is it ok to ask for a prophetic word?

[tturt]

Though I definitely agree that as believers we should hear Yahweh’s voice for ourselves. I also realize that there are times when believers have a hard time hearing Yahweh’s voice such as when there’s a huge problem and we’re not able to quiet ourselves and our surroundings or we're seeking confirmation.

Some Biblical examples of requesting prophetic words or expecting a prophet to meet a need such as:
-Paul was expecting Ananias in Acts 9.
-In Numbers 22, Balak sought Balaam to curse the people of Israel. He didn’t curse them but Yahweh told him what to say in response to their inquiry v 20.
-When Saul was looking for his dad’s donkeys, he went to the prophet to inquire as to where they were (I Sam 9).
-A prophet Micaiah the son of Imlah was sought for a word by the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat (I Kings 22).

This isn't a comprehensive list or anything. I’m sure there are others in Scripture.

Just because a prophetic word is requested doesn’t mean that the prophet will be given one.

A mature prophet won't go out on their own to give a prophetic word either. But the prophet can show Yahweh’s love by listening and praying with them. imo - the success of handling this type of situation is a component of the maturing of a prophet.

 

[Isatis]

I have been trying for more than 11 years now, and I still feel like I am often guessing at where to read in the bible and what it is that the Lord wants to speak to me about.

The whole Bible is God's Word to YOU, His daughter (John 1:12), a friend of Jesus Christ (John 15:15), the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). You have been chosen by God and adopted as His child (Ephesians 1:3-8), confident that God will complete the good work He started in you (Philippians 1:6). You can do all things through Christ, who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13).

Are you still wondering what is it that the Lord is telling YOU when you read the Bible?

I have trouble concentrating due a past mental illness which I still am taking some medication for and i find it hard to remember scripture and in fact lots of things.

Pray and request prayers about it. Cast your cares on the Lord.
How many chapters are you reading each day? I read 3 chapters daily unless I am involved in a Bible study. Don't read more than you can handle. Begin your Bible reading with prayer, "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law" (Psalm 119:18). By reading the Bible, we gain breadth of knowledge, but studying it gives depth of knowledge. You can keep a Bible reading journal. It is like keeping a diary of your spiritual life and inner thoughts.
Watch Bible movies unless you've done it already. You can watch them online for free (Watch Bible Movies online Free – eBibleMovies.com)
Do all that you can to remember your Bible reading and cast your cares on the Lord.

I feel like I'm losing the will to try. Maybe I have got the wrong idea about what it means to have a personal relationship with God.

Your inner reservoir of emotional energy is depleted at a rate that is faster than it is replenished. It is spiritual exhaustion. Get more physical rest and do what can replenish you (Bible reading and study, journaling, prayer, worship, etc.). Cultivate relationships with Christians who encourage you spiritually.

God bless!

 

[janny108]

Joyce Meyer has a book I got over Christmas on how to hear from God. He speaks to us via His written word, our conscience, an inner "nudging". Basically it has to agree with the bible, we find it so easy as people to be led by our feelings or what other people think we should do about anything.

Spend time with God everyday, read the bible and talk to Him about everything. That's a start.

 

[day time]

Thanks for your post - i'm afraid I got a bit confused reading it - one of the reasons I want to hear from God is because i want to see a different future from the one i seem to have been heading towards.

What was the last thing God showed you ?

 

[jsimms615]

I have got a study bible. I find it hard to have the discipline to stick to a set of devotional studies on a regular basis. I guess I thought that a relationship with God meant that you would hear from God individually. I know that some people say that they do, and sometimes I have had words guiding me to certain scriptures in the past, but I often yearn for more especially as I seem to have lost my way in life.

The thing is, that it is the Spirit of God in you that gives you the desire for more. That is evidence that God is working in your life.

I would try using every tool there is including spiritual music, audio lessons online. Maybe listening to some sermons online or maybe taking a course online about studying the Bible.

 

[koshka]

Thanks all for taking the time to read my OP and for your replies - which have given me food for thought.

Isatis thanks for providing the link for free bible films as I would like to make use of that.

Day time - the last time that God might be giving direction was at a meeting with a couple of leaders who were discussing with me what a counsellor had suggested to me after i saw her for a few sessions a while back. Not sure how it will help to bring it up here - basically it was encouraging me to go for walks to get my fitness back and one of the leaders believed it was from God.

