2014.01.08.10 A Guide to Receiving Personal Prophecy Created by James on 1/2/2019 1:15:09 PM A discussion of personal prophecy, what is it, how to receive it, what to do once one does receive a message from Yah
A Guide to Receiving Personal Prophecy
This article was written in June 1998 based on my experiences to that point
I have learned a huge amount since then and continue to learn, however Father has said that I should put this on the website as it may be of help to some
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A Guide to Receiving Personal Prophecy
A GUIDE TO
RECEIVING PERSONAL PROPHECY
IN THE CHURCH OF
JESUS CHRIST:
(BASED ON PERSONAL EXPERIENCE)
How to receive direction from God
through His prophets
An End Time Issues Publication
Produced by
Dr James A Robertson PrEng
COPYRIGHT
This document may be copied in part or in full for the benefit of all believers provided it is not copied for commercial gain. It is only required that authorship and contact information be supplied.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION - 1
2. THE ETERNAL SIGNIFICANCE OF TRUE PROPHECY - 1
3. HOLINESS AND SANCTIFICATION IN THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET - 2
4. THE PENALTY FOR FALSE PROPHETS IS ETERNAL DEATH - 2
5. NOT ALL ARE PROPHETS - 2
6. DISCERNING THE VOICE OF GOD - 3
7. DARK SPEECH : APPARENT ERRORS - 4
8. CHOICE OF WORDS - 4
9. LIMITATIONS OF THE PROPHET's AND YOUR PARADIGM - 4
10. LIMITATIONS OF PROPHETIC ACCURACY - 5
11. SEEKING CONFIRMATION OF PROPHETIC WORDS - 5
12. THE GUIDANCE OF PEACE - 5
13. THE GUIDANCE OF OTHERS - 5
14. WHAT TO DO ONCE YOU HAVE HEARD FROM GOD - 6
15. PROPHECY DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU HAVE ARRIVED - 6
16. PROPHETS ARE HUMAN TOO - 6
17. INTERPRETING YOUR PROPHECY - 7
18. PARTIAL PICTURES - 7
19. TIMING OF FULFILMENT PERSONAL PROPHECY - 7
20. CONDITIONS OF PERSONAL PROPHECY - 7
21. SATAN IS NOT EXCITED BY YOUR PROPHECY - 8
22. PRAY PROPHECY INTO EXISTENCE - 8
23. STRIVING - 8
24. ACTION REQUIRED - 8
25. INACTION REQUIRED - 8
26. DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROPHECY - 9
1. ETERNAL PROPHECY - 9
2. CAREER PROPHECY - 9
3. OPERATIONAL PROPHECY - 9
27. ROBUST PROPHECY - 9
28. CONCLUSION - 10
BIBLIOGRAPHY - 10
A GUIDE TO
RECEIVING PERSONAL PROPHECY
IN THE CHURCH OF
JESUS CHRIST:
(BASED ON PERSONAL EXPERIENCE)
How to receive direction from God
through His prophets
1. INTRODUCTION
This document has come about as a result of personal observation over several years, both as a recipient of personal prophecies and as an observer of the response of others to personal prophecy given by me. In particular, I have been greatly saddened by the extent to which I have seen people who have received personal prophecy regularly go off and do exactly the opposite of what I heard God tell them to do.
By way of example, God informed a woman, recently divorced from a man who was involved in Satanism, that He would cut her off from her past and gave a detailed picture of Him surgically extracting her from all to do with the past. He warned of a few weeks discomfort whereafter He would start to restore what had been stolen. She proceeded to resolutely hold onto the house that belonged to her ex-husband and, when he moved into the house she proceeded to got to bed with him. In another case, a man whose wife had deserted him for another man and who together with her lover was subjecting his son to unmentionable abuse was told by God that He had delayed the serving of the divorce summons by the wife in order that the husband could serve first. He went out and, based on the counsel of well meaning fellow believers, withdrew his summons. In both cases, the victory that God had planned for them was totally frustrated by their wilful disobedience to the word of God delivered through His prophet.
It is important when considering the issue of prophecy in the Church of Jesus Christ at the end of the age (time of writing 1998) to realize that the gift of prophecy has been largely suppressed and neglected throughout most of the centuries since the death of the Apostles who wrote the New Testament. Prophecy, the voice of God through His earthen vessels, the prophets, to His people, is one of the most powerful gifts available to the church today. Accordingly, Satan has done much to discredit modern prophecy. The Apostolic is even less evident.
