Ward of the State Prophets

By Denise Bundick-Keller

Preface
Coming to understand things regarding the prophetic has been quite an interesting journey for me. I totally
respect each individual prophets journey into how they have come to know that God has called them to the
Prophetic Office. I will always be intrigued by the personal stories of each one.
I have a sincere love for Gods prophets. Though each prophet is undeniably different, Ive found that there
is a common thread in each ones life which causes that individual prophet to know that they are not the only
ones. Of course we are often referred to as strange. I have found this to be the perception of most people who do
not understand our prophetic calling, and even more, our personal prophetic paths.
There are specific things I remember concerning my childhood that I now understand are memories that
God has ordained for me to remember. Some of those memories are bad and some good, but the ability to
remember them serves a purpose. I believe I remember some of these childhood memories so vividly because
they help me understand even better now who I am as a prophet. Some of them, of course serve as excellent
waiters, serving my mind the things gone terribly wrong in my life in order to keep me from repeating mistakes.
Some of my general memories go so far back into my childhood that it amazes people. Some memories go so far
back that Im amazed myself.
I remember being in diapers. When I was a baby, I was extremely attached to my parents. Naturally, the
attachment was the strongest with my mother first but after a while I had the strongest attachment to my father.
Having a stronger emotional attachment to our fathers may indicate that there was some sort of broken
communication or relationship to our mothers, but of course this is a general statement which has to be proven
with each individual person. This was the case for me. Having a stronger attachment to my father, for the most
part, I believe helped me to perceive the character of God better than I would have if my father was not such a
positive influence in my life at an early age. A strong attachment to our parents, whether its our mother or father
or both, is not unusual in and of itself because most babies and children are naturally very attached to their
parents. As for me, I emphatically remember feelings of extreme uncomfortability when I thought my parents
were leaving me behind or even worse, leaving me in the hands of those who were to me, strangers. My poor
kindergarten teacher was certainly sent by God to help me through that first day of being away from my mother
because she handled me beautifully in spite of the squealing and screaming. I screamed and squealed so much,
she had to call home and tell my mother she had to come back and get me. To put it mildly, I was not adjusting
well to my first day away from my mother with a room full of other strange little people. The fact that I was so
attached then helps me to consider how the Lord has taught me the importance of being closely connected to the
spiritual parents Hed assigned to my life at different times over the years. He placed them there to impart
wisdom, spiritual understanding and spiritual gifts. Notice I have emphasized the word assigned. This is a very
important idea to take note of, which Ill speak more about later in this book.

I completely believe the strong childhood impressions we all have remain intact for a reason. Some of those
reasons, God intended for good even if we do not see it that way. He is most resourceful in that, He uses those
who are not so pleasant for us to remember, in order to teach us some valuable lessons. He doesnt waste
anything. The memories that are hurtful or even debilitating are those the devil tries to use to keep us bound. He
uses negative repetitive thoughts to keep us locked into negative mindsets that hinder us from being strong and
productive kingdom citizens. Some things we do not actively remember; yet they leave us weakened in some
areas of our lives. In these cases, oftentimes we cannot explain how we get stuck in some areas. Whether we
remember some childhood memories or not, as we get older we realize they have much to do with how we
function as adults.
I have come to understand how important it is for us to have a spiritual parent (s). This factor is important
because not only are we protected from dangers and mistakes that can cause great pain, but this helps us
understand and maneuver through dangers and mistakes that would completely destroy our spiritual and prophetic
destiny. There is a comfort in one knowing theyre protected by a parent. Good parents are those who will guide
you through life by wisdom, attention and unconditional love. Their goal is to help us stand on our own two feet
so that at the proper time we can spread our strong wings and fly successfully out into the world of the prophetic.
Notice I did not say perfect parents. The emphasis is good parents. I have found that ward of the state
prophets sometimes struggle with understanding what a good spiritual parent is. At any rate we know this, that
parents have the God-given right, mandate and authority to feed, nurture, protect, correct, instruct and to rebuke
when necessary and to require accountability from us. It saddens me to see so many prophets refusal of spiritual
parents. It is extremely important to be parented and covered by a seasoned senior leader. I have seen many
prophets lose their way and even abort Gods ordained prophetic plan for them at most or either greatly delay it at
the very least; because they do not establish and maintain covenant relationships with godly spiritual mothers or
fathers. Even worse, some do not establish nor retain Godly relationships with anyone. We see this more in the
church now than ever before. Prophets must remember that Godly prophetic parents are willing and focused on
helping to bring prophets into the fullness of their prophetic destiny. No matter how spiritual we think we are,
we dont get to the fulfillment of our destinies by ourselves. Prophets who are not willing to embrace this
important fact place themselves in real danger of never coming to full maturity in their ministries or even worse,
growing abnormally in the prophetic and thereby doing damage to those that come in their contact. Ive
witnessed this neglect many times and have grieved tremendously over the end result. This is the premise for this
book.
I pray you read, ingest and digest Ward of the State Prophets in Jesus name.
In Kingdom Love,
Denise Bundick-Keller

