Keys for Prophetic Responsibility
As I write this, it is the wee smas of the morning on November 6th. Just three days earlier in America, we had our presidential election...and we are still waiting for a decision. In light of this, the global pandemic, and other happenings that have largely plagued people in this most unexpected and uncanny year, we need to have a serious talk about prophetic responsibility. Let’s get started.
1. You don’t have to be a Believer to prophesy.
“The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’ And those who handle the law did not know Me; The rulers also transgressed against Me; The prophets prophesied by Baal, And walked after things that do not profit.” (Jeremiah 2:8)
“And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria: They prophesied by Baal And caused My people Israel to err.” (Jeremiah 23:13)
“I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.” (Jeremiah 25:13)
While I won’t say that just anyone can prophesy, I will say that prophecy is not restricted to Christians. There have been many false prophets such as Nostradamus and others down through the ages in various cultures. I know many of you will recall the ENTIRE WORLD freaking out over the end of 2012 because many interpreted the Mayan calendar predicting the world’s end (when in actuality it was only predicting the end of an era. I cover this in The Days of Noah workshop.) Even in the Bible Pontius Pilate Celtic wife had a prophetic dream about Jesus and warned her husband not to have anything to do with Him (Matt. 27:19).
In a perfect world, prophecy would be restricted to Believers, but the truth of the matter is we were all made in God’s image and likeness, and we are all spiritual beings first. Therefore, we can all pick up things in various ways from the spirit realm and speak them into our temporal realm. This is why prophecy must be judged (see #4, #5, and #13) and why we must try the spirits to see if they be of God (1 John 4:1-6.)
2. Any Believer can (and should) prophesy.
“...For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Revelation 19:10)
After that you shall come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is. And it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; and they will be prophesying. 6 Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man….
When they came there to the hill, there was a group of prophets to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11 And it happened, when all who knew him formerly saw that he indeed prophesied among the prophets, that the people said to one another, “What is this that has come upon the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” 12 Then a man from there answered and said, “But who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13 And when he had finished prophesying, he went to the high place. (1 Samuel 10:5-6, 10-13)
Then Saul sent messengers to take David. And when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as leader over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. 21 And when Saul was told, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. Then Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also. 22 Then he also went to Ramah, and came to the great well that is at Sechu. So he asked, and said, “Where are Samuel and David?”
And someone said, “Indeed they are at Naioth in Ramah.” 23 So he went there to Naioth in Ramah. Then the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on and prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 And he also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” (1 Samuel 19:20-24)
While the people of Israel were very confused to see the temporary transformation of Saul while under the influence of the Spirit of the Lord and the company of prophets, Saul was not a prophet. We have no recorded prophecies from him, nor was he identified as a prophet in the Books of Samuel, Kings, or Chronicles. Also, he had so much trouble hearing God at one point that he found a medium to call up the dead prophet Samuel just to give him a prophetic word (1 Sam. 28).
Every Believer can prophesy because every Believer has the testimony of Jesus. But this does not mean that they have a prophetic gift or a prophetic mantle.
Every Believer CAN prophesy and SHOULD! We should desire this spiritual ability and it is the heart also of the patriarchs of our faith that the people of God would prophesy.
Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy.... (1 Corinthians 14:1, 39)
“Oh, that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!” (Numbers 11:29)
And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. (Acts 2:17-18, see also Joel 2:28-29)
3. Just because someone prophesies doesn’t mean they are a prophet.
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith… (Romans 12:6)
The Gift of Prophecy (Spiritual Gifts, Manifestation of the Spirit)
There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)
The Office of the Prophet (Ascensions Gifts, Gift from Christ)
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore He says:
“When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men.”
9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:7-16)
And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? (1 Corinthians 12:28-30)
In the Church, it seems that we assume that just because someone prophesies, they are a prophet. Or just because someone prophesies often they are a prophet. But this is not automatically true. Just because one has the gift of prophecy does not mean they have the mantle and office of a prophet.
There are MANY prophetic gifts in the Body! In Scripture, we see:
Scribes
Psalmists
Minstrels
Songwriters
Artisans
In modernity, we can add to this list:
Prophetic dancers
Painters
Graphic designers
Sculptors
Music producers
Filmmakers, etc.
An individual can have one, a few, or multiple of these gifts. A person can have gifts and a mantle. The combinations are as plenteous as the ethnic diversity that makes up the Body of Christ!
And the gift is not better than the mantled office. Both those who have prophetic gifts and prophetic offices are equally important in the grand scheme of things.
4. Just because a prophecy exists doesn’t necessarily mean it’s from God.
Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left. 20 And the Lord said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. 21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ 22 The Lord said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said, ‘You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.’ 23 Therefore look! The Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the Lord has declared disaster against you.” (1 Kings 22:19-23)
And the Lord said to me, “The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart.” (Jeremiah 14:14)
They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord!’ But the Lord has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed. Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, ‘The Lord says,’ but I have not spoken.” (Ezekiel 13:7-8)
Think about the gift of discerning of spirits for a moment. A person may discern:
The Spirit of God
Spirits from God
Human Spirits
Evil Spirits (fallen angels and demons)
Atmospheres
Motives and Intents
There are MANY things to discern which means there are multiple things to be picked up in the spiritual realm that may not be from God. When Lucifer rebelled and took two-thirds of the fallen angels with him, the spirit realm was rent in two and God’s Heaven (third Heaven) became divided from Lucifer’s Heaven (second Heaven). And with the advent of the Nephilim and their subsequent deaths, the demonic race was born. This means that unclean spirits roam the heavens and the earth seeking possession and deception at every turn. False prophetic leadings is one way they accomplish their deceptions.
