Of Prophets

Being careful and discriminating is what makes a prophet. I have learned to discern what is ME and what is GOD. I have many strong opinions on a variety of topics. Some of those topics are regarding the Church. Some are regarding interpretation of scripture. They hopefully are interesting but they aren't all prophetic.

Most of them are just me. Don't ever read into what I write about certain things as being a Thus Saith the Lord unless I say so. I'm careful about the mantle.

On the other hand, from time to time I will come to a person with a word. I will tell him or her what I am seeing or hearing regarding them. It is nearly always encouragement (the main purpose of the Prophetic). It is almost never directly corrective. I have to be pretty convinced it's God to go with correction for someone. God uses me prophetically mostly with spiritual leadership. For some reason I am placed as a prophetic watcher over local bodies I am connected to for direction, correction and prophetic insight. Most of the time that is in encouragement as well. For example:

I had a strong encouraging word for the House of Prayer just a week ago. I feel more than ever it is right on the money.

I have one for Faith Center upon the event of groundbreaking fo the new building which I am providing them today.

I have given much prophetically to IPHC's new church plant in Berwyn. And even to our conference E-4. Never for glorification, always for encouragement.

From time to time I even have one for Lord of Life.

The good news is they all seem to be open to hearing and Judging God's word. My responsibility is to offer it, theirs is to judge it. A good friend of mine once told me, A prophet's job is to say what God says. I try to stick to just that. If it ever doesn't line up with the word of God it's just baloney.

That's how it should be. The prophet provides, the hearer listens, then they allow the Spirit of God by his word to embrace with discernment the prophetic word given.

Not every word I been given by every prophet I have ever known has the Spirit of God in me embraced. Some are just "Nice", some are dumb, some are downright disturbing and wrong.

I hear them all, but ultimately they create a framework around a portrait of what God is doing as I embrace them.

It also has to do with the person who carries the prophetic word. What has been their track record? What has been their purpose? What has been their faithfulness? If certain prophetic people gave me a word I might more quickly embrace it than others. It has to do with relationship. Nathan was able to prophesy to David out of relationship.

The prophetic is treacherous territory but essential to the health of any local Body of Christ. There is a protocol. The difficulty in all this means that many denominations eschew anything prophetic. For that reason those that eschew languish. The Body of Christ at large is over committed to the excess of preaching at the expense of the prophetic. Preaching can be prophetic but seldom is. The prophetic can be preachy.
The difference must be in the impact it has on the Spirit and Soul of a person at the time and for the future. If a person hears a great sermon and their lives change permanently for the better that may have been prophetic. If not it was entertainment. Same with a prophetic word. If it helps you stop doing or start doing something you needed to start or stop doing or if it gives you hope or direction for your future that is prophetic. If it is a negative sign and wonder where you wonder what just happened, it's entertainment.

Where I draw the line is in personal prophecy. I like it. I enjoy it when someone I trust has a word for me. I embrace it. Others are just flakes. Some years ago there was a man who had an ad in Charisma Magazine where he would give you a word "of the Lord" if you sent him $500. I didn't. I don't know if anyone did.

Some people's prophetic gift is nothing more than Dear Abby wrapped up in colorful and picturesque language with a quasi Biblical format. Good advice couched in spirituality. That's Dear Abby, not prophetic.

True personal prophecy comes in only a few proven scriptural ways:

One is I know you and the Lord wakes me with a word for you. It matures and I submit it to you in private.

Another is where I pray in the Spirit over you until the Lord shows me what he wants to say to you. That could be in public.

A third is when I purposely fast and pray at length for several days over a situation or person for direction. That should be in public.

None of this is light loving. None is instant. None is flippant.

When I pray for God's prophetic word for the next year, most of it will be encouragement, most of it will be uplifting, some will have some cautions in it. But God never does anything unless he first tells his prophets.

If a person gives personal prophecy without doing what is needed to do it in order, that person is a charlatan. I know of one such. I won't link to her website. It's enchanting stuff. That's the problem, it's enchantment. People who are spiritually weak are being sucked into her web of deceit.

She routinely gives personal prophecy to individuals she will never meet that could change their lives and not for the better. It's like phoning up that Psychic who used to be on late night TV.

No better. Much worse. She stands in danger of her soul for this taking of the name of the Lord in Vain.

There's one other real big danger signal, she has a significant pattern of not liking or appending her endorsement to any recognized church, ministry or other prophet. Everyone else is wrong except me she says.

That is a red flag of danger.

If you want to email me about this I will direct you to her blog site. It's not a good place to go. She is what gives the Body of Christ a bad taste in their mouths when it comes to the prophetic.

The prime purpose of the Prophetic is edification. Building up. She has that upside down. Seems like she is more bent on tearing down and being a dear Abby than the prophetic. Dangerous stuff.

Email if you want the URL to go there and look, I just wanted to warn you before you did: gredlin@cfaith.com

I love the Prophetic, it's a powerful force for good but can also be one for evil. This is that.