I know prophets (real ones, again, I don't know this brother) and they would move you away from themselves to Christ.

Love you,

Mike

Thanks Mike! Looks like for every 1 prophet that God sends, there are bound to be dozens if not hundreds of so-called prophets that God hasn't sent. The hallmark of the few sent prophets is their obsession with pointing all to Jesus. You probably already knew these things, but like I've said before: "I've been delivered from the fear of repetition."