 

[day time]

Thanks all for taking the time to read my OP and for your replies - which have given me food for thought.

Isatis thanks for providing the link for free bible films as I would like to make use of that.

Day time - the last time that God might be giving direction was at a meeting with a couple of leaders who were discussing with me what a counsellor had suggested to me after i saw her for a few sessions a while back. Not sure how it will help to bring it up here - basically it was encouraging me to go for walks to get my fitness back and one of the leaders believed it was from God.

Well .... it helps because I'm trying to see what you recognize as being God, because maybe you'll see it also :~)

For example .... if a person wants a book to be their god, or god's voice ... there are plenty to choose from. Or if they want a person to be their god ... again, plenty to choose from. Find the one that is saying what you want to hear.

If you want something or someone to be your *mediator* .... again, a book, a person, a counselor ... whoever you trust or want to trust .... then that mediator is becoming sort of your "link" to a god, or what you are hoping is god. But how do you even know that god is there ? What evidence do you have that the person giving you advice, or the book you are reading is backed by anything at all ?

I point all of this out .... because the thread was titled about asking for prophetic words ... but then you talked about personal relationship with God, and not hearing God, and wanting to know if you could get a different future then the one you think you are going towards now ....

I see prophetic words as one thing, God as another thing, and the future you *think* you are heading towards as yet another thing. I also see what the counselor says as one thing ... and how you are saying it might be from God as another lol ....

To me ... they are all loosely related, but they all have one thing in common: you.

Having someone else tell you what to believe, or think ... is one thing. Having a personal relationship with a supernatural entity you recognize as being "God" whom you trust is another. They could be related .... but for you, they don't seem to be, based on what you say. There is a disconnect.

So maybe as food for thought ..... who or what do you *trust* to be your guide, your source that you follow, etc and so forth ? A book ? Another person ? A lot of different people ? Memorized stuff ? Feelings ? An inner voice ? An outer voice ?

I guess what I'm getting at ... is "where is your god ?" lol ... and if you don't know, do you want to *know* or do you want to *believe* you know and have that be good enough ?

If you were ending the thread, no worries ... just food for thought :~) Be well ...

 

[All4HISglory]

I believe that God speaks in 3 ways.
1. Through His word (He is the word)
2. Through a vessel ( preaching, teaching, prophesying)
3. Through His Spirit that dwells in you ( that still small voice)

Your first question was, is it acceptable to ask for prophesy? My own answer is no, it is not ok. Especially for someone who is already struggling with hearing His voice.

Reason being is how would you be able to know if you should receive the words that are being spoken over you unless you can hear from God yourself? We ought to always try the spirit by the Spirit to know that it is indeed the Spirit of God.

God knows what you are standing in the need of and He will ensure that you hear Him if you are earnestly seeking Him. If He does send a vessel your way, you will be able to know that it is Him because your spirit will bear witness to you with what is being spoken. If your spirit cannot bare witness then you should not receive the words that are being spoken. One sure way to most likely receive a false prophesy is to go looking for one.

When I may be at a standstill what I do is first take a look at my life and see where I may be out of line with the word of God. We call it "is there sin in the camp?" it's the first question I ask myself when it seems like all hell has broken loose in my life. If the answer is yes, I do what I need to do to line back up with His word. Sometimes we are standing in our own way. If no then, I know that it is either God calling me higher or a spiritual attack.

I believe that 3 things cause valley experiences. 1. Our own actions or actions of those connected to us, 2. Attacks from the enemy and 3. The ones that God allows for our good.

If its the enemy, then I know I need to be engaged in the spiritual battle and began to fight back so that I can break through that bondage. If its God calling me higher then I know that I need to seriously increase my actions with Him. Pray more, fast more, read/study more, praise/ worship more, seek His face until I find Him. Sometimes that causes for me to lay some things aside and replace that with things of God.

Have you tried fasting and praying? Have you brought this to you leadership for counsel? Have you evaluated how much time and effort you are putting in to truly seeking God?

Mrs. Richard posting on my iPad using CF

 

[All4HISglory]

Well .... it helps because I'm trying to see what you recognize as being God, because maybe you'll see it also :~)

For example .... if a person wants a book to be their god, or god's voice ... there are plenty to choose from. Or if they want a person to be their god ... again, plenty to choose from. Find the one that is saying what you want to hear.

