Judging Prophetic Words

by Teresa Seputis

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND CONTRIBUTING RESOURCES
Authors: Teresa Seputis, Michael Gerner
Editors: Alison Bowling

Sections:

1. The Need To Judge Prophecy

2. Some Thoughts On Testing Prophecy

3. More Thoughts On Testing Prophecy

4. Judging/Processing Prophecy

5. A Case Study In Judging Prophecy


The Need To Judge Prophecy

Background

God has been "up to something" the past few weeks, and that is what has orchestrated this teaching series. Let me explain what I mean...

We were supposed to be doing a 4 week series on The Prophetic And Inner Healing starting a few weeks ago, but the leadership core member who was supposed to write that did not deliver it. (He got too busy with other ministry related things.) Our next class (by a different leadership core member) is supposed to start Sept 4, which means the lessons were due over two weeks ago so we could edit/format them, etc. To date, only one lesson has come in on that series, so it will most likely be delayed. I have been asking God what he wants me to do since the teaching series are not coming in when they are supposed to, and this is from people who are normally very reliable and who walk in integrity.

Meanwhile, on Aug 24, a word went out on the prophetic-school list that has been problematic for many. The word comes from someone who is considered "very reliable" and who has shared many words in the past that have ministered to many. Yet this word has caused problems for many people on the list, I have received several private emails of people expressing concern regarding the word. (Others feel this is very much a God word and that it is very relevant to them.)

I expected people would simply judge words submitted to the list for themselves, and accept or reject each accordingly. I am sure that many have done that. However, some of the people are troubled because the problematic word comes from someone with a history of being very reliable. So they are hesitant to judge the word because they feel they will be judging the person who gave it. Others simply are not comfortable with their ability to judge a word ... Yet others have felt a check in their spirit from this word. For instance, I got an email from a pastor (who I respect immensely) sharing how this word raised red flags in him. He has never commented on any words on the list before. Personally I did not have any problems with the message of this word, but it was clear that several people did.

This all drove me to prayer and pondering the situation. While I was seeking God on this, the Lord began to speak to me and put the pieces together. He showed me how there is a very practical need on the list to discuss judging words.. in this case judging corporate words. But that leads to the need to understand how to judge personal words as well.

I suspect that the Lord may have intentionally created a space in the list (late/missing teachings) and at the same time caused an "issue" to arise on the list. After my prayer time, I suspect God intentionally released this seemingly "problematic" word to help people learn to "judge prophecy." God is setting us up with a "problem" because He wants us to learn from it.

So we will embark on an unplanned 5-week series on "Judging Prophetic Words". We had a 4-part series on Judging Prophecy back in September of 1998 that Jane Fitz-Gibbon wrote. It is very good and I recommend people read it.

However, we need to revisit the issue of Judging Prophecy again. The plan is to spend the first week looking at some of the issues we've discussed in previous words and apply them briefly to the word that kicked all of this off. Then we will send out a 2-part teaching that Mike Gerner did on "Testing Prophecy" back in June of 1997 when he was on the leadership core. Then I will share my little spew on judging prophecy that we do at our church for those coming to receive ministry from our prophetic teams. I will close with a "case study" ... a teaching/writeup I did a while back on the process I personally went through in judging a rebuking word that was given to me personally.

It is time that we all become skilled and comfortable in prayerfully evaluating and judging prophetic words.

Judging Prophecy

The prophetic-school list is a "training ground" and we do not prejudge words before sending them out .. except running them tough the filters of our list charter.. (does it contradict scripture or is it harsh or judgemental or condemning?) We expect the people on the list to judge the words for themselves.

The scriptural mandate for judging prophecy is found in 1 Cor 14:29. Let's look at two different translations of this verse:

1 Cor 14:29 (NIV)
  1. Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said.

1 Cor 14:29 (NKJV)

  1. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge.

We see that we are to weigh carefully (or evaluate) prophetic words and judge them to determine whether or not they are really a word from God. We will cover these criteria in detail following lessons. For now, I want to call attention to only three of them...

  1. Is it Scriptural?
  2. Does the Holy Spirit bare witness? (or give a check against it)
  3. what do we know about the person giving the word?

In addition to the content of the word (e.g., is it a God originated message), there are some delivery issues we have to consider. Often a God-word can be inadvertently mis-delivered so that it obscures the message or looses it's intended impact. These types of delivery mistakes are more likely to happen to beginners, but even very seasoned prophets can occasionally make a delivery mistake. Here are the most common delivery mistakes:

  1. The the person giving the word communicate it in a manner where the meaning/message is clearly and easily understood?
  2. Did they deliver the word to the correct audience?
  3. Did they add their own interpretation or insights to the word?

The Word In Question

Here is the word that has caused concern for some members of the list...

Mind Me More

I cannot over emphasize that you must test and double test every belief and teaching against the Truth of My Word. The Deceiver is on loose reigns and he is creating havoc upon the spirits of all who do not know the Truth. He is conquering with false miracles, visions and teachings that are very close to the Truth; he might even try to use some of you for his evil purposes. Even some well known writers and teachers are his targets because he knows that once a teacher is accepted, all his teachings are also accepted - even that one thought that the Deceiver has slipped in.

Come My Beloved Ones, come sit and reason with Me. Bring all the teachings you hear, hear of and read about to Me and let's discuss it. Bring that book you are reading into My Presence and I will show you any error. I am not just Lord and King, but I am also Wisdom. Those who fully abide in Me, will not be fooled by the enemy's devices. Here in My Presence you are one with Me, our minds are entwined; My mind becomes your mind and by My Spirit I will hi-light the Deceiver's traps. Prayerfully look for Me and My Truth in what you hear and read. If, by My Spirit, you do not find Me or My Truth there, then I am not there and what you hear and read does not come from Me but from the Deceiver.