As a consequence, whereas in the heyday of prophets such as Elijah and others, there were "schools" of prophets where it appears that young prophets underwent an apprenticeship, today, there is hardly any such training. Consequently, most modern prophets, including the author, have learnt how to use the gift of prophecy by way of a process of Holy Spirit led discovery.
2. THE ETERNAL SIGNIFICANCE OF TRUE PROPHECY
Rick Joyner, in his book, The Final Quest, reports the Lord Jesus Christ Himself as saying the following:
"What you are thinking is true, but this comparison of man to God is not Just in size. You began to experience the power of My words. To be entrusted with My words is to be entrusted with the power by which the universe is held together. I did not do this to make you feel small, but to help you to understand the seriousness and the power of that with which you have been entrusted -- the word of God. In all of your endeavors, remember that the importance of a single word from God to man is of more value than all of the treasures on earth. You must understand and teach My brethren to respect the value of My word. As those who are called to carry My words, you must also respect the value of your own words. Those who will carry the truth must be true."
We thus see clearly the significance that the Lord Jesus places on the words that He speaks to us. From this, the true value of personal prophecy becomes apparent but, at the same time, so does the magnitude of sin of those who claim to prophesy in His name but whose claim is false. This document is intended to assist you to reap the full value from any word that you receive from God and, at the same time, to assist you to evaluate whether the vessel through whom the prophecy is delivered is, in fact, speaking as God's instrument.
3. HOLINESS AND SANCTIFICATION IN THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET
Allied with the limited extent of modern prophecy, there is an associated failure on the part of most Christians to recognize that God is calling them to Holiness and Sanctification. This is the subject of a number of discourses in course of preparation by the author. The first, entitled "Poverty in the Church of Jesus Christ: a Discourse on Contributory Factors (Based on Personal Experience) (Towards Holiness and Sanctification / Circumcision of the Heart / Growth IN CHRIST)" is available in draft. As a consequence, God has found himself speaking through vessels which are seldom as "in tune" with His Spirit as He would probably like.
Any prophet whom you permit to speak into your life should be seeking God and seeking to become Holy before God in order to be a vessel for honour. If he is, he should have a reverence for words and concern for the truth. A prophet who makes jokes, particularly those that involve untruths, is unlikely to have a full revelation that "the power of life and death is in the tongue" and that we will be called to account for every idle word we speak.
At the same time, do not overlook the fact that God once spoke through a donkey and on various occasions spoke through men who were anything but sanctified at the time. The condition of the person prophesying is therefore not always an indicator. Conversely, a person who prophesied a week ago with great accuracy will not necessarily prophesy again with the same accuracy if something has gone seriously wrong in his life. There is a great onus on prophets to live a life of integrity and constant seeking of God.
4. THE PENALTY FOR FALSE PROPHETS IS ETERNAL DEATH
As a consequence of the above, there has been a tendency for prophets to "miss it" on a regular basis and to regard "missing it" as acceptable. Another phrase for sin happens to be "miss the mark", that is, missing it is a sin. Therefore, no prophet can afford to be complacent about "missing it". The nett effect of this sloppy attitude is a reluctance on the part of many people to accept any form of prophecy and, certainly, a reluctance to base critical life decisions on prophecy. Since I truly believe that God has primarily given us prophecy in order to assist us to make critical life decisions, you will see that Satan has had a measure of success in his efforts to discredit prophecy.
In this regard, it is vital that every person who claims to be a prophet and particularly any person who gives prophecy of a directional nature, understands that they are taking their life in their hands. It is clear to me that any person who claims to speak for God but speaks from his own intellect or understanding or hears another voice such as a spirit of divination or a familiar spirit, is lying. As I read the Bible, it is quite clear, all liars and ALL false prophets will ultimately face death, in the form of separation from God by way of the lake of fire and brimstone. Simply put, they will burn in hell for eternity! As far as I can see, any prophet who does not admit this consequence of false prophecy AND FEAR IT, should not be given the time of day. A prophet who does not fear God and the possibility of error, will not seek God with the determination necessary to hear God clearly and will not have the integrity to confess and repent should he realize that he was not hearing God clearly at a particular time.
5. NOT ALL ARE PROPHETS
There is a tendency in the modern church to confuse the "Office of Prophet" and the "gift of prophecy". All spirit filled believers may prophesy from time to time but this does not make them prophets. It seems to me that people who encourage people to "stir up the gift" and prophesy over others are making a serious mistake. In my experience and understanding, it is GOD who determines when a person will prophesy. Trying to hear God on demand is likely to lead to witchcraft and divination, if God is not speaking to you and you really desire to hear something, rest assured, Satan WILL accommodate you.