If you want something or someone to be your *mediator* .... again, a book, a person, a counselor ... whoever you trust or want to trust .... then that mediator is becoming sort of your "link" to a god, or what you are hoping is god. But how do you even know that god is there ? What evidence do you have that the person giving you advice, or the book you are reading is backed by anything at all ?

I point all of this out .... because the thread was titled about asking for prophetic words ... but then you talked about personal relationship with God, and not hearing God, and wanting to know if you could get a different future then the one you think you are going towards now ....

I see prophetic words as one thing, God as another thing, and the future you *think* you are heading towards as yet another thing. I also see what the counselor says as one thing ... and how you are saying it might be from God as another lol ....

To me ... they are all loosely related, but they all have one thing in common: you.

Having someone else tell you what to believe, or think ... is one thing. Having a personal relationship with a supernatural entity you recognize as being "God" whom you trust is another. They could be related .... but for you, they don't seem to be, based on what you say. There is a disconnect.

So maybe as food for thought ..... who or what do you *trust* to be your guide, your source that you follow, etc and so forth ? A book ? Another person ? A lot of different people ? Memorized stuff ? Feelings ? An inner voice ? An outer voice ?

I guess what I'm getting at ... is "where is your god ?" lol ... and if you don't know, do you want to *know* or do you want to *believe* you know and have that be good enough ?

If you were ending the thread, no worries ... just food for thought :~) Be well ...

I think you and I are on the same accord with this.

Mrs. Richard posting on my iPad using CF

 

[koshka]

Well .... it helps because I'm trying to see what you recognize as being God, because maybe you'll see it also :~)

For example .... if a person wants a book to be their god, or god's voice ... there are plenty to choose from. Or if they want a person to be their god ... again, plenty to choose from. Find the one that is saying what you want to hear.

If you want something or someone to be your *mediator* .... again, a book, a person, a counselor ... whoever you trust or want to trust .... then that mediator is becoming sort of your "link" to a god, or what you are hoping is god. But how do you even know that god is there ? What evidence do you have that the person giving you advice, or the book you are reading is backed by anything at all ?

I point all of this out .... because the thread was titled about asking for prophetic words ... but then you talked about personal relationship with God, and not hearing God, and wanting to know if you could get a different future then the one you think you are going towards now ....

I see prophetic words as one thing, God as another thing, and the future you *think* you are heading towards as yet another thing. I also see what the counselor says as one thing ... and how you are saying it might be from God as another lol ....

To me ... they are all loosely related, but they all have one thing in common: you.

Having someone else tell you what to believe, or think ... is one thing. Having a personal relationship with a supernatural entity you recognize as being "God" whom you trust is another. They could be related .... but for you, they don't seem to be, based on what you say. There is a disconnect.

So maybe as food for thought ..... who or what do you *trust* to be your guide, your source that you follow, etc and so forth ? A book ? Another person ? A lot of different people ? Memorized stuff ? Feelings ? An inner voice ? An outer voice ?

I guess what I'm getting at ... is "where is your god ?" lol ... and if you don't know, do you want to *know* or do you want to *believe* you know and have that be good enough ?

If you were ending the thread, no worries ... just food for thought :~) Be well ...

I struggle a bit with following you - i think this may be due to medication dulling my thinking processes, and that maybe contributing to some disconnectedness but will attempt a reply. My God is a person - Jesus - and I recognise that He can talk in different ways - I haven't found a single formula for recognising His voice. I realise from reading the replies to this thread and have thought for some time that I need to be more disciplined in my bible reading to allow the Holy Spirit to 'highlight' things and speak about what was is written. When I have thought that the Holy Spirit was doing this in the past I have just found myself drawn to certain passages.

I am not sure I can say much more at the moment. When you say, 'where is your God' I am not sure exactly what you are looking for. I know that He is heaven, and by His Spirit He is in me. I have already said that I would like to hear Him more.

 

[jimfish]

Thank you for your reply jim - I found it helpful to read and will be thinking about what i can take and apply. To be honest I think i have moved backwards.

True of most, if not all at one time or another in their/our walk.

So now just move forward.

