But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. - 1Corinthians 14:3 (NKJV)
The above link is to the latest article from Bethel resident false teacher and prophet, Kris Vallotton. The latest grift from Bethel is this made-up notion of "spiritual intelligence." Kris has turned this false teaching into marketable morsels that he sells through Bethel. The first half of this article is not even worth addressing in full. Kris regales us with a story from his youth when he went to a fortune teller who initially refused to read his palm and when pressed told him he was going to die young. This apparently led to a nervous breakdown early in his marriage. I am not here to pass judgment upon Kris for personal stories such as this. I will assume he is telling the truth about this poor decision and the resulting fear. While I am glad he overcame such, it is a shame that it was only through a false gospel that has led him to overcome the fortune teller by becoming a nicer version of it. That is what Bethel and Vallotton do essentially. The only difference is that when they see the short lifeline on your palm they will look you in the eye and tell you it is long. That God has made you to perform great and mighty works. That you are made to be the head and not the tail, etc. So I will instead join this article about midway through because what I am here to do is judge Kris' theology and the teaching that accompanies this story is just as horrifically bad as everything else Kris tries to teach. So let us reason once more beloved:
"At that time, I didn't know that when God speaks, He speaks to edify, exhort or comfort. Though there was power behind my experience with the spirit realm back in my freshman year of high school, it was only mimicking real power and was not actually the Lord speaking. There are often supernatural acts performed by new-age people that are identical to God's, but the source is still bent in deception because the thief is lurking with evil intent in the background." - Kris Vallotton
Kris is right that fortunetellers often are trafficking in demons. His answer however was to build his own demonic empire where no one will ever have a short lifeline on their palm again. I started here however because of Vallotton's reference to the key verse for today. It is commonplace for false prophets to wrongly interpret 1Corinthians 14:3 to mean that prophecy today is warm and cuddly compared to those dark and gloomy Old Testament days. Now, edification, exhortation and comfort can certainly provide us with a warm and fuzzy feeling but it also can be the opposite. Edification is the building up of someone but how you get there is vastly more important to God. Refinement in the bible is often compared to the refinement of precious metal. It requires fire to burn off the dross. The first words of the ministry of Jesus Christ was, repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. Repentance is always the first step to being edified. Exhorting means encouraging but there is nothing encouraging about lying to someone about what God has said. The problem with false prophets like Kris Vallotton is that they only see comfort in carnal terms.
"Are You Spiritually Intelligent? It is apparent that the world is searching for spiritual understanding and seeking supernatural significance. Even believers are haunted by the sense that there is more but don't know how to break through or, worse yet, have allowed fear surrounding deceptive spiritual experiences to limit the life that Christ paid for on the cross.
Jesus did not die on the cross just to forgive your sins but to give you access to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit changed everything; in an instant, we went from sinners to saints, Spiritless to Spirit-filled, from strangers to friends. We are supposed to be led by the Spirit John 3:5 says: "I tell you no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and of Spirit." What I am getting at is we were born by the Spirit but often the only thing we're feeding is our intellect." - Kris Vallotton
It is true that the world is seeking a supernatural sense of significance and spiritual understanding. That does it mean however that they are seeking God. The bible assures us that they are not. They will however seek out tarot card readings, yoga, or even fortune tellers. Along that same vein they will seek out places like Bethel and teachers like Vallotton who will feed them the supernatural lies they crave. The average fortune teller reading will assure you of something great and mighty in your future. How is that any different than an itinerant prophet "speaking over your life" at a church service? When the false prophet promises you promotion or expanding your territories how is that different from the psychic parlor tricks? It isn't.
