Prophecy 101
Prophecy is simply the divine word of the Lord. Since
entering the new covenant through the blood of Jesus, prophetic utterances are
made available to everyone, which can be wonderful and terrifying but Paul
clarifies prophecy is a gift of the Holy Spirit to give strength, encouragement
and comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3). It sounds like a good thing, so why does it terrify
so many in the church? Like many gifts of the Spirit, prophecy has been
perverted. Some churches responded by throwing it out. Some churches use
prophecy as a licence to call out the sin in others and it leave you feeling
raw and exposed. In many cases, prophesy is used as a control tool to keep
people adhering to the law by exposing their sin instead of expressing the love
of God for them.
It’s not prophetic to know someone’s sin or shortcomings. We
don’t need God to tell us about other people’s sins. Most of us are hound dogs
for areas of weakness in others. It bothers me when I see prophetic
declarations used to expose another person (and it really bothers me when I’m
the one being exposed). Do you remember hearing, “If you don’t have anything
nice to say, don’t say anything at all”? It is especially good practice when
giving prophetic words.
The Lords’ thoughts toward us are as numerous as the grains
of sand on the sea, and they are good thoughts. Jeremiah 31:3 says he draws us
with loving-kindness. It’s the kindness of God that leads us to repentance; no
one has ever been shamed into the kingdom. Prophesy that exposes sin shames us
but true prophesy from the mouth of the Lord is strengthening, encouraging and
comforting.
In my latest personal interactions with the Lord, I only
hear every kind of wonderful affirmation and encouragement. Not only does he
love me, but he’s proud of me – in everything I’m doing. Finally I said to the
Lord, “I can get a big head if you keep talking to me like this. Surely there
are things you want me to change.” He said, “Not if you understood my love.”
Hmmm. What does it mean to understand his love?
Love covers a multitude of sins. The Greek word, kalupto, means to hinder the knowledge
of a thing; as if there is no sin. His love erases knowledge of sin; a full
pardon. It’s why we have full access to the throne room of God. It’s why we can
stand before the throne of judgement without
condemnation. For God so loved the
world (John 3:16). He loved the world. He covered the world with his love. In
other words, in his presence, our sin, strongholds and shortcomings fall off.
How does this relate to prophetic declarations? The word of
the Lord tells us who we are, in Christ. In Christ, we are made perfect forever
(Hebrews 10:14). If prophecy does not express the Father’s love, then I doubt
the source is from the Lord. We love because he first loved us; when we love,
we work towards pleasing our lover. I’ve quoted Mike Bickle and it bears
repeating, “Lovers do more than workers.”
It is not our job to cut others’ down to size. It is our job
to encourage one another, bear with one another and love one another. Prophecy
should bring another into the presence of the Lord, and there our heart is
exposed by the Father and always in love. There is no argument or
justification for sin when confronted with the love of the Lord. The arguments
cease and the sin falls off and the person proclaims, “God is among you” (1
Corinthians 14:25) because he feels the love and God IS love.
Before the receiver of the prophetic word needs to judge the
word, the speaker should first judge the word they are about to deliver. Will
it strengthen him? Will it encourage her? Will it comfort her? If you answer
yes to the questions, only then should you proceed with the word.
What’s an encouraging word or blessing you received from
someone?
Hi , I'm trying to find your email contact address for ordering flags. I can't seem to find it on this site. Maybe it's staring me in the face lol. If you have time could you drop a line to italianmamma@potusnet.com.au Thanks heaps. Anne
ReplyDeleteoh boy can't believe I typed my email address wrong lol. its italianmamma@optusnet.com.au sorry
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