The office of prophet is a senior office in the army of God, the Bible says, "first Apostles, second prophets" (1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 2:20 & 4:11). God speaks to His church primarily through His apostles and prophets. He speaks to every individual who is willing to listen, for their personal edification, instruction and guidance, He speaks to evangelists in order that they may minister effectively as evangelists, to pastors so that they may pastor effectively and to teachers so that they may teach with authority and revelation. In each case, the person involved may hear the voice of God in accordance with his calling and office, this does not make them prophets. All may, on occasion, at God's discretion, prophesy, either because He does not have a mature prophetic vessel available, because He wishes to confirm the word of a prophet, because He wishes to let the person know that they will be called to the office of prophet in due course or for other reasons which it is not our preserve to know.
It seems to me that only a person called to the office of prophet will truly comprehend the awesome responsibility associated with giving directional prophecy to any person.
6. DISCERNING THE VOICE OF GOD
From the preceding sections, it is apparent that any recipient of prophecy in this age is faced with a challenge. On the one hand, there is a distinct possibility that a prophecy could come from an earthen or even contaminated vessel and may not be from God AT ALL. There is also the possibility that the core of the message was from God but that the prophet amplified it from his own understanding, thus corrupting the message.
If the prophecy is of any import to your life, then it is vital that you assure yourself that God has spoken to you and not man or Satan. Following are a few suggestions that may help:
1. It seems to me that you should be in a place spiritually where you desire to hear from God. This does not mean that God will not speak to you at other times but at those other times when you are not where God wants you to be, be prepared to receive words of correction and even rebuke, depending on your level of maturity. Many do not wish to believe that God delivers words of rebuke today, in my experience He does.
2. The Word of God is quite explicit, God knows the thoughts of our minds and the desires of our hearts. Satan cannot read your heart or mind. Satan can only plant thoughts in your mind and watch to see the response, if you are not on your guard, it is possible for Satan to get you to think that the thought was yours and the response was from God. This can be avoided.
If you are seeking guidance from God, make an effort to sanctify yourself. If you are aware of any sin in your life, deal with it and through reading the Bible and praying daily, seek to come into a position where, as far as possible with your present level of maturity, Satan is not contaminating your thoughts. I am not advising you to seek to become perfect before God speaks to you, I am only suggesting that if you start asking questions of God while in sin, the questions may not necessarily be coming from you. Equally, in such circumstances, you may not be willing to receive the answers. Particularly, recognise that YOU not Satan are the biggest single obstacle to receiving from God.
At all times, test your questions AND the answers you receive, against the Word of God.
3. Recognizing that God knows your heart and your mind, you should make a point of ONLY discussing your most vital concerns and questions with HIM silently in your spirit (your heart through your mind). If you never articulate your questions to God to any other person and do not even articulate them to the open air (which is heavily infected with demons and fallen angels), then only God knows that you asked the question and therefore, only God can answer you.
In my own experience, this has proved to be an almost infallible aid to communicating with God and discerning His answers, not only those given through prophets but through His Word and even through secular sources.
Accordingly, if, in your heart, you have cried out to God for an answer to specific questions and have NEVER, EVER, communicated those questions to any other person and never spoken them out, even in a seemingly empty place, you can have a high degree of confidence that a person claiming to be a prophet who gives you the answer to that question has been sent by God.
4. If the person prophesying over you has never met you before and knows absolutely nothing about you, it is much more difficult for their own understanding to get in the way. Prophets are human and, sometimes, can desire to help people they know by giving a word from God. Sometimes, their own understanding adds to what God is saying. This is not to say that a prophet you know well cannot prophesy over you, simply that a prophet who knows nothing about you has no possibility of adding or subtracting from the word he gives you.
For this reason, a true prophet who is mature and responsible, should restrain you from telling him too much about yourself before he prophesies and should limit his social interaction before a meeting to the absolute minimum. This way, all concerned can have the assurance that at least the element of the flesh has been minimized.
5. If a prophecy is truly directional, God will often but not always, include elements of information that could not be known to the prophet other than by the Spirit of God. This will enable you to have greater confidence in the prophet. Be cautious in reading too much into such statements, Satan also knows what is going on to a great extent (hence my emphasis on not talking about your questions).
Such clues may not be very specific, virtually all the prophets that I know of today are not that well attuned to hear the Spirit of God that they can give exact dates, places, names and the like all that frequently. Be alert for clues such as "you are facing a major decision", "God shows me that you have been facing a brick wall", etc. If you immediately recognize such phrases as describing something that you have been crying out to God about, there are strong grounds to believe that God has spoken. However, if you have heard that a prophet is coming to town and you have told all and sundry that this is your problem, such guidance is not worth much, even if God has spoken, how will you be sure?