 

[day time]

I struggle a bit with following you - i think this may be due to medication dulling my thinking processes, and that maybe contributing to some disconnectedness but will attempt a reply. My God is a person - Jesus - and I recognise that He can talk in different ways - I haven't found a single formula for recognising His voice. I realise from reading the replies to this thread and have thought for some time that I need to be more disciplined in my bible reading to allow the Holy Spirit to 'highlight' things and speak about what was is written. When I have thought that the Holy Spirit was doing this in the past I have just found myself drawn to certain passages.

I am not sure I can say much more at the moment. When you say, 'where is your God' I am not sure exactly what you are looking for. I know that He is heaven, and by His Spirit He is in me. I have already said that I would like to hear Him more.

No worries ... I'm trying not to make it all that complicated ... in fact, I'm trying to make it as plain and simple as possible lol.

Okay ... so if I say I have a relationship with someone, lets pick an actress ... say, Zoey Deschanel ... and you say to me, "how do you know you have a relationship with them ?" it's easy .... I can say, "she lives with me when she's not working on a movie," or ... "we've dated now for a year, she'll be here for dinner if you want to meet her ...." etc and so forth, you get the idea. And then you can see for yourself that I have a relationship with her on some level.

But if all I can produce are letters, or pics of her .... even a pic of myself with her perhaps, or some other "evidence" ..... but I can NEVER show you her, or introduce you to her, or no one ever sees that I'm with her or her with me .... and when asked, she doesn't verify that she even knows me lol .... how do you know I'm being honest ?

You can *guess* .... if you trust me over her, maybe I'm telling the truth, right ? If I'm not .... I could just be a deluded fan, trying to *convince myself* that I have a relationship with her, when I don't. These letters ... maybe I wrote them. Or maybe I copied them from the internet of something she *supposedly* wrote to someone else, and thought she was writing it to ME. Lots of fanatics do this all the time ... think movie stars are communicating with them, sending them messages. They see them performing on a screen and get deluded, thinking they are connecting with them or something, on some level.

The word fan is a derivative of the word "fanatic" ...

The point, is that a personal relationship looks one way, whilst the *illusion* of one looks another. Talking to another living entity looks one way .... *thinking* you are doing this is another.

Did you ever put up posters of people and have crushes on people you NEVER were going to meet ... imagining in your head what it would be like to be with them ? Perhaps stars, or public figures. Perhaps people you interact with all the time but never actually have that relationship with in real life .... you talk to them at work, squash your crush, and go on with your life, imagining what it would be like to be with them, but never doing it .... so on and so forth.

See ?

All different types of relationships .... some real, some not real, some illusionary, some based on a person's perception which is completely off ...

See ? So when I ask "where is your God" .... what I'm trying to find out is what level of relationship you have, and/or are content with. Do you have posters and letters and feelings, or do you have evidence ? Or can you produce the entity you claim to have a relationship with, etc and so forth ? Be it Jesus, God, or whatever you believe in ?

Some are content to have letters and pictures. Some don't even want that ... they like to fantasize but they don't expect it in reality. Some are not *able* to see (they are blind) and so even if it was standing in front of them, they wouldn't recognize it .... some have had tastes here and there, and are still looking. Others have found what they are content with, and don't care for anything else .... some don't need a relationship at all, simply knowing is good enough ...

And don't forget .... Zooey might not like me after all, right ? She has free will also, her own stuff going on .... how do you know I didn't have a relationship with her at one point and then SHE left ME for some reason ? Right ? Or perhaps it was never meant to be ... perhaps she used me, left me abandoned, and I don't know if she's coming back. Maybe that's why she no longer is around for me to introduce you to her ... right ?

All of this analogy was to try and figure out what a "relationship" meant to you, and where your God was that you wanted to have a personal relationship with was. Because if perhaps you examined your life, and compared it to other relationships and how you experience them .... you could perhaps see something in yourself here.

I mean .... examine what a "relationship" means to you with the average person .... what it means to talk to someone, know them, love them and be loved by them .... and then examine your relationship with what you think is God. Perhaps it will reveal something to you ...

 

[1Prophetess]

Generally speaking, no. As another posted, there's nothing in God's Word that indicates we as NT Christian should seek a prophetic word from an individual. In fact in can be dangerous.