Discard that which is not from Me and lovingly and by My Spirit, warn your brethren about the trap.

Put your mind and your focus on Me, lift your eyes and look into Mine. I am the Light and the Giver of light. Yes, mind the Deceiver, but mind Me more!

Wisdom

The Message of the Word

The message of this word is that we need to judge what we read and hear, rather than simply accepting anything because it comes from a source we have considered credible. The admonishment is to bring everything (new doctrine/teachings) to God and ask Him to speak to us about it. The promise is that God will show us clearly, when we ask Him, what is of Him and what is an enemy deception. The word encourages us to be aware of the enemy's deception, but to put our focus more on God and His truth than on the enemy's strategies and deceptions.

So, let's evaluate the message of this word. Is it Scriptural? Matt 24:11 says that "Many False prophets will rise up and deceive many." In fact, we have a lot more scriptural precedence warning us to judge teachings/doctrines instead of blindly believing anything.. here are a few...

Matt 24:24-27

  1. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
  2. See, I have told you beforehand.
  3. "Therefore if they say to you, "Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or "Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it.
  4. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
  5. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

1 John 4:1

  1. Love for God and One Another. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

We also have scriptural precedence about the Holy Spirit teaching us of God's truth and giving us discerment/wisdom when we ask Him. Here are a few of these...

John 14:25-26
  1. "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.
  2. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

John 16:7-15

  1. Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
  2. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
  3. of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
  4. of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;
  5. of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
  6. "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
  7. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
  8. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
  9. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

James 1:5

  1. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

The next criteria I want to apply to the message is the confirmation/check of the Holy Spirit. Now, I did not get either on this message, so I took it as not applying to me and did not pay a lot of attention to it (until I started getting multiple emails from people troubled by this word). There were some who got a confirmation in their spirit about this word. One felt it was a confirmation of what God been speaking to him about sounding the alarm regarding some questionable doctrine that was beginning to penetrate his church. God had been quickening it to his heart that he must gently but firmly raise up and share how this was not right and how it was not biblical. So the Holy Spirit appears to have quickened this message to this person.

Three people contacted me about concerns/alarms they had gotten when reading this word. One based the alarm on his assumption that the word was telling us to submit to the devil, which he found doctrinely in error and unscriptural. (It turns out that was not what the author of this word intended to communicate, but if that was the intent of the message, this alarm would have been very genuine. In this case, the check was not based on an inner witness of the Holy Spirit, but on judging the word as he understood it against scripture.) The second person had alarms as well, though she was not good at vocalizing them, and she felt some confusion in the situation. She shared how she has been struggling with fear of deception and how she felt this word was unhealthy because it encouraged (increased) her fear of deception. Again, it is not clear whether this was "her own issues" raising up, or a check from the Holy Spirit, but certainly a check was there that made her judge and evaluate this word.

The third person was a pastor who I know personally and consider to be very keen in the spirit. He said that the word did not "set right" with him, and "this one just didn't feel right" and that his "warning flags were really waving." He interpreted the word as giving too much credit to the enemy and having "fear wrapped around them as well." In his case, the Holy Spirit seemed to be giving him a check in his spirit regarding this word. As it turns out, several people from his church are on the prophetic-school list, and have also read this word. God is doing something very specific in their church, moving them from a place of spiritual warfare to releasing blessings on their community and flowing in revival and renewal. Their focus needs to be on trusting God and what He is doing rather than concentrating on the enemy and what he is doing. My take on this is that the Lord was indeed giving him a check in the spirit because this message was not targeted for his church... it sort of moves them the other direction than God is moving them.. even though it is a very valid message for some other churches. I believe that this is why the Holy Spirit gave him a check in his spirit on this word.. because it is not a word that was appropriate to what God is doing in his particular church.

This word is interesting to me because the Holy Spirit appears to have confirmed it to some people, but He appears to have given checks to others. And in my own case, I got neither.

The final criteria I want to to examine regarding the message of the word is the character of the person who delivered it. This word comes from someone who has given many other words to this list. Her previous words had anointing on them, and ministered to a lot of people. Many of the people on this list consider her very credible in the prophetic and have a great deal of respect for her. That is part of why this word was problematic to some people.. they had a great deal of respect for her and her words, but they found the content of this word to be troublesome to them. If the word had come from someone who they did not consider credible, they would have simply disregarded it. But since it came from someone who they respect in the prophetic, it caused them to grapple with it and struggle over it as they judged it rather than simply discarding it. If the "troublesome" word had come from someone who had known character flaws or who was a know flake, it would not have caused them any alarm.. they would have been inclined to reject it outright.

The character of a prophet, or of a believer delivering a prophetic word is an important hint, but it is not the main criteria for accepting or rejecting a word. For instance, the Bible calls Balaam a false prophet in Jude 1:11, 2 Peter 2:15 and Rev 2:14. And yet God spoke true words through him in prophesying God's blessings over the nation of Israel. For that matter, Balaam's donkey was not known for it's character or wisdom, but God spoke prophetically through the donkey (and through an accompanying angel) to Balaam in Numbers 22:23-33. On the other hand, some very credible prophets occasionally make mistakes.. they are usually accurate but are because they are human, they are not infallible. We see a new testament example of this in Acts 15. Some of the church leaders from Jerusalem felt that newly converted gentiles must observe the Jewish law and also need to be circumsised. This was such a strong dispute that it had to go before the Jerusalem council (the apostles and elders) to be settled. These Jews believed they had heard from God but they were in error and had to be corrected. Likewise, even those who are seasoned in the prophetic can occasionally make a mistake, particularly in areas where they have strong personal feelings or theologies. But at the same time, Jesus says that a tree is known by it's fruit (Matt 12:33). Thus, we tend to give the benefit of the doubt in favor of those with known good character/fruit, and we tend to be more cautious with those of questionable character and fruit.