Silence and discretion are important elements of receiving guidance from God.
Many times, if God speaks through a mature prophet in a sanctified atmosphere, you will not have a moments doubt that God has spoken. A truly directional prophetic word will contain sufficient pointers for you to have absolutely no doubt that you have heard from God.
7. DARK SPEECH : APPARENT ERRORS
It is important to understand that, nearly all the time, God speaks to all of us, including His prophets in what is referred to by some as "dark speech". Dark speech as I experience it is not an audible voice, it is something that wells up in my spirit and which I communicate in words. As best I can determine, most prophets hear God this way.
Thus while the words that flow out of a prophets mouth may come with power and authority, he is still responsible for framing those words. Consequently, his understanding can get in the way. As an example, I once prophesied over a young man of about twenty one years of age who was at University. However, in appearance, he did not look older than about sixteen and I mistakenly assumed that he was still at school. As a consequence, throughout the prophecy, I referred to "school" not university. I think that I also adjusted some of what I said in order to conform to my incorrect assessment that I was speaking to a school pupil. The nett effect was that I later heard that most of the prophecy had been rejected as being incorrect. I was at fault for not checking at the start but sometimes these errors do occur. Consequently, I appeal to you to give careful consideration to any prophecy that you receive that contains this sort of error. It does not mean that God has not spoken to you, it simply means that the vessel through which He spoke, slipped up and applied inappropriate words to certain contexts.
8. CHOICE OF WORDS
As indicated in the previous section, the prophet speaks using the words that he knows. In other words, a prophet who is an engineer, such as I am, will speak using a vocabulary that is consistent with his knowledge and experience. A prophet who is a farm labourer will deliver the same word in a vocabulary consistent with his occupation. A prophet who only reads the King James Version will tend to prophesy in Elizabethan English. Do not be offended or misled, it is the heart of the message that is important, the choice of phrases and words should not be a stumbling block. At the same time, I believe that God will seek to be as precise as possible within the constraints of the vocabulary of the prophet.
9. LIMITATIONS OF THE PROPHET's AND YOUR PARADIGM
As an extension of the thoughts in the two preceding sections on dark speech and choice of words, it is also important to understand that a prophet can only hear God within the limits of what He can believe God can say. Likewise, YOU can only hear God and the prophet through your paradigm.
As a simple example. God rested on the seventh day of the week and declared it to be the Sabbath. We all know that Sunday is the first day of the week. If we stop and think about it we will all realize that the Sabbath is really Saturday and NOT Sunday. Accordingly if, in church on a Sunday morning, the Lord tells you through a prophet that He requires you to start observing the Sabbath, he will first have to find a prophet who knows that the true Sabbath is Saturday otherwise the prophet will almost certainly fail to deliver the word correctly because his paradigm will tell him that you are already observing the Sabbath, after all you are in church on Sunday! For the same reason, you will have a problem receiving that word.
This principle applies to many other things that God may say through His prophets. Another example, a man who has not satisfied God's requirements for divorce but is divorced in the eyes of the world is told to make right with his wife otherwise Satan will continue to attack his finances. According to his paradigm, the man is not married, therefore, he rejects the word. Beware of paradigm paralysis, as God draws His church to ALL truth, MANY paradigms and doctrines are about to be challenged. His apostles and prophets are the people who will be at the cutting edge.
10. LIMITATIONS OF PROPHETIC ACCURACY
As you will see from the above, it is a rare prophet who will be 100% accurate with every word that he delivers. Accordingly, you are faced with the challenge of sifting the wheat from the chaff in every prophecy you receive. While the prophet is accountable to God for delivering the word as accurately as he is able, YOU are accountable for discerning the will of God and acting on it.
11. SEEKING CONFIRMATION OF PROPHETIC WORDS
If unsure about the accuracy of a prophetic word, pray about it and ask God to confirm His word.
If you had previously been sloppy with the words of your mouth, now is the time to get serious about harnessing your tongue. The Epistle of James is a good place to start, particularly chapter 3 verses 1 to 12. I suggest you read the entire Epistle several times and pray over it. It is strong medicine but strong medicine is called for if you truly desire God's guidance in your life.
Do not discuss the prophecy with ANYONE, particularly do not discuss your concerns, until you have prayed about it and studied the Word of God insofar as it applies to the situation. For as long as you keep your MOUTH SHUT, Satan cannot gain any information with which to attack you and further confuse you. As long as you pray silently in your heart to God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ His Son, you have the assurance that only He can hear you.
