No one sets out to be a false prophet and deceive people. Imagine asking a youngster, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" and he says, "A false prophet." That doesn't happen.
False prophets think they are true prophets, and they act like true prophets, and sound like true prophets. How can you tell the difference?
The first criterion is that the true prophet doesn't choose to be a prophet. A prophet is someone God chooses to announce something. God chooses a prophet for his own purposes ... which the prophet may not know. The prophet is simply God's instrument, who happens to be in the right place at the right time. Beware the prophet who seems to have chosen to be one, who wears the prophet's mantle easily, and who wields the winnowing fan with too much self-assurance.
The second criterion: The true prophet is a remarkably free person. A true prophet has no compulsion to be successful. He or she is free. After all, they preach God's message, not their own. They have nothing to lose.
Finally, the third criterion is this: The true prophet has the gift of wisdom. What is wisdom? it's a gift, not simply to grasp abstract truth, but to use to order things well. The wise person not only know the truth, but knows how to use it in a way that is good and loving.
- Little Blue Book, Diocese of Saginaw