When God by His Providence (as HE wills) DOES send us a prophetic word through a person, and this is rare in our Western church today, it is usually to confirm something He already told us via some other avenue. Most prophetic personal words that I've known of in others' lives, and I have witnessed several, have almost always been damaging to their Christian walk, for they came from someone's heart and not God's Spirit.

I am a prophetess. When I am giving a prophetic word, I speak the word of God only. In other words, I do not speak what my heart wants to say.

I think it is unfair and unwise for you to say that "almost always [prophetic words are] damaging to their Christian walk [when people get prophetic words], for they came from someone's heart and not God's Spirit."

I am not at all saying that this is not your experience and your truth. I don't have a clue what church you go to or what your church believes. I don't know how loose your church is in allowing people to prophesy.

But you attack and therefore offend my position with the Lord by saying prophetic words are damaging. I do not think that is fair or reasonable, and I believe it discredits the Lord and His servants who have the gift of prophesy of which I am one.

As being faithful most likely means praying and reading the bible regularly and often, this is an area where I struggle. I tend to be full on for a period of time and then do very little or nothing at all - its as if i get blocked. I didn't grow up learning to be disciplined and I have found it very difficult to stick at or finish most things including employment.

I understand this too. It is hard for me to discipline myself to read the word enough. I use www.biblegateway.com to read the word. I can get all kinds of translations, chose which I like best, and then read it in several translations if I wish. Sometimes it is just good to start by reading their daily scripture. I read the scriptures every morning, and I am very faithful. But it has taken me a while to do it. I just resolved that I would read the Bible before I left the house, and I've gotten pretty consistent with it.

I think it is human to be full on then off a while. I have had spurts where I read and study the Bible for 10-12 hours a day for days at a time, and other times when I read five minutes. I truly believe it isn't bad--just human. It is like eating--sometimes we have a seven course turkey dinner, and other times we have a nutrition bar.

Just because a prophetic word is requested doesn’t mean that the prophet will be given one.

A mature prophet won't go out on their own to give a prophetic word either. But the prophet can show Yahweh’s love by listening and praying with them. imo - the success of handling this type of situation is a component of the maturing of a prophet.

This is an incredibly important point. When a prophet is mature, they will not just give a prophetic word because someone asks. God has to be in it, and if not, they are just faking it.

I have had times I've begged God to allow me to give a prophetic word to a person. He was silent.

I have been in places where I have given several prophesies and even prophesies to large groups, and other places, I have been able to give none at all. It is like when Jesus went to His own town and could hardly perform any miracles--some just won't accept it. Pastors who don't accept it control their churches. It cannot be done then.

Day time - the last time that God might be giving direction was at a meeting with a couple of leaders who were discussing with me what a counsellor had suggested to me after i saw her for a few sessions a while back. Not sure how it will help to bring it up here - basically it was encouraging me to go for walks to get my fitness back and one of the leaders believed it was from God.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 13: 1“Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”

Some believe this means that, if two or three people say a thing, it is likely from God. I think this might be correct.

This is the way to test whether a thing is from God. If two say it and if it follows the Word's way (it sounds like the Bible and agrees with the Bible), then it is probably right. Step forward with it with caution, and ask the Lord to guide you.

If someone gives a prophesy, and it doesn't agree with the Word, walk away as quickly as you can. They are chalatans and dangerous to your faith.

I would say, since you've had a word that you need to get yourself back physically, that this is from the Lord. You got a word, your pastor said it was from God, and then Isatis said so too. That's three witnesses, and it suggests that the Lord wants you to focus on this right now. That does not mean focus on it to the exclusion of reading the Word, but it means make sure you do this every day to get your physical strength back, and read your Word every day (which will strengthen your soul).

I would add, this exercise idea fits in my understanding of what you should do. God did not tell me to prophesy to you, but I believe it is a word of God (and prophets get a confirmation when a word is from God. I have that feeling of confirmation now.)



jrslovely1 is correct in the three ways that God speaks. When you hear that still, small voice (which most people call a conscience), it is probably God. But beware, BE VERY WARY, if that still small voice is not giving you advice that is consistent with the Bible, it is not God. If you hear voices, then you need to put on the whole armor of God every day so that you can resist the devil. You speak that you are putting on the armor and that is how you put it on. The parts of the armor are in Ephesians 6 so you know how to dress.

