A "Personal prophetic word" for YOU!

[Pergamum]

If a Charismatic who is possibly a Christian (claims to be) desires to give you a "personal prophetic word" for 2012 - are we allowed to hear them out or must we reject them according to the OT prohibitions against false prophets and witchcraft, etc?

-One option could make us needlessly rude to a possible Christian who is merely wrong on a doctrinal point and wants to bless you in their own misled way (good intentions...love covers a multitude of sin...).

But, doing the opposite may be cooperating in the works of darkness.


Upon receiving such a word, do I thank him or her; or do I then use this occasion to contest the very propriety of such prophesyings?


On the bright side, they are willing to do this for free and not charge me a "donation" since I am on the mission field (missionary discounts for prophesyings??? ha ha)....

Any advice?

 

[lynnie]

I don't care how rude it is, I never allow it anymore. Been there done that, been creeped out too many times. Often there is a demonic element operating and it sort of tries to get inside you and you have to fight it off for days in your mind. Even with the flattering ones it is creepy.

If I know somebody well and they love me and share that they think God wants them to tell me something, sure, I need exhortation and rebuke and correction same as we all do. But even as a continuationist who believes Grudem-Piper style that God still "speaks" to us in non canonical ways, I would recieve that sort of gift only very carefully from only a limited number of people I trust. I have been the recipient of such spirit led "words" and oh what a blessing they are!! But the average charismatic? No way.

By the way a lady I know recently got a word from God on a fortune cookie, and it was not only a word from God to her but to other people she emailed as well. Hubby and I have some inside jokes about it and I can laugh now, and I felt led to not say anything to her given what she believes in general, but some charismatics can leave you aghast. I was reeling to think somebody wanted me to hear a message from God they received on a fortune cookie.

 

[Zach]

I had this happen to me a few weeks ago and regret hearing them out. Not that what they told me was particularly out in left field, I just shouldn't have appeared that I condoned in anyway what they "feel" the Lord is telling them.

 

[Scott1]

"Prophecy" could mean either (Old Testament type) fore-telling, having that office, or could mean simply "forth-telling," but with the connotation of authority.

We know there is no ordinary way it would be the former and that it likely is not the latter, at least from the context as you relate it.

The biblical doctrines being that ordinarily, at least, extra biblical revelation comes through Scripture, not "special words," given on command.

Charismatic/pentecostals who will readily "receive" such are often ignorant of what Scripture teaches in basic ways like this. I would probably try to address that, explaining sola scriptura first at a very "high level" (overview) and if appropriate to their response, explain in more detail the biblical doctrine.

Compounding this error would be if this is a woman claiming spiritual authority over men, another point of engagement.

But it is possibly, even more serious even that. Someone claiming special knowledge of the secret will of God and either aggrandizing self or somehow leading to money with it.

I lean toward engaging if this person can charitably be called a Christian, and of course, not asking them for their "special" word. If they persist, avoid them, have nothing to do with them.

 

[Pergamum]

I don't care how rude it is, I never allow it anymore. Been there done that, been creeped out too many times. Often there is a demonic element operating and it sort of tries to get inside you and you have to fight it off for days in your mind. Even with the flattering ones it is creepy.

If I know somebody well and they love me and share that they think God wants them to tell me something, sure, I need exhortation and rebuke and correction same as we all do. But even as a continuationist who believes Grudem-Piper style that God still "speaks" to us in non canonical ways, I would recieve that sort of gift only very carefully from only a limited number of people I trust. I have been the recipient of such spirit led "words" and oh what a blessing they are!! But the average charismatic? No way.

By the way a lady I know recently got a word from God on a fortune cookie, and it was not only a word from God to her but to other people she emailed as well. Hubby and I have some inside jokes about it and I can laugh now, and I felt led to not say anything to her given what she believes in general, but some charismatics can leave you aghast. I was reeling to think somebody wanted me to hear a message from God they received on a fortune cookie.

Speaking of fortune cookies; when I was in college once I removed fortune cookie messages with tweezers and replaced them with VERY specific type-written ones that freaked the recipient out (though I DID tell them afterwards).

 

[Rich Koster]

I don't care how rude it is, I never allow it anymore. Been there done that, been creeped out too many times. Often there is a demonic element operating and it sort of tries to get inside you and you have to fight it off for days in your mind. Even with the flattering ones it is creepy.

If I know somebody well and they love me and share that they think God wants them to tell me something, sure, I need exhortation and rebuke and correction same as we all do. But even as a continuationist who believes Grudem-Piper style that God still "speaks" to us in non canonical ways, I would recieve that sort of gift only very carefully from only a limited number of people I trust. I have been the recipient of such spirit led "words" and oh what a blessing they are!! But the average charismatic? No way.

By the way a lady I know recently got a word from God on a fortune cookie, and it was not only a word from God to her but to other people she emailed as well. Hubby and I have some inside jokes about it and I can laugh now, and I felt led to not say anything to her given what she believes in general, but some charismatics can leave you aghast. I was reeling to think somebody wanted me to hear a message from God they received on a fortune cookie.

Speaking of fortune cookies; when I was in college once I removed fortune cookie messages with tweezers and replaced them with VERY specific type-written ones that freaked the recipient out (though I DID tell them afterwards).

Did it say "That was not chicken"?

I had several people offer me "personal prophetic words" when I served as a chaplain at a truck stop. I let them speak, or took their sealed envelope, and basically gave no response and ignored it. I also received plenty of conspiracy theory papers and 666 formulation letters. Maybe I'm just thick skinned & jaded, but it almost became a form of entertainment because it happened so often. I should have saved some of them. They could have been scanned in and posted on line so others could get a chuckle. The most common advice I got was that I needed to find a cave to pray in that had magnetic flux lines going in a certain direction.

 

[Pergamum]

I think I said "beware of eating dinner with a person wearing a yellow t-shirt...especially if its pizza..or your life will be in danger" or something (which they opened after eating pizza with me while I wore a yellow t-shirt...if my memory is true.

 

[JBaldwin]

I don't care how rude it is, I never allow it anymore. Been there done that, been creeped out too many times. Often there is a demonic element operating and it sort of tries to get inside you and you have to fight it off for days in your mind. Even with the flattering ones it is creepy.

If I know somebody well and they love me and share that they think God wants them to tell me something, sure, I need exhortation and rebuke and correction same as we all do. But even as a continuationist who believes Grudem-Piper style that God still "speