I don’t get it! When did God need permission to call someone His prophet? When did that begin? Did He have authority to call Isaiah or Jeremiah as prophets? Did God have authority to deliver words through Ezekiel or Hosea? Did God suddenly lose His authority and now need permission to call His prophets today? Permission from you?

So, listen, God doesn’t need your permission or consent. If you want me to pretend that I’m not His prophet so that you can feel better about all the times that you ignored God or refused Him, that doesn’t work for me. When God called me, I stepped one foot in front of the other and walked out my faith journey. I never once denied Him even when I knew that I would be mocked, forsaken, and persecuted. You could only hope to have my perseverance.

I’m not willing to carry your ignorance with me. I’m God’s prophet and that’s all there is to it. If you had your own relationship with God, you could certainly ask Him. But the fact that you can’t be bothered to humble yourself enough to ask Him is exactly why you haven’t been chosen for very much in the Kingdom. That may not affect you today, but there will be a day when your refusal will devour you.

And listen, just because you haven’t heard God say something doesn’t mean that you are allowed to just do the opposite of what God wants. There are consequences for your neglect. I’m warning you to start taking the time to ask God, hear from Him, and obey. Ignoring God is defiance, but coming against His chosen ones, is all out rebellion. God will punish you with all authority … no permission needed.