Book Reviews

Prophecies and Relationships  

Consider the following quote from the teachings of Kenneth Hagin:

“First of all, however, let me stress that receiving God’s direction for your life is your own personal responsibility. God wants to personally lead and guide you in every area of your life so you can successfully run the spiritual race He has set before you.

God isn’t going to lead and guide you through other people, although sometimes He will use someone else to confirm what you already have in you own spirit. He is going to lead you by His Spirit.

Some Christians aren’t willing to take the responsibility of seeking God’s guidance for themselves. They are looking for an easy way out. They don’t want to depend on their own personal relationship with God, because it takes time and effort to develop spiritually. They’d rather have someone else seek God for them and tell them what to do. Folks like that miss God’s best for their lives, because God isn’t going to lead them through other people. Besides, God desires to have a personal relationship with each one of His children.”

In seeking your own guidance from God, one should also be very careful not to harbour an idol in your heart.

Ezekiel 14:4-5 (NIV)

Therefore speak to them and tell them, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face and then goes to a prophet, I the LORD will answer him myself in keeping with his great idolatry. I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for their idols.'

Mark Virkler clarifies this passage as follows:

“If I pray about a thing, and the thing is more prominent in my vision or my consciousness than the Lord is, the answer that comes back will be from me, rather than from the Lord. On the other hand, if the Lord is more prominent in my consciousness than my vision of the thing I am praying about, then the answer will come from the Lord and it will be pure revelation, not contaminated with my desires.”

Spiritual things, just as natural things, can be misused because it is man prophesying under the inspiration of the Spirit of God. It is not exactly God doing it. Judge prophecies by:

The Word of God. God will not reveal something to you if is not in line with His Word, because the word of God is the Will of God.
What you have in your own spirit. If you do not have something in your own spirit, do not merely accept a personal prophecy.

This is illustrated through the preparation of Paul for his trial. Although he was warned through a prophet of the difficulties ahead and despite the concern of his fellow believers, Paul acted to what he already had in his spirit.

Acts 21:10-14 (NIV)

After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, `In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'" When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.

Then Paul answered, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, "The Lord's will be done."

Acts 23:11 (NIV)

The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."

If you go directly to a prophet or go to a service where you know a prophet will be speaking, hoping that the prophet will say something regarding a marriage or a pregnancy, it may be your strong soulish desire and prayers that the prophet picks up and not what God wants to say. If you go to prophet to pray for you about a future partner, any proper and disciplined prophet will suggest that you go and pray yourself and to get God’s direction yourself personally because you are the person that will have to live with the person. Any good Prophet School teaches the prophetic scholars not to fall in error by prophesying about babies and marriage.

In the Old Testament God only spoke through the Prophet, the Priest and the King. Today we have the Holy Spirit and everyone who has received Jesus Christ as Lord has a measure of the Spirit, so we can all hear God. However, there are those who do not want to hear God speak at all, for they may be afraid of what He will say.

References:

1. Following God’s Plan for Your Life, Kenneth E Hagin, ISBN 0-89276-519-4, Faith Library Publications.
2. Dialogue with God, Mark Virkler, ISBN0-88270-620-9, Bridge Publishing
3. Common Errors, Anita Giovannoni.

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