What Is a Prophet to Do?

Seeing God Clearly

I have never told this story publicly……because I was told not to. Why am I telling this story now…..because prophets need to be a little better understood amongst “leadership” within the church.  The abuse (to control and manipulate) needs to stop, prophetic words need to be understood within the church, and I learned why we should never agree to not talk about something that has happened to you.  Like I said a couple weeks ago, it is imperative within the prophetic to see God clearly, to know who he is and how he sees you.  That is why I think writing and sometimes re-reading Time To Really Live Free has made it easier for me to not only “hear God” but better understand what he is really saying.  This example from my past is the perfect example for me of how important this really is.

The Word

It is Saturday, May 21, 2008 and that morning I received a vision from the Lord of myself on a tiny wooden boat and heard, “And the tiny boat was tossed.” The sea was dark and rumbling, but I was at peace with light shining down on me. I felt as though a storm was approaching but I will have peace…..It is now July 26th of the same year and I had received a directive and a word from the Lord that week. Our church was to begin a building campaign in the next few months and I was praying for this as directed by the pastors. The Lord told me three things at this time with a great amount of love:

1. The money will not come in.

2. The building will be built in 7 years.

3. I will be the prophet to call it in.

After he told me those three things he requested I proclaim in the earth realm that the money wouldn’t come in. It took much convincing on his part but after he told me the last two things, I did as he requested.

Sharing the Word

Next, I was to share with the pastors that the money wouldn’t come in. I was able to do so with the female pastor that Saturday night. I thought it was received well and that they would take it to the Lord. My husband, Bryan, had gone to a movie and I had driven home with our young sons.  When I got home I received a phone call from the female pastor, frantically saying they needed to come over to our house right away. I told her Bryan was not home; but they still came. This is when things got ugly and horrible. First they were asking what they have done wrong, what sin they needed to repent of and I told them there wasn’t anything the Lord had said about that. I had felt the word had come from a place of love and protection. But it was like they didn’t hear what I was saying and continued trying to ask me what sin the church had committed.

Jezebel and Cursing the Church??

Then, I was accused of cursing the church and was Jezebel. I was told I must apologize to the pastoral team and what was then members of a pastoral prayer team. The prayer team members did not even know what I was apologizing for just that I was to apologize. I was told by the pastoral team that we (the pastoral team, my husband and I) were never to talk about this with anyone. Later I had found out the pastoral team did not hesitate to talk about it with people and these people also shared some things with other people. So much for promises and keeping it to ourselves. I was in full fledge fear because 1) I was accused of cursing the church and 2) What if I did have Jezebel inside me?????.

Spiritual Abuse

I had many situations that came up during this time that would be termed as spiritual abuse. Shunning, hurtful words and actions by the pastoral staff, I was actually told they were surprised I showed up for events at the church, my own children were told to pray against me (they did not know at the time it was me they were praying against) as I was the one “cursing” the church. Through all this I choose to stay, I took all the abuse and did what was asked of me; because I doubted God’s word to me and thought I had sinned horribly— so I deserved all of the harsh treatment; because at this point my viewpoint of God was off. I had learned in the church that they are the “authority over you” and “we are to submit to the authority over us”. Never realizing what the Greek actually meant in Hebrews 13, read Chapter 8 ‘Submit!–No!’ in The Door Is Open for more.

The Second Half of the Seven Years

It is now three and a half years later and the money did not come in for the building campaign. Soon after the pledges were taken the economy nose dived and many people lost houses and jobs (anyone remember the housing collapse of 2008?). The people could not make their monetary commitments they had written in August of 2008. No one on the pastoral team ever said anything about the word being accurate at this time. I knew the next three and a half years (remember the Lord’s promises to me) would be different and began praying for the building and the needed money to fund this venture. Remember I never said a word about the last two items of the word. I had kept them to myself and my husband at the Lord’s directive.

