Where Did You Hear That!

Good morning.

We continue with the series on the gifts of the Holy Spirit as per 1 Corinthians 12:7-10.

Prophecy has two meanings according to the dictionaries. It means ‘a foretelling or prediction of what is to come’ and ‘a divinely inspired utterance or revelation, thus a message of divine truth revealing God’s will’. Prophecy therefore is not only foretelling, but also revealing the Lord’s will for now. A prophet has a gift of hearing from the Lord, and making it known to the people.

These teachings of mine, you would have noticed, are not only teachings, but exhortations to obey the Lord’s will. At the top of the blog I have this verse in Matthew 10:27: “What I tell you in darkness you must speak in the daylight, and what is whispered in your ear you must shout from the housetops.” The Lord gave it to me as a revelation (rhema) word long ago and it’s literally what is happening. When I sit down in front of my computer, I haven’t got the faintest idea what I’m going to write. I usually have the topic, which the Lord gave me earlier, but about the contents I never have a clue until I start typing. When I start, the Lord literally dictates and I type and the article flows nonstop until it’s complete. I therefore see these articles as prophetic utterances that reveal the Lord’s current will to whoever wants to listen and obey.

Jesus acted in the gift of prophecy in both respects. In e.g. Matthew 11:20-24 He prophesied the future and in verses 25-30 He revealed the Father’s will. In fact anybody who brings a message that reveals the Word of God in a divine manner, whether it’s a message from the pulpit, over the radio or television or from the congregation during praise and worship, acts in the gift of prophecy. The condition is that it should be inspired by the Holy Spirit for a time as this, and not an intellectual lecture or a message from a sermon book.

Once again we have within the church those with a prophetic gifting as a calling, which is classified under the Romans 12: 6-8 gifts, and then we have the prophetic gift of the Holy Spirit as in 1 Corinthians 12:7-10, which He gives to whoever He wishes during the meeting of the saints as well as in individual ministry. When the prophetic word involves foretelling, the purpose is to encourage and bring hope and such a word should always be tested against what the Lord has already told the hearer through His Word and in their heart – i.e. a confirmation. It should also be tested by other men or women of God and should be kept in the heart to create hope until it is fulfilled. Even a reprimand, as I and many others have once received through a general prophecy during a church service, should exhort and bring hope. A foretelling should always be based on the Word of the Lord, i.e. if the Word of God is against what is being prophesied, the prophecy should be rejected. In the same manner a prophecy, which reveals the Lord’s will for us today, should be based on Biblical truths and instruction.

I want to encourage you to listen when the Lord’s will is revealed, and to be open when He wants to tell His people something, using you as His instrument. If we disobey, those who needed to hear miss out, and we will account for it.

Lord, help me to hear when you speak and to obey.

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