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Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said.
In the call for greater prophetic accountability among leaders and influencers, there is a likely distinction needed between testing one’s character and testing one’s prophetic revelation. Even a person of good character can “miss” a prophetic word (Matt 16:21-23), just as a compromised individual can receive a “correct” word (1 Sam 19:23-24, John 11:50). Thus, I would suggest there needs to be more than just one kind of “weighing” when considering any kind of prophetic revelation (dream, vision, word, etc.).
One’s character can only be rightly assessed by those who personally know that individual. This usually happens at the local level. It’s only when an individual or leader builds a consistent track record of integrity at home that true testing of character can take place. This has to do with one’s personal conduct and speech, the health of one’s marriage and family, the posture of one’s heart towards others, and a demonstration of Christ-like character and motive. It is also the place where leadership qualifications are proven and any gift is practiced, weighed, and tested for consistent fruit. It is only those close to an individual on a regular basis that are best suited to see the fruit of one’s life that would indicate a true heart after God and a valid gift. And the most important factor in this kind of accountability working is the individual asking for it. It is those who are truly humble of heart and willing to be corrected that God will favor and bless.
But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at My Word. (Isaiah 66:2 ESV)
But then there is the testing of one’s prophetic revelation, whether it’s a dream, vision, or impression (1 Thess 5:19-21). These need to be weighed, as well. Again, it is in the local setting where training begins. Rightly handling the Word of God starts here when seeking to interpret and rightly apply a prophetic revelation that will encourage and empower the local fellowship. Asking for feedback and collaborating with others is the best way to fine tune a prophetic gift. And the weight of this process doesn’t necessarily rest on those who give the feedback, but on the one who receives it and learns from it. This again reveals a posture of humility and a commitment to honoring the Lord and not just promoting one’s gift.
But what does one do with prophetic revelations that are larger in scope? Revelations that point to a larger audience such as the broader Church or even the nation? This is where other considerations must be determined. Depending on those in the local setting who carry a similar burden or are rightly informed concerning these broader issues, there may be some limitations in the feedback given. Most pastors are focused primarily on their own flocks. Not every local leader may be prepared to properly vet a word given for the nation or even the Body of Christ at large. This is where peer review comes into play and an understanding of “fields of ministry” is critical.
But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you.
The apostle Paul had great influence at national levels. He spoke before kings, governors, and rulers (Acts 24:10-21; 25:8-12; 26). He knew the “grace” given to him to operate at those levels of apostolic authority. But that “grace” is not extended to all. He taught in Ephesians 4:7 that each one has been apportioned a “measure” of grace for their particular call. The Greek word is “metron” and means an allotted portion. It means that some will be called to lead a local fellowship and others will be called to lead entire regions. Still others will carry great influence at national levels. Paul points out these “boundaries” and consistently urged believers to recognize the distinctions and judge accordingly (Romans 12:3).
This is why weighing prophetic revelation at the national level is tested most effectively among those within that same metron (field). Just as local prophetic voices should collaborate together to weigh what is said (1 Cor 14:29-33), so must national prophetic voices collaborate together and weigh what is said. This is also true of those who have social media platforms with a global reach. And without any clear scriptural directive given for this kind of modern day field, we can only go by the principles already established concerning personal character, consistent fruit, and scriptural integrity.
This is what has been greatly lacking in the prophetic movement in recent years. With the surge of national prophets and social media voices sharing the latest Word of the Lord (myself included), there is a much greater need for prophetic accountability at those levels. True, there are a few “prophetic councils” and even a few YouTube channels who have attempted to test and weigh prophetic words in recent years. But unless these attempts of oversight are in sync with character accountability from the local level, we are still missing the mark.
What I am suggesting is that if we are to adequately weigh or test a prophetic revelation, especially at the national level or on social media, both the message and the messenger should be rightly discerned. Public persona can be misleading and even deceptive. Ascertaining motives based on a social media platform is not only unwise, but dangerous. And even if one’s character has already been proven trustworthy from those at home, their prophetic revelations must still be appropriately weighed and considered according to the biblical standard. To weigh the revelation of even a “trusted voice” is not an indication of mistrust, but an act of scriptural obedience. It is the only way to ensure the integrity of the word and receive God’s intended purpose.
Based on all the recent exposures of prophetic abuse and misconduct, it is clear we have failed at properly vetting both prophetic messengers and prophetic messages. And it’s not just a matter of whether or not either are false. What’s even harder to detect – and even more deceptive – is MIXTURE. A mixture of Spirit and flesh; a combination of truth and error; an allowance of bad fruit as long as there’s some good along the way. Maybe the reason we have been “fooled” by some of these charlatans is because we have not recognized the mixture of righteous zeal and selfish ambition. We have tolerated carnal motives in order to get spiritual insight.