Introduction

We are living in a time where prophets seem to be popping up all over the place. There is no question that
the Lord is bringing His Church full circle back to the pattern of the First Century Church. There are countless
Schools of the Prophets and many prophets breathe a sigh of relief because they have sought long and hard for
someone that is not only anointed, but someone who can identify who they are and are knowledgeable in how
prophets should function. For most, the feeling of being lost and out there on their own is tremendous. Because
this is true, some prophets look long and hard for someone to help them get where they are called to go in their
calling and ministries. Of course there is always the danger of falling prey to those with impure motives and
erroneous teachings. There certainly are those who lie in wait to deceive. (Eph. 4:14) The scriptures already warns
us to be watchful of those who will pass themselves off as authentic and whose only intent is to take advantage of
the people of God, leading them astray. Too many of us have a personal story of how we have been manipulated,
controlled and taken advantage of in the Church and in the prophetic community. Even still He is calling prophets
to be properly trained, equipped for whats ahead of them and to then be released to do what God has called them
to do.
Prophets, who have been properly trained and have matured, understand the aspect of accountability. We
should all be accountable to someone. This is, to a great degree, for our protection and safety and to keep us in a
place where we emphatically understand that we were not created to be an island and we submit to the fact that
the Lord wants His Body to work together to advance the kingdom as he instructs. Those that have gone before us
in ministry and in maturity are priceless resources to our continual growth and success. Prophets who deem these
wonderful resources unnecessary, do both themselves and the church a disservice. Sadly, the remnant of those
who either refuse to seek out such wonderful resources in senior prophets, or are ignorant to the fact that they
need them, is way to large.
Within these Schools of the Prophets are prophets who are breathing a sigh of relief and giving glory to
God because theyve sought long and hard for someone to help them understand how to function as the prophets
God has called them to be. They are grateful that their long tedious search is over. Most have gone through abuse,
hurt, and tremendous disappoint regarding what theyve experienced in their search for a Godly mentor. They
would have undoubtedly totally given up in their search, except the Spirit of the Lord strongly impressed upon
them that a mentor was absolutely necessary for their proper growth and development. However; there is still a
large remnant of prophets who are still searching and find themselves in desperate need for someone to help them
fully understand how to properly function in the prophetic. Some have become so frustrated by the search that
they've decided to stop looking and figure it out all by themselves. There are others that have become so bitter
because of church hurt experiences that they have taken on ungodly mindsets and behaviors that make them
extremely distasteful as prophets. They have taken on the mission of setting out to prove to the Body of Christ
that they are prophets of God. Their insecurities and unresolved anger have turned them into people, let alone
prophets, that neither God nor they ever intended to become. They have decided that there is no place for them
within a community of other prophets, and some feel totally disconnected from the Body of Christ all together.
Such prophets have become renegades or lone rangers in the Body of Christ who walk according to their own

rules. They mostly operate out of a spirit of error and the most dangerous thing about this mindset is that these
prophets do not even know how wrong they are. They have literally become deceived. They believe that because
they can speak a prophetic word (and sometimes it is not even an authentic Word from the Lord), they are fine.
Over time, these prophets believe that any opposition that they get from leadership is simply because they are
extremely misunderstood and are being rejected because, and only because, they are prophets. Those with this
attitude and mindset refuse to properly submit to leadership no matter where they go. They dont understand that
they are mainly rejected because of the walls they have put up and that the stench of hurt, bitterness and rebellion
on them can be smelled a mile away. They, of course, will beg to differ not realizing theyve been caught in the
devils trap of deception. When they realize that no matter how often and how much they try to usurp authority
that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated in some local expressions, they convince themselves that God is
requiring them to leave that place and move on because and only because they are prophets who are gravely
misunderstood. They feel that because the pastor of the church refuses to hear them that they have a God-given
assignment to prophetically curse that pastor and the church. Then theyre off again into the proverbial sunset
looking for their next God given assignment.
Because of Gods love for His prophets, He is continually making an appeal to this remnant of the Body to
allow Him to lead them to a place where they can trust again and then function properly in the Body of Christ. If
these prophets will respond to the love of God in this way, they will find that there is also a remnant of senior
prophets who will take them under their wing and take care of them. They will come to find that being equipped
and trained to operate in a healthy way within the Church would be a wonderful experience. Prophets without
someone to help train them and teach them the functions of their call are the ones I will call Ward of the State
prophets.

Chapter One

Out on Your Ear

Those prophets that have not come into the time of training and accountability, I will describe in this book
as Ward of the State prophets. These prophets will often find themselves in a precarious predicament. Most of
them started out excited and starry eyed after having come into the understanding that they are in fact called to
speak as mouthpieces of God. Then, after a series of rejections, misunderstandings and mistreatments, some have
found themselves out on their ear with nowhere to go and seemingly with no one to understand them or care about
the passion they have to be able to understand who they are. It is common to find that after a while they become
solemn, quiet, introverted and determined to be left alone. They build up an immense wall and are often found off
to themselves. After a while they have convinced themselves that this is where they love to be. They decide that
they and Jesus alone is all that is needed. Even though most love God with all of their hearts, they are often

