Years back, I was privileged to attend a church service where the governor and other dignitaries in the state attended. It was the thanksgiving service of a woman who was newly appointed the SSG of her state.

The priest who preached in that service turned the pulpit to a campaign ground for the governor's second term bid. He began to sing the praises of the governor instead of speaking the very words God gave him. I knew he had a sermon prepared but he deviated probably because he wanted a favour from the governor. He became a political preacher. Everyone who went with me complained of the same thing.

There is a similar event in the bible. Ahab was surrounded by political prophets who prophesied what he wanted to hear not the very words of God.

Ahab contemplated going to war against Ramoth Gilead. He involved Jehoshaphat the king of Judah. He enquired through his own prophets on whether to go or not. In a dramatic way, they told him to go to war but Jehoshaphat sensed something was not right about the prophecy of those prophets. Those guys were Ahab's personal prophets.

Jehoshaphat asked If there was another prophet in town. Reluctantly, Ahab answered that there was one who always prophesied doom to him. Jehoshaphat requested for him. On the way, the prophet who went to fetch him told him to say what other prophets said. They wanted him to be a political prophet.

Micaiah replied, "As surely as the Lord lives, I will say only what the Lord tells me to say”. Truly, he prophesied differently from others. That earned him a prison sentence but his word came to pass.

As ministers, there is a vital lesson for us to learn in that. Our allegiance is to God, the one who called us into the ministry not men. Therefore, we are bound to speak his words the way he instructed we speak it. No removal no addition.

These days, I hear alot of twisting and manipulation from some preachers probably because they don't want to offend their audience. The gospel that is afraid of how people will feel and what they will say is not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The way some preachers make excuses for ills like homosexuality sends chills down my spine all because of politcal correctness. We are not to be politically correct because of inclusivism ideologies. We are meant to be biblically correct.

The moment you start saying what the people want to hear instead of speaking the very words of God as it is without fear,  you cease to be a shepherd but a sooth-sayer.