If had relied on "a word" spoken over me.

I've been given some lovely words by people on this board; encouragement, rather than the "you are to do this", or "thus saith the Lord" variety. And once I went to ask for prayer and was given a verse from Revelation (3:8) which didn't seem at all related to what I had wanted prayer for - and I still don't know what it means.
Other than this, I haven't had any "words" spoken over me.

Maybe I'm going to the wrong churches, or maybe the Lord knows that I'm all too likely to look for words of prophecy instead of reading his word.

But I have to preach on the gift of prophecy at the end of May!

Strong In Him,

I have a number of sermons on the gifts of the Holy Spirit and hearing God which may help you prepare. If you go to Tree of Life Church, London and Essex and click on the Holy Spirit Month button on the left.

Blessings,
Benjamin

KingZzub said:

What Balance is saying from the OP is that if he RELIED on prophecy...

Look, I enjoy the prophetic, it has encourages and blessed me no end. I gave a prophetic word in church Thursday and nearly everyone told me after that it was like God was speaking directly to them. Prophecy is a blessing, Paul said of all the gifts to desire, desire prophecy.

But you live by the Word of God, not by the gifts of the Spirit. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, not by the gifts of the Spirit. The sons of God are led by the Spirit of God, not by the prophetic ministry of people.

You determine your destiny and your path by the study and meditation on the Word of God. Prophecy is like the road signs on the road that tell you you are on the right road. They encourage you and give you peace, but they should never make you change direction - only the Word of God and your direct relationship with Him should do that.

Click to expand...

I agree. I'm just wanting to point out that IF something is a desire of the heart and there has been a prophesy given them on the matter, that just because it has not happened "YET" does not make the prophesy bogus.

Obviously if someone says your youngest child will be a girl and you've finished having children and your youngest is a boy then that person was wrong in their word to you. Or, if you have no desire to drive a big rig and someone tells you that you're going to be a truck driver then that word too is most likely incorrect...unless of course God radically changes something in you. But, telling someone that God will use them as a worship leader or that they will plant churches is not a bogus word until the person has no more breath left in them. As long as they live God can fulfill HIS word if it is from HIM. Is anything too hard for the LORD? NO!

Like you said too, "You determine your destiny and your path by the study and meditation on the Word of God. Prophecy is like the road signs on the road that tell you you are on the right road. They encourage you and give you peace, but they should never make you change direction - only the Word of God and your direct relationship with Him should do that". Even if it is God's will for us if we don't do our part, generally, "nothing" is the result. We can't blame the prophesier for giving a wrong word though when God has shown us the way to go, the desire is there, and it's been prophesied but we fail to do our part and then we reap nothing.

Prophecy is the most wonderful gift and the most dangerous gift. I don't like how it is used in many churches (too liberally) with few checks and balances. I once had a pastor tell me ( I have it on tape) that no matter what I do in life I will be blessed because of my desre to glorify God with my life. While this is partly true I've been anything but blessed since that time. Most of the other prophecies haven't come true either. Like the one where my testimony would impact millions and where I would be healed and I'd be a pastor and through me my grandma would be saved (now deceased) etc etc. I've had a lot of prophecies over the years, I've even given ones that were false and messed up my life at the time as a result of the poor choices that I made as a result. Then there was the guy on CF last year who had a word of God about me who made personal attacks on me that were totally false but he said it as a word of God.

Does all this mean that prophecy isn't real? NO. Prophecy is the greatest gift. But it is also the most dangerous because of the potential for abuse and why I think we need to be very very careful with it.

KingZzub said:

Strong In Him,

I have a number of sermons on the gifts of the Holy Spirit and hearing God which may help you prepare. If you go to Tree of Life Church, London and Essex and click on the Holy Spirit Month button on the left.

Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll check that out sometime.

@ SpiritPsalmist -

No, I agree. If you receive a word that lines up with Scripture, that lines up with your relationship with the Lord and it has not yet come to pass, make warfare with the prophecy and believe and receive.