Thus, the very real and present danger in the prophetic movement may not be false prophets as much as double-minded ones. Those who pretend to “…have zeal for God, but not according to knowledge…seeking to establish their own righteousness” (Romans 10:2-3). If we are to restore integrity to the prophetic gifts, we simply must do better at pursuing a righteous standard that honors the Word of God above the word of our favorite prophet. And perhaps we need to collectively repent for allowing things to get this bad before recognizing how far we’ve drifted. If we want to operate in the true spirit of prophecy, let’s get back to the testimony of Jesus in both word and conduct (Rev 19:10).
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6 Responses
The ‘test of the prophet’ is not just popularity; it is accuracy, alignment with Scripture, and the fruit of humility
I have found over the years that the lack of spiritual maturity in hearing “the voice of God” by many Christians is astonishing to them that God even speaks individually to people is part of the greater problem. The gift of prophecy has been greatly ignored by the leadership of many congregations. So here lies the problem, The breakdown of wisdom to prophesy, and to be judged properly by those who can discern spiritually, whether the word is the heart of God, or not or of man’s heart, thoughts. Prophecy is many times totally opposite of what man knows let alone at the time it is given makes any sense the flesh of mankind. Remember, God‘s ways are not like that of men they are higher greater, or an imaginable than the flesh of mankind would entertain! Also, we live in a society that expects everything to be happening as soon as it is said, or declared or decreed. It may take years to come about, and the person or persons may never actually see what was spoken by God so We must be careful how we judge because of our limitations and understanding of time, space, eternity, etc. we always want to set a clock to something which is a shame. we are also so impatient Perpetuous! Sometimes, we also expect God to speak a certain way, either quiet, loving patient and many times he gets angry and speaks in a language we can understand, but do not like to hear. Jesus once said, how long will I have to put up with you?
Thank you for the balance you brought to this subject. Another concern is some that I observe who have stepped back from being closely connected to some who have been exposed, while at the same time defending the exposed person. They also begin denying that they (meaning themselves, not the exposed) they no longer “really” hold the titles/gifts others think they do. It’s like I’m not “that connected” with the false teachers, but I don’t think those doing the exposing are right either.
Sort of like double talk and or gaslighting. I guess the word is like you said, “mixture.” Look forward to hearing more.
Great post. I would add that the Holy Spirit is also faithful to confirm whether or not a word is from Father or not. The Holy Spirit still bears witness to truth today. I’m always surprised that many believers fail to involve the Holy Spirit in all matters of our lives, especially when it comes to inquiring of the teachings and prophetic words of those within the body of Christ. Knowing people by their fruit is unfortunately not always applicable especially on social platforms. Many people do good works outwardly while exemplifying good fruits, meanwhile, inwardly their heart posture is wrong. The Holy Spirit should be our first resource in all matters.
When Prophetic words are given, it is important to have a recorded or written copy. Then we can go to the Word of God to apply scriptural text to the word. Our ability to Discern as a Gift of the Holy Spirit will have to be applied, and we will grow in learning the nuances and application of the Word. Finding out the validity by Peer review becomes important to the follower as long as the Truth and Fruit of the Prophetic Messenger become known. National Words tend to get more attention by multiple sources while Local and individual words get less attention. Therefore, it becomes an important step for the individual to discern, to get other evaluations (judge) the word and then to apply it in life. Even then, we need to pray into the Prophetic Word over time, reviewing it, discerning it and applying it as the Holy Spirit directs. I find many people get the word and don’t study or do it after a week. I personally have had words that tracked in my life for over 20 years in 5 year increments. Glad I never stopped reviewing it.
Shalom. Thank you for your words of wisdom
Indeed at a local church level we were taught that so often there where factors we had to hold in our hearts about thise who may prophesy a word over us whether they were our own fellowship or someone visiting
1] the true prohetic word given
2]the carnal word given
3] sometimes satanic
Our pastor taught that often there was an element of need in the person giving the word. Needing to be accepted /needing to be liked /to feel part of the fellowship ( especially in a charismatic church ) and if anyone speaks over us we should thank them but hold acceptance until we are alone with Father and ask Him if there is any message from Him or whether it was soulish ..we di not want to put brothers down but encourage them …we are all learning but it is so important to teach the body.
He also told us that when we had a prophetic word we should be very aware of ‘’…Overrun ‘“. That once we start we can elaborate so easily on the actual word that God has given us and overrune into the carnal !
Bless you and your ministry Sound teaching is the key because the enemy tries to keep christians from these gifts by blowing up the false . Sister lynn