Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21).
I watched a film on what happened to the American Indians when settlers came from Europe. The injustice and cruelty tended to produce defiance or helplessness. While captive on a Reservation an Indian prophet told his people that the white man's bullet cannot harm them. The white man's time was limited and they would be gone soon.
The "prophet" and his followers were massacred.
When we see prophecy that devastates lives, we tend to despise anything spiritual. Paul encourages us to not quench the Spirit, but rather test everything and hold fast to that which is good. In some cases we will need to walk away and have nothing to do with a false teacher. In other cases we will recognize a pure heart that needs teaching. At other times we will recognize a mature teacher of God's word and rejoice. (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21).
There is an old American saying, "Don't throw out the baby with the bath water."