In this case, I personally would give the author of this word the benefit of the doubt, and assume that the message was from God. I believe the problems that some have experienced regarding this word are not due to the message of the word, but due to the delivery. Let's look at that...

The Delivery of The Word

I had listed three areas where delivery can go wrong. Let's briefly look at them.

  1. Did the person giving the word communicate it in a manner where the meaning/message is clearly and easily understood?

    We know for a fact this did happen, because the author did a follow-on post apologizing for the earlier confusion. The author used the phrase "Mind the deceiver, but mind me more." In her local area and culture, that would be understood to mean 'be aware of the deceiver's schemes, but be more aware of God and of His ability to communicate His truth.' Yet we know (due to private emails sent to me) that some people interpreted that phrase to mean, "obey the deceiver." That was not at all what the word was attempting to communicate, but that is how some took it. (No wonder those people had problems with the word... any rational believer would have problems with a word admonishing us to honor or obey the devil!)

    Thus the author of this word found a way to express it that was misinterpreted by some. It was not clearly and easily understood.

    Also, I would say the tone of the word was alarming to some. It gave them the impression that the enemy had a lot of power (the "big devil, little God" orientation). The mood of this word could be considered fear-inducing to some. That was clearly not the intent of the word.. the closing phrase was meant to mean that God has a lot more power than the enemy, and that the enemy could not deceive those who sought God for His truth, so be wise and cautious but don't be afraid or crippled.

    Yet that meaning was obscured for some because of way in which the message was comprised and worded. Some people took out of it the exact opposite of what the word was really trying to communicate.

    This is an indication that the delivery was a bit weak on this word and could have been improved to communicate the message more clearly.

  2. Did they deliver the word to the correct audience?

    Some words are general, and applicable to vast portions of the body or Christ. Other words are very specific and targeted to a certain group or target.

    In general, corrective and/or warning words are usually applied to a specific audience, not to the church at large. This is because there is a lot of variety in the state of the body of Christ in different churches and in different areas. Typically correction and warning or even direction are not a "one size fits all" type of word. A word does not have to be corrective or warning to be tailored to a specific target audience. God will frequently customize words for specific groups of people, or for specific churches or specific denominations or specific cities or sometimes for specific nations.

    We see that Jesus Himself did that in the book of Revelation. He had specific words for each of the 7 churches, and He addressed each word to the church for which it was intended. For instance, the corrective word for Thyatira (the corrupt church) in Rev 2:18-29 did not apply at all to the Ephesean church, which was doing all the right things but had lost their first love (Rev 2:1-7). Likewise, His words of encouragement to the persecuted Symrnian church (Rev 2:8-11) was not to fear the things they must suffer because they will receive the crown of life. That word did not apply at all to the lukewarm (and unpersecuted) church of the Laodiceans in Rev 3:14-22.

    Likewise today, when a person gives a prophetic word, they need to understand God's intended target for that word. Let me give you an example from the United States. There are a lot of excellent churches in many different parts of the states. But when a church "falls into error," different geographic areas tend to have different characteristics of "error" for that area. For instance, the churchs in the deep south tend to be more prone towards legalism and/or a religious spirit. Churches in California and the west are more likely to error towards over-tolerance of sin or towards new age philosophies. So if I live in the West and God wants to speak a corrective or warning word, He will probably call the churches in my area to walk in personal holiness and obedience to Him. That word may not apply at all to the churches in the deep south.. perhaps there He wants to deal with legalism and calling them back to a deep and intimate walk with Him. A word that is "right" for certain California churches would be "in left field" for many churches in the deep south.

    I believe we are seeing this dynamic operating on this word. Some denominations tend towards experiencing God and moving in His power and anointing. They tend to error on the side of sound doctrine and a solid knowledge of scripture, but walk in close relationship with God and are getting to know Him intimately. Other denominations are very solid in their doctrines and the members tend to know their bibles well. Their weaknesses tend to be in the area of experiencing God (as opposed to head knowledge about him) and in the area of moving in God's power and anointing. Of course, God's desire for all of His children is a balance of these two areas. But if a group is strong in one area and weak in another, then He will bring correction in the area of their weakness. Thus a word like this one (Mind Me More) might minister deeply to certain churches or denominations where they need to be more firmly rooted in doctrine and theology and knowing the word. However, people from churches that are deeply rooted in these areas may not relate at all to this word because it is not an area that God wants to address in their lives... He may have a totally different concern that He wants to address for them.

    The prophetic-school list spans a wide scope of nations, cultures and denominations. The thing we share in common is a commitment to God and a desire to know His voice more clearly and to understand how to move effectively with His Holy Spirit in the prophetic. There will be times when some of the words released on this list simply won't be targeted at everyone on the list. The Lord will quicken the word to some because He is addressing it to them. But He may not quicken it to those who are not a part of the intended audience.

    I believe we saw this dynamic on this word.. where the Holy Spirit quickened the word to some but gave checks to others on the same word.. because some were in the intended audience and others were not.

