Purpose Management — “The Prophetic”

Posted on December 26, 2011 by My Berean Life

Let’s take a step back to a solid fundamental: to pursue what God said, we must acknowledge God. I know this is elementary, but let me explain. this is not a nod of acknowledgement to say, “Yes Lord, I know it was You.” This is a recognition of God, an awareness that you and I are seeing and coming to know what God has seen and known all the time. Just like Moses turned aside to see the burning bush and then encountered divine purpose (see Exodus 3-4), we too must recognize God, and His Mind, and His Vision for our lives.

I think it is possible to do one or the other. Either we have His Will (mind) and use our vision, or we have a clear picture from God and use our plan (mind). Partial acceptance is to our confusion, delay, and sometimes peril. The ideal is also possible: to have the MIND and VISION of the Father active in my life…and ME (and you) working HIS PLAN.

This final entry for phase one of this Path to Reigning series is about getting back to, or keeping God’s will and vision primary AND allowing the prophetic to be a tool for construction and not demolition. This entry is longer, but it’s more than good reading…it is a tool with tools to help us all better administrate our purpose.

Voices

Consider with me the various speaking elements or entities.

We have a voice (soul).
Our consciences can speak to us.
Family…yes, they can really give an opinion!
Friends…they earned the honor to talk.
Other people, at the various levels we place them.
The past has a voice.
God’s Word speaks (logos and rhema).
God’s man or woman speaks (include prophetic people here).
Holy Spirit speaks.

Inspiration

Each speaking element or entity has a source that “breathes” on or into it to give its voice life. You and I, for example, are living souls because of God’s breath into us. By contrast, the devil inspires thoughts, situations and people to give voice to his agenda. When it comes to using the prophetic for building and not tearing down, we have instruction to KNOW THE INSPIRATION.

They [false prophets] are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood. –1 John 4:5-6 (NIV1984)

Make sure to read verses 1-6. Within the warning John the Apostle shares a great truth that the inspiration in us is greater that the inspiration that is in the world. Selah! God in us is greater than soul and conscience and demonic deception. Amen!

Function

Prophecy is for believers, not unbelievers (1 Corinthians 14:22). The function or job of prophecy is growth, strength and community. We most often quote 1 Corinthians 14:3 from the King James Version, that prophecy is for edification, exhortation and comfort.

Let me interject something. God’s goal is retention. He wants us to know Him and keep knowing Him (see Hosea 6:1-3). God’s focus is community, for you and I to be better at unifying with the Body of Christ and the people of His purpose for us (family, specific relationships, etc.). My point is this: our assignments will help others and when the confirming Word inspired by God through prophecy is released, it will encourage us to grow up, stand in more strength, and move toward unity with the Body…NOT necessarily feel better about who we are and our assignment.

Jeremiah 29:11

Please, read this entire chapter. Verse 11 is the concluding statement to encourage trust in God. Verse 11 is not the prophecy. The actual prophecy is in verses 5-10 to God’s people in bondage because of disobedience. This is what God spoke through the prophet:

Settle in Babylon. Buy a house, plant a garden and eat (v. 5).
Create Legacy. Marry and have kids. Make good matches so they can have kids. Grow in number and don’t die out (v. 6).
Live in Peace in Babylon. Do good and pray for good because when it happens you will benefit (v. 7).
Close Your Ears to False Prophets. Don’t listen to their dreams or let them fool you. They prophesy lies in God’s name, but He did not send them (vv. 8-9).
Timing. Babylon with have strength for 70 years. After this God will keep His promise …..because…

I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope. –Verse 11

Let us now discard the prophecy that came to prematurely usher us out of Babylon…or, our place of processing and learning. While the hope is that there is an end, there is also certainty that we will be there until that end comes. This is just one example of how we set purpose aside until God delivers…until we are released from Babylon. But if we are to settle and grow and pray for good there, why not get to DOING?

Closing

No prophecy in Scripture came from the prophet’s interpretation (2 Peter 1:20). How much more, then, should we who have the Holy Ghost within us NOT RELY ON A PERSONAL INTERPRETATION of prophecy that is inspired by God?! Prophecy is a spiritual, divine utterance. It cannot be interpreted without the Holy Ghost!

I beg you, turn a deaf ear to demonic and soulish suggestion. We are to be sober (1 Peter 3:13-16), transformed by our renewed mind (Romans 12:1-3), renewed in the spirit of our mind (Ephesians 4:23-24) and more. Moreover, I encourage you to pray a simple prayer I’ve been led to pray in recent weeks.

“Lord, deliver me from bad prophecy.”

Selah, love to all…and see you in phase two!