Are We Missing Something Really, Really Important?

[DonKeesee]

[FONT=Gisha, sans-serif]God's plan is an deeply intricate thing. A deeply prophetic thing. Why would God have a prophet, hundreds of years before it happened let it be known that soldiers would gamble for Jesus clothes (John 19:23-24; Psalm 22:18)? Well, we could say, and say truly, that God did this so that people would believe. We see that general principle in John 14:29, where Jesus says, “And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens you will believe.” This shows us something about the nature of God. He is greatly prophetic. There is a heavy prophetic anointing upon the history of God's words in the earth, upon the story of His bringing back his people to him (all of us who will believe, not the Hebrews only). His words—the Bible and His words directly to us, which will always be in agreement with the Bible—clearly show this strong prophetic strain. And even now He speaks to us, telling us things deep within His heart—prophecy, that is, telling us things that will come and many other things. Some say prophecy is foretelling, yes, but that it is also “forthtelling” of things for right now. Insight about situations, etc. This is one area of God's blessings for believers that many have ignored. But why ignore what God is trying to show us? If God wants to tell us something, without a doubt what He wants to say is important. It seems that some of us in the Church are missing out on a whole area of what has for us. Surely ignoring such an important part of God's relationship with us would be very harmful for us.[/FONT]


[FONT=Gisha, sans-serif]In many, many places in the Old Testament, God tells us of the coming of the Messiah and about what will transpire when He does come. In many places in the New Testament, He tells us about the second coming of the Messiah and how the world will be then. This is something He desires to do. He wants to tell us things He knows, things that will help us now and in the future.[/FONT]

 

[Kellytong]

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[AngryKoala]

The problem with prophecy is the possibility that any feeling or thought is 1. of the sinful mind 2. of Satan or 3. of simply feeling or emotion. It may be of God, but you can never prove it, whereas anything from Scripture is 100% positively from God. I wish you well in your endeavors to know God all the better.

 

[Faith.Man]

I cannot tell you how many times "prophetic" words have been spoken in my old non-Denomination church only to be found wrong. If there are prophets amongst God's people, I haven't met them, heard them or seen them. God has harsh words to say about false prophets.

 

[Caliboy]

Interesting post.

 

[DonKeesee]

Prophecy is more than giving a word about the future or than giving someone a word about his or her life. Those are valid expressions. But at the core, prophecy is simply God speaking to you then through you. Just because we have heard prophecies about the future that did not come to pass does not invalidate the truth that God can speak to you and through you. Then why has there been so much in the realm of prophecy that appears to be wrong? Because when people are involved in prophecy, there is a great, great need for discernment. The same goes for those who are listening to the person speaking. The same thing goes for those listening to all sorts of things in the Christian world that are spoken. Today Christians believe a great deal that is not consistent to God's thinking, to God's heart. We need discernment. But God is very involved throughout the Bible in telling people deep things from His heart and also in having some of them speak out these things. He has not changed. He still speaks today, and it would be unwise of us today to block out from our lives a huge area of what God wants to do for us. He does so very much through speaking (even creating the universe). A wise man once said (paraphrased) that the thing we fight is the thing that is very hard to grasp when we need it. We need to hear God speaking to us.

 

[AngryKoala]

I agree with you that there is need for discernment when anyone speaks. However, I do not understand on what you base discernment when God "speaks" to you. How do you know it is right, wrong, to little, to far? We have God's Word, and it is sufficient for addressing everything that ever needs to be said in terms of God speaking through us. Would you agree that the Bible is sufficient?

 

[Faith.Man]

Prophecy is more than giving a word about the future or than giving someone a word about his or her life. Those are valid expressions. But at the core, prophecy is simply God speaking to you then through you. Just because we have heard prophecies about the future that did not come to pass does not invalidate the truth that God can speak to you and through you. Then why has there been so much in the realm of prophecy that appears to be wrong? Because when people are involved in prophecy, there is a great, great need for discernment. The same goes for those who are listening to the person speaking. The same thing goes for those listening to all sorts of things in the Christian world that are spoken. Today Christians believe a great deal that is not consistent to God's thinking, to God's heart. We need discernment. But God is very involved throughout the Bible in telling people deep things from His heart and also in having some of them speak out these things. He has not changed. He still speaks today, and it would be unwise of us today to block out from our lives a huge area of what God wants to do for us. He does so very much through speaking (even creating the universe). A wise man once said (paraphrased) that the thing we fight is the thing that is very hard to grasp when we need it. We need to hear God speaking to us.

Just go through some of the threads on this forum. We Christians can't even agree what the Bible says when it's in black and white in front of us. Put a line of Scripture in front of twelve of us and you'll get the thirteen interpretations!

 

[dayhiker]

That is why we are to be gracious to people. If we were legalistic then we would be killing other Christians as has been done in the past.

 

[powerheart]

Real discernment is not used mostly in churches today either .I know I've seen it suppressed a lot. Or is discernment seldom used and that is the true norm?? Many hear the noises in society that drowns out what God might say .People have ipods etc to drown stuff out etc. Prosperity can drown out good things, as we think we might need that porsche or something..Other people say their voice is more important then God's too.