    Sometimes the question is not "is this a word from God?" but "Is this a word that God is speaking to me?"

  3. Did they add their own interpretation or insights to the word?

    I am not reviewing the word (Mind Me More) in this area, I just wanted to throw this in because it is a common mistake. For instance, one time a prophetic trainee at CI was ministering on a team to a couple in their fiftys. The couple had come for ministry because they desired to know God's will for a business venture, whether or not to start this new business. This young man had not been told why they were coming. He heard the Lord say that they were pregnant and were about to give birth. If he had simply shared this, it would have been an encouragement to them. They would have understood that to be figurative for this business venture. But the young man felt a need to put the word in context, so he told the woman that she was going to have another child. You could hear the couple gasp.. this was not good news at all for a couple in their fiftys who had already raised their family and did not yearn to do so again. It was also not correct... he had taken a good word he had heard from the Lord and changed it to make it "fit" into his context or frame work instead of simply delivering it. In the process, the meaning and blessing of the word were lost. He had heard right, but because he tried to put his own interpretation on it, he delivered a bad word.

    Many who are younger in the prophetic will sometimes make this mistake.. where they will hear God correctly, but will flavor the meaning of the message as they try to understand or interpret it.

Closing Thoughts

I know the author of this word and overall I think highly of her. I have seen her walk in great integrity in some pervious situations. She is one of my personal intercessors, and from time to time has shared insights with me that were very much the Lord and an indication of her ability to hear God clearly and well. She has posted corporate words to the list in the past that have been very anointed and have ministered to many. I do not consider her a beginner in the prophetic.

Yet in this case, which I think God orchestrated on purpose, she has made some delivery mistakes. I believe the message of the word is a God-message, but that the manner in which it was delivered caused there to be confusion and misunderstanding of what the word was communicating. I think God did this on purpose to give us "hands on" practice and expertise in judging words. In fact I do believe God's sense of humor is shining through on this one.. since the gist of the word itself is about bringing things to God to judge them! It looks like the prophet here is not only delivering a word, but is being given the opportunity to be the vehicle through which many of us walk out the message God was intending to communicate through that word.

Remember, when we judge a word (and the delivery of the word) we are not judging the person who gave the word.. just the word itself. We must always have grace for those willing to serve as God's messengers... and we must be careful not to judge or reject the person if we reject a given word they are delivering.

I am reminded of an experience I once had with John Webster. John is known for his keenness and accuracy in the prophetic.. he tends to give very detailed words with lots of specific and accurate facts in them that there was no way he could have known in the natural. He is in full time ministry as a prophet, and travels internationally to teach and prophecy. John has spoken to heads of Government in different nations and he is widely known and respected as a seasoned and mature prophet.

Yet one time I saw John make a delivery mistake. It was an online ministry time, and John was leading a team. He was typing the words that his team gave into the chatroom as well as giving words of his own. One of John's team gave a word of warning/comfort about a person's son. The word implied the son was in great danger but that God would protect him. The people receiving this word were very upset and concerned, and wondered if the prophet had possibly spoken a curse over their son. There son was a worship leader in their church and very committed to serving the Lord. Concern of this incident disabled their ability to receive any of the words given by this team. We later debriefed by telephone (John, myself and the couple who had received the "alarming" word). John had talked with me prior to this debriefing, and explained how it might indeed be a God word about his protection and watching over the son, despite the enemy plans to attack him. However, the way in which the word had been delivered painted a different picture in the parent's eyes, so that they viewed this "ministry" as highly inappropriate and potentially releasing a curse over their son. John apologized for the situation and admitted that he probably should have filtered out that word. (He was typing into the prophecy chatroom as the folks on his team were verbally saying the words to him. On retrospect, he decided it might have been better to not type that word rather than to give it, since it did have the potential of alarming the parents.)

John is a seasoned and gifted prophet. If someone of his caliber can occasionally make a delivery mistake, then that means that none of the rest of us are exempt from accidentally making them either.


Some Thoughts On Testing Prophecy

Some brief notes on the importance of testing prophecy and guidelines on how to do it.

Background

Before we discuss the actual tests, a little bit of background is in order.

The Need To Test Prophecy

1Thes 5:19-22 (NIV)
19. Do not put out the Spirit's fire;
20. do not treat prophecies with contempt.
21. Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22. Avoid every kind of evil.

In this passage the bible commands us to test prophecy. Indeed, it is part of the normal New Testament ministry process (1 Cor 14:29 NIV: Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said.)

Please note carefully the context of this passage in 1 Thessalonians. Firstly, don't have such a negative attitude towards the gifts and moving of the Holy Spirit (specifically prophecy) that the fire of the Spirit is quenched in your life. The Greek word sbennumi (sben'-noo-mee) means to extinguish. The picture is of a fire that has been started but is deliberately put out. How awful a thought, that one can, without proper reason, deliberately chose to put out or damp down something started by Almighty God!

Secondly, don't treat prophecies with contempt. There are two opposite dangers here.

The first and most obvious danger is that we treat prophecy as something which is not of God today. This means that one is treating a precious gift of God sent to edify the church (1 Corinthians 14:4) as a contemptible thing, at best coming from man and at worst from the devil.

The second danger is more subtle: that a prophecy is accepted as being from God yet treated casually. If you were handled an ornate gold jewelled watch worth $1,000,000 you'd be careful how you treated it, wouldn't you? Probably more careful than if you were given a cheap plastic watch worth $1. So it is with prophecy: if what is a precious gift from God is treated in an offhand, casual sort of way then there is a real danger that it will be lost or misused.

