“Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it?”
~ Lamentation 3:37
Welcome to another Thursday UNFILTERED blog post, the only blog that refuses to answer invitations with “let me pray about it” which is Christian code language for “no.”
If you’re new to my Thursday articles, consider this Part 2 of my piece last year entitled Prophetic Nonsense.
A brief preface for those who are new to my work: I strongly believe in the prophetic function operating today. But what goes by “prophetic” is often not even in the same neighborhood, let alone the same block.
Today, I would like to address a pregnant elephant that many have shut their eyes to.
An innumerable number of Christians have shipwrecked their faith because they’ve received “words” – supposedly from God – about something that was supposed to happen in their lives.
And when those “prophetic words” didn’t come to pass, the situations blew up in their faces.
Some were so dismayed they still haven’t recovered.
Others handed Jesus divorce papers, becoming bitter at God and His people.
(When bitterness sets in, it’s game over.)
If you or someone you know has experienced this sort of thing, let me offer a few guiding words.
I’ll put them in a bulleted list in classic Frankie V. style.
Each point works with the others, so you’ll want to read the entire list.
1) It’s a colossal mistake to ever act on a “prophetic word” given to you by someone else. Such words are designed to confirm what God has revealed to you personally through other means. This is why a true prophetic word will resonate with you internally.
2) The prophetic is only one way in which the Lord speaks to us. He also speaks through His written Word and through wisdom. I discuss this in a chapter about the three-fold speaking of God in Revise Us Again, chapter 1. These three modes will never be in conflict with each other. (By the way, wisdom is not the same as “common sense.”)
3) This one is huge: Even if you believe God has spoken to you about a certain event or happening, the Lord always calls us to let go of the outcome. So it’s not enough that you hang on to what you believe He’s promised. The act of letting go is critical. Monumental, even. (I expound this principle in detail in the new book Hang On, Let Go using biblical examples.) Those who haven’t had their own Gethsemane in this area usually end up crashing and burning.
4) Prophetic words are always to be evaluated, not just by you, but by others (1 Corinthians 14:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21). Especially those who are mature in the Lord. (Unfortunately, many Christians today can’t discern the mature from the immature.)
5) Even if God genuinely speaks to you, the task of interpreting what He says and the timing of it falls squarely on your shoulders. (Case in point: Jesus – the perfect communicator – was often misunderstood by His disciples. And that still happens today.) On this topic, Craig Keener rightly said, “the more emotionally involved we are personally in a decision, the harder it often is to think and hear clearly.”
6) When it comes to the promises of God, those which are sure and unmovable are found in the Scriptures. (I give many examples in Hang On, Let Go.) A prophetic word given by another person is NOT a promise of God unless it confirms what’s promised in Scripture and/or it turns out to be correct. For instance, all the prophetic words about COVID disappearing by Easter and Trump being reelected in 2020 turned out to be false. Those who put their trust in such “words,” elevating them to the status of divine promise, were devastated.
7) No prophetic word will ever conflict with Scripture. That includes the spirit of the Bible. That last sentence is important because prophetic words will often be too specific to violate any written Scripture. But false prophetic words will often violate the spirit of the Bible. Put another way, there are three holy elements that cannot be separated: Jesus, the Scriptures, and the Holy Spirit. They make up a three-fold holy braid. If one part of the braid gets separated, the whole rope unravels. But there is something that ties the rope and forms the braid. It’s the body of Christ. Not just your little group or denomination, but the whole body. (Since I’m a member of that body, this article and others like it are part of that tying.)
As a genuine Jesus follower, nothing should be able to rattle you. So if something like a failed “prophetic word” given to you by another mortal shakes your faith, then your foundation and motives for following the Lord ought to be reexamined.
I’m encouraged that many who have shipwrecked their faith (a metaphor that comes from 1 Timothy 1:19) – as well as those who are being scalded by life right now – have found the following three audios to be of tremendous help.
You can listen to them freely at PRACTICAL HELP IN YOUR CRISIS.
If you know anyone who is going through the wringer right now, consider sharing this page with them. It could save their lives, spiritual and otherwise.
If you want to comment on or share this article, go to the blog.
