Nine Biblical Principles for Judging ProphecySample

To edify is to build up, to strengthen, to encourage, or to comfort. The message of prophecy is positive! When anyone speaks a message into your life that leaves you filled with condemnation or fear or disturbs your peace…that message was not from God. Forget the prophecy!

One day I saw a young man at a church retreat put his hand on another brother and say, “God just told me something bad is going to happen in your life!” The color drained out of the man’s face, and the self-anointed prophet walked off, pleased that he had delivered a “word.”

I stopped him, brought him back to the shaken believer, and told him that word was not from God and was to be immediately and totally dismissed. I encourage you to do the same! When anyone prophesies anything into your life that does not edify, exhort, or comfort you, look at the so-called prophet and say, “I don’t receive that prophecy as being from the Lord. That’s out of your flesh and has nothing to do with God.” Then forget it!

There is a difference between the spirit of condemnation and the spirit of conviction. The Holy Spirit convicts; Satan condemns. When the Holy Spirit convicts, He says, “You told a lie; repent and be restored.” God, the Holy Spirit, exposes the problem, tells you how to resolve it, and the solution will always bring peace. Afterwards, you feel uplifted, edified, encouraged, and comforted.

The spirit of condemnation is from Satan. It leaves you saturated with a sense of defeat and despair. There are no solutions, edification, exhortation, or comfort. There is nothing positive! Afterwards, there is no relief. Receive the spirit of conviction; reject the spirit of condemnation.

Acts 11:27–30 (NKJV) tells the story of how the New Testament Church handled prophecy: “And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.” Prophecy led the church to prepare and provide relief to those in need.