So how are we to treat prophecy carefully? The answer lies in verse 21: test it! Make sure that it's the genuine article. If it is, then we hold onto it. If it isn't genuine, then we avoid it.

The Attitude Of The Tester

An often quoted reference about testing by scripture is found in Acts 17, to do with the Jews at Berea.

Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

The argument goes that this proves the importance of examining scriptures, since the Bereans were regarded as having a more noble character for doing so. Actually, that is not the full story: I missed out a bit. Here is the full reference, with the section I deliberately omitted earlier capitalised for emphasis.

Acts 17:11 NIV:
Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they RECEIVED THE MESSAGE WITH GREAT EAGERNESS AND examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

Do we get the point? If we have a heart that is closed to new revelation and reluctant to acknowledge that something radical and different may be the truth, we are in trouble. It is probable that no amount of examining scripture (however commendable that is) will ever change our minds. We need both the eagerness to hear from God and the willingness to check things out by examining scriptures. Our heart must be right in this before we can test anything properly.

1 Sam 16:7 NIV
... The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.

The Importance Of Scripture

2 Tim 3:16-17 NIV
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

I'm not going to debate hermeneutics (methods of interpreting scripture) here. For various reasons, I believe the bible is the inspired word of God in accordance with its own claim outlined above. It is therefore very important to me when considering how to train myself (or others) in methods of testing prophecy that I base my approach on biblical standards. This I have tried to do.

Please understand that I do not exclude tests of prophecy which are not specifically mentioned in the Bible. But I would weigh up those tests themselves in the light of what Scripture does say!

WAYS TO TEST PROPHECY

The tests to be conducted are ranked in my personal order of priority. Your mileage may differ and you will probably think of other tests to apply as well. Please feel free to do so!

Does It Contradict Scripure?

2 Tim 3:16-17 NIV
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

If a prophecy goes against scripture it goes against what God has said. Throw it out.

But be careful: sometimes a prophecy can be against our own understanding of scripture. We need to make certain that our own understanding of scripture is not at fault here. For example, if we believe that scripture says God does not supernaturally heal today (I can't find any references for this one!) then a prophecy that somebody is going to be healed might be rejected by us even though the Lord really has spoken it.

A more subtle situation is that sometimes the prophecy can seem to contradict scripture, but in reality what the Lord is saying through it is in accordance with scripture! Peter found this out in Joppa:

Acts 10:11-16 (NIV)

He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat."

"Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean."

The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."

This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

The vision was a direct contradiction of the food laws taught in the Old Testament, but the key to the interpretation is found in verse 16 where it was shown three times. Although the vision puzzled Peter, it was not long before he understood the significance of this, when three men visited him:

Acts 10:17-20 (NIV)
While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon's house was and stopped at the gate. They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there. While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them."

(By the way, this shows the importance of details in understanding a vision.)

Peter himself explained the vision later, when he spoke to Cornelius, the man who had sent for him, and his friends:

Acts 10:28 (NIV)
He said to them: "... God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean."

In other words, Peter was given a vision which appeared to contradict scripture. But as he pondered it, the Holy Spirit and events showed him the true meaning.

Did The Prophecy Come True?

Deut 18:21-22 (NIV)
You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?" If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.

If it didn't happen, then it very probably was not of God.

Why "very probably" and not "certainly"?

Because God's prophecies are not set in stone: there is an element of personal choice in their application. So sometimes a prophecy may not come to pass because the people involved changed their behaviour. A classic example of this is in Jonah:

Jonah 3:4-5,10 (NIV)

On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned."

The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth... When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.

The LORD Himself explains this principle in Jeremiah:

Jer 18:7-10 (NIV)
7. If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed,
8. and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned.
9. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted,
10. and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.

A second reason why a prophecy from God may not come to pass is because of intercession:

Isa 38:1-5 (NIV)
1. In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, "This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover."
2. Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,
3. "Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4. Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah:
5. "Go and tell Hezekiah, 'This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will add fifteen years to your life.

A final point. It may seem strange that this test should be applied when considering a prophecy, because surely the idea is to test the prophecy before it happens? While this is true, often when the Lord gives a prophecy He also gives an immediate lesser prophecy so that the truth of the major prophecy can be relied upon when the initial prophecy comes true. A classic example of this is found in 1 Samuel 10, where Samuel gives Saul a series of relatively minor incidents which were to follow in order to (amongst other things) confirm the truth of Saul's prophetic calling to be king.

1 Sam 10:1-7 (NIV)
1. Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul's head and kissed him, saying, "Has not the LORD anointed you leader over his inheritance?
2. When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel's tomb, at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, 'The donkeys you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried about you. He is asking, "What shall I do about my son?"'
3. "Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. 4. They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them.
5. "After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, tambourines, flutes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying.
6. The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.
7. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.

Many More Ways

As you can tell, the above list is far from complete. Next week's lesson will look at several more tests to apply when judging or evaluating a prophetic word.


More Thoughts On Testing Prophecy

RECAP

In my first teaching, I covered the following matters:


BACKGROUND
WAYS TO TEST PROPHECY

Now I want to cover some more ways to test prophecy...

WAYS TO TEST PROPHECY (cont)

Does The Prophecy Uplift Jesus Or Somebody Else?

Rev 19:10 (NIV)
...For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

If a prophecy exalts anybody else other than Jesus (especially if it flatters the prophet's reputation) be on your guard. This is one of the most difficult tests to apply if the prophecy is exalting you (the recipient) or your church! But be especially careful in such cases, as the temptation to pride is real.