Agreed entirely.

SpiritPsalmist said:

I agree. I'm just wanting to point out that IF something is a desire of the heart and there has been a prophesy given them on the matter, that just because it has not happened "YET" does not make the prophesy bogus.

*****

Click to expand...

And, IMO, this is a cop out. Given enough time any prediction can come to pass. That’s how Nostradamus has survived all these centuries as a “prophet”. Ambiguous prophecies are not prophecy at all; they are, well, something else.

The prophets of the NT (Simeon, Elizabeth, Zechariah, Agabus, et.al.) were all specific as to the time and place of their prophecies.

~Jim

I have a tendency to forget about words .

that way the ones from God fulfill themselves anyway .

its kinda like asking for an answer . i ask a question .

then i forget about it and study something else .

and all of a sudden it comes to me .

and at the very least if it is subconsciously fulfilled it at least fits the unique personality God has given me .

but if it is really of God then the manner in which it will happen, and the time it will happen, and the kind of person i'll be when it happens . . are not known to me .

so it is best to forget about it and just go about what you were doing .

if it's really for you then all those ideas that you must do this and must do that in order .. never worked for the patriarchs and only result in Ishmael mirrors of the promise that need to be overcome when the real deal comes .

that's what i've observed

bless .

Not true, Michael, things don't come about by themselves and God does not force Himself on us.

In Mark 6 Jesus could not do mighty works because of the unbelief of the people. If God speaks to you and you don't believe, you will miss out. The epistles contain many many warnings about failing to have faith and failing to enter in.

KingZzub said:

Not true, Michael, things don't come about by themselves and God does not force Himself on us.

In Mark 6 Jesus could not do mighty works because of the unbelief of the people. If God speaks to you and you don't believe, you will miss out. The epistles contain many many warnings about failing to have faith and failing to enter in.

Click to expand...

Well, maybe there's some implied trust there then

because that's how it has worked in my life

i have no need for assumptive selling being applied to prophecy

the two just are not meant to mix .

JimB said:

And, IMO, this is a cop out.

Click to expand...

A cop out to what? Trusting God that He will give you the desire of your heart? In what way is trusting God a cop out?

JimB said:

Given enough time any prediction can come to pass. That’s how Nostradamus has survived all these centuries as a “prophet”. Ambiguous prophecies are not prophecy at all; they are, well, something else.

The prophets of the NT (Simeon, Elizabeth, Zechariah, Agabus, et.al.) were all specific as to the time and place of their prophecies.

~Jim

On Mount Moriah, it was not Isaac God wanted – it was Abraham.​

Click to expand...

Where did I say anything about ambiguous prophesy's? I'm not saying this to an ambiguous prophesy. I'm saying it to those things that one desires and is preparing for for the time that God lets them walk in it. God does not always give a date...think "Jesus is coming soon!"

All I said was that just because God says "you're going to be a worship leader" does not mean that it has to happen today. It could be years down the line. However, IF it's something that you desire and you sing and/or play an instrument and you feel that God has put that in your heart to do, then until the day you die, there is the potential of it happening....even if it's only one time.

God promised Abraham sons that would outnumber the stars, yet Abraham only saw the one son of promise. Would you call that prophesy ambiguous just because time made it happen? Jeeze, we could even through in all the other prophesy's from the Bible we have yet to see happen...are they ambiguous?

As I said in a previous thread, I believe genuine prophecies are self confirming. The bible says we are to test prophecies and prophets. How? Some prophecies require an immediate response to work out.

A prophecy is not just an announcement, its interactive so a prophecy can be tested. Prophets and prophecies will elaborate. Like Moses was given signs, so a prophet will be given enough to convience those with ears to hear.

E.g when Micaiah's prophecy of defeat for Israel and the lying spirit sent by God were rejected, he told his main detractor:

1 Kings 22:25
Micaiah replied, "You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inner room."

If there was indeed a day of hiding in the inner room, then the person would know that Micaiah's words were true.