God bless you. He is very, very good, and He will be with you.

The more you read His word, the easier it is for Him to talk to you.

God does speak through His word nearly all the time. And God might speak through a prophetic word, but you need to be careful because I have not seen God give many prophetic words when a person asks. I think, nearly all the time, God gives them as a gift and not from a request.

I'm always available to answer questions, and if you need some verification, you can always PM me. I cannot always say for sure it is, but I will be able to give you a pretty good idea if it is from the Lord most of the time.

 

[tturt]

Also, I've found that I hear Yahweh but sometimes I don't recognize it's Him until a later time. Suggestion: read How to Hear from God in a Noisy World. She included exercises and they were very helpful.

 

[briareos]

I find sometimes the best way to hear from God is to simply believe that he will in fact speak... all things require faith, this does to. Then develop the habit of turning everything else off and going away from it all to just spend time with just him.

Some people really never experience silence, their brain is always moving, always listening to something, whether it's a song, a tv turned on, a conversation, a tune in their head, there's always something occupying their thoughts and simple and absolute silence is something some people just don't enjoy at all. But sometimes we need that so that our brain stops spinning and so God can talk to us and have all of our attention. Sometimes we should just go pray and wait, not turn up the praise and worship, just wait and talk to God. Silence is a spiritual discipline. Sometimes it requires periods of prolonged silence in order to get our brains to stop firing on 100 cylinders so that we can listen to God.

 

[jimfish]

I am a prophetess. When I am giving a prophetic word, I speak the word of God only. In other words, I do not speak what my heart wants to say.

No doubt EVERY one who claims to prophesy claims to speak for God and not of their heart. This is, after all, the definition of prophesying. I have no doubt you fully believe yourself speaking for God, as I do of all.

I am not at all saying that this is not your experience and your truth. I don't have a clue what church you go to or what your church believes. I don't know how loose your church is in allowing people to prophesy.

Nearly 6 years of previous experience as an interdenominational Christian telephone counselor, appx. 48,000 callers, referencing ALL who mentioned receiving a personal word of prophesying, not a single one with whom it was not damaging. No exaggerations. (A couple or a few face-to-face testimonies as well.)

In most cases, these people spent literal years of their life believing.....

Very, very sad.

But you attack...

No attack whatsoever on my part. This is not an avenue for such, neither is such within me. There was nothing personal meant whatsoever. I was speaking entirely objectively, based purely and squarely upon the above statistics and experience, as I also stated was my basis in the original post by me.

I believe it discredits the Lord .....

It would be impossible for me to discredit the Lord Christ Jesus and the Heavenly Father. Impossible.

(But if there is anything herein for which you believe I need to ask your forgiveness, I so do. Thank you Jesus. All glory to God the Father.)

In His Love for you, P., sincerely, jim

 

[1Prophetess]

No doubt EVERY one who claims to prophesy claims to speak for God and not of their heart. This is, after all, the definition of prophesying. I have no doubt you fully believe yourself speaking for God, as I do of all.

Nearly 6 years of previous experience as an interdenominational Christian telephone counselor, appx. 48,000 callers, referencing ALL who mentioned receiving a personal word of prophesying, not a single one with whom it was not damaging. No exaggerations. (A couple or a few face-to-face testimonies as well.)

In most cases, these people spent literal years of their life believing.....

Very, very sad.

No attack whatsoever on my part.

With all due respect, Jim, you do attack and discredit the Word of God. If the Lord says that He gives prophesies for believers (I Cor 14:22), and you say, your experience shows "not a single one with whom it was not damaging," it is suggesting that the Bible is wrong. That also implies that 48,000 people called about prophesies they had received. That seems like a very large group. So for six years, 153 people a week called you about wrong prophesies?

Maybe the only people that ever asked for counseling were people that had been damaged. Maybe another 48,000,000 were not damaged by prophesies. Do you know the ones that received prophesies and were not damaged?

Regardless, Jim, when you can see in the Bible that prophesies are given for believers, you discredit prophesies by your comment. Not all prophesies are wrong. Jesus warned us about false prophets especially in the end times. And I John 4: 1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

It sounds to me like the group that you are affiliated with is pretty non-functional in testing false prophets. I do not know what groups you were or are affiliated with, but if there are that many false prophesies in your Christian group, then I'd suggest you look for another group to associate with because there either are a lot of false prophets in that Christian group or one false prophet is damaging thousands.