The Character Of The Prophet

Matt 7:15-17 (NIV)
15. "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
16. By their fruit you will recognise them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17. Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

Look for the fruits of the Spirit in the prophet's life:

Gal 5:22-23 (NIV)
22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23. gentleness and self-control...

Look for good fruits in the prophet's ministry (previous prophecies come true, people turned to Jesus, etc.).

By the way, one of the first tests of a prophet's character is to tell him (or her) that you are going to test the prophecy - if the prophet reacts badly then that's a pretty strong negative indicator!

An Inner Witness Of The Holy Spirit

I Jn 2:20 (NIV)
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.
John 16:13 (NIV)
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

Be careful with this one. Because the voice of the Holy Spirit is discerned in the inner being, His voice can be confused by soulish things. For example, if manifestations offend you, it is highly probable that an inner dislike of these manifestations could come across as a "check" in the Spirit that what is happening (or being said) is not of God, while in actual fact it is of God! The same thing can happen if the mannerisms of the prophet offend you.

It is important to grow in discernment and walking with the Lord to make it easier to hear His voice on these things. Practice makes perfect - or, at least, better!

Heb 5:14 (NIV)
But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

The above is obviously incomplete but I trust they will be helpful to us all as we learn together how best to handle this wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit.

Independent Witnesses

Deut 19:15
...A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. (NIV)

This is a fundamental scriptural principal which was obviously greatly respected in the early church (Matt 18:16, 2 Cor 13:1, 1 Tim 5:19). It is a very important test of any prophecy. It is so important a test that, quite frankly, I was annoyed with myself that I left it out of my first list, even though that list was incomplete. I suspect the LORD wants to teach me some humility. Anyway...

If a word of prophecy is given, especially if it is a major life-changing one, it would seem reasonable to me to "put it on ice" until independent confirmation has been received. Such confirmation could be another prophecy, a bible reading or something similar which clearly reflects the guiding hand of God.

One thing to watch out for here is that the other witnesses must be truly independent. This is why a prophecy given by somebody who in the natural does not know anything about a given situation is so powerful.

Of course, the absence of independent witnesses does not necessarily mean that a prophecy is false. But I do feel that there are scriptural grounds for seeking independent confirmation from the LORD on such matters.

One strange thing about false prophecy is that often the devil will generally arrange for some form of seemingly independent witness to it (1 Kings 22, especially verse 22). You see, he knows that these witnesses strengthen his case. However, something about the prophecy will not "ring true" (verse 16) or a small part of the fruit will be bad - it might cause fear, for example (2 Tim 1:7). Which leads onto the next point:

The Word Sets Us Free

Remember, the LORD's will for us His disciples who hold on to His teachings is:

John 8:32
...you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (NIV)

As we seek to obey the LORD and to hold onto His teachings then I believe that we are entitled to live in the good of that promise! At the very least, we have helped create a favourable environment in which to hear accurately from the LORD.

The Prophet Testifies That Jesus Is God In The Flesh

I Jn 4:1-3
1. Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2. This is how you can recognise the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
3. but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. (NIV)

This is the litmus test for every religion or religious group in the world: what do they say about Jesus? Do they acknowledge that He is really God incarnate, fully man and fully God? If there is any wavering on this central point of how we view the LORD, be very careful - something false has got in.

What Does Your Church Leadership Say?

Heb 13:17
Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. (NIV)

It is a pretty sure principle that those whom the LORD has raised into leadership in the church will have a good insight into your life and can judge a personal prophecy spoken over you. That's NOT to say they are always right (leaders are imperfect too) but a confirmation from a leader can be a pretty strong indicator that a word spoken over you is accurate.

The ideal situation here is for your church leader(s) to also minister in the prophetic, since this will further equip them to judge the prophecy.

1 Cor 14:29
Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. (NIV)

Even if a church leader is not a prophet, I do believe that his or her input is valuable in weighting up a prophecy since they are moving in an anointed position (if they are God appointed that is!) and that anointing from the Spirit can show them the truth in matters pertaining to their area of authority (such as their oversight for you):

I Jn 2:20
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. (NIV)

I have often found spirit-filled leaders who are not in themselves prophets to have real words of wisdom when evaluating prophecies.

What Is The Prophet's Attitude Towards Other Brothers/Sisters?

I Jn 2:11
But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him. (NIV)

This point is really a particular aspect of the earlier point B4, but it has a more detailed emphasis on the prophet's attitude towards others in the church.

It seems to me that somebody who walks around in darkness is not exactly a good person to be relied upon to give me clear guidance from the LORD!

And Finally

Please understand that the above represents the state of my knowledge on this topic as it stands at the moment. I have much more to learn on testing prophecy and my subsequent lessons may well modify what I have written here, but this is the best that I know at the moment and I trust that it will be helpful.

Eph 3:14-19
14. For this reason I kneel before the Father,
15. from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
16. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
17. so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
18. may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
19. and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fulness of God. (NIV)


Judging/Processing Prophecy

The following is a little talk I do for people who are about to receive personal prophetic ministry from trained teams at our Baptist Church. It sets a context for them, and gives them a grid for processing the words they receive. I hope you will find it helpful as well...

What To Expect

1 Corth 14:3-5
  1. But everyone who prophecies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragment and comfort
  2. He who spaeks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophecies edifys the church
  3. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophecy. He who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified.

