Guidance and Encouragement:

Advice for Receiving a Word from the Lord

2Ti 1:6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.

1Ti 1:18-19 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck.

No prophetic word is a substitute for your hearing of God for yourself, by yourself. Once you know you have heard the unmistakable leading of God, let no one intimidate you, no matter how “big” a name they have. A prophet or prophetess will usually provide confirmation of what God already said to you directly. It is wise, with respect to making major life decisions, not only to be sure you have heard God yourself, but also to have two or more independent, confirming witnesses from experienced and trustworthy prophetic voices, before you act.

Pray to receive the gift of Discernment of Spirits from the Lord. (by which you can know the source of a communication: whether its origin is from God, the flesh, or the devil). Have a close, personal relationship with your God yourself. If you know Him, you'll not be easily fooled by the counterfeits. To know Him means knowing God intimately with your heart, by spending private time with Him in praise, worship, prayer. We recommend regular private study of the Word as well.

You must not chase after words or prophets. God's prophets are not psychics. God's prophets will not necessarily tell you what you expect to hear or desire to hear. Be cautious of beginners, novices who go around presenting personal prophetic words.

If possible, know something of the history and character of those giving you a personal prophetic word. (See Dr. Bill Hamon, Prophets Pitfalls and Principles, p. 66.) Humility, willingness to admit when one made a mistake, lack of defensiveness are character attributes of the genuine prophet/prophetess, as is the real love of Jesus Christ. The real prophet/prophetess will not demand that you hear him or her; he or she will sadly turn away, and intercede. The false prophet will presume upon his or her status or position, and attempt to force, demand, control, manipulate, threaten, flatter, cajole, give you false comfort, or cater to your flesh's desires instead of what the Lord wants for your life.

All prophetic words are conditional, and can be delayed, modified, or even canceled by the receiver's response.  God has to deal with man's free will. God does not force us to do something. God does NOT HAVE TO do anything; He is God. In general, God takes us through a process to get where he wants us to be. (example: the fulfillment of Joseph's had a dream about his future, but trouble came and had to be overcome along the way...) If one rejects God's promise, and continues to sin, God's word of blessing will not be fulfilled. Sin here means when people walk in disobedience to the Scripture and refuse to heed the commandments of Jesus. Living according to Scripture is, for example: You must love your brothers and not have unforgiveness in your heart. Examples of sin include: adultery, fornication, stealing, lying, covetousness, having other gods besides the One True God (Jehovah), etc. You must stand in faith. When by doubt and unbelief you reject a positive word, it will not come to pass.

Examples of prophetic words given but later modified by God, based upon the recipient's response:
ex.) Jonah's word of destruction of Nineveh did not come to pass, because God changed His mind after the whole town repented. (Jonah 3:10)
ex.) Hezekiah did not surely die, as the prophet Isaiah spoke , Hezekiah prayed, and God allowed Hezekiah to live for fifteen years more. God changed His word based on Hezekiah's response. (Isa. 38:5)
ex.) Eli was chosen by God, but failed God in allowing corruption to come into God's temple and to his family. God reversed his promise, and used someone else. (1 Sa 3:13)

A prophetic word may sound good on the surface, yet it still may not be from God! You are not to “put the word on the shelf”; you are to either receive it or reject it as a false message immediately, according to the witness you get in the Spirit, OR pray earnestly as to God's guidance. If the word contains false doctrine (that is, not according to Scripture), reject it. If you, a Believer, do not get a witness (in your spirit) that the word is from God, reject the word immediately.

Your expectations may alter how you hear the word from God. Don't rush to presume what a word means. Don't go to a prophet/prophetess expecting to hear him/her speak a fulfillment of your fleshly desires. Instead, yield yourself to the Lord's will, not your will in every matter. Your “soulish desire” can pull on the prophet's hearing and make it more difficult for him or her to hear what the LORD is saying. God will probably require an action on your part, for the word to come to pass (e.g., stand in faith).

Hindrances to the Fulfillment of Personal Prophecy (Legitimate reasons a true word may not come to pass)
Basically, the same things that hinder us from appropriating the Biblical promises from the Lord apply to prophetic words: unbelief, pride, impatience, self-deception, negligence, procrastination, slothfulness. We may be hindered by false preconceptions about life, ourselves, and God, or by what I call “soul blockage” - that is, an emotion, willful desire, or personal ambition that gets in the way of receiving God's word. We may misapply or misinterpret a prophecy, or allow disappointment or disillusionment to hinder a word's fulfillment. Or we may be wrongly motivated by fear of man, or fail to take responsibility for the results of our own behavior.

Old Testament and New Testament prophetic operations are not the same: 1Sa 3:1b And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; [there was] no open vision. “At the cross, the prophet's message changed dramatically; The voice of the LORD became one of love, of hope, and of promise. The word He now gives through His prophets is a bright and joyful sound.”. Please do not be quick to persecute, "stone" the messenger! Instead, search your heart to see if there's anything you may have done to alter the fulfillment of the word.

References:

Prophets Pitfalls and Principles, Dr. Bill Hamon. Destiny Image Publishers (1991),

Secrets of the Prophetic, Kim Clement. Destiny Image Publishers (2005)

dmk 11/2006 edition

A Few Thoughts on Courage, Etc.

Your Service in Christ Jesus (God Who came in the Flesh, One with God the Father) is to be Based on His Word, His Strength and His Guidance

Psa 144:1 Blessed [be] the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, [and] my fingers to fight:

Psa 71:18 Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto [this] generation, [and] thy power to every one [that] is to come.

Exd 15:2 The LORD [is] my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he [is] my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.

Be not corrupted by flattery of men. KNOW your God! You who are in Jesus Christ have God’s favor, now seek His Presence, His Face! You can do nothing of yourself. Those of you who pray for others’ supernatural healing by God, you cannot heal a flea (by yourself). Everything you have is ultimately from God.  Now, this was spoken of the (Old) Covenant in Moses, is it not equally true in the (New) Covenent in Jesus Christ?

Daniel 11:32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do [exploits].

Your courage is a decision from your heart  to trust your God whom you know according to Scriptures and personally in your prayer life, and then act on what you know.

Psa 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

1Pe 4:11   If any man speak, [let him speak] as the oracles of God; if any man minister, [let him do it] as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

God shows us the heart of this matter by speaking prophetically in the negative. TRUTH prevails. A zeal is born in your heart to be valiant for the Truth (Jesus Christ is the Truth). You must KNOW GOD; that is not knowing ABOUT God, that is a deep desire to really know Him face to face. Through His Son, Jesus Christ, you can know God. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob's public acts are that people would recognize and know the One True God, and fear Him, as God. Truth Prevails. Now and forever!

Jer 9:3 And they bend their tongues [like] their bow [for] lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD.

dmk Dec. 2008