tempted to stay away from the House of God. Some actually do give in to that temptation. If these prophets have
experienced continual hurt, some would prefer to just slip into a church, try to remain incognito and leave without
being noticed. They decide all they want to do is be in the atmosphere of worship and hear the Word of God
through the pastor and nothing else. They seemingly get along okay like this for a while. However; eventually, if
they are honest with themselves, they will admit that there is still a deep longing for connection and fellowship
with the saints and even more, they still hunger to function in their calling regardless of how long it has been
since their last search for mentorship. In addition to their distress, some have decided they do not want to hear
another Word of prophecy from anyone. Ever. They simply just want to be left alone. They have convinced
themselves that the thought of being connected to the saints in a very real way is only a dream and cannot ever be
a possibility. After all, how could anything but that be true? They recall the several attempts they have made to
connect, in hopes of not being misunderstood and rejected, and every attempt failed miserably. What makes the
wound go even deeper is that they have been hurt and rejected by parents, friends and family members also. All
efforts to convey to their families how much they love them, or those they hold so close to their hearts, has only
led to more disappointment. So they build a fence around themselves which; in reality is only a bubble that will
easily break when the right amount of pressure is applied.
There are other prophets who have become controllers and manipulators. They try and create a name or a
following using ungodly tactics and maneuvers. Their determination is to be heard and recognized because they
have been denied so many times. They are acting out of a spirit of rebellion, and of course rebellion is as the sin
of witchcraft. (I Samuel 15:23)
Real or imagined, rejection for the prophet is extremely difficult and very real to them. Yes, it is true that
all of us have suffered rejection on some level, but for the prophet rejection goes to a whole other level. We
oftentimes experience rejection from the world and from the Church simultaneously. This type of rejection is a
common thread that most all prophets share. Of course, other things can be factored in as to why each individual
prophet experiences such harsh rejection, but one thing for sure is, God uses the experiences of rejection as a tool
in the making of a prophet. The experience Joseph had is a prime example. (Genesis 37) but if we search the
scriptures we find prophets were severely rejected simply because they were prophets. Most were rejected simply
because of the message they carried and were instructed to deliver to people. Not much is different in the lives of
prophets today.
Josephs brothers rejected him when Josephs only intent was to share with them his dream. But as with
Joseph and his brothers, sometimes the stage of rejection is set long before we even realize that there is such a
thing. Sometimes a prophet is rejected because others have set him up for it. Remember, Joseph was his fathers
favorite. His fathers favoritism toward him was evident to Josephs brothers and though this was not Josephs
fault, he suffered for it. Before he was ever born, God picked him out to be picked on. Along with this knowledge
we must take a look at the fact that all Joseph endured was because God had a purpose in it. We must continue to
understand this about our own lives and stay focused on this important aspect lest we faint along the way and give
up. Too many prophets have become bitter because they see no reason for the madness they have experienced. We
must be determined to trust the love of the Lord for us as we go through every experience. It is important that we
keep upper most in our minds that He has not forgotten us nor is He unaware of what we are going through.
Remember, within a fiery furnace is the perfect temperature for gold to be purified. (Zechariah 13:9).
Of course there are those that perpetrate as true prophets and are not. Therefore; they are extremely
infectious to the Body of Jesus Christ. But one of the aspects of Ward of the State Prophets as I describe them, is

that they have an authentic calling by God but have been ignored, rejected, neglected, and have many times
walked alone in a prophetic wilderness looking for someone to take them in so they can better understand who
they are as prophets and to understand how to function properly in their calling. They have been out on their own
for a while and some have taken a dangerous wrong turn or even a series of them. By whatever means God used
to solidify the calling of these prophets, in the beginning some are surprised to find how arduous prophetic
preparation can be. Budding prophets such as these have a long hard road ahead of them unless they can get past
their pass reasonably quickly. This is not to say they should be made to rush through their healing process, but
they must accept that they need healing and adapt to this idea as soon as possible refusing to remain bruised,
battered and abused. Most are in desperate need of healing from the spirit of rejection. Very often they spend
years trying to be accepted and understood by those they love the most. Now being exhausted and disillusioned by
these intense experiences, so many become co-dependent and even enablers to those they love and do not realize
this fact. They haven't yet come into the realization that some of their family members are suffering from their
own emotional ills anyway and struggle with their own coping mechanisms. Of course this is as a result of being
deeply hurt themselves. We know both sin in the heart of man, as well as generational curses abound because we
live in a fallen world. Some of these family members are controlling, emotional manipulators, and insecure, and
either are not aware of it or refuse to acknowledge it. Some families refuse to be accepting and simply do not or
cannot understand the pathway a prophet must take to be fashioned how the Lord wants them to be. Furthermore,
people tend to fear what they dont understand.
Prophets sometimes forget that aside from those God will use to recognize and confirm who they are by
calling, at least in the beginning; their calling may only be revealed to them. God does not ask anyone's
permission to call someone to a particular work. So again, prophets find themselves out on their ear not knowing
where to go or where to turn. They become frustrated and some even become hardened in their hearts,
determining never to open themselves up again.
We are known to be living in the age where the call has gone out to those who have been summoned
before the foundation of the world to speak for the Lord God and if the Lord delays His coming, there is another
generation behind this one that will need to understand how to come into their own prophetic destiny. In this hour
in the Church, prophets seem to be coming on the scene in droves. With any new truth, there is always the
propensity to misunderstand and even misconstrue the purpose and the meaning of the truth God is revealing to
us. We are already aware that change can be frightening to most, if not all of us. Though we have a desire for
change and want to escape the mundane, ironically, when we are faced with a necessity to change and can no
longer escape it, we forget that weve asked for the very thing we are faced with, which is change.
Thankfully, for those that sincerely want Gods will, He pays no attention to us when we resist changes
that are necessary and imminent. He sees us, he hears us, and he knows us and He remembers the exact words we
used when we cried out to Him for change. Sometimes because of fear of the unknown we find ourselves almost
running in the opposite direction trying to convince ourselves that what were doing now suites us just fine. But
because God loves us more than we will ever be able to fathom, He gives us what is good for us in spite of
ourselves.
What is God really saying to us, the Church, in this hour? What does He really require? For one, I believe
with all my heart that we must make certain that the foundational truths on which we stand are intact according to
scripture. It is important that we not just rest on the things we were told just because someone told them to us. We
must search out truth according to His word for ourselves. It is imperative that we pay close attention to this first.

