The Power of the Prophetic 

God is a stunningly creative communicator. There’s nothing – absolutely nothing – dull and boring about how God communicates with you and me.

And one of the ways He does that is through the power of the prophetic.

Now I acknowledge that some of God’s people believe that there are no more prophets today. That prophecy is something that belongs to the past. But as I read the Word of God in a simple, straightforward way, I cannot come to that conclusion.

I believe that God has given some people a supernatural gift of prophecy – the gift to speak His specific will into the lives of God’s people.

Let’s take a look at what God’s Word has to say on this – because it is God’s Word that provides us with the authority to understand what God is doing.

So this is the Apostle Paul writing to the church in Corinth, after Jesus has died and risen again and ascended into heaven:

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord... To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom… to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits… All these are activated by one and the same Spirit …” (1 Corinthians 12:4–11)

Obviously, God knew the controversy that these spiritual gifts would create. They were outrageous back then, just as they are outrageous for some people now. So the Holy Spirit made sure that His Word had the controversy covered: 

“Pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy.” (1 Corinthians 14:1)

In other words, God’s Word urges us to strive for – to earnestly seek out – these supernatural, spiritual gifts, especially prophecy. Why? Because it is God’s gift for building up the church!

Should we discern prophecies? Absolutely! Should we think them through and pray them through? Absolutely! Should we reject any that don’t ring true? Absolutely!

Why, oh why would we want to deny that? Why would we not want to hear when God has something specific to say to you and to me, from His heart into our lives through people (prophets) whom He created and gifted for that very purpose?

LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS

• Can I urge you again to spend some time dwelling on Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians, chapters 12 and 14. Read the text in a simple, straightforward way, and then ask God what He’s saying to you about whether He is still speaking to His people through prophecy.
• Why do you suppose that Paul writes that the gift of prophecy is given to us “so that the church may be built up” (1 Corinthians 14:5)?
• Have you ever had someone speak a word of prophecy into your life at a particular moment? What happened?
• Are you wrestling right now with a word that has been given to you? Remember that the true test of prophecy is to measure it against God’s unchanging Word. Pray for His discernment.

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