The Importance Of Right Relationships

I was meditating earlier tonight over some Prophetic Words of past years. I don’t know how many of you keep folders (whether electronic or old fashioned hard copy paper) but I do. They are good to go back over just like re-reading portions of Scripture you have read before is good to do.

There are several things that can come from going over Prophetic Words:

·         It encourages your faith to remind yourself of what God has spoken previously.

·         It reminds you of things you may have forgotten that God has spoken and you have taken your faith off of.

·         It enables you to war a good warfare by them as Paul instructed Timothy.

·         It also allows you to gain perspective that many times God will speak similar themes through many voices, especially in a certain season, either for that season or for one that is just about to begin.

One of things that governs my life is the practice of Hermeneutics, which is the art and science of Bible interpretation. It has been drilled into me since I was a child by both of my Parents who are both Apostles today. I knew and understood the practical applications of Hermeneutics before I knew the technical names or terms.

Some of the Principles of Hermeneutics used in Bible Interpretation are:

·         The Comparative Mention Principle – comparing two verses of Scripture that deal with the same subject or theme to see how they are alike and how they differ.

·         The Complete Mention Principle – taking all the Scriptures that deal with the same subject or theme to get the full scope and picture of what God is saying about that subject.

What I have discovered is that we can do the same thing with Prophetic Words. If we keep records or files of Prophetic Words we can find the ones that deal with the same theme or subject and see how they are the same, how they are different and how all together they form a complete picture. It also reminds us when discovering Prophetic Words along the same subject line that it is in line with Scripture fulfilling the words that Jesus spoke:

“…that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.” Matthew 18:16b NKJV

What I discovered by going over some older Prophetic Words is how many dealt with the Importance of Relationships. I believe the truth of these Prophetic Words is just as vital and important right now as it was over the last several years that they were spoken.

“The Spirit of the Lord just spoke in my heart and He said that these are strategic days that we are living in. These are days of alignment. For He is causing His Body to align, and there are affiliations and associations that are going to fall by the wayside because they are not productive to Kingdom purpose. And there are affiliations and associations that have yet to be, that are soon to be because they are for the fulfillment of Kingdom purpose. And you will see that people that you have been in fellowship with and that you have associated with, you will have to cut them aside, for they will not help you, and they will not aid you in fulfilling your destiny. But instead they will be as it were those weights that must be cut asunder so that you may run the race that is set before you. For anyone that is a weight and that drags you down is not of benefit to you but a hindrance to you. And there will be those that will be brought across your path, some presently and some in the near future that just by association it will seem like it is the breath of God underneath your wings that will help propel you into your destiny. These are strategic times says the Spirit of God. Watch your associations, and watch your alignments, and be willing to sacrifice dead wood and cut it loose and seek only after Kingdom purpose that you may run the race that is set before you and fulfill your destiny in this hour.” Michael Fram

“…Alliances and coalitions will be instrumental. Spiritual alliances will be formed that will NOT be personally, carnally, or selfishly motivated, nor will these alliances be looking for self-blessing or receiving, but to be a blessing to the cities and nations…” Hector Torres

“…Those who are properly aligned relationally with apostolic leaders will experience heaven and earth connections that will bring increase. To not be aligned properly with relationships will cause the flow from heaven to cease...” Jean Steffenson

“   Proper alliances and coalitions will be key and instrumental during this season. Some relationships based on old wine structures will pass away and new relationships will form between like-minded leaders, regardless of denominational or non-denominational affinities. Right alignment is essential. If we are not in proper alignment it will cost us fruitfulness, health, a loss of revelation, and destiny. Setbacks will begin for those who are not properly aligned. Do not be afraid of change--there is a pruning that will take place in all aspects of God's Kingdom…” The Apostolic Council Of Prophetic Elders

“And as change comes you must look at your relationships. Look at your alliances, and there are some you need to sow into more. There are some you need to spend more time with, and others you need to spend less or no time with; because change is coming.” Michael Fram

Did you notice how often God spoke about alignment and relationships? Do you think just maybe God is trying to get something across to us? I do! There is an old saying that goes something like this: “A word to the wise is sufficient.” Heed what the Spirit of God was and still is saying…watch who you are in relationship with. Make sure you are aligned properly. It could be the difference between success and failure.

Responding To The Prophetic Word

It is a widely accepted fact that God speaks prophetically to His people. Scripture clearly states: “Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7 NASB In fact in the day and age in which we live, that I like to call the time period known as “The Restoration Of All Things” (see Acts 3:21), God seems to be speaking prophetically much more than He has in years gone by as He is restoring the Office of the Prophet to His Church. However, we must understand that as in Scripture, there are two types of prophetic words: absolute and conditional. Absolute prophecies come to pass because God does them all by Himself. Conditional prophecies require our cooperation in meeting the conditions laid forth. Hence how we respond to the prophetic word is extremely important.

In the Apostle John’s prophetic encounter recorded in Revelation chapters two and three, Jesus spoke plainly to seven churches. To each one He ended his message with the phrase: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” The first response that we must make to the prophetic word is to hear it. We must have spiritual ears to hear what the Spirit is saying. Jesus also said: “Take heed therefore how ye hear…” Luke 8:18 KJV Not only must we hear what the Spirit is saying and accept it as being a word from God but we must also hear it accurately. We must be open to God’s prophetic word and accept it as such.

Our second response to the prophetic word should be to write it down. God told the prophet Habakkuk: “And the Lord answered me, and said, ‘Write the vision and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.’” Habakkuk 2:2 KJV God told the prophet Jeremiah: “Write all the words which I have spoken to you in a book.” Jeremiah 2:2 NASB God told the prophet Isaiah: “Now go, write it on a tablet before them and inscribe it on a scroll, that it may serve thee in time to come…” Isaiah 30:8 NASB Do you see a pattern here? Do you see a common theme to what God told each of these prophets? It is clear that we must write down our prophetic words so that we do not loose sight of them.

The same way that we refer back to the written Logos (Scripture Word) of God to remember what He has promised us, we must refer back to the written Rhema (Prophetic Word) of God to remember what He has promised us. Too many in the Body of Christ today are missing it because they forget what God promised them prophetically. This brings us to our next response to the prophetic word. The Apostle Paul wrote to his spiritual son, the apostle in training, Timothy: “This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may fight the good fight.” 1 Timothy 1:18 NASB We must learn to war or fight with our prophetic words. The same way we remind God, the devil and ourselves of what is written in Scripture, we must also remind God, the devil and ourselves of what God has prophetically declared.

There is always a moral imperative with the prophetic word of God. Even if it seems that there are no conditions listed in the prophetic word, we must still live right, pursue God and His kingdom, and above all fight with our prophetic words by declaring them in our prayer life. This is another area where many in the church err. Just because God spoke it, doesn’t mean that we can just sit back and do nothing and expect it to come to pass, no more than we can expect to get saved by just sitting back and doing nothing. There is an act of faith that appropriates God’s promise of salvation in our getting saved, and there is an act of faith that appropriates God’s prophetic promise that causes us to walk in it. This idea that God said thus and so, so I can just sit back and watch God do it is a subtle lie of the enemy that is keeping many from inheriting their prophetic promises.

The final area that I want to touch on in this brief overview is a critical one that I learned from the hard way. We must always be careful to NOT put our own meaning on God’s prophetic word. When God gives us a prophetic word He never gives us all the details. Even though He knows the end from the beginning, He never tells us the end from the beginning. If He did, we most likely wouldn’t pursue it, and it wouldn’t require us to walk by faith. (Which we know it is impossible to please God without walking by faith, see Hebrews 11:6) The Apostle Paul tells us: “For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.” 1 Corinthians 13:9 NASB No prophetic word is total revelation it is always partial revelation.

The danger that comes in is when we take the partial revelation that is given along with our own pre-conceived ideas and mix them together getting an interpretation of what that word from God means, but it is really not what God means at all. Our own mindset can cause us to run off prematurely and miss God’s purpose and plan for our lives. We must learn to bathe our prophetic words in prayer, and wait for God to add further revelation to the partial revelation that was initially given. Waiting for the proper timing of God for the prophetic word is also extremely important. Just because you received a prophetic word, don’t always assume that it is for right now. There is always a period of time between the prophetic promise and the actual full manifestation of that promise being walked in called preparation. Don’t try to short cut the process; you must go through the preparation to walk in the promise.

I trust that these simple thoughts will help you in your walk with the Lord. This is in no way meant to be an exhaustive teaching on this subject, but merely a few general pointers to help us all to respond to the prophetic word of the Lord more accurately.

Why Sometimes Our Prophetic Words Don’t Come To Pass

One of the things to consider in does the ‘Prophetic Word’ come to pass is; what are you doing with it? This might seem like a strange question to some, but let me explain. So many times we receive a ‘Prophetic Word’ and then just sit back and wait for it to manifest, but don’t do anything with it. This is clearly against the admonition of the Apostle Paul to his son in the faith, the Apostle in training, Timothy.

“This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare.” 1 Timothy 1:18 NKJV (Emphasis Mine)

I want you to notice what Paul said to Timothy. He was referring to ‘Prophesies’ that Timothy had already (past tense) received; and that by those ‘Prophesies’ he could wage a good warfare. Did you ever think that you could war with your ‘Prophetic Words’? This is what Paul admonished Timothy to do.

I explain it to folks this way. Back in the hay day of the “Word of Faith” movement there was a big push to confess the promises of the Word of God. We were taught to: “Pray the Promise not the Problem!” If you were sick, you would find as many Scriptures as you could on physical healing in the Bible and then pray those Scriptures over your life. What were we doing? We were waging warfare with the written Word of God.

The truth is we can and should do exactly the same thing with our ‘Prophetic Words’. Paul told Timothy to wage a good warfare with them. How do we do that? First, we have to record them some way or other. Whether it is by some sort of sound recording, short hand, long hand, whatever…but we need to have a record of them so we can refer to them and wage warfare with them. I suggest that every church and ministry get in the habit of recording ‘Prophetic Words’. Once it is recorded it can always be transcribed, which we also do quite regularly.

You may ask why should we record and transcribe ‘Prophetic Words’? There are two reasons: 1. So that they can be judged accurately. 2. So you will have a clear record of what was said to use in your warfare. Once you have accurate record of your ‘Prophetic Word (s)’ and they have been judged as being accurate, you are ready to proceed to the warfare stage.

Exactly what we used to do with the written Word of God in the “Word of Faith” days is what we do with our ‘Prophetic Words’. We remind God, the devil and ourselves of what God has said! The same as you would pray according to Matthew 8:17; “Father your word says the He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses, so if He took them I don’t have to have them!” Well, you do the same thing with your ‘Prophetic Word’. You say; “Father your ‘Prophetic Word’ to me declared… (Whatever it was)…and based on your ‘Prophetic Word’ to me I thank you that I walk in it and it shall be fulfilled in my life!

We have to come to the place that we realize that there is just as much creative power in the ‘Legitimate Prophetic Word’ (one that has been judged and passes the criteria) as there was in the word released in Genesis chapter one where it records over and over again through the story of creation: “And God said!” Every time God said, whatever He said came to pass. And God said let there be light…and light was! There is creative power released in the word of God.

The book of Hebrews puts it this way:

“By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” Hebrews 11:3 NKJV (Emphasis Mine)

Folks the worlds themselves were framed by the Word of God. Whatever God said is what came to be. When God speaks over your life about your purpose and destiny He is literally framing your future and He is waiting for you to come into agreement with Him and declare out of your mouth back to Him that which He has already declared. This is warring with your ‘Prophetic Word’.

Don’t you remember this verse?

“Put Me in remembrance; Let us contend together; State your case, that you may be acquitted.” Isaiah 43:26 NKJV (Emphasis Mine)

God is telling us to remind Him of what He said. Not because He has a bad memory and does not remember, but because He wants us to come into covenant agreement with Him over what He has declared to be. He said for us to contend together, the New American Standard Bible words it this way: “Put Me in remembrance, let us argue our case together; State your cause, that you may be proved right.” Did you see that? He said for us to argue our case together. God wants us to say Father you said! It is time we learn to do that with our ‘Prophetic Words’.

Second you are also reminding yourself of what God promised you when you rehearse your ‘Prophetic Words’. It is easy to forget what God has spoken to you. As you rehearse them your faith gets built up and you get encouraged. Remember:

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17 NKJV

Faith comes by hearing God’s word, which can be the ‘Prophetic Word’ just as much as it can be the written word. As you are declaring the ‘Prophetic Word’ your faith is growing over what God has promised you enabling you to believe what God has said.

Third you are reminding the devil of what God has said. The enemy of your soul doesn’t want you believing in your ‘Prophetic Word’. He tries to discourage you from walking in it by telling you it will never come to pass or that God will do it for somebody else but He will never do it for you. When you declare your ‘Prophetic Word’ in essence you are saying back off Mr. Devil, this is where I am going and this what God and I are doing!

You can’t be passive with your ‘Prophetic Words’. You must be militant with them. You can’t just sit back doing nothing just-a-hoping-and-a-waiting for them to manifest. No! You must war with them! Remember Jesus declared:

“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” Matthew 11:12 NKJV (Emphasis Mine)

So before you run off and say my ‘Prophetic Word’ did not come to pass, ask yourself, what have I done with it? It is time you stopped being laid back with your ‘Prophetic Words’ and started to be aggressive, yes and even violent with them and wage a good warfare with them so that they begin to come to pass.

WAIT WAIT WAIT

I went to sleep last night praying in the Spirit. I woke up this morning hearing the Lord saying WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! Then this Scripture came to me:

“Then the Lord answered me and said: ‘Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.’” Habakkuk 2: 2 & 3 NKJV

So often when we get a Prophetic Word we have a tendency to run off immediately with it thinking it is for right now. As I look back over my life I can look at many Prophetic Words that I received that took years to even begin to come to pass and some I am still waiting for. Don't get in a hurry trying to make what God told you come to pass! Many have almost shipwrecked their life, me included, not understanding or knowing the timing of God.

I remember in 1982, right after I got married, my wife and I were on our way to Tulsa, OK for me to attend Rhema Bible Training Center (now Rhema Bible Training College). We made a slight detour on our way from NJ to OK via MI where my sister Bonnie and her family lived at the time for a visit.

During that visit we went to church with them and her Pastor, Robert Doorn (known to many the world over as Papa Doorn) called me out and prophesied to me on the Sunday night we were there. Here is an excerpt of what he prophesied to me that night, August 29, 1982:

“The Lord would say to you tonight Brother Mike, The Spirit of God would say, that while your Mother and Father are going to the mission field, they’re only going to blaze a trail before you. For surely, the trail they will blaze, shall even be a trail that you yourself will walk and minister under the anointing of My Spirit. You shall see multitudes healed and delivered and set free by My power, for behold, I’ll put the Word of Faith within you...”

Now here is what we need to learn about the Prophetic. THERE IS TIMING TO THE PROPHETIC! I didn’t take my first missionary trip to Africa until 1987, right after I graduated from Rhema, five years later. I didn’t really see multitudes get healed through my ministry until 1993 on a missions trip to Uganda during a crusade where the Gift of Faith fell on me, six years after my first missionary trip, and eleven years after I received the Prophetic Word.

The true legitimate Prophetic Word of God will always come to pass, but not on our time, on God’s time, and more times than not, they are not the same! What I think we fail to realize is that the language of the Prophetic can confuse us. For example, many times in Prophetic Words we will here God say “Soon”. Well, we immediately run off trying in our strength and ability to cause that word to come to pass because God said “Soon”.

We must remember that “Soon” to God and “Soon” to us mean two different things. God lives outside of time and we live in time. God measures time totally different than we do. Peter gives us a clue:

“But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.” 2 Peter 3:8 NASB

So if we take this formula that Peter gives and apply it to Bible Prophecy it helps us in interpreting the Scriptures.

“He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day that we may live before Him. So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth.” Hosea 6:2 & 3 NASB

I want you to pay attention to the underlined words in this text…two days & third day. In this portion of Scripture the Prophet is declaring that some things will take place after two days and on the third day. My question to you is this…was this Scripture fulfilled after two days from when it was written?

Most of you who understand where we are in God’s timetable understand that these promises that the Prophet declared are things that we are walking in today. Using Peter’s time calculation formula, it has been 2 days, or 2000 years since Christ was here and we are now in the beginning of the third day, or the third 1000 year period. (I have a whole message I preach from this text titled: “Where Are We Now”, but that is not the focus of this article, understanding God’s timing is)

If God has given you a promise…it will come to pass! Just don’t be in a hurry trying to make it come to pass. There is Timing to every Prophetic Word. Remember it is for an Appointed Time. Though it tarries…WAIT for it…for it will surely come!