How do you know God’s plan for your life? And how do you know if you’re following it?
I believe God speaks to us in many ways, such as through the Bible, that still, small voice that speaks to our hearts, or the wisdom and advice of pastors, teachers, and friends. But He also does this crazy thing where He speaks something specific directly to you from the mouth of someone who doesn’t even know you.
I call this prophecy, or a prophetic word. And I absolutely love it.
I want to share a word I received back in 2010 while visiting a Hispanic church in Covington. But first, I want to give a bit of Biblical basis for prophecy.
Prophecy means to speak the Word of God. So proclaiming the Scripture, or just speaking a word of encouragement to someone that you feel God leading you to speak, is prophecy. God wants His people to speak His word, so there is a lot of information, instruction, and examples of prophecy in the Bible. Here are four points that I think are most important.
- Prophecy should encourage. 1 Corinthians 14 is all about gifts of the Spirit, and how to use them, particularly the gift of tongues and prophecy. Verses 1 & 3 lay the groundwork for prophecy. “Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy…the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. (1 Corinthians 14:1, 3 NIV). So prophecy is a gift of the Spirit, and we should eagerly desire it. And the purpose of it is to strengthen, encourage, and comfort others.
- Prophecy should be tested. Never believe something someone says just because they say God told them. Use the logic God gave you, and trust your ability to hear Him for yourself. Sometimes people use God’s name to manipulate, and sometimes they have sincere motives, but they are just mistaken. So you should test every prophetic word. 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21 says, “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good.” Prophecy should always line up with the truth of God’s word. And it should resonate with what God is already speaking to you. When you receive a prophetic word, the first thing you should do is pray about it, asking God to reveal to you the truth in it. If there’s something you don’t agree with or understand, research the topic in Scripture. And if something doesn’t seem applicable to you, just “put it on the shelf” and keep it in mind in case it comes up again later. Maybe it was truth, but wrong timing.
- Prophecy should be waited upon. Psalm 37:7 says, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him…” Don’t act on a prophetic word right away to try to make it happen. If it’s really from God, He will make it happen. It may require some action on your part to be fulfilled, but be patient, wait on God’s timing, and follow His leading. As you’ll see, I had to wait over 4 years to see some of the things in this word come to pass. I was beginning to wonder if it would ever happen. Then out of nowhere, I felt the Holy Spirit’s nudge to take action. If you follow God’s leading, you’ll never miss out on something He has planned for you, and you’ll always be right on time.
- Prophecy should be done! I think a lot of people are too scared of the potential dangers of prophesying, so they just don’t do it at all. But that’s not what God wants. Scripture clearly tells us to prophesy, and that God’s people will prophesy. One of my favorite verses on the subject is Joel 2:28 (and quoted in Acts 2:17) “…I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy…” If you are a son or daughter of God, the you can prophesy. So if you feel Holy Spirit nudging you to share a Scripture with someone, or pray for them, or share something specific God has put on your heart for them, go for it! Step out in faith and prophesy.
So hear it is. Of all the prophetic words I have received, none have resonated with my heart like this one has. And the reason I want to share it with you on my blog is because I feel like in a lot of ways, the World Race is the fulfillment of the word. So listen and be encouraged that what God says happens.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wev1slg5Xa8&feature=youtu.be
