However, the bible says of the prophetic, “So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper” 2 Chronicles 20:20 New King James Version.
Prophecy is how God communicates with his people from the days of the bible until now and it’s a gift of the spirit – 1 Corinthians 12:10.
The purpose of the gifts of the spirit is for us to benefit and experience the grace and power of God in every area of our life.
Having said that the bible does issue a warning about believing the prophet or prophecy here:
“Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world” 1 John 4:1.
The Test Of A Prophet
The only test of a true prophet is if a prophecy comes true. Sometimes it happens quickly and sometimes it might take a while, but we must wait for it when it’s from God. You know a prophecy is from God because your spirit will bear witness as it did when you became a Christian (Romans 8:16) and in line with John 16:13.
Sometimes, however, when it is delayed the danger is to accuse the prophet and or view them with suspicion.
One example of a prophecy taking long is the prophecy by David Wilkerson in 1986 about the outbreak of a disease that would shut society and churches down and the effects it will have on bringing us back to God. See below…
Another thing we need to consider is, while we wait what should we be doing and how should we prepare ourselves to receive the will of God? God always gives us a warning to enable us to humble ourselves, pray and turn from our wicked ways 2 Chronicles 7:14. He also uses the prophet to draw our focus back to Himself, so that he can be glorified and His people blessed, but it doesn’t always happen in a way we would expect or even recognise except by the spirit of God.
The turnaround of a similar period of lockdown had been prophesied in Israel and things had been terrible for a lot of people (as they are now), so when the prophet prophesied there was at least one doubter whose unbelief cost him dearly.
See for yourself in 2 Kings 7.
So, my word of encouragement to you is based on the authority of God’s word that as we have called on Him in this time of trouble, He has heard us and He will answer us mightily.
According to Proverbs 3:5-10, God rewards us when we trust in Him and honour Him.
Written by Pneuma’s Web Manager
