A prophet is a person who is gifted to perceive the heart and mind of God and declare that to a person, church, city or nation. In other words a prophet is a messenger or spokesman for God (Haggai 1:13). In the Old Testament prophets stood alone and often outside of society, but in the New Testament they are part of the Church and minister alongside other prophets (1 Cor 14:29-32) as well as apostles, evangelists, pastors and teachers (Eph 4:11). Prophets bring direction and correction and are used by God to build up, stir up, and cheer up the saints (1 Cor 14:3). Prophets have a three-fold job description 1) Be a prophet 2) Raise up more prophets 3) Equip the saints to be prophetic.
Prophecy is a message from God that a Christian shares with someone else or with the church. Prophets are particularly gifted to hear what God is saying but all Christians can prophesy and hear the voice of the Shepherd (John 10:27). A prophecy normally comes through an inner impression, the still, small voice of God, a vision, or a dream. A prophecy is sometimes called a prophetic word or simply a word. We are commanded to eagerly desire to prophesy as it builds up the church (1 Cor 14:1, 3; 1 Cor 14:39). All prophecy should be judged to see if it really is a message from God.
The Bible is very clear that we must test all prophecy. We are not to be naïve and gullibly believe that just because someone says they have a message from God it really is from God. On the other hand we must also be open to God speaking to us through prophecy and not have an overly skeptical or dismissive attitude:
1Thes 5:19-21
Do not put out the Spirit's fire; 20 do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21 Test everything. Hold on to the good.
I John 4:1
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
You have three options when judging a prophecy:
- Reject the word
- Wait for confirmation on the word
- Receive the word.
In judging whether a prophecy really is from God we test three things:
- We test the message – does it line up with Scripture? Anything that contradicts the Bible should be rejected.
- We test the messenger – how godly and spiritually mature are they? If someone is living in sin, or seems like a fanatic, or is a new believer, you should be more cautious in receiving the word.
- We test the method – was it given in love and do you have peace? Prophecies given in a harsh condemning way or that shame and embarrass people are very unlikely to be from God.
It is also wise to take the prophecy to a spiritually mature believer, especially a Spirit-filled pastor who understands prophecy, and ask for their advice. This is especially true if the prophecy contains elements of correction or guidance.
Ultimately a prophecy is judged spiritually. Does it witness with your spirit? Does it seem right deep down inside? Does it seem like God is saying that it is right? When you pray about it does your spirit seem excited and free or are you knotted up in confusion and a feeling of dis-ease? Ultimately you must go with your gut-feeling.
If you are still not sure whether the word is from God, wait for confirmation. The Holy Spirit will confirm with your spirit whether it is from God or give you further direction.
Presuming that you have tested the prophecy and have judged it to be from God you should:
- Record and write the word down (Hab 2:2-3).
- Get advice from mature believers (Prov 15:22).
- Follow the prophecy and in so doing fight the good fight (1 Tim 1:18).
1 Tim 1:18
I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight.
We follow the prophecy by trusting God and standing in faith that the word will be fulfilled, and by doing everything that is necessary from our side to see the fulfilment of the prophecy. Obviously only God can make a prophecy come true but none-the-less there are still conditions we must fulfil.
It is critical that you realise that all prophecy is conditional – even if conditions were not stated in the prophecy. Prophecy is a declaration of what will be, provided you exercise your faith and obey God. For instance, if a person receives a prophecy that they will be a great evangelist one day that word will not come true - even if it is from God - if the person lives in sin, never develops their relationship with God, or is lazy in sharing the Gospel. However, we must also not try and make the prophecy come true or run ahead of God. We must submit the prophecy to God and trust Him to fulfil it in His own time.
It is also important to realise that after a great prophetic word we often experience prophetic contradiction. This is when our lives seem to go in the opposite direction to the prophecy spoken over our lives. For instance Joseph was shown that his brothers would bow down before him but soon after found himself in a pit looking up at his brothers. David was prophesied to be the next king of Israel but soon found himself on the run as a fugitive and exile. The process of the fulfilment of a prophetic word is often:
- Declaration – God declares His intention and purpose for your life.
- Distress – puts you through trials and difficulty.
- Development – to cause you to develop in maturity and character.
- Demonstration – and then brings about the fulfilment of His purpose.
Probably the best response to personal prophecy in the Bible is that of Mary the mother of Jesus who received a prophecy that was incredibly difficult to believe. Yet note her response:
- She believed the prophecy.
Luke 1:38
"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said."
- She then meditated on the prophecy.
Luke 2:19
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
- She told an older more spiritually mature friend and received encouragement:
Luke 1:45
[Elizabeth said] Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!
- She worshipped God with her whole heart:
Luke 1:46
And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour..."
If we will also believe our prophecies, treasure and ponder them in our hearts, receive wise counsel, and worship God wholeheartedly we will see the fulfilment of impossible things!
2 Chr 20:20
"Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful."