1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:12,920 Speaker 1: Life Audio. Welcome to the Crosswalk devotional. We are so 2 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 1: glad to have you listening. I'm Michelle Zurich. Today's topic 3 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:20,960 Speaker 1: is test prophetic Words carefully. We'll be back after a 4 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:37,120 Speaker 1: word from our sponsor. Test Prophetic Words Carefully. Written and 5 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 1: read by Michelle S. Leazurik. Her prophecy never had its 6 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:44,960 Speaker 1: origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke 7 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: from God as the Holy Spirit carried them along. Second 8 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 1: Peter one, verse twenty one. During a recent retreat from 9 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:55,640 Speaker 1: mothers and daughters to connect learn about God's attributes, and 10 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:58,120 Speaker 1: he heard his voice. We had a time of prayer 11 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:00,960 Speaker 1: and will treat bless the mothers and daughters and commissioned 12 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:03,920 Speaker 1: them to go out and spread the gospel. At one 13 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 1: point during prayer, the mother and daughter sat before me, 14 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:10,400 Speaker 1: placing my hand on her left shoulder. I immediately got 15 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 1: a word for the daughter. It was a picture of 16 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 1: a violin. I had no other words or explanation as 17 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:19,400 Speaker 1: to its meaning. I told her that I didn't understand 18 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:23,000 Speaker 1: what the picture was, but that it had appeared after 19 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:25,400 Speaker 1: what everyone had prayed. I went to get a tissue 20 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: for the mother and daughter. Upon my return, the daughter 21 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:32,560 Speaker 1: explained that she had played violin, but then stopped. We 22 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 1: laughed because we realized that that was what the Holy 23 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:38,120 Speaker 1: Spirit was saying. He was telling her to pick up 24 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 1: her violin and make music for him. In the church body, 25 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 1: we are wired with spiritual gifts. Some of those gifts 26 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:50,600 Speaker 1: are considered miraculous gifts, including the gift of prophecy. Prophecy 27 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 1: is a message delivered to some one by God. Although 28 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:57,200 Speaker 1: as exciting to deliver a prophetic word to another person, 29 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:01,640 Speaker 1: we often misinterpreted. This is where errors and other issues 30 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:04,960 Speaker 1: become a problem. Although we are quick to call someone 31 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:08,120 Speaker 1: a false prophet simply because they made an error in 32 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:11,919 Speaker 1: delivering their message, that doesn't mean the message itself was wrong. 33 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:17,280 Speaker 1: It simply means the person delivering it misinterpreted it. Difficult. 34 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:19,600 Speaker 1: Part of prophecy is that we only get small snippets 35 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:22,320 Speaker 1: of a bigger picture. When I add that picture of 36 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:24,840 Speaker 1: the violin, I had no idea the daughter had played 37 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:28,520 Speaker 1: the violin before. Whether he wants her to resume playing 38 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:32,480 Speaker 1: the violin remains to be seen. However, the Holy Spirit 39 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:35,280 Speaker 1: clearly had a message for her regarding her music with 40 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: that instrument. If a person does not know how to 41 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:41,200 Speaker 1: interpret prophetic words for their lives, they can often be 42 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:46,040 Speaker 1: dismissed or ignored completely. Scripture tells us to test prophecy 43 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 1: and to allow two or three people to weigh what 44 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:52,240 Speaker 1: is being said. Although those kind of things can be 45 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:55,240 Speaker 1: tricky at times because many people are not trained in 46 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:58,840 Speaker 1: the prophetic, it is important that even in the community, 47 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:03,640 Speaker 1: we explore the miraculous gifts together. The above verse tells 48 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 1: us that prophecy comes from the Holy Spirit, not from 49 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:10,240 Speaker 1: human will. However, because we have difficulty distinguishing between our 50 00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:15,160 Speaker 1: own human emotions, thought, proceeeds, and prophecy, it can be 51 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:19,040 Speaker 1: difficult to discern whether a word is truly from God. However, 52 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 1: that does not mean you should not deliver a word. Rather, 53 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:25,360 Speaker 1: it is important to test that word with two or 54 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: her people who have discernment or wisdom to be able 55 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:31,080 Speaker 1: to know whether that word is truly from God or not. 56 00:03:32,639 --> 00:03:34,639 Speaker 1: It is also important for an individual to test and 57 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:37,800 Speaker 1: weigh that word for themselves. Because prophecy is not often 58 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 1: practiced in churches today, it is difficult for people to 59 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 1: interpret prophetic words or to wait to see them come 60 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 1: to fruition. In Scripture, people give prophetic words that didn't 61 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 1: come to pass until generations later. In our instant gratification world, 62 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 1: we want prophetic words to come to pass now. If 63 00:03:56,680 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: they don't come to pass, we assume that means they 64 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 1: are untrue. However, that's a misinterpretation of scripture. Receiving and 65 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:07,520 Speaker 1: giving prophetic words can be an exciting spiritual experience for 66 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 1: any person who is part of a person's spiritual growth 67 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:14,400 Speaker 1: and can completely transform them, helping them go deeper in 68 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:17,640 Speaker 1: their relationship with the Lord. Ask the Holy Spirit to 69 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:20,120 Speaker 1: give you words to edify your brother's inncitious in Christ. 70 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:25,039 Speaker 1: You and your church will be better for it. Father, 71 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:28,920 Speaker 1: let us be people who do not treat prophecy with contempt. Rather, 72 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:31,520 Speaker 1: let us weigh the words that we receive and deliver 73 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:35,599 Speaker 1: them accordingly. Let us, in humility help discern and dissect 74 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:39,279 Speaker 1: prophetic words together, let the body of Christ be edified 75 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:45,119 Speaker 1: through the gift of prophecy. Amen intersecting faith and life. 76 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:50,280 Speaker 1: Have you ever had a gift of prophecy? In what 77 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:53,040 Speaker 1: way can you deliver a prophetic word to someone today? 78 00:04:54,560 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 1: Further reading First Corinthians chapter twelve, Thanks for listening to 79 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:06,320 Speaker 1: today's devotional. 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