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Prophetic words are an integral part of the Christian life. King Jehoshaphat of Judah said it best: Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe in his prophets, and you will succeed (2 Chronicles 20:20)

The subject of prophecy or prophetic words can be a slippery slope, but just as prayer, fellowship, encouragement and impartation are important and pivotal to spiritual growth, prophetic words shouldn’t be treated any more or less than those other tools. A prophetic word is when the Lord, through the Holy Spirit gives you a word for the present or the future, revealing some insight that may encourage or position you into who He has intended for you to be and what He has purposed for you to do. He may speak through another spirit filled believer. He may provide it through a message at church speaking directly to your situation or encounter you in an intimate and personal way through prayer and His word. A prophetic word must also speak truth, not what is true, because truth is unchanging and consistent with God’s character (John 14:6) while what is true today may not be so tomorrow or could be subject to change based on who is judging it. 

There are different nuances that come into the prophetic words we give or receive. Some are meant to give direction and others are meant to give hope but the bottom line is, if it is a word from God then it has a purpose to accomplish and carries the fruit of love. It covers a multitude of sin, preserves the dignity of others and leaves liberty for the receiver to seek God further for themselves. As believers, it is one thing to receive a prophetic word but it is a whole other to know what to do with it. We are not called to be passive receivers of prophecy, instead we ought to take it to the Lord in prayer, write it down, revisit it prayerfully as often as possible, remind and encourage ourselves with the same when everything else in our circumstances begs to differ. That is why it can’t just be true, but it must be truth, it must be rooted in the word and above all it must glorify Christ. 

Blessed is she who believed there would be a fulfillment of that which was spoken to her. Luke 1:45 

Mary, the mother of Jesus is an excellent example of someone that received a word, incubated it, engaged it and saw it come to pass. We read on several occasions that many people spoke over Jesus before He was among humans, when he was growing up and at all times scriptures say “…and Mary pondered these things in her heart”. The word ponder originates from the French word “considerer” which means to weigh against, to judge the worth of, to carefully examine something in order to make an important decision. Everything that Mary heard about the Christ was unheard of, it seemed unfathomable that a child looking like all others could be God in the flesh, could save the world and reign forever. In one of Max Lucado’s classics “In The Grip Of Grace” he described the humanity of Mary and Joseph as parents to our Lord and the divinity of The Christ this way: 

“He whom angels worship nestled himself in the placenta of a peasant, was birthed into a cold night and laid on cow’s hay. Mary did not know whether to give Him milk or to give Him praise, so she gave Him both, since He was as near as she could figure: hungry and holy. Joseph did not know whether to call Him Father or Jr. but in the end he called Him Jesus because that is what the angel had said and since he did not have nearly a faintest idea of what to call a God he could cradle in His arms.” 

Both individuals were nobody special, just a couple chosen by grace like you and I but they obeyed and became vessels through which the Lord accomplished His purposes. So it is with us and the words spoken over us. Jeremiah 1:5 assures us that there is something God knew about us even before we were formed in our mothers’ wombs and that in itself is evidence that you are a fulfilled prophecy yourself. This also means, as you journey through life here on earth, you are an eternal being by the acceptance of Christ into your heart and everything you are to become in God has already been established in the spirit. You live life a day at a time but God knows the beginning and the end and knows when and how to encourage you as you lean in. 

While prophetic words carry instruction, they should never be exalted above the Word of God. Some end up idolizing a prophetic word and fail to realize that without the protection of the scriptures that should accompany every prophecy, this word on its own carries no power. We are to engage the prophetic words conscious of this reality and surely, what the Lord speaks does come to pass (Isaiah 55:11). Additionally, prophetic words may seem to delay because you who are spiritual seem to have known something for so long before it actually materializes and you may feel discouraged but that doesn’t make it any less true. Instead, it is more reason to keep it before the Lord and hold fast to every scripture that accompanies it because unlike a mere prophecy, scriptures are eternal. 

Finally, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10). Everything that reveals Christ prophecies to those who are willing to hear it. Prophecy reveals the nature of God, the love and mercy He embodies and when we testify we are encouraging others into the hope that God can do the same thing He has done for us and more, in their own lives. True prophetic words may be for you but never just about you and that is what makes them a testimony of Jesus for He desires the body of believers to experience His good and perfect gifts apportioned to us through faith. Hallelujah! 

 

If you have never given your life to Jesus Christ, and you feel that this is the perfect time, pray this prayer:

“Lord Jesus, I thank you because you died for my sins and you were raised for my glory. Today, I receive you as my Lord and Savior. I am born again. Amen.”

 

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