Good but Limited – kenbarnes.us
We went ashore, found the local believers, and stayed with them a week. These believers prophesied through the Holy Spirit that Paul should not go on to Jerusalem. (Acts 21:4 NLT
It is possible to hear from God but not hear clearly. Our love and concern for the one we speak to often cloud our message.
Years ago, I knew a person who had stage-four cancer. A well-meaning person prophesied over them that the disease would not take their life. This person subsequently passed away. Most churches have had situations where a beloved saint has cancer, and the church prays and prays. In some cases, God heals them, but in others, he does not. As Christians, we believe in all things and hope for all things. We desperately want God to heal our loved ones, but we must never add to God’s words. Maybe that person who prophesied was hearing from God that the person with cancer would be healed, but the healing was to be when Christ returned at the resurrection of the dead. I am not sure.
The believers who prophesied to Paul were right and wrong. They did discern that Paul would experience danger in Jerusalem, but was he not supposed to go? Paul did go and if the believers had been totally right, he would have out of the will of God. If you read the rest of the story in the Book of Act about his journey to Jerusalem and then to Rome, this is highly improbable. 1 Corinthians 13:9 NLT says, Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! When you say, thus saith the Lord, you had better have all you I’s dotted, and all your t’s crossed. Personally, I don’t prefer this level of responsibility when I speak. Even when you use a direct quote from the Bible, you need to know it is appropriate at the time, place and particular circumstance. What is described in the Bible is not always prescribed in every situation.
We should all seek to prophesy (1 Corinthians 14:1), but we should not give people short-term encouragement in a way that might bring long-term disappointment.
Image used with permission from Microsoft.
Ken Barnes, the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places” YWAM Publishing and Broken Vessels through Kindle Direct Publishing.
Ken’s Website— https://kenbarnes.us/
Ken blogs at https://kenbarnes.us/blog/
Email- [email protected]