The quality and longevity of what we are called to be and what we are called to affect in the earth, totally depends
on the strength of our foundation. The higher the structure, the deeper into the ground the foundation must go. It
behooves us to be sure that the foundation on which you are standing is solid. Do not assume that because your
foundation has always been there, that it is sound. Weve heard of buildings that have stood for years and
suddenly fall without warning. Needless to say many lives have been lost because of it. Of course the reason the
building eventually toppled, was because it simply was not built correctly at its foundation. In some instances, as
in the natural, the builder desired to save effort or time. Hence; corners were cut and details were neglected.
Though at its finish it looked fine, the faultiness of it is eventually completely exposed.
Some of us came into salvation having been taught things which are erroneous and we are still
not aware that we are in danger of toppling over without warning. There may even have been a time in our lives
that we have wounded those we attempted to enlighten and were not, or are not, aware of the injury we have
caused even to this day. For instance, some of us were spiritually raised in legalistic churches. We sat there for
years being saturated with a mind-set which, even now hinders us in our progression of growth. Even more
importantly, our perception of God is faulty. Subsequently, as we try to move forward, were wondering why we
seem to be stuck. Could it be that our foundation is faulty? Before we answer with an emphatic no, I strongly
encourage you to seriously consider the question. It will be worth the self-examination. If you are to truly move
forward, everything depends on it.
It is God's will for each of us to understand the power of knowing we were created in His
image. Because we were born in sin and shaped in iniquity, the force of our flesh that is continually at war against
the Spirit strongly resists adopting the correct mindset. It is imperative that we cast down imaginations and every
high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience
of Christ. (II Cor. 10:5). We must have the deep understanding and conviction that we have the same creative
power of our Father God resident within us. He created all things by the Word of His power and that too is what
we must habitually do. Without this understanding, which we get by continually feeding on the Word of God, we
will never realize the power that is in the core of us which allows us to do things thought to be impossible. The
details of our individual backgrounds often dictate to us what our limits are. The only thing that prevents us from
doing great things for God is a negative or defeatist mind-set. If we continue to play and replay the negative
voices and experiences of our past, we will always find ourselves in a place of dreaming. We can correctly call
this a constant 'dream state'. Dreaming of course is not the problem. Without dreams, we have no image on which
to hold to. Godly dreams help us to work toward the things we dream about. Dreams keep us hopeful and
inspired. God given dreams and visions of what we can accomplish with His help cannot be easily dismissed from
our minds even if we choose to never accomplish them. We must realize that the dreams and visions that He gives
us are eternal and have been placed there before the foundation of the world. Things which are eternal are just
that, eternal. They never go away.
We can accomplish anything that the Lord has placed in our hearts if we allow Him to enlarge
our capacity to understand that we were created in His very image. Though God is our help and strength, we have
been given free will and if in that freedom we choose to decide that the work it takes to accomplish His will is too
much, we forfeit destiny.
We must move beyond our dream state and begin to recondition ourselves to embrace a
kingdom mindset. We will know if we have truly embraced a kingdom mind-set by our actions. How do we really
respond to the Word of God? Can we honestly say we are doers of the Word and not hearers only? (James

1:22). We must remember that the kingdom of God is not out there in the great beyond, but the kingdom of God is
within us. Luke 17:21 reads, Neither shall they say lo here or lo there, for behold, the kingdom of God is within
you!
The word kingdom in Luke 17:21 is the Greek word basileia (Strongs G932). Its definition is as
follows: not to be confused with an actual kingdom, but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom.
Does this scripture mean to imply that there is no actual kingdom? The Word of God doesnt imply that at all. We
know this is not true because Jesus spoke of the kingdom of heaven many times. (Matt 5:3, 7:21, etc.). In order to
see victory, we must embrace the truth of the Word that declares Behold I give unto you power to tread upon
serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." (Luke
10:19). The first word in this verse is behold. The Lord desires that our eyes are truly and completely opened to
this truth. Without revelation of this truth by His spirit, we will be found bound and gagged by the enemy when it
should be the other way around. We are living in a time when the enemy and his cohorts are intensifying their
attack on the people of God and on the kingdom of God. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the
kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, but the violent take it by force." (Matthew 11:12). Do you think the Lord
knew that this truth would be relevant for us in the 21st century? Absolutely. So we see that in this regard nothing
has changed and it wont change until the end of time as we know it. Therefore; if that is true, the rest of that
verse is also true. We have the power to prevail against every attack. This power is not something we have to
work for. Note that Jesus proclaimed that this power has been given" to us. The enemy of our souls would like us
to believe that because we miss the mark at times, we must work for Gods acceptance and favor. Not so! We are
accepted in the beloved. To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the
beloved." (Ephesians 1:6). Again we see Gods gift in that He has made us" accepted in the beloved. We must
drive the devil back and not let him into our mental space allowing him to speak lies into our hearts. Theres a
saying that goes like this, If you let the devil ride hell want to drive!" Whenever we are looking and gazing at
ourselves we are looking the wrong way anyway. We must look away unto Jesus who is the Author and
Finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2 AMP). We must practice and train our senses to mature (Hebrews 5:14) so
that we give no place to the devil and his constant lies. We must be adamant in disallowing him to speak in our
ears; otherwise we live far beneath our privilege. It has cost Christ too much for us to sleep on the benefits He has
afforded us as kings, priests and covenant people. Imagine having worked very hard to give someone a very
expensive gift and instead of appreciating it enough to use it, the gift was thrown in a corner and completely
disregarded. To say the least, we would be insulted and may get hurt or insulted enough by it that we call the
person ungrateful to their face refusing to ever extend a gift to them again. I believe this is the heart of the Father
also. He gave such a precious gift, Christ the Lord, so that we would walk in perpetual freedom. Remember, He
has given us power.
The word basileia also means of the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiahs
kingdom. Once and for all we must recognize who we truly are and what authority has been bestowed upon us.
Until we do, we will always be looking for something on the outside of us to cause an
inward work. If we could only believe what the scriptures teach us, we would find that our lives will explode with
manifestations of Gods power. We would recognize and know without a shadow of a doubt that He has created us
for greatness. Jesus said, the truth is, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done and even
greater works because I go to my Father. You can ask anything in my name and I will do it because the work of
the Son brings glory to the Father. Yes. Ask anything in my name and I will do it (John 14:12-14 NLT). What

