And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1:19-21
This principle of Scriptural prophecy applies to the personal words we receive from our brothers and sisters throughout the body of Christ in the sense that we should heed them as a light shining is a dark place so that we may know what God is up to and what we should do about it. And they may not contradict Scriptural doctrines for our personal use.
1 Thessalonians 5 tells us that we should not despise prophecy but test everything. By accepting everything presented as from God at face value we can actually devalue the real thing. We should judge prophecy. If it is the real thing it will stand up to any honest test we can give it. If we determine God can never communicate with us then we miss out on the abundant life He has offered directly through His Son, Jesus.
Prophecy does not come from man’s will but from God’s. We have to interpret it on His terms. Too often we receive the prophecy on our terms and know exactly what God will do on our behalf. A promise of blessing doesn’t always come the way we think it will. What God considers a promotion in the kingdom may look like utter failure from this side of eternity.
Use wisdom and don’t dismiss all that is prophetic nor accept everything labeled “from God” as necessarily genuine. Don’t assume you immediately “get” the word; follow Scripture’s clear direction and “test everything”.
Waiting to hear from Him,
Pastor Jason
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