Frankly, it is no doubt to me that anyone who makes a claim of any sort believes it, just like you believe that 153 people a week called you about prophesies, but I frankly find your claim to be hard to believe. I'm sure that you fully believe yourself to be right, but I have not seen it myself.

Furthermore, many, many people that I have known have received prophesies, including churches, and the prophesies were right and very helpful. But the groups I associate with test the prophesy, and we don't go off believing just anything that is said.

...
No attack whatsoever on my part. This is not an avenue for such, neither is such within me. There was nothing personal meant whatsoever. I was speaking entirely objectively, based purely and squarely upon the above statistics and experience, as I also stated was my basis in the original post by me.

It would be impossible for me to discredit the Lord Christ Jesus and the Heavenly Father. Impossible.

(But if there is anything herein for which you believe I need to ask your forgiveness, I so do. Thank you Jesus. All glory to God the Father.)

In His Love for you, P., sincerely, jim

Jim, it is an attack on the office of prophesy! When you say all prophesies that you have seen have been damaging, then you attack that position that the Lord has given people in the church. You also attack the Word of God!

It is not impossible for anyone to discredit the Lord or the Lord's work. I see athiests and agnostics discredit the Lord all the time. And in prophesy, which you don't believe according to your records, you attack the work of the Lord which is clearly stated in the Bible. And this means you don't believe in prophesies--a thing that the Lord gives to some people according to the Word of God--the Bible!

I recently heard a teacher of the Word say, "If you don't believe the whole word, you're not a believer." He then asked us if we were half believers, and said that you can't be a half believer. Either you believe it all or you don't believe at all. Do you really believe the whole word which includes that prophesies are from the Lord?

You don't need to ask my forgiveness, but I would suggest that you don't discredit the Word by making statements from your unbelief. You have a right in this world to not believe, but I do not think it is right to discredit work that the Lord will do and the writers of the Bible claim the Lord does do just because you've seen a dysfunction of the true gift.

I Corinthians 12: 1 Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

Your statement that 48,000 people were misled by prophesies, which you claim has no offense, offends the Word of God because you discredit His gifts, therefore offending the Father. Since prophesy is given by the Spirit, it offends the Holy Spirit.

It also offends me because you discredit something that the Lord does (and also because I have that gift so you discredit the gift the Lord gave me and suggest my words are lies). God says it in the Bible as you see above that He gives prophesy as a gift. And when you discredit anything in the Bible, you add your own belief system to the Bible. And you are fallable. And you are wrong to discredit anything in the Bible.

The Bible is the Word of God. If you say that a part of it is 100% damaging, then you cause people not to believe that the Bible is right. That's flat wrong.

Counseling does not supercede God's word no matter how you say it. And yours is only one situation if, in fact, it is truth or not since, as you said, anyone can make a statement--and many statements are false. So which person is stating falsely?

I warn you to be very careful what you say about the Word of God because Peter warns us about false teachers (that would be people who discredit God's word), 2 Peter 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.

You are bringing "the way of truth into disrepute" and bringing swift destruction on yourself, Jim. Be very careful what you say. Repent before the hand of God strikes you.

You've made two misleading statement (first you suggested that prophesies are 100% damaging) and now you say you could never "discredit the Lord Christ Jesus and the Heavenly Father" but, in fact, you have!

 

[day time]

In my experience, those who claim to be unbelievers in God (atheists, agnostics, psychics, shamans, whatever) ... it's almost never necessary to even mention God, or Jesus, or say, "this is God speaking here !" or "I'm prophesying !" or something like that. They *know*, and it becomes obvious they know. They can't identify it exactly, they just know something is going on that they are now a part of ... and I've had those who claim to be atheists, for example, be the ones to mention God, Jesus, Holy Spirit ... all based on the *evidence* they see for themselves, and experience for themselves, and the way the Spirit moves on them. So whether they are attacking, discrediting, or unbelieving in God, or even if they don't trust me even if I've made no claims at all ... this only matters so much. It's their *choices* that seem to matter the most. A good example of this would be the sailors on the ship that Jonah was on .... or Pilate's wife for example. In those examples, they knew something was going on, that a supernatural force was at work ... and they acted on it. No need for Jesus to tell Pilate's wife "I'm the Lord, believe that dream !" or for someone to explain to her that it was of God or not. No need for Jonah to explain who he was or not to the sailors .... God spoke on His own behalf, and they were all involved. The entire situations spoke for themselves as the Spirit moved, and the evidence was part and partial to the experience itself: when the sailors threw Jonah overboard, bam .... they knew their choice was a good one, and this brought glory to God, and they understood that. Pilate's wife knew Jesus was innocent ... through the Spirit.