God's main agenda for NT prophecy is to build up and encourage. As a result, in our ministry time, we don't tend to see much of the OT prophecy in the area of:

  1. Secret Sins Being Laid Bare

    If you are in secret sin, we will not confront them here, but that is not a carte blanche to remain in it. That type of revealing is outside of the scope of the ministry we do here. This is not a place for you to be afraid or embarassed.

  2. Correction And Rebuke

    Our teams will not be giving these types of words. There may be areas that you need to correct. This type of correction will come from pastoral relationship, not from the prophetic. Thus, if you have an area you need to work on, do not be afraid of being pounced on for it here. Conversely, if we don't mention an area you need to work on, don't assume God is giving you permission to walk in an area of sin or unhealthiness.

  3. Direction

    Directive prophetic words are very valid, when given by highly experineced and trained prophets. However, many on our team are relatively new at prophetic ministry. I think they hear good, or I would not let them minister. But I have asked them not to give prophetic dierction (sell you house, quit your job, move, etc) in the scope of this ministry. (From time to time, the Lord may impress a direction on them stronly enough that they will share it with you. We expect that you will judge any directive words before acting on them.)

    Does that mean that God won't address areas where you need to hear from Him? Of course not. But He may address it by giving you an understanding of His overall plan and strategy in your situaton. Let me give you an example.

    Sue (not her real name) was purchasing a home and suddenly there were unantisipated problems with the bank loan. It should have been approved ages ago, but for some reason the approval kept being put off until the seller was about to give the house to someone else instead, if the approval did not come in 24 hours. Sue came to me seeking prophetic direction... should she stay with this loan company or should she switch to a different one?

    The Lord did not give me direction (do this) or prediction (This loan will come through), but He did give me the nature of the test (faith building and walking in God's peace despite the circumstances). It helped her emensely once she understood how everything fit together. She was able to walk in peace and make the right decisions.

  4. Easy Fixes

    God often works through processes. The prophetic can be keys in giving you breakthroughs in certain areas. But one prophetic ministry is NOT going to fix all problems.

    Our goal is to help you connect more with God and to be encouraged to walk out His plans for you and to help you be able to hear Him more clealry yourself.

    Much of what happens here will be confirmation rather than new revelation.

A few hints:


A Case Study In Judging Prophecy

I received an email on Dec 10, 1999 that appeared to be a rather strong "prophetic" rebuke, in response to my "latest mail out". When I read that email, I had no clue what post the person was referring to.. as I had probably sent out about 100 posts and private email replies in the last 48 hours to many different individuals and email lists.

Of course, I immediately brought this to the Lord and asked Him about it. I definitely would not want to ignore God if He were rebuking or correcting me. I went through a process of judging this "corrective word" with the Lord. I arrived at a conclusion as to whether or not this was something God was indeed saying to me.

Then the Lord told me to use this is a teaching example.. to share the word I received and the process with you that I went through in judging it. I hope you will find it helpful when you have to judge a word...

% Date: Fri, 10 Dec 1999 03:48:50 -0800 (PST)
% From: Night Mare <nightmare1900@yahoo.com>
% Subject: Your latest mail out!
% To: TeresaS@ncal.verio.com
%
% Teresa
% Quit lifting yourself up. You should lift up the Lord.
% You are only interested in being recognized by man.
% Humble yourself or you'll find chastisement.
%

My first response

My first response was confusion, because I had no idea what email message the person was referring to or what action I was accused of being prideful in. I was not aware of any pride in my life, but then, something like pride would be a blind spot.. something I would not be aware of. There was no inner witness of the Holy Spirit.

Taking it to God and asking Him

So, I asked God if this was from Him and what He thought about it. I invited Him to examine my heart with me and bring to light anything that needed to be dealt with. I asked Him to speak to me.

Evaluating the word In terms of how God usually communicates to me

The very first thing God to me said was, "Teresa, is this the style I use when I correct you?"

"No Lord, it is not your usual style."

Then He asked me what His usual style was, so I reviewed it with Him. First, God is very specific with me. If I do something that displeases Him, He calls it to my attention and speaks specifically to me about it. In fact, God and I have a habit of reviewing my day on a daily or near daily basis to see where I have pleased Him and where I have missed it. Not only is God specific (as opposed to broad and general) but He is very gentle and loving with me.. almost never harsh. And whenever He desires to speak something corrective into my life, He always does it through someone that I am in relationship with, through someone who I know has my best interest at heart. There are many people this would include such as my pastor, one of the GodSpeak board of directors, a few that I look to for mentoring or even those I work with regularly in ministry, such as members of the prophetic school leadership core. God did not use any of these to speak to me. When He speaks correction to me, He prepares my heart and usually deals with me on the same issues very shortly before the corrective word arrives... and then gives a strong witness to my spirit when I am receiving His word. Finally, God's correction is always life-breathing, leading to restoration and increased moving forward in Him. That is how God usually deals with me. I did not see any of these elements in this word.

Is it scriptural?

Then I reviewed it from the perspective of, "Is it scriptural?" I had to admit that it certainly is scriptural, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. There is definitely a scriptural precedence that those who fall into pride will be humbled.

Does it line up with what God has previously spoken to me?

Then I reviewed it from the perspective of how it matches with other things that God has said to me in the past. God reminded me of the first prophetic rebuke I ever got, on Nov 11, 1997. This came because I had this fear of falling into pride that used to keep me from moving forward when God said "go". Every time God would try to lift me up or put me in a position of responsibility I would disqualify myself. God sent a prophet from the leadership core to telephone me and gently rebuke me for not acknowledging His call on my life. He told me to settle within myself that He has called me and decide whether or not I would accept His call on my life. So the problem God addressed was not pride, but a near-crippling fear of accidentally falling into pride.

