I just got back from an exciting road trip from the upstate of South Carolina where Tracie and I were able to encourage and hopefully build up a great church in Clinton, SC. Our primary purpose was to teach on and demonstrate the prophetic ministry. Now as a pastor, most of my energy is reserved for my local church and I admit that I am a tad biased about Legacy and the great people who call it home; but I was buzzed at the opportunity to blow the dust off the prophetic pipes and move prophetically in that congregation. I don't prophesy a lot in my own congregation (whether right or wrong) because I tend to know a lot about them in the natural (that makes sense doesn't it?). I don't want to defile the gift by the impure mixture of familiarity and flesh. If I do prophesy in Legacy Church, you can rest assured I feel a greater compulsion of the Spirit.

Having said that, I began to think about those folks in Clinton and even some of you that read this blog and may be asking yourself, "How do I handle a prophetic word? Or for that matter, how do I handle the subjective voice of God that may come to me through prayer, prophesy, dreams, or vision?" Well let me give you a few hints so that you can stay on target and not get off track through incorrect understanding or interpretation:

1. Hopefully your "word" was recorded or written in a journal so you could evaluate it later. Sometimes what we "hear" and was actually said is different when you look at it later. You want to be sure you have an accurate record of what exactly God has said to you before you act on anything.

2. Do people of wisdom and sound counsel confirm the "word". Do your spiritual authorities and those you trust have a sense of confirmation of what was spoken? (Proverbs 11:14; 12:15; 15:22; 19:20) The Bible tells us that there is wisdom in counsel, so sometimes people of experience and maturity can give us helpful insight; especially YOUR PASTOR!

3. Did the "word" witness to your spirit? I don't mean that it made sense to your mind, but did your heart seem to resonate with what God was saying (Romans 8:16). Start to divide your soul and spirit so you can be sure you are hearing what God is saying and not what you want or think was being said.

4. Don't do what you don't have peace to do. If for no other reason than you need to have strong faith to move into new areas. Also, the peace of God plays the role of an umpire in our life as well. But remember, we are talking about peace in your heart and not necessarily "peace of mind". God will blow your mind at times as you can still have peace in your heart!

5. Wait for God's timing and don't force things to happen. If you have to "make it happen" then odds are that you are in the flesh. God isn't asking you to kick down doors. Wait on the Lord and He will open doors for you at the right time and right place.

6. If your "word" involves more than you then there should be unity. If the prophesy was about something that affects your family or marriage, then you should allow those people the opportunity to sense God and His peace as well. Dragging others along is never healthy and will be more of an anchor to you than a help.

7. You will have to mix your faith with what was spoken to you. God is sovereign and can do anything He wants, but He has decided to link His activity with His people's faith. Abraham received a promised inheritance, but only after he moved forward in faith believing God when he could not see everything working out (Hebrews 11:8). We are still required to trust God and believe Him for great things as we move forward.

These suggestions are just starting places when it comes to handling the voice of the Lord. I want to encourage you to believe in the reality and power of His voice, but at the same time I want you to use the Scriptures to evaluate and measure all that was said to you. God is indeed speaking in our generation if we have ears to hear. I believe there is a prophetic wind that is blowing to prepare the way of the Lord again. I am excited to see what He will do in our midst! Don't miss his voice!

PSALM 29:3-9, THE GOD OF GLORY THUNDERS!

Pastor