Is Prophecy Really Relevant For Me
The Apostle Paul tells Timothy in 1 Tim 4:14 (NIV): "Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you."
Strong's Concordance 4394 says "Prophecy, the gift of communicating and enforcing revealed truth."
The Greek Dictionary (Lexicon-Concordance) G4394 says: prophecy 1a) a discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden."
My personal belief is that "prophecy is the declared intentions of God." So when we receive a personal word or when a corporate word is given, that word is declaring what God intends to do. Unfortunately, a large portion of the church world has done away with the prophets; therefore prophecy, both personal and corporate are not recognized or accepted, but God has not done away with it. The office of the Prophet is still alive and active as a vital part of the fivefold ministry. Because of the elimination of prophets in the local church there is a lack of teaching, training and understanding of what prophecy is and how it functions today. However, God has not done away with his friends the prophets; and where there are prophets, there will be prophecy.
In the Old Testament the only way God spoke was through his prophets, but in the New Testament, after the indwelling of the Holy Spirit was released to the believers we can now come directly to the Father by the Holy Spirit. However, that does not eliminate the purpose of the prophet, or his job.
Jesus himself set up the five fold ministry as spoken in Ephesians 4:11 (KJV) "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;"
As with everything, some person somewhere is going to mess something up. When it comes to religion, mankind has excelled at messing it up, but you see religion is mankind's idea of what and who God is, and as with most things; what we don't understand - we tend to exclude from our daily lives, and prophecy is no exception.
What are the Conditions?
It greatly saddens me to see that God's own people do not believe that he wants to speak to them in such a personal way. He is our Abba Father, and our Father knows everything about us, from beginning to end. With every prophecy, both personal and corporate, there are conditions that apply. The first condition is simple; you have to believe to receive. Secondly, we have to live our lives in alignment with the word of God. God can, and will say what he has planned for you; but if you are living outside his word, his promises will not come to pass for you. You are the one that determines the final outcome.
God told Abram that he would be a father of many nations when at the time Abram had no children. (see Genesis 17:5) Our physical circumstances will often be opposite of what our prophecy is saying. That's why God changed Abrams name to Abraham, so that every time Abraham said his own name it reminded him of God's intended outcome for him. Our words must speak not what we see, but what we are believing for. It is sad, but many people will stand back with their arms folded, waiting to see before they believe, but spectators never become recipients, because receiving requires believing.
Time: the Great Enemy of Believing
We too often judge a prophecy by our natural timetable. When it does not come to pass, when we think it should, then we dismiss it as false. God knows no time, yet he is well aware of every passing moment of our lives. So much of what was spoken of in the Old Testament has yet to take place. Some will say, "it's in the Old Testament so it is past." NOT SO my friends! Much of what was spoken then is for such a time as NOW. There is an appointed time for God's word to be fulfilled and when we keep our minds and spirit turned toward God, his word spoken over us will surely come to pass.
A word from the Lord will always be impossible with man, that's why we cannot receive it with our carnal minds. The carnal mind is the enemy of God. Romans 8:7 (NIV) tells us; "the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so."
Wanting the word to come to pass our way may sound good to our natural hearing, but it can only be fulfilled through the mighty hand of God. Unfortunately, that is why so many believers disregard the prophetic, because they are living with a carnal mindset. It is crucial that we allow God to fulfill his word, in his time and in his way. We cannot dictate how and when God does anything.
We often are disappointed because we think God failed to fulfill his promises to us when in reality he just didn't do it in our time frame. Abraham pleaded with God to allow Ishmael to be the appointed heir, (see Gen 17:18-22) but God replied to him by saying he would bless Ismael but he could not be the covenant heir. Why, because Ismael was from Abrahams natural ability - not by God's supernatural power.
It Shall Come to Pass
The longer we wait for the fulfillment of our promises to take place, the more confused we can become. We begin to wonder if we heard God right. Did we miss a turn or a step somewhere along the way? Our friends seem to lose interest in standing with us, and we get words of "advice" about what we should or should not do. We are told to give a certain amount of monies, or pledge an odd amount for a certain amount of time, all in the effort to make God's promises come to pass.
My friend, all God requires of us is that we believe that he will do exactly as he promised. We are in a season of time that has never existed before, and it is only the beginning of the greatest outpouring of God's glory man has ever experienced. The breakthroughs we are waiting for will not be just an ordinary breakthrough, but they will break us through into the extraordinary move of God.
Though you may have already waited a long time for your prophecies to come to pass, the answer will be so much greater than you ever imagined. TRUST GOD with your life and ALL that concerns you. You will not be disappointed anymore than Abraham was when Isaac was born. When we are resting in our Heavenly Father, time will draw us closer to him, not further away. God will not only sustain you in the wait for His word to be fulfilled, but He will draw you closer to him.
My friends, you can be totally assured that God's word will be fulfilled in your life. Do not judge God by our natural timetable; choose to believe, receive, and act on what He has said. Then let him do what only he can do, in whatever way he chooses. You will not be disappointed. God will not fail you. His promises to you will be fulfilled, and your personal prophetic word will come to pass.
Georgina Buchanan
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