Later on God made a covenant with me.. My part was to move forward in obedience and faith when I believed He commanded me to do so. His part was to lovingly and gently correct me should I begin to fall into error... either in action or in attitude. The hard part of that covenant had been trusting that He would be faithful to gently correct up front, rather than letting me fall into error and then clobbering me for it. It took me literally months to begin to walk in confidence that God would indeed gently and lovingly correct me rather than let me fall into pride, assumption, arrogance and the like. He in fact did gently correct me a few times when I would begin to misstep or "miss it". That is how I realized I could trust Him and was able to begin stepping out in faith, knowing He would be faithful to keep His end of the covenant.

So, this "word" did not line up with what God has previously said to me, both personally and through various other prophetic words. God promised He would gently point out attitude sins and help me correct them, rather than threaten to clobber me for them.

Does it line up with what I know about myself?

Could this word fit me based on what I know about myself and upon recent inputs from others? I don't believe I am prideful.. in fact I still have this fear of falling into pride.. It used to cripple me and keep me from moving forward when God said "Go". But on the other hand, if I had a blind spot of pride, I would not know it because it would be a blind spot. Still, based on my fear of pride, it is not as likely to be a blind spot in my life as other things would be.

I have a daily prayer where I invite the Lord to examine my heart with me and to help me to have pure motives for Him. I invite Him to rework the desires of my heart to line up with the desires of His heart. This is a usual practice of mine, but I am particularly mindful of it and careful to do in these past couple of weeks because it is the focus of our whole church at the moment. In fact, I spent about two hours of prayer (3:00 AM til 5:00 AM) crying out to the Lord in this area on Wednesday morning and examining my heart with Him. Again, this was an area of prayer for about an hour yesterday morning. There have been areas in my heart that God is exposing and dealing with.. He has been showing me some unforgiveness in my heart towards three people from long ago that I did not realize was still there. He has been showing me how I misjudged someone and how I sometimes make assumptions of what He means when He speaks to me based on my understanding of the circumstances around me.

God has not been calling pride to my attention or addressing it with me in any manner. If this were a rebuke from the Lord, I believe He would have been preparing my heart to receive it in the same manner that He prepared my heart to realize/repent about unforgiveness in my heart toward three individuals and to deal with it.

Furthermore, input from those who are close to me is always in the area of encouraging me to step out in greater confidence. None of them has ever approached or rebuked me on the area of pride, but they have on areas that would tend to be contradictory to pride.. such as being hesitant, not exuding a great level of confidence, etc.

What do those who speak into my life say about this word?

I telephoned a couple people who I work closely with, who I look to for mentorship or guidance in my life/ministry. One of them I just asked if they had noticed anything prideful or arrogant in my ministry or in my dealings with them.. they said no. The other is someone who I have worked closely with for over 3 years. I shared the "word" with and asked him if maybe I had a blind spot in this area. He said that he felt this word was totally off-base considering what he knew of my life and character and behaviors.

So, the "word" was not validated based on input from those who know me well and who have permission to speak into my life.

What do I know about the character of the person who gave the word?

This word came anonymously from someone I do not know. I don't even know what post the person was responding to because they did not identify it. I am always leery of "anonymous" prophecies or corrections. I believe that if the Lord speaks through someone, particularly a corrective or directive word, that it is important for the person to be accountable for their word.. e.g, identify themselves.

The person appears quick to condemn and does not appear to know anything about me personally. Also, the "from address" of "Night Mare " sounds a bit inappropriate for someone who claims to be speaking for the Lord.

What God said to me about it

After all this evaluation, I reached the conclusion that this was not a word from the Lord to me. I asked the Lord if I'd reached the correct conclusion.. asked Him to verify it or to correct it... and He did.. through a dialogue with another prophet. But the Lord also told me something interesting.."Teresa, do you wonder what I want you to do with this word? What I want your response to be? This is what I want you to do, use it as an example and turn it into a teaching.. show people what steps you went through to evaluate this word.. because there are some people out there who need to see an example of how to judge prophecy. So use this experience as an example for them."

Summary

This is the basic process I went through. I evaluated the word as follows:

My first response - was there any inner witness?
no there was not.
Taking it to God and asking Him
God did not confirm it when I asked Him directly. He began asking me questions to evaluate the word instead.
Evaluating the word in terms of how God usually communicates to me
the word was not consistent with how God usually speaks this type of thing (correction in this case) to me.
Is it scriptural?
Yes, it was. There are scriptures that support the message of this word, but that doesn't necessarily mean it applies to me personally.
Does it line up with what God has previously spoken to me?
No, it contradicts what God has previously spoken to me.
Does it line up with what I know about myself?
No it does not. However, if it were addressing a "blind spot", I would not be aware of that fault in my life, so I need to explore with others who know me whether or not I have a blind spot.
What do those who speak into my life say about this word?
They did not see this as an area in of my life that I have a problem with.
What do I know about the character of the person who gave the word?
Very little, and their character seems questionable based on the little I know.
What did God say about my conclusions?
He said they were correct, that this was not a word from Him. And then gave me direction to turn this into a teaching example that might be helpful to others who need to judge prophecy.
Did God provide confirmation/correction?
Yes He did. He confirmed through a prophet friend that this corrective word was not from Him.

I hope that you will find it helpful to see the process I went through in judging this word. Many blessings to you!

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