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This is the best article I’ve ever read on this subject! Just subscribed. Thanks!
My question arises out of your use of the term, “three fold holy braid.” I want to say upfront, I am not challenging you or anyone by my question, only seeking truth as this question recently came up with a dear brother.
Jesus Christ is the Word. His words and teachings are authoritative. The bible, the scriptures, the word, whatever term one uses, are a written history of Christ by the men who wrote it, their experience of Him, with Him, and one could say, others who interpreted those words, translated those words, printed those words. But is it the WORD of God? If so, why?
Are we to believe that every written word of scripture is authoritative, inspired, without error or interpretation of the men who wrote it? Why? What of the men who translated it? What of the men who printed it? What of the men who decided what words (books) should be included in the “bible”? What authoritative Word of Christ says so? What of the apocraphia? What of what is lost in translation from the original language?
Is the Church of Christ guilty of idoliziing the figures of men in the scriptures; of putting them on a pedestal much like or probably more as many do wtih pastors or “leaders” in the modern day church?
Is it true to believe and say that only Christ is the Holy Word and only His Words are authoritative? The written word is certainly very important in many ways and to be known, but is it not the Holy Spirit that teaches us all things and that by the personal relationship that we each have with the Word of God, Jesus Christ?
I am not trying to be leading, coy, or confrontational here in my questions; I simply never questioned this before and always took traditional beliefs about scripture for granted. God speaks to us in many ways, one, as you say is through the Body. One is through the scriptures too, for certain! I have followed your writings and thought since before you had followers. 🙂 I seek and would appreciate your thought here, now, and trust you understand the depth of what I am asking.
Already answered and explained here. If you’ve been subscribed, not sure why you didn’t already see this: https://www.frankviola.org/2020/01/30/godsword/
Make sure you watch the video also.
Brett, Frank already answered this not too long ago.
Frank, amazing article and video on how the word of God is the Bible and the Word is Jesus. It helped me a lot. I was listening to some of the progressives on this and what you said dismanted their viewpoints, so thank you.
Dustin
Thanks Dustin.
Have not followed all your online stuff for some time, just your books. Only days ago re-subscribed to the network. Thanks, will take a look.
Very timely article for me. I’ve been struggling with this, among a few other things, for awhile now. Saving this for future readings as I tend to need reinforcement from articles that speak to my heart. I’d like to read your “Hang on, Let go” book.
Thank you.
Amazing article! Thank you. Thursdays are becoming my favorite day next to tuesdays when you release the new podcasts lol.
Me too
I was part of the prophetic movement and I have to say this is the clearest and best article on the subject I’ve ever read.
Loving your new book “Hang On, Let Go.” Life changing!
Keep it up.
I was once a student of prophecy until I realized it was starting to replace my relationship with God. I began to have thoughts that since I knew what was coming that I didn’t need to be in constant communication with God. You know where those thoughts came from… lol. I have since leaned to relax and allow God to guide my future. All I need to base any decision on is the question “will my actions reflect God’s love to all God created?”
Great stuff! thank you.
Wonderful post. Really enlightening. I used to attend Bethel, but I stopped because the prophecies were wrong about the elections and they had to apologize.
What do you think about Bethel church?
I can only comment on churches that I’ve been to in recent years. Up until this moment, they haven’t invited me to speak (these days I can only travel to visit a church if I’m invited to minister). Since I’ve not been there and have no first-hand experience, I have nothing to say. (I don’t follow them online either.)
Great article, very helpful! thanks for writing it.
Frank, this post is pure gold! I’ve often thought those same bullet points (without the bullet points) at times when I’ve seen other Christians claim to have heard a word from the Lord, conveniently delivered into their laps by another Christian. I’ve seen the devastating effects so much that I adopted a personal policy–never rely on a prophetic word delivered by someone else unless I can confirm it internally (by the Holy Spirit) and confirm that it doesn’t violate the spirit of the Bible. That is such an important phrase. Too many people look at the Bible and read it like it’s a list of commandments and if they don’t see an explicit prohibition against something, they’ll dismiss it. The beauty of the Bible is that it conveys the heart of God in human language. Therefore, understanding the spirit of its message is far more important than understanding the plain language of it.
This is an awesome post.