As you commune with God on the prophecy that you have received, you will either gain assurance of that word in your spirit or you will begin to increasingly reject it. At the same time, IN YOUR HEART, not out loud, you can ask God to confirm His word to you by way of scripture verses, actions and words spoken through other people, etc. As long as your sincere desire is to do God's will in the situation and NOT your own and as long as the questions that you ask Him are asked in faith without doubting and are sincere, my experience has been that He always answers. In my experience, the only time He does not answer is when He knows that you already know the answer and are trying to "play it safe". At that point, He requires you to stand on your own feet.
I have found that God has met me with all sorts of signs. Words spoken by people at next meeting. Happenings which most people would call coincidences but which, by virtue of my silent prayer of faith, I have been looking out for and know could not have come from any other source and which I have not been striving to see fulfilled, all have been powerful confirmations of God's hand in my life. If you do not know what sign to ask for, pray and ask Him what sign He wants you to request. but DO NOT pray out loud!!!
12. THE GUIDANCE OF PEACE
Many people place reliance on "having peace about it". Several years ago, God anointed me to administer His peace, the peace that passes all understanding. This is a supernatural peace that cannot be compared to anything else. Frequently I perceive that the peace that people refer to is a degree of comfort with what has been said. In my own experience, God frequently denies me that sort of peace (that is own comfort) when He speaks to me. In many cases, He will require us to do things which are extremely uncomfortable, like making amends to someone we have badly harmed. In such cases, most people have anything BUT peace, they feel uncomfortable, threatened and unsure. Carnal peace in a case like this will lead to inaction and disobedience to the will and word of God. In such circumstances, Satan will do everything possible to give you disquiet when faced with that action and will give you a carnal selfish "peace" when you decide that you are in the will of God. Beware of basing difficult decisions on "peace" unless you are absolutely certain that you have prayed the thing through to a point where you have "the peace of God". In a case such as those referred to, the peace of God will come when you have settled it in your heart that you WILL DO what God has told you to do, no matter how difficult and how painful it will be and that you will not count the cost. Then peace may be a guide but, the rest of the time, I do not understand the word of God to indicate that you can be lead around by "feeling peace".
13. THE GUIDANCE OF OTHERS
If you are still unsure, discuss it with your pastor or some other mature believer. They may be able to immediately confirm that what you were given is something that God had already shown them but which they had realized you needed to hear directly for yourself.
Be aware, however, that other people are just that, people, like you they are imperfect vessels who do not always hear God clearly. They also have a tendency to "lean to their own understanding", in other words, if they think that you should do something contrary to the prophecy that you have received, they will counsel you that was not of God. Remember, throughout the Bible, God has made a point of doing things that the majority of the people did not think was God. He has also made a point of constantly doing new things, there was only one Ark, only one occasion that He led people with a cloud by day and fire by night, only one occasion that He sent His Son to be crucified, etc. He is quite likely to lead you in ways others do not understand and to require you to do things others do not agree with.
You must realize that you are ultimately accountable to God for what you do with your life and what you do with every word that He speaks to you in person. NO ONE ELSE is accountable. You will eventually stand before the Judgement Seat of Christ entirely on your own, you will have to account for your obedience or disobedience to the word that God gave you.
In certain cases, you can go back to the prophet who gave you the original word. In that case, DO NOT TELL HIM ANYTHING, simply request that he pray for you again and seek clarification. The less you tell a prophet about yourself and the more you avoid making friends with him, the longer he will be able to speak into your life effectively. Don't feel bad about it, God requires His prophets to be lonely, that is the way He gets them to spend time with Him. In reality, they are not alone at all, they have a level of fellowship with the Most High God that most people cannot comprehend, do not allow soulish pity to interfere with your relationship with the prophets God sends across your path.
14. WHAT TO DO ONCE YOU HAVE HEARD FROM GOD
Having satisfied yourself that at the very least, the core of the prophecy that you received, is from God, what do you do?
In the first instance, you are faced with a challenge in terms of understanding and applying the word that you have received. Prophecy frequently comes in the form of metaphors and parables. Prophets may see visions of forks in roads, mountains, walls and any other picture that God chooses to use in order to communicate to him and to you quickly, effectively and accurately the message that God has for you. In other cases, God may speak through the prophet as though the prophet were taking dictation, he has no prior knowledge of the words that will issue from his mouth and will in many cases almost immediately forget most of them. In the highest form of prophetic anointing which I have ever experienced, and that only twice, God spoke through me for a total of about an hour where I had absolutely no idea what would happen next.
Having received these words, metaphors and pictures, you are now faced with discerning God's will and His direction in your life and then taking action according to what you understand God to have said.
