Nine Biblical Principles for Judging ProphecySample

Whenever there is true prophecy that comes from the throne of God, the Holy Spirit will breathe upon it, and it will bring spiritual life to that meeting of believers. The people will be edified, exhorted, and comforted. There will be a spirit of celebration and joy. If a prophecy comes that kills the service, that prophecy was not from God.

On one occasion during the worship service of our church, a woman who was a stranger to our congregation gave a public utterance that I knew was not from the Holy Spirit. Every word she said was full of condemnation without one word of healing or restoration.

As soon as she was silent, I told the congregation, “What you have just heard was not from the Holy Spirit. At best, this was an utterance of flesh and is to be disregarded.” The woman shouted back at me from the congregation. “Don’t you rebuke me!” I looked her straight in the eye and said, “I command you in Jesus’ name to be quiet!” She was quiet!

The next day, I checked up on her and discovered that she had been released from a mental institution the day before. I knew in my heart that had that woman spoken that utterance in the average church, what she had said would have been accepted as from God.

We need to understand that prophecy can be bold and penetrating, but in the end, it will heal and restore. It will bring life, liberty, joy, and celebration.

Peter wrote, “But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities” (2 Peter 2:10, KJV).

Peter says many things in this verse, but I want to point out the phrase “despise government.” Government means spiritual authority. If you will not submit to righteous authority, you are under the control of unrighteous authority, which is Satan himself.

Authority in the Kingdom of God is given; it is never assumed. False prophets do not want to be under anyone’s authority because “they get their orders straight from God.” America is seeing one ministry after the other collapse in scandal and shame when there is either no spiritual authority or insufficient spiritual authority. All others are brute beasts and shall utterly perish in their own corruption (2 Peter 2:12).