else has God created us for than to bring Him glory? Therefore, it bears to reason that what the Lord has invested
in us is that of authority and power to accomplish all that is His will. Jesus longs to do great things through us
because it always brings glory to the Father. This is what its all about for Jesus. This is what it should be about
for us. We must seize every opportunity to be a vehicle through which the Lord can move. In order to see such
manifestations as these, we are called to move from milk to meat. If we are still struggling with embracing the
doctrine of grace and faith toward God after so many years of walking with Him, then we need to understand the
importance of growing pass the elementary things of our faith. Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of
Christ, let us go on to perfection not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith
toward God. (Hebrews 6:1) It is a trick of the adversary to keep us in a forever state of immaturity. If he is
successful in accomplishing this in the life of true Christians, the glory of God cannot be fully revealed through
us. We know that milk is for babies, but strong meat belongs to those of us that are mature. If we are still
struggling to have faith toward God or continually digging up our foundation regarding repentance and laying it
down again, and weve walked with the Lord for years, we are in big trouble. Its parallel to the plight of the
children of Israel who roamed around in the wilderness for years. We must know that as upsetting to the Lord as it
was then, its just as upsetting to Him now. Strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by
reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:14) Do we understand that to
mistrust God and walk in unbelief is evil and that whatsoever is not of faith is sin? (Romans 14:23).
When we look into a mirror, of course we see a reflection of what we look like. If we never saw ourselves
in a mirror, the only thing we would have at our disposable to describe our reflection to us would be the
perception of others. Unless we determine to believe what the Lord says about us, we will depend on, and
therefore falter because of the opinions of men, fearing we do not and will never measure up. The fear of man will
always bring a snare (Prov. 29:25) but He that trusts in the Lord shall be safe. We must be able to rightly discern
truth no matter who is speaking. The Word of God and the indwelt Holy Spirit should be our gauge. But again, we
must by reason of use discern both good and evil. We are assured of knowing both of these as we exercise our
capacity to discern. It is important to take the Word of God and use it as our mirror. Any other mirror we peer into
will always give us a distorted view of ourselves. The Lord waits for us to tap into the power and resources that
we have inherited through His death burial and resurrection. Resurrection power is resident within us, only we fall
short in accessing it. I believe one of the hindrances to receiving and believing that we can access this type of
power is the fact that we quickly retreat back into the mindsets we had pre-redemption. To press pass this one
obstacle alone requires a tenacity we may have never exercised before. From the outset, we must be settled with
the fact that we will face huge opposition. We must buy into the reality that our enemy, the devil will do
everything he can to keep us frozen with fear. This prevents us from completing the goal God has given us to
attain. This is one of the things we know in theory, but dont truly understand until were hit with something that
is there to push us off track. We can only continually push past the temptation to give up, in spite of great
opposition. We should carefully consider this reality, that distractions are hindrances; not dictators. They do not
have the power or authority to dictate how successful well be in finishing our course. God has given that
authority to us. Once weve fixed our hearts and made up our minds that, come what may I will accomplish what
Ive been placed in the earth to do, the Lord will move heaven and earth to ascertain we finish. He will not do
anything until we have given Him express permission to do so. To express permission with words alone does not
impress God. Remember He is always looking at our hearts and will examine our wills and level of thirst for what
we say we want.

