Balance In The Prophetic

There is a growing trend in “Prophetic Circles” that has me quite concerned. It seems folks think that they must always get a “Word” to know what God wants them to do in life. It is almost as if we don’t know how to operate anymore if we don’t get a “Word”. Folks are running around chasing down every Prophet or prophetically gifted person and asking: “Do you have a ‘Word’ for me?”

 

I remember Kenneth E. Hagin telling us when I was a student in Rhema about a woman who used to always call him asking him for a “Word”. One time she called him in the middle of the night asking him for a “Word” and he told her he had one for her: “Go to sleep!”

 

Now this is somewhat humorous but not far off from what we see today in many of our circles. Folks don’t get me wrong, I love the prophetic movement of God, I flow in the Gift of Prophecy, in fact God changed my 5-fold office from Evangelist to Prophet around 13 years ago…but this has gotten way out of hand.

 

Do you mean to tell me we can’t function as Born Again, Spirit indwelt, Spirit filled Believers without getting a “Word”? That just ought not to be! How did we get so out of balance? In our desire to embrace the prophetic, we have gone overboard and made it into something God has never intended.

 

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Romans 8:14 NKJV

 

I want to remind you that nowhere in the New Testament are we told ‘as many as are led by the prophetic word, these are the sons of God.’ No the Scripture plainly says that as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. As a son or daughter of God you should expect to be led by the Spirit of God…not the Prophetic Word!

 

An interesting side thought of this verse which we do not have time to go into for this Blog is that in the above verse where it says sons of God, in the original Greek that the New Testament was written in, that word ‘sons’ carries the meaning ‘mature sons’…just food for thought for you.

 

One of the greatest life lessons I have ever learned, I learned from Kenneth E. Hagin: “You will find that being led by an inward witness is the number one, or the primary way, that God leads all of His children.” From his book ‘How You Can Be Led By The Spirit Of God’ I learned this lesson as a teenager even before I got married and enrolled in Rhema. It became part of my spiritual DNA (a term my good friend Pastor Barry Habib uses).

 

“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Romans 8:16 NKJV

 

There is the witness of the Holy Spirit inside of our human spirit that will let us know what to do. We need to learn to follow it! I always tell folks: “Follow after Peace.” I mean when you have peace in your spirit go that way. If it feels like fingernails down a black board in your spirit…DON’T DO IT!

 

Thank God for the “Prophetic Word”! It should confirm what leading we already have in our spirit, or expand upon what is in our spirit, or bring clarity to what is in our spirit. Even if it is new revelation to you when it comes…it will still bear witness with our spirit.

 

Just because we have embraced the “Prophetic” let us not be so out of balance that we feel like we cannot function unless we get a “Word”. No thank God for when He speaks! Expect Him to speak. Desire Him to speak. But we have in the process of wanting to hear a “Word” absolved ourselves of any responsibility to be led by His Spirit. God never intended that! We must remain in balance. Live your life following the inward witness and then receive the “Prophetic Word” when it comes…but if it doesn’t come…you are fine because you have the inward witness in your spirit.