15. PROPHECY DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU HAVE ARRIVED
At this point, it is important to stress that the fact that you have received a personal prophecy does not mean that you have "arrived" in the kingdom of God or, in fact, that you are any more special in His sight than any other believer. Perhaps the worst thing that you can do after receiving personal prophecy is to become puffed up. Be blessed, be grateful and stand in awe of the God who created the heavens and the earth taking the trouble to send a prophet to speak to you personally. Do not become proud. God resists the proud!
In my own experience, once you become aware that God will speak to you through His prophets, one becomes very conscious of this gift and tends to seek it constantly. A point may come where God declines to speak to you further through His prophets because He now wants you to concentrate on hearing Him. At one point, after I had cried out for further guidance, I received a gentle rebuke to the effect that I knew the answer and should concentrate on hearing God myself.
You may find it interesting and, I hope salutary, to realize that even prophets seek to hear direction from God through other prophets! It seems to me that any prophet who becomes overconfident of his gifting will rapidly open the door for attack by spirits of pride and vanity (the demonic spirit of the false prophet).
16. PROPHETS ARE HUMAN TOO
As noted elsewhere, prophets are human too. This means that they are not gods and should not be treated as such. It also means that they should not be expected to act as gods. Because of the power of prophecy, prophets are subject to a high level of attack by Satan and his demons and fallen angels, second only to the attack on apostles. Consequently, expect to find that there are areas in the life of a prophet which are not necessarily the way you think they should be! Equally, indications are that God permits prophets to fall from time to time in order to keep them humble, do not be duped into rejecting your prophecy because the prophet is a man of clay like you are.
Remember always that Jesus told you NOT to judge others. Accordingly, judge not His prophets and do NOT speak against them. The only issue for you is whether God spoke through the man in question or not. If God chooses to speak through an imperfect vessel, be thankful, there are very few perfect vessels around.
17. INTERPRETING YOUR PROPHECY
The steps necessary to understand your prophecy can include all those set out in section 6, discerning the voice of God, section 11, seeking confirmation of prophetic words, section 12, the guidance of peace and section 13, the guidance of others. The same cautions apply.
In some cases, the interpretation may be instantly obvious to you, in other cases, it may seem very unclear. Because it is unclear, do not reject it. God sees things very differently to us and, as you seek to understand His word to you, you may come to see yourself and your current situation differently.
Also be wary of jumping to conclusions. I am aware of cases where the immediate understanding of the person receiving the prophecy, sometimes coloured by partial recollection, led them to interpret part of a prophecy incorrectly and thereafter to take incorrect action.
If you have a copy of the prophecy on tape, listen to it several times until you have heard all the finer nuances. God places great emphasis on words, accordingly, do not ignore words lightly. As with reading the Bible where you may have to read a verse and pray over it repeatedly before you have a revelation of it's meaning, so with prophecy.
18. PARTIAL PICTURES
It is not uncommon for God to unfold a picture gradually. Sometimes there is insufficient time, other times, if you were given the whole prophecy in one go you would be overwhelmed and could not receive it.
In one instance in my own life, I received something like fifteen personal prophecies in the space of about six months after I specifically prayed and asked God to speak to me through His prophets. In some cases I received short words but I also received several prophecies of over an hour duration at private meetings arranged specifically because God had shown a prophet that He required to speak to me in that detail.
Accordingly, do not be disappointed because a particular prophetic word does not answer all your questions. God may unfold the picture gradually or, having perhaps reassured you about your direction, He may then require you to seek Him personally in prayer and His word. There can be no hard and fast rules. God leads each one of us personally and individually according to our personalities and His plan for us.
19. TIMING OF FULFILMENT PERSONAL PROPHECY
As with prophecy in the Bible, one prophecy can have more than one interpretation. It can apply to an immediate situation, "tomorrow" and also to a situation years ahead. Within one prophecy, some parts can be fulfilled immediately or within days or weeks, other parts may not come to pass for years.
I have heard a number of cases of personal prophecy that has taken years to be fulfilled. Because God spoke to you today, do not make the mistake of expecting it all to happen tomorrow.
In particular, recognize that long term prophecy will assist you to position yourself within God's calling on your life and to better understand apparently inexplicable events in the years between the receipt of the prophecy and it's fulfilment.
20. CONDITIONS OF PERSONAL PROPHECY
While most personal prophecies do not contain an explicit IF clause, please realize that almost without exception they are all subject to certain conditions.
There is an unfortunate tendency in the Church today to believe that God will bless His children "at any cost" and irrespective of their behaviour, this does not accord with my experience.