It is important to be in a place in our hearts of humble obedience to His voice. It is our pride that will lie to
us and make us think that our level of intellect alone can accomplish the will of God in our lives. This is far from
the truth. Of course, our intellect is meant to play a part, otherwise why would we have been blessed with the
capacity to think rightly? Even more important, we need to embrace the prospect that the flesh cannot work the
righteousness of God. He is our righteousness and only things we do that reflect His righteousness will count. Too
often we mistake good things for God things. This is something we must pay close attention to otherwise we will
be spinning our wheels and will find ourselves frustrated and wondering why things arent working. It is
imperative that we take the time to seek the Lord for His mind and will for each place we find ourselves in. We
cannot fully and completely know until we earnestly seek Him. We cannot be in a rush to decide what He is or is
not saying. It is important to our success to accomplish all His will for our lives as well as to allow Him to take
His time with us. He knows what we need when we need it and He knows what it will take for each of us to hear
Him. Even when God is silent He is speaking. When it is dark it is still light to Him. We need only come to the
light and stand in the light to see clearly. Just as in the natural when we are in a room where it is so dark that we
cannot even see our hands in front of our faces, and the light is suddenly switched on, it takes a moment for our
eyes to focus. At first, the light hurts our eyes and we make a feeble attempt to block the light by placing our
hands over our eyes so were able to focus. It stands to reason that when we are in a place of utter darkness, we
should let in a little light at a time. So it is in the spiritual. The brightness of the light of truth could blind us if He
lets too much light in at one time. He knows how much we can stand to see at any given moment. The Lord waits
for us to walk in the light that He gives us little by little. The reason for this is partly to make us good stewards
over what we already have. He will not give us more unless we are properly handling the little. Our flesh will kick
and scream and as long as we allow it to do so, we waste precious time. We cannot forget that time is a precious
gift and we must be good stewards over that as well. A steward is one who manages others. By no stretch of the
imagination is the task of a good steward a menial one. In order to do well in taking care of the things they have
been given charge over, it requires focus as well as skill. If we allow ourselves to be distracted from the things
that are really important, we will be caught off guard and be unprepared and unequipped if the Lord would
suddenly require us to show what weve done with what He has given to us. Good stewards must also have an
understanding of how what they do, or do not do, will affect others. Jesus teaches in Luke 12:42 that "A faithful,
sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants
and feeding them. (NLT). Have you ever been in charge of managing others? If you have you understand that it
is no easy task. We must have the skill, focus and wisdom to direct people to obtain and maintain what is needed
so that the common objective can be accomplished. Therefore; if we are to truly call ourselves wise, we must do
well at managing ourselves. If we have been given much we must buy into the truth that Jesus has already taught.
To whom much is given, much is required. (Luke 12:48). If we neglect to do the things we know to do, the lives
of others will be negatively affected as well.
This is why, in part, Ward of the State prophets sometimes have a rather difficult time being productive,
both internally and externally. So often someone who was responsible for their souls misrepresented the
personality of the Lord Jesus to them. What has hurt these prophets the most is that they themselves have no clear
understanding of who Jesus is and His personality? Some have found themselves being manipulated and
controlled so that the ungodly agenda of someone else could be fulfilled. Some have been required to pay homage
to leaders in a way that God never intended. Sometimes prophets do not realize they are being controlled or
manipulated until the Lord Himself reveals it. Though something about how theyre handled doesnt seem quite

right, some prophets dont know freedom because bondage is all theyve ever known. It takes the relentlessness of
God so that their eyes can be opened. And because God is jealous over his people, He will rescue each one that
humbly serves someone who has hidden motives and agendas. By the time they realize what has been happening
to them, they are so battle worn and mistrusting that only God can process them through to wholeness.

Chapter Two

Deadly Attendants to the Wards

The term ward of the state usually refers to children, under the age of 18, who have retained a legal
guardian through the court. There are some cases where a person over the age of 18 are wards of the state because
they are mentally or emotionally unable to take care of themselves and do not have family members or other
guardians who could or would take care of them. Unfortunately, not all biological parents are equipped, capable
or motivated to care for their children. This could be for a variety of reasons. Some parents are mentally incapable
of caring for their children. Some children have problems that require more care and attention than a parent feels
he or she can give them. There are other times when abuse or neglect is a factor and the state will step in and take
legal action and retain guardianship until a) someone fosters or adopts the child or b) they become 18 years of age
or older. Most times another problem presents itself because so many of these children dont have proper means to
establish themselves in the world once they are released from the state. Many are released having problems with
intense trust issues, anger and bitterness due to experiencing things that were emotionally painful to them
throughout their guardianship with the state. The grief of not being raised up in a home with at least one of their
natural parents, let alone two parents, is extremely painful for them, to say the least, in addition to everything else
they have gone through. Some have been in and out of foster care, separated from their siblings and have been
physically, mentally or emotionally abused and/or molested and sexually assaulted. There are some states that
consider wards of the state and wards of the court as the same thing. Not all do. In a few states a ward of the
state is a juvenile who is incarcerated and a ward of the court is someone who lives in a state facility. Any way
you view it, being a ward is not something anyone would aspire to.
If we look at a prophet from both these perspectives, ward of the state and ward of the court we can see
some basic similarities that I believe will help prophets recognize some of their tendencies and will help them
avoid some pitfalls. For instance, lets take a look at what I will describe as a ward of the state prophet (well
get to the ward of the court prophets later in the book) and compare them to a juvenile who is considered to be a
ward of the state.

