Can we "prophesy" and not know it?

This happened to me the other night. I was chatting with a friend on FB, and I just said something, and he told me it was exactly what he was dealing with and praying about. It is neat when God uses us like that.

JimB said:

How many of you have spoken something to someone without being aware that what you have said was, in fact, a word from God, a prophetic word?

Do you think God can use us without us even being aware of it? I know I have said things to people, either personally or in sermon-form that for me was just and impromptu off-the-cuff remark said casually or even jokingly that meant little to me but somehow resonated with the person in an unforgettable and life-altering way.

Has something like this ever happened to you?:

I was once talking to a friend who was experience intimidation from people in his workplace and he did not know how to handle it. He was talking to me about it and I said, very glibly, “Then you need to say to them, rain on you,” which in my vocabulary is a dismissive term meaning, “to h*ll with you.” But he heard “reign,” not rain—IOW, he heard me say that he needed to say to himself when he had those inferior feelings, “I will reign over you,” and it elevated him in his own eyes when he realized who he actually was in Christ, a victor in life not its victim, and over time it completely changed his relationships with others in his workplace. I did not find out about his misinterpretation (?) of my words and meanings until months later and looking back I think I now know I spoke for God when I was just making a flippant remark.

This has caused me to believe that God often uses me in ways I am not even aware of and can take even my most casual unintentional remarks and cause others to hear his voice in them.

What do you think?

~Jim

Remember the weekday and keep it holy.​

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I'm getting a strong sense of deja vu. Is it possible you posted this same thing not long ago?

I have had that happen both on the giving end and the receiving end.

JimB said:

How many of you have spoken something to someone without being aware that what you have said was, in fact, a word from God, a prophetic word?

Do you think God can use us without us even being aware of it? I know I have said things to people, either personally or in sermon-form that for me was just and impromptu off-the-cuff remark said casually or even jokingly that meant little to me but somehow resonated with the person in an unforgettable and life-altering way.

Has something like this ever happened to you?:

I was once talking to a friend who was experience intimidation from people in his workplace and he did not know how to handle it. He was talking to me about it and I said, very glibly, “Then you need to say to them, rain on you,” which in my vocabulary is a dismissive term meaning, “to h*ll with you.” But he heard “reign,” not rain—IOW, he heard me say that he needed to say to himself when he had those inferior feelings, “I will reign over you,” and it elevated him in his own eyes when he realized who he actually was in Christ, a victor in life not its victim, and over time it completely changed his relationships with others in his workplace. I did not find out about his misinterpretation (?) of my words and meanings until months later and looking back I think I now know I spoke for God when I was just making a flippant remark.

This has caused me to believe that God often uses me in ways I am not even aware of and can take even my most casual unintentional remarks and cause others to hear his voice in them.

What do you think?

~Jim

Remember the weekday and keep it holy.​

Click to expand...

Yes.

All The Glory Belongs To God Forever!

JimB said:

How many of you have spoken something to someone without being aware that what you have said was, in fact, a word from God, a prophetic word?

Do you think God can use us without us even being aware of it? I know I have said things to people, either personally or in sermon-form that for me was just and impromptu off-the-cuff remark said casually or even jokingly that meant little to me but somehow resonated with the person in an unforgettable and life-altering way.

Has something like this ever happened to you?:

I was once talking to a friend who was experience intimidation from people in his workplace and he did not know how to handle it. He was talking to me about it and I said, very glibly, “Then you need to say to them, rain on you,” which in my vocabulary is a dismissive term meaning, “to h*ll with you.” But he heard “reign,” not rain—IOW, he heard me say that he needed to say to himself when he had those inferior feelings, “I will reign over you,” and it elevated him in his own eyes when he realized who he actually was in Christ, a victor in life not its victim, and over time it completely changed his relationships with others in his workplace. I did not find out about his misinterpretation (?) of my words and meanings until months later and looking back I think I now know I spoke for God when I was just making a flippant remark.

This has caused me to believe that God often uses me in ways I am not even aware of and can take even my most casual unintentional remarks and cause others to hear his voice in them.

What do you think?

~Jim

Remember the weekday and keep it holy.​

Click to expand...

Yes.
Under that basic definition of speaking words that "exhort, comfort, and edify" we have all prophesied.
BTW, simple prophesy has no predictive element to it. Sometimes the gift combines with the other gifts -"Word of Wisdom" and "Word of Knowledge."
Word of Wisdom reveals the mind of God that cannot be known by any natural means. (such as the future)
Word of Knowledge reveal information known by God and that can be known by natural means. (such as your history)

But prophesying alone only encourages, edifies, and exhorts.

How much use would a prophet be to the Almighty if the chosen person was never aware that the dreams/messages/visions were of from of divine origin? It's the differencd between The Ten Commandments and The Stone Tablets With Writing On Them. Who is credited as the source of prophetic knowledge is extremely important.

How much use would a prophet be to the Almighty if the chosen person was never aware that the dreams/messages/visions were of divine origin? It's the difference between The Ten Commandments and The Stone Tablets With Writing On Them. Who is credited as the source of prophetic knowledge is extremely important.

I don't know if I can agree with Penitent Man on this topic. The "New Testament" prophecies seem to be different than the "Old Testament" ones. Now that the Holy Spirit dwells inside each and every one of us (John 14:17) , and we are anointed (i.e. set aside for God) (2 Cor 1:21), AND that God pretty much owns us (1 Cor 6:20), it seems reasonable to me that God can speak through anyone He pretty much wants too.

And then there's Baalam's ass...(Numbers 22:1-35). Pretty sure no one knew or thought that was a prophet....

had a prof one time... He said, "Class, you will forget almost everything I will teach you in here, so please remember this: that God spoke to Balaam through his ass, and He has been speaking through asses ever since. So, if God should choose to speak through you, you need not think too highly of yourself. And, if on meeting someone, right away you recognize what they are, listen to them anyway." -Rich Mullins

That and OTHER great Rich Mullin's quotes from a concert @ Carpenter's Way Church in Lufkin Texas...HERE

The sercet is in the not knowing what has happean. A reward known is a reward blown.

yeah absolutely God can and does
I hope He does it more with all of us!

Good thread! I am on a prophetic hunt at the moment and am determining to find out as much as possible about how the prophetic gift can and does flow. Have started Reading "Growing in the prophetic" by Mike Bickle in which he explains the several differing levels of the prophetic. The first stage is simple prophecywhich is very much like what the OP describes. It's speaking out a word from the Holy Spirit in a simple and basic way, without even perhaps recognising it ad such.

Think there is something powerful in a prophetic word that is unknown as suchby the speaker. As a receiver of such a word there is no doubt that it is God inspired!

I think it's possible to prophesy and the person speaking the word may not know it. I've often thought that maybe that's when the Lord delivers the deepest, most piercing words to a person because nobody really knew/knows what was happening except for the person the word was for.

I can't accurately recall anything I've witnessed personally, but my wife has told me a couple times that she has said things to friends and didn't know at the time that she was speaking prophetically over them but found out about it later. Cool stuff

It seems to me that maybe the tongue of a man isn't the problem. It's the ears of a man that need to be trained in the way the spirit of God speaks.

Probably... A word of wisdom, prophecy, word of faith... all maybe the same in a cyclical way...

Being a guitar player I can relate it to being able to play ceratin scales and licks and progressions without having to think about it. Once you become familiar enough with your gift or talent, it become second nature, so much so that it not a concscience thought to do it, rather it is what you do.

Someone i know does it to me all the time and i dont tell her its from God half the time.