With those who claim to be believers, I've noticed that there seem to be a couple of different camps: those who focus attention on *trying* to discern what is of God, and what is of them, and whose role is what and this and that, and what that says about each other, or God, or this and that. It seems to be very important to point out the differences ... "that was God speaking, not me" and so on and so forth. "Are you saying I'm wrong ?" or accusing each other. It's almost like ... an attempt at a scientific method for some, or it becomes really important to "label" things .... God, not God, true prophesy, false prophesy, prophesy in progress, prophet, prophetess, etc and so forth.

Either way ... I've honestly found the following to be a really good rule of thumb:

"If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true."

In this way, I've found this settles a lot of arguing and guessing and finger pointing and being offended or offending others and taking things personally .... let God testify on your behalf, rather than worry about doing it yourself. I don't know about anyone else, but I've experience a LOT more freedom when letting God do the convincing rather then me, other believers, or even the ideas of unbelievers. I'm always amazed at getting to participate in a gift that is given to everyone to use, rather than focussing on whom the gift comes through or who even gave the gift in the first place. It's like .... there's rarely ever a need to point out. When we are using the gifts that God gives us (picture a parent giving a gift to their child and a bunch of her friends), we naturally start putting it to *use* and we glorify God by doing what He intended by giving it to us in the first place .... to use it. It's like children adoring their parents all the more and being in awe of the gift that they gave .... no need to demand it, or fear it not being given, or point out ... "go thank your Father for that ! Now or you'll be sorry!" or whatever. When there is a time for that ... again, it becomes *obvious*. Freedom in these kinds of things is amazing, like Jesus said:

"The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

Worrying about defining where it came from, or what the role of the person is through whom it came .... that is something you do *after* as it becomes obvious what the wind did or didn't do to the environment lol. But while that wind is blowing, experiencing it freely .... floating along it's "wave" so to speak .... you see what the Spirit is doing because you are part of that "blowing freely" aspect.

Just some thoughts ...

 

[All4HISglory]

With all due respect, Jim, you do attack and discredit the Word of God. If the Lord says that He gives prophesies for believers (I Cor 14:22), and you say, your experience shows "not a single one with whom it was not damaging," it is suggesting that the Bible is wrong. That also implies that 48,000 people called about prophesies they had received. That seems like a very large group. So for six years, 153 people a week called you about wrong prophesies?

Maybe the only people that ever asked for counseling were people that had been damaged. Maybe another 48,000,000 were not damaged by prophesies. Do you know the ones that received prophesies and were not damaged?!

Sorry to interject here but from how I read his response it seemed as if was saying that out of 48,000 calls received those that referenced prophesy, we're calling in for counseling due to receiving false prophesy. Not that all of those 48,000 were callers who needed counsel due to false prophesies. BUT, I could be very wrong in my understanding of what his statement was.

IMO, I don't believe that his words discredit God but rather proves Him right concerning false prophets and error. As a Prophetess, you know how damaging and dangerous it is for both the false prophet and the one that is receiving the words spoken. I could see how individuals could very well be calling in to a line to receive counsel.

I do agree with you that there are more true prophecies then there are false. But what people fail to remember is that a Prophet prophesy's in part and knows in part. Just because something may not have come to pass in the fullness or only in part, it doesn't ALWAYS mean that it's false. I think that people put too much faith in man and what is spoken rather than knowing the True Living God and seeking Him out for themselves. "Try the Spirit by the Spirit."

Mrs. Richard posting on my iPad using CF

 

[ShiningBecky]

Prophecy is very real. I have had complete strangers tell me things about me that no one else could possibly know, saying they were speaking for God. And it was all very edifying and encouraging, letting me know I was on the right track! I was a little skeptical at first, but when I listened to what was said, I knew it was true and from the Lord.