Juveniles, who are in the system, have been taken off the street and incarcerated because theyve committed
some type of crime. Sometimes these crimes include theft and/or robbery, disorderly conduct or assault and more.
These kinds of behaviors are produced from a heart that is filled with hurt, but is now full of rebellion as well.
They decide they have no respect for authority at all because of past hurtful experiences from those who were in
authority. They have not yet grasped the concept that, a lack of adherence to authority will always cost them
dearly. They havent yet understood that the pain they feel worsens when they buck against the authority that is in
place, particularly if that authority is wrong in their actions. Most often, they know better than most, what the
abuse of authority looks like. They are void of really understanding that the laws that govern the system of
authority gives the one over them full backing by the state and if there is to be a charge brought against delegated
authority, that charge must be heard by yet another authority. But again, because of a lack of both maturity and
understanding, they convince themselves that there is a way they can buck the system and get away with it.
Some have become so bitter that they gladly take on a fight that they know they cant win but still react in a way
that lets the person in authority know how determined they are to be heard and so their attitude is, let the chips
fall where they may. This of course only makes for a dangerous recipe for their future. Young people are full of
zeal without knowledge and they often feel they can take on the world by themselves and win. Wards also
experience feelings of having lost control of their own destinies and begin to feel hopeless to do anything about it.
Some of these young people, because of their immaturity, have not gotten ahold of the fact that to remain in this
mind-set is simply not the solution to their problems. Most often they commit crimes because they feel denied of
things they believe they have a right to and since these things wont be given to them, they feel justified in
taking them. Theyve decided that if they are to have anything worth having, they must go after it for themselves
and by themselves at any cost. These precious young people have not yet realized or; they simply dont care to
acknowledge that this will put them in a worse predicament then theyre already in. Nor have they grasped the
fact that they have set their lives on a course that they may pretty much remain on for the rest of their lives. To
make matters worse, they have become so embittered that they shut themselves off from those that could or would
help them. It is only after they have suffered very grievous consequences to their actions that they realize that the
way they have responded is to their hurt and is not the answer. Way too often though, by the time they realize
what a big mess theyve made of their lives, they find or believe it is too late to change their present set of
circumstances. But if given the opportunity to connect with someone who is able to get them on the right track,
they would discover that there is a way to change what theyve been doing, how theyve been responding and
how theyve been thinking, and this would in turn change their futures and where theyll wind up. The most
difficult part, outside of someone coming along who will sincerely help them to make these changes, is for them
to unlearn destructive behaviors and not give up on doing things correctly as they go through the process
necessary to unlearn bad behaviors. One of the pertinent things they must pay attention to is, to let go of the past
by being forgiving of those who hurt them and at the same time take responsibility for their own actions. This is
the most freeing thing they could do in order to be set on the right course. The second biggest challenge is
learning to trust someone to be there for them. After all, most times they have a history of broken promises from
people that they have trusted in the past; therefore; this is an enormous hurdle for them to get over. If and when
they decide that theyve met someone they would at least try to trust, oftentimes these young people will
strenuously test the patience of the person who is truly trying to help. If the person there that is trying to help can
stick with the unfair treatment, the harsh words thrown around, and the consistent disagreements and arguments
which the juvenile presents, the strong possibility is that the juvenile will eventually decide they are comfortable

enough to make an attempt at giving the person, or persons, a chance to help them. I describe these behaviors as
attendants to the problem. The definition of an attendant is, someone who attends to another as to perform a
service. In actuality, these attendants, as it relates to the prophet, are demonic spirits that have been placed in the
prophets life to not only thwart the plan of God in the prophets life, but to totally overthrow it. These attendants
are faithful in enticing these juveniles (immature prophets) to remain as they are. These spirits/attendants minister
fear to the prophet repeatedly. They serve them plates of fear in large quantities. Quite often, these precious
people have a fear of change, fear of being disappointed again, fear of not being able to change at all, or a fear of
total failure and/or success after having put in so much work. They reason that if they fail, the disappointment
would be way too excruciating and if they succeed, they may not be strong enough to maintain the correct
behavior for long. They fear a relapse. These attendants or demonic forces, try to convince them that
changing is not worth the effort. Even more, that change is impossible altogether. The process into normalcy is
both arduous and tedious but can be accomplished if the person intending to help the juvenile (the senior prophet)
is patient, persistent and non-judgmental. Consequently, they begin to understand that even though love is tough,
it is still love nonetheless.
The things Im describing are of course, not common only to ward of the state people or ward of the state
prophets. More likely than not, weve all found ourselves on the same mental rollercoaster ride at times.
Describing these as mental rollercoasters, can quickly become emotional rollercoasters if we dont get a handle
on how we should be thinking as quickly as possible. Naturally these negative thoughts come into our minds, but
we cannot afford to entertain such thoughts. If we do, these thoughts only perpetuate a mental process that
remains with us and is hard to break later on down the line. Therefore; we should be serious about damage
control. These deadly attendants must be dealt with quickly and harshly so that there is no more internal space left
for them on which to feed. As with anything else, there must be a sincere desire for knowledge to learn how to
effectively and successfully combat these demonic attendants and win. The Word of God very specifically states
that we are destroyed for a lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6), and since from the beginning we were meant to be
fruitful and multiply, ward of the state people as well as ward of the state prophets must become keenly aware that
if we will deliberately reject knowledge, not only will God reject us, but He will also reject our children. This
equates to a multiplying of bad seeds planted in our children before they are ever born. This can carry from
generation to generation. From this alone we see there are grave consequences to rebellion and disobedience. At
times it may seem that there isnt much of a consequence. This is dangerous and erroneous thinking. Because of
ones rebellion, one can be deceived into thinking there is no consequence simply because the consequence is not
immediate. Just as a small seed is placed into the ground but cannot be seen, it is still there growing as long as it
has everything necessary to nourish it. We would not have to pull the seed up every day and check it of course.
The elements and the natural process of planting and reaping would take over. Eventually it will one day be a fullgrown tree. An expert (or senior prophet) can estimate just how large a tree will grow when its given consistent
care.
Once it has developed strong roots to it, it takes a knowledgeable tree surgeon or arborist to chop the tree
down. An arborist is one who is a specialist in the cultivation and care of trees and shrubs. They are also qualified
to perform tree surgery. He or she is a professional that is able to diagnose, treat, and prevent tree disease. They
also work to control pests that have attacked the tree.
God has raised up, and is still raising up, those with an apostolic anointing and He uses them to expertly
care for and cultivate prophets. These apostles and senior leaders have an anointed eye and are able to properly

