Basics on judging prophecy – Part 1

Dec 9th 2008

I Thessalonians 5:20,21 says, “Despise not prophesyings (prophecies). Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good”.
Also, in I Corinthians 14:29 prophets are required to judge the prophetic words spoken. This verse can also be applied to believers whenever a prophetic word relates to them. So in light of these scriptures let us outline some important points.

1) We shouldn’t despise or treat lightly any kind of prophecy.

2) We have an obligation to test the prophetic words (when it relates to us or is within the realm of our authority).

3) We have to hold fast to the prophetic words spoken over our lives.

Today there are two extremes. One of which is despising prophecy or not giving it due respect. It could also include taking prophecy lightly. When this is the general condition of the heart we would not be able to properly understand and process the prophecy given. Nor will we be able to see clearly when the prophecy comes to pass.

Despite the fact that there are errors in prophecies given today, it does not change the truth that God still speaks through flawed vessels.

Now the fact that people are prone to error remains, however when someone says “He is speaking from God” the approach towards that must come from a place of honor and reverence towards God and His word through the person. Whether the person is right or wrong should be determined but the attitude of our heart must be right first. This should be the foundation and basis, which  helps us to judge prophecy accurately.

Now there are several reasons that have led to the lack of reverence towards the prophetic words spoken today. We will look into a few of them briefly

1)The errors and excesses in prophecies

We addressed this earlier. Just because there is error that does not negate the presence of truth. It doesn’t matter even if the entire church prophesies wrongly the attitude of our heart must be the same. It must be one of honor towards God’s word through His people. If the words are false we judge them to be so but we shouldn’t develop a wrong attitude from that despising prophecy completely. If we develop such an attitude that would hinder us from receiving or discerning true prophetic words also.

2) Familiarity breeds contempt.

Today the prophetic has been made accessible to the common man. While that is a major step we should understand that the value of the prophetic word remains the same. When we don’t have that truth in place it gives place to a lack of respect and honor to God speaking to us.

When there was a scarcity of the Word of God (Bible) those days, the people lived according to the Word of God. Their testimony was  powerful, simply because they valued the scriptures and applied them, even though they knew little. They honored God’s word. As time went by, the Word became accessible to the common man. There was initial fruit as a result but later we saw a gradual decrease of Biblical standards and a greater lack of revelation than when we didn’t have the Bible. This is simply because people grew familiar in a wrong way with the Word of God.

The same principle applies to any truth God reveals and in this case the prophetic. If we don’t continue to esteem or value what God is revealing or doing, instead of progressing we would regress in those truths or in the workings of God.

When the prophetic movement started, the prophets and their words were highly esteemed. As the prophetic became accessible to the common man it has led to a decrease in the valuing of the prophetic words spoken. We need to ask God to help us once again see the value of His words thru His servants or for that matter any one of His children.

3)The Fear of the Lord.

The lack of the Fear of the Lord, has also led to a lot of errors today. One of them is a lack of respect and honor towards prophetic.

We are quick to quote that “He who speaks presumptuously in the name of the Lord would be judged”. It is true in that context, however the way we respond to prophetic words is also important. We see through scripture that people were judged because they didn’t take heed to, or despised or disobeyed God’s word. In that light let us walk in the fear of the Lord, striking a proper balance.

 

Basics on judging prophecy –Part 2