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8)
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils… (1 Timothy 4:1)
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)
In addition to picking up prophecies from unclean spirits, one can also be influenced by human spirits--their own or someone else’s. And this can be intentionally done or not. We can be influenced by our family, by our favourite apostles and prophets, by the news media, by social media, or by a literal witch working some sort of mental witchcraft against you.
You can also pick up something that’s in the atmosphere around you and speak from that place. This could be God or not. This also falls in the realm of a word of knowledge. Words of knowledge can come from the heavenly realm as well as the demonic or realm.
You can also prophesy out of your soul via your mind, your will, and your emotions. If you have offense, resentment, bitterness, unforgiveness, or hate toward someone, this can speak unholy things to you or negatively shape and influence an authentic word.
Just as with dreams, all prophecies are not of God.
5. Just because it’s accurate doesn’t mean it’s authentic.
Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. 17 This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” 18 And this she did for many days.
But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. 19 But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities. (Acts 16:16-19)
This story is an excellent example that just because it’s accurate doesn’t mean it’s authentic. A psychic can be authentic, but only a prophet from God has the ability to be authentic. If the prophecy is not borne of the testimony of Jesus, then it is not authentic.
People call psychics over and over because they are accurate, but the people are being brought deeper and deeper into bondage and darkness, whilst an authentic prophet and prophetic word will draw you closer and closer to God.
6. Authentic prophecy is life and light wrapped in the love of God.
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; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 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)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men….. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (John 1:1-5, 14)
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13)
Peter, the first head of the Church under Christ, taught us that authentic prophecy does not come by the will of man, but rather from Light and indeed, the Morning Star who is Jesus which corroborates Revelation 19:10. It’s also interesting to note that one of the rewards for overcoming the spirit of Jezebel--the false prophet--is the Morning Star (Rev. 2:20-28).
We know John composed the Book of Revelation and also one of the Gospels which taught us that not only was the Word in the beginning with God, but was God and later, became the God-man, Jesus Christ. He also taught us, as Peter did, that this great Light of the World shines in dark places.
And the apostle Paul taught us that we can be the greatest “chief” and “major” prophets ever seen, but if we don’t have the love of God, our prophecies and none of our actions are worth anything. And in fact, this corroborates the motivation of the ministry of Jesus.
But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. (Matthew 9:36)
No false prophecy can contain the light, life, and love of God. Jesus Himself said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life,” (John 6:63).
7. A prophet who gives a bad word isn’t the same thing as a false prophet.
So Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. (1 Samuel 3:19)
This might seem like a random, if not, diametrically opposed verse to this item, but bear with me. If the Bible was so specific about stating that God did not allow any of Samuel’s words to fall to the ground, can we safely infer that there were other legitimate prophets whose words did fall to the ground at one point or another? I think we can.
And thank GOD, but we do not live under the Law. This means that we no longer have to be stoned for missing it prophetically or in any other way for that matter. God looks at the heart and extends grace to His children. This does not mean the weight of biblical righteousness and morality is done away with. By no means! It simply means the ritualistic nature of the Law is no more.
Also, there is but one unpardonable sin and it is not giving a bad prophetic word. It is blaspheming the Holy Spirit and it actually has to do with attributing the works of God to Satan or vice versa (Matt. 12:22-32). And many biblical scholars also agree that it is only possible from someone who once knew God, but turned away as opposed to just a random person who was not a Believer. It has a lot to do with the motive and overall heart of that person which is also the difference between a prophet who missed it and a false prophet.
Furthermore, it’s easy for a young or inexperienced prophet to miss it. It’s easy for someone who’s still developing in their prophetic gift to miss it. Not to mention the margin for human error is great, so we should not simply expect someone to be 100 percent accurate because they’re our favourite prophet or even because they’ve been prophesying for a long time. Every word should still be tested to see if it be of God because sometimes, you just never know...
8. If you give a bad prophecy, REPENT.
Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance… (Matthew 3:8)
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)
Since we are in the dispensation of grace, REPENT. It’s really that simple. Most people in the Church and out will forgive someone who gives a bad word and owns it. The issue all too often comes in when someone gives a bad word and then tries to unnecessarily justify why it didn’t come to pass. There are indeed times a prophetic word will not come to pass. We’ll discuss this in #11. But then the issue may not be so much whether the word was accurate, but whether you were authorized to release it into the group or public setting you chose to. Prophetic wisdom is more than just identifying the source of a word; it’s also identifying if Heaven has authorized you to release it and to whom. But all in all, just repent. Repent, examine yourself, and maybe go back and do your first (prophetic) works.
9. In many cases, the heavier the word, the heavier the mantle.
The child-prophet Samuel was the exception, not the rule. There’s a reason that Paul spoke about not ordaining novices (1 Tim. 3:1-7). In the same way, novice prophets can bite off more than they can chew prophetically speaking. They may not have developed the character to match their skill. They may become “puffed up with pride [and] fall into the same condemnation as the devil” (v. 6).
The Kingdom is a meritocracy. When you are faithful over little, you will be trusted to be faithful over much.
“So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’” (Matthew 25:20-23)
He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. (Luke 16:10)
Even the child prodigy, Samuel, had to grow in stature and favour with God and man in order to get to the point where none of his words fell to the ground (1 Sam. 2:26, 3:19-21).
This is also a matter of jurisdiction. If God has given you a mantle fitted for a local church, community, or city, He likely will not give you very many words for the nation or world. One does not just prophesy according to the measure of their faith, but according to the measure of anointing on their life.
Yet grace [God’s undeserved favor] was given to each one of us [not indiscriminately, but in different ways] in proportion to the measure of Christ’s [rich and abundant] gift. (Ephesians 4:7 AMP)
STAY TUNED FOR PART II!
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