In the Christian world, prophesy is a word that is spoken over a human being based on the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Yet I see so many people, myself included, that have prophetic words over our lives and yet, they haven’t manifested (at least not the WAY in which I interpreted or the person spoke it). I also know many people, myself included, where many prophetic words have come to pass exactly as they have been spoken.
My prayer for quite awhile has been to get a deeper understanding of why some prophetic words come to pass and some don’t. Was it because the person giving them was excited in the moment and spoke without the prompting of the Holy Spirit? Was it merely wishful thinking? Was it that I did something to blow it? Was I not worthy, as in God said, “On second thought…..”.
I’ve come to some conclusions, over the last while, that two of the above scenarios are correct. I believe that yes, sometimes people have wishful thinking and they say things that make them feel good, without the prompting of the Holy Spirit. I don’t think it’s intentional for most people, in fact, I think they mean well but don’t know better or maybe misinterpreted what they were seeing. I remember once when a friend was in critical condition in the hospital and I received a call from another friend who said in prayer the Lord said, “Don’t worry, this isn’t death.” We were all excited knowing this friend would pull through but within hours, they died. I realized then that to God, it wasn’t death, my friend was saved and secure in their salvation. It could have been a reassurance from the Lord that we heard through our own understanding of life. The second thing I believe is that sometimes, we ourselves, blow it.
Hebrews 10:23. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.NIV
Hebrews 10:23 Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word.The Message
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. NKJV
Hebrews 10:23 So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgement of it, for He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word. Amplified
I make reference to a few different versions of the same verse because I want this word to get into your heart as it did mine and while one version may speak to me, another will speak to you. Could it be that the prophesy is not the problem but the confession and the faith it takes for it to manifest is the key?
For as a man thinks so is he. (Proverbs 23:7)
Does it take some action on our part for a prophesy to be manifested in the earth?
Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
Do we believe the report of our friends at work or our buddies on the golf course? If so, then sometimes we drown out the word of the Lord. Listening to naysayers when the Lord has already issued his stamp of approval is self-defeating. Not confessing the promise that the Lord has given us limits it’s power. If life and death are in the power of the tongue then we must hold fast to the confession of our faith. So often I hear those who know better speak as if nothing that God has promised is true because their Aunt told them it could never happen.
What could we accomplish on the earth if we believed the word of the Lord? What could be manifested in our lives if we believed the prophesy and moved in the direction of it? What could be had if we believed that with God all things are possible. Maybe it’s time to believe that if God gave the glimpse into the future then we only need to walk towards it, speaking it out loud and living it to the fullest. Maybe we need to quit being ashamed of big impossible possibilities and just accept that it can happen to us! Then, what if we’re like Abraham who sees his promise from afar?
Pastor Susan 