Because of that, prophecy isn't something to dismiss or brush off lightly. God still speaks today, and he can absolutely use prophetic words to encourage, strengthen, warn, direct, and confirm his will for our lives.
At the same time, we must understand the proper place of prophecy in our lives. It's a real gift, but it was never meant to replace our personal relationship with him or take the place of us learning to hear his voice for ourselves.
Many of us have been led into wrong decisions because we didn't hear from God for ourselves or wait for confirmation from him, but instead followed the voice of someone we considered to be in a higher position of authority and therefore believed knew better.
No matter who speaks a prophecy over you—a prophet, your spiritual father, or your pastor—God's word to you still has the final say. Always.
Since prophecy can directly impact the decisions we make, here are four things I think every believer should keep in mind:
1. Counsel and prophecy aren't the same thing
God puts wise, godly people in our lives to give advice, guidance, correction, and counsel, and we should listen to that and receive it graciously, because it genuinely helps shape our decisions (Proverbs 15:22).
Personal prophecy is different, though. It's a declaration that God has spoken something specific over your life. Because of that weight, every prophetic word needs to be tested and taken straight back to God in prayer, not just accepted because it sounded impressive. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21: "Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all." Prophetic words shouldn't be treated casually, but must be tested and taken back to God in prayer.
2. Prophecy should confirm, not introduce
Generally speaking, a real prophetic word should confirm something the Lord has already been showing or telling you. If the word is new and unfamiliar, don't just run with it—take it to God and ask him for direction first.
Be careful in particular with prophecies that contain instructions to make a specific life-changing decision like moving to a different state/country, marrying a specific person, that sort of thing. Those words should line up with and confirm what God is already speaking to you. God should have the final say before you take any action.
3. Handle God's promises with patience, not obsession
When God reveals a promise over your life, it's often something you're meant to pray over and contend for. Go ahead—pray, fast, and war over it for a length of time. Make daily decrees and declarations with faith. However, do be careful the prophetic word doesn't become an obsession that consumes you.
There was a season when I held onto a prophetic word so tightly that it consumed my thoughts. As the weeks turned into months and I still didn't see it come to pass, I grew anxious and discouraged. My heart grew weary because I was measuring God's faithfulness by my own timeline. I had to learn that it was okay to release my tight grip on that prophecy. The Lord reminded me through his Word that he would bring it to pass in his time, not mine (Isa. 60:22).
Trust God's timing. Don't put your whole life on pause waiting for a prophetic promise to unfold. Keep living your life, keep growing, keep praying and declaring the Word of God, and let God bring it to pass in his own perfect timing.
4. Reject negative prophecies
No legitimate prophetic word should flatly tell you that you're going to die, or something along those lines. If a negative prophecy is spoken over your life, pray against it and reject it in the name of Jesus.
Stay anchored in his voice
At the end of the day, we've got to remain anchored in God's voice above every other voice. While God uses prophets and prophetic words to speak into our lives, he's also inviting us to seek him wholeheartedly (Jer. 29:13) so we can learn to recognize his voice for ourselves.
Let's grow in intimacy with him and remain grounded in his Word so that we can navigate prophetic words with wisdom and discernment.
#becomingavessel
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