All the blessings in the Bible are associated with conditions, do not judge, obey the commandments of God, love one another as I have loved you, etc, etc. If, at the time that you receive a prophecy, you are in a particular place of obedience to God, the fulfilment of the prophecy is, at the very least, almost certainly dependent on your maintaining that level of obedience and sanctification. If you have been diligently reading the Bible and praying for several hours a day and you then receive a personal prophecy and stop, Satan will come in and do everything possible to prevent the prophecy being fulfilled.
For a detailed analysis on the footholds that Satan can use to attack your life and prevent you walking in the blessings of God, please read the "Discourse on Poverty" by the same author. From this you will gain an insight into how your actions grant Satan footholds whereby he can attack you, your finances, your family, your health, etc.
God requires us to walk in obedience, accordingly, seek to draw closer to Him after receiving a personal prophecy, do NOT rest on your laurels.
21. SATAN IS NOT EXCITED BY YOUR PROPHECY
Recognize throughout that Satan will do everything possible to prevent you receiving what God has promised you. Very few prophecies are delivered in a truly sanctified atmosphere, accordingly it is almost certain that some of Satan 's demons or fallen angels will have been in the vicinity when the prophecy was delivered. Be certain that Satan will do everything he can to prevent that prophecy coming to fulfilment. Accordingly, if you are excited by your prophecy because it opens up new vistas of your Christian walk or career, expect Satan to be "as mad as a snake". It is quite likely that "all hell" will break lose immediately after you have received a major prophecy and that the onslaught will be directed at causing you to sin, to stumble, to backslide, or any other action that Satan assesses will prevent you from moving forward with God.
Receipt of a personal prophecy is time to press in to God as never before.
22. PRAY PROPHECY INTO EXISTENCE
All authority on earth was handed over to Satan by Adam and recovered for true believers by Jesus. It is up to us to exercise that authority. God has chosen to restrict His actions on earth to those which are mandated by His believers taking authority and praying to the Father in the name of Jesus.
In many cases, you will be expected by God to pray that which He has revealed to you prophetically into existence. This does not involve strident or petulant demands of the "God YOU promised" variety, but thankful, authoritative prayers, prayed in faith and led by the Holy Spirit as far as you are able to submit to Him.
23. STRIVING
In the same way, whatever you do, do not go out to make the prophecy happen in your own strength. I once received a very specific prophecy about a situation that was very dear to my heart and which involved a situation which had major import for my two small children. Based on that prophecy, I went out and presumptuously took certain action that under normal conditions I would never have taken. My justification at all times was that God had told me that He was going to give me victory in the situation and I was now doing what He had said He would do. The nett effect was that I proceeded to do a string of extremely foolish things which caused me to lose the battle, not because God was unwilling or unable but because I got in His way and, instead of resting in Him and trusting Him, I tried to do what He had said He would do, on His behalf.
Increasingly, it seems to me, God gives us personal prophecy, as much to show us how immature and disobedient we are as to physically grant us things. The lesson that we HAVE to learn, if we are to grow is that God can only operate in our lives to the extent that we permit Him to move, are obedient to Him and do not get in His way. There is a period in our Christian walk where I think we get in His way more than anything else. It is a period of many disappointments but also a period of dramatic growth and development of maturity, provided we "press in" and seek to overcome.
24. ACTION REQUIRED
In many cases prophecy received may require action. This could include, resign from your job and go into full time ministry, the decision that you are about to take is correct or is incorrect. You are not coming under attack from Satan, your flesh is rising up, deal with it. You are at a cross roads, the path that seems attractive is the wrong path and will take you out of the will of God, etc. Once you have satisfied yourself that God has, indeed, spoken to you. Do whatever He has told you to do as expeditiously as possible, unless you are certain that it is something for a later date.
If, as in the case of the two examples in the introduction, you do not take the necessary action or take contrary or conflicting action, you will get out of the will of God. In some cases, you may lose very little, in other cases you could lose everything. In the case of striving referred to in section 23, I lost my business, my children and virtually all that I owned. Personal prophecy is NOT to be taken lightly or carelessly. If God takes the trouble to speak to you through His prophets, accept that Satan will consider that you warrant his attention. Broadly speaking, the more attention God gives you, the more attention Satan will give you. Do NOT be discouraged, rejoice that your name is written in the Lambs Book of Life! Seek the Joy of the Lord which will truly be your strength.
25. INACTION REQUIRED
Conversely, there are some prophecies which will not require any immediate action on your part other than prayerful observation. Such prophecies may unfold according to God's timing over months or years. All that God requires of you is a settled assurance that He is guiding you and a quiet obedience which causes you to evaluate anything that happens in the light of the prophecy and to seek His guidance on resultant decisions which may, at first glance, have little to do with the prophecy.
26. DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROPHECY
There appear to be a number of distinct classes of prophecy that we may receive:
1. ETERNAL PROPHECY
Eternal prophecy is the category into which the Revelation of Jesus Christ and other prophecies in the Bible of similar import, fall. This relates to prophecy regarding things which SHALL come to pass. These things are part of God's time table and plan for His creation. Nothing that man or Satan does will prevent these things from coming to pass.
2. CAREER PROPHECY
Career prophecy is that prophecy which relates to the direction of a man, a church or a nation. It outlines God's intended direction. In some cases, this prophecy may have elements of eternal prophecy, in other words, God is intent on that direction whether men obey Him or not. Be assured that if you ever get a word like this over your life that you should stand in reverent fear of God over it. If God says He WILL bring it to pass, rest assured that anyone who gets in His way will have a very uncomfortable ride.
I recently was required to deliver a word to a man whom God had equipped throughout his life and career to perform a very specific function in this age. God reminded that man, through me, that he was the only man on the earth with that particular knowledge and gifting and informed him that His purpose for that individual would be fulfilled in him whether he liked it or not. The Lord then went on to inform the person concerned that He would "break pride and selfishness" in that man's life and that God would preserve his life but take everything else from him if he did not repent. I even saw a vision of the man (a former millionaire) begging bread. I was left in no doubt that if that man did not repent and turn around very rapidly, he was in for a VERY rough ride.
As far as I am able to discern, there are very few people who find themselves in such a privileged position, Jeremiah was one, John the Baptist another. Accordingly, I conclude that, in most cases, what I have called career prophecy will be subject to the obedience of the individual, nation or body receiving the prophecy. In general, God will call someone else if the first person is disobedient.
3. OPERATIONAL PROPHECY
Operational prophecy is that prophecy that is given for the day to day conduct of the believers' life. It can be of great short term import and can give rise to major changes in direction or it may merely confirm or encourage the believer in certain understanding. In my experience, most personal prophecy falls into this category.
As such, the fulfilment of this prophecy is largely dependent on the conduct of the believer, as set out elsewhere in this document.
27. ROBUST PROPHECY
I have made reference in passing in previous sections to words of correction and rebuke. It is vital that you understand that God the Father loves you. His love is a robust, no nonsense love. He wants you to be prepared as a "spotless bride" for His Son Jesus. He wants you to wage war effectively against Satan on His behalf in this life, He wants you to reach out and touch the lives of billions of hurting people by being His hands and feet on the earth. Accordingly, as you mature and accept greater responsibility from Him, expect Him to correct you robustly if you get out of line. In the "Discourse on Poverty", I present a military analogy, when you reach a level of maturity where you are being trained up to become a front line soldier for Christ, expect Him to exercise the sort of discipline over you that you would expect a soldier in training to receive.
Accordingly, rejoice when you receive words of robust correction, as long as they are given prophetically and not in the flesh. The fact that God now deems you mature enough for Him to treat you fully as a maturing son and not a whimpering baby is cause to rejoice. Only when you reach that level can you truly begin to become effective in His service.
One of the reasons, as I understand it, that God refers to David as "a man after My Own heart", was because David was quick to repent when rebuked. God is looking for that attribute in each one of us. Accordingly, if you receive a prophetic word of rebuke, I appeal to you to be quick to repent and turn around.
For as long as you are so self willed, selfish and immature that you cannot receive rebuke and correction from God, please recognize that the label "Christian" is not of much significance. Jesus went to the Cross on the express will of His Father, why should His Father treat you as a baby in nappies for your entire Christian walk?
28. CONCLUSION
I pray that I have covered enough ground for you to have a better understanding of the context in which you have received your prophecy, how to satisfy yourself that God has indeed spoken to you and, more importantly, how you go about receiving what He has promised and avoid inadvertently sabotaging the blessings that you have been promised.
If you have suggestions for improving this document, please do not hesitate to contact us. If you have queries regarding your prophesy and have prayed about it and truly feel that you need assistance from us, please write, we will respond as the Holy Spirit leads us, in other words, we do not guarantee to reply -- we will seek to reply only if and when He leads us to, you may be on your own with GOD! (not a bad place to be).
God bless you,
JAMES ROBERTSON
BIBLIOGRAPHY
JOYNER, RICK "The Final Quest" Whitaker House. 30 Hunt Valley Circle, New Kensington, PA 15068, USA : ISBN 0-88368-478-0
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