WHAT PROPHECIES MUST DO
The Word of prophecies are not just a word that predicts the future, although prophecies can do that, they, however, are about declaring the mind of God for a people, a person, or even nations and cities. Many have not been able to draw the line between fore-telling and forth-telling. This has led many towards deceit and falsehood.
Can I announce this to you?
That a man gave you a prophetic word and it got fulfilled doesn’t make the man a true prophet neither does it make the prophetic word true. To understand this concept, we must;
Understand that Truth is a person; the truth is Christ. Jesus while replying to Thomas in the gospel according to Saint John 14 and verse 6 said,
“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life…”
This statement is absolute and doesn’t beg for our cooperation. It implies that anything that we ascribe ‘truth’ to can’t just be a statement of fact but a statement that draws its integrity from the person of Christ. This is why in Acts of apostles 16, the girl with the spirit of divination, although speaking a correct statement, it wasn’t true since the integrity of the word was far from Christ.
We must also understand that the Holy Spirit isn’t the only spirit in the spiritual world and every spirit can fore-tell. They can read signs on your palm or in the skies or the stars and tell you what the future holds. Other spirits can lie or even give half-truths but the motive isn’t always to glorify Christ but to give expression to their evil devices through you.
Hence, Leviticus 19:31 particularly commands not seeking other spirits because beyond fore-telling, they will also defy you. Ask King Saul! (1 Samuel 28:3–25)
Now, in the wake of so many people with either a prophetic word for others or nations and the presence of so many prophets who give directions, it becomes important to test all spirits (1 John 4:1). Remember that it is more about the integrity of the spirit than it is about the accuracy of the word given. We have a more sure word of prophecy (2 Peter 1:19–21), that we must weigh all spirits by.
It is worthy of note that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will call Jesus accursed (1 Corinthians 12:3) and at a time when all spirits are becoming more discreet in their operations, believers need to be wise in discernment and our tool of discerning and test is the Bible.
This is why we must attempt to understand the function of all prophetic words. This will help us test every spirit by examining them by the Word of God. Hence, what must prophecy do?
1 Corinthians 14:3 says
“But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.”
In this scripture, we find what should become the standard for the gift of prophecy, which are
1. It must edify. The word must cause growth for men. It must be geared towards edification and building up. God is building His house, precept by precept, piece by piece. Hence, a prophetic word from God would not target tearing down but building up.
Howbeit, there is an aspect of edification that we have brushed under the rug and it is the rebuke/correction part. A skilled builder knows how to chisel every piece of the block to fit the right specification so that the ultimate result is perfect and without error (2 Timothy 3:16–17). Hence, prophetic words must cause growth, in the process of achieving growth, they can attempt to rebuke and correct. We must embrace the correction of the prophetic word so that we can achieve growth and edification.
2. It must exhort. Exhortation means to give practical instructions on godly living and character; it focuses on giving prophetic instructions that will be the bane of the fulfillment of such words. So, the prophetic word must give prophetic instructions to men, so that they can comply and participate in the fulfillment of God’s plan and purposes.
This doesn’t undermine the place of God speaking based on His sovereignty. When a prophetic word comes and it rests solely on God’s sovereignty, it wouldn’t matter what a does or doesn’t do, such prophecies will be fulfilled. An example of this kind of prophetic word is the prophecy of the birth of Christ. In Isaiah 9:6–7, we see the prophetic word about the birth of Christ. That scripture ended with “… the zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” The fulfillment of this prophecy rests solely on the sovereignty of God.
3. It must bring comfort or encouragement. The hearer of a prophetic word shouldn’t be condemned, they should be encouraged. When they are being rebuked, they should be rebuked in love. This is the spirit of true prophetic.
In conclusion, there is work for the conveyor of the prophetic word. When he receives a word that is full of rebuke, he must be wise enough to deliver it in faithfulness and yet let love be seen and palpated because ultimately, it is the goodness of God that leads to repentance (Romans 2:4).
Adesoji Fasanya,
Lead,
Eden House.