A Suddenly

Sunday, June 1, 2014 the same female pastor met with me in between services because she had to share something with me immediately. We went into a back room and she had asked me, “Do you remember when you had to give that “hard word” back at (the name of the place we were worshipping at back six years ago).” I replied yes and she continued, “The Lord God himself made you give the word because as a prophet, that was the only way to birth through you the prayer necessary to bring the building.” She never knew (unless she is reading this now) that she just confirmed the third promise the Lord gave me. And the second promise was that the building would be up that seventh year and it was, right when the Lord had promised me.

Control Usurps Relationships Even with God

I never did receive an apology, we were wrong, or even a you were right. Many leaders in the church are afraid of admitting they are wrong or saying sorry because of a crazy misconception that this will somehow lessen their leadership when instead it actually would increase it. It is wrong to think saying you are sorry in some way will cause them to lose their authority over you. I have talked about this in Chapter 4-‘God’s Portion’ in The Door Is Open. This kind of control is not of God, it is directly trying to control the prophetic gifting in the most hurtful and damaging way. Most of this occurred because the blind were leading the blind. I say that as Jesus said it about the Pharisees because like the Pharisees of Jesus’ time this pastoral staff’s viewpoints of God were off. They do not see God as a loving Father but one that will turn away from you if you sin and you must grovel to have him even be able to look at you and love you again. This doesn’t line up with the New Testament Covenant. I believe so much hurt has occurred in the church because of this incorrect view of God and it is time for this to change, read more in Chapter 6-‘God Reconciles Me to Him–Not the Other Way Around’ in Time To Really Live Free.

Prophetic Words In The New Covenant 

There has been a large movement saying that prophetic words should only be “good” not “negative” and this is unbalanced thinking. Mainly because we have defined “good” by man’s way of thinking not God’s. Prophetic words should bring life, hope, warning and DIRECTION. Here are the biblical examples that helped me hold it together waiting to see if this “word” would come true and prove I wasn’t crazy, Jezebel, cursing the church etc….

“One of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius.” Acts11:28NASB

“As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.‘” When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, “The will of the Lord be done!”” Acts21:10-14NASB

One was a corporate word and the other was a personal word. Both were warnings that would help give direction to the individual and to the large group of people. It was to let them know what would surely come; so they could make a plan, to decide, to have wisdom. This is were I see the church lacking because of the fear of a word that doesn’t fit into their “box of love”….while this surely fits into “God’s box of love”. It is time for the church to understand and walk in God’s love by reading Time To Really Live Free.

Talking Is Healthy

Agreeing “never to talk about something again”, for the moment, looks good to the offender; yet it is not healthy. It is unhealthy to not be able to talk, process and walk all the emotions out in a safe place. When I was told never to talk about this situation it actually made things worse for me, not better. I needed to process out loud with people that had wisdom and loved me. What I have realized is that hiding something away doesn’t make it just disappear it makes it fester. And festering is toxic for our bodies. Do not agree to never talk about something again…talking is one of the ways God created for us to stay healthy, helpful, loving and bond as human beings.

God’s Goodness

This very thing that occurred, as one friend pointed out, helped create who I am today. This very story becomes the tapestry of my life which helps forge what God desires in and through me.  I choose to look at the good that came out of all of this.  This spearheaded not only my understanding of Grace and being assured of whose I am and who I am but also how I handled what happened again in 2014 with this same pastoral team. This and the 2014 incident, which I talk about in Chapter 2-‘Christian Career’ in Time To Really Live Free, has nurtured and caused me to know that I know God can truly turn ALL things around for our good, he pours out his amazing peace in spite of our circumstances, I no longer want to please man, I am confident in the fact he loves me no matter what, my children understand spiritual abuse and can spot it a mile away, they are confident in their stance with God, and I will never prostitute myself in the prophetic again.

Silence has never solved a problem- Darlene Gaston

In Closing

I am sure there are many of you with similar stories; actually I know of too many stories already that have occurred with these same pastors over multiple states. It breaks my heart that anyone would have to go through something like this. I also know these aren’t the only pastors that lead this way, as they have been taught to lead this way. If you want to share your story to heal and move forward please feel free to share in the comments below or PM me on my social sites links down below.  You can always email me here if you prefer.

With love, freedom and His beautiful grace, Darlene

For the rest of my story that got me where I am today you can read Time To Really Live Free.