diagnose a prophet who is not spiritually well. Just as on a doctors examination table, anointed senior leaders will
first only examine without speaking until they are settled in their spirits about what the problem may be. As a
physician would, they are not quick to spew out a diagnosis. They remain silent until they have gotten the final
results back from tests they have ordered from the lab. Sometimes, unbeknownst to the prophet; these leaders will
ask certain things of the prophet that would allow the senior leader a closer examination of who that prophet
really is and what he or she is made of. Senior prophets want to see if the protg has the needed amount of
flexibility and openness to the Lord as they hear the voice of The Shepherd through the leader. True, anointed,
productive leaders have gone through the process and therefore understand the importance of being pliable in the
Masters hand. They know that if a protg is not pliable, humble and focused enough, they wont be able to stand
in the midst of the fire of God that comes upon them to burn off the dross in their lives as God prepares the
prophet to be effective in ministry. The student prophet may not know that their tests have been sent to the lab of
the leaders prayer closet so they can be given an accurate diagnosis by the Lord. Student physicians, in an effort
to seem very intelligent, may speak too quickly as to what a diagnosis may be as does the student prophet at
times. If students do this in front of a person who is already in pain or fearful; this can cause the patient (person)
undue stress which only adds an unnecessary element to the equation. I have witnessed occasions where a student
prophet, in an effort to appear spiritual or wise will attempt to diagnose the condition of another prophet and fail
miserably in the process. They dont yet understand that they have not had enough training prophetically to see
things accurately to that degree. Its not that they dont have the gift of discerning of spirits. They more than
likely do have that gift, but they dont understand that this responsibility is not theirs and because it isnt, they
wont necessarily be accurate in their observation, particularly when they are still being trained themselves. It is
the anointed eyes of the senior leader, along with the wisdom brought on by the senior prophets training that
gives them a better understanding of where a prophet really is. If a student prophet begins to dabble in the
business that belongs to the senior prophet and student prophet only, it can cause division. Just as it is with a
medical doctor, one who is an experienced physician; or at least has good bedside manner, holds his or her peace
until they have an irrefutable conclusion. Even at that, before the conclusive test results come back, they will
begin to chart a plan for proper treatment based on what their findings were on the examination table. He or she
does this even before they inform the patient what their ailment actually is. They know which tests to order
because of what they are sure about while they examine the patient on the examination table. They can reasonably
diagnose, for example, that the heart beat is out of rhythm or the blood pressure is too high or low. The more
experienced the physician or senior prophet, the less time it takes him or her to figure out what the problem may
be even without waiting for test results. But in his or her wisdom, the physician says just enough to the patient
about what the problem may be until they receive conclusive results from the laboratory. It is on the basis of these
findings that the doctor will order further tests if necessary and then wait patiently for the results.
Tree surgeons are knowledgeable in the repair of damaged trees, the removal of diseased parts, the filling of
cavities, and also know how to prevent further decay to the tree. They understand the difference as to when a
trees branches need only be strengthened with braces instead of being chopped off altogether. Each of these
professionals will tell you how important knowledge is regarding both the care of the tree if its salvageable as
well as in the removal of a dead tree. Dead trees in particular are unsafe to people and property if they are not
removed in a timely manner. Therefore; ward of the state prophets must be properly handled and how they are
handled, of course, depends on the proper diagnosis.
It will do us a great benefit to remember that some trees are planted by the Lord and some are not. (Isaiah

61:3) There were beautiful trees created in the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:9) before the fall of man and at the same
time it was at a tree that the first sin was committed. (Gen 3:6) From the beginning trees were planted by God for
food. The fruit on trees were luscious and satisfying. As strong as a tree is, it can rot away because of pest
infestation and several other things. When this occurs the affected tree becomes ugly and an eyesore. When
infected or dead trees are left to themselves, depending on where the tree is placed, it has the propensity to cause
damage or even death to others. Jesus said, Ye shall know them by their fruits (Matt 7:16a). As it is in the
natural, so it is in the spiritual. Prophets may prophesy accurately and possess a lot of charisma, but they should
be producing kingdom fruit and not just hanging around on the trees of the Church looking pretty. Remember the
account in scripture of Jesus and the fig tree in Matthew 21:19-21? In this account, the fig tree had leaves on it,
but it was not bearing any fruit. Because the tree was void concerning its purpose Jesus saw no need for it and
therefore cursed it. Jesus is using this incident to teach us. When we are not functioning properly according to the
purpose for which weve been placed in the garden of God, we are counted as unproductive and therefore useless
to the kingdom of God. In this case we must be moved out of the way. Even though Jesus cursed the tree with his
voice, it was really the fig tree that caused the curse to come. Well, you may say, it was not the trees fault that
it was barren was it? After all, it was planted by men who may not have nurtured it properly. Why should the tree
suffer for a mans deed? We must realize that when we are assigned a particular task or when weve been created
for a specific purpose and we dont function properly in it, there is not much need for us in the Body. Even
though it may (or may not) have been any one mans fault, the tree was cursed simply because there was no fruit
on it. Therefore, prophets cannot excuse themselves because they feel someone else didnt do their job. Instead
their hearts must be set to seek the Lord asking him to lead them to that one He has ordained to take them the rest
of the way into their destinies. We are all created to be fruitful and productive and prophets are no different. Too
often prophets act as groupies in the Body of Christ and dont realize the importance of being in covenant with the
ones that will make certain they are well watered making sure they dont wither on the vine. Just as we find
juveniles that are wards of the state and have developed personality traits that do absolutely no good, so it is with
ward of the state prophets.
Later in the book, we will discuss how much knowledge and skill is necessary in the healing of a tree, even
as we are comparing it to a ward of the state prophet who needs healing. If we take a moment to examine how
these professionals will remove or heal a tree, I believe this will give us an even greater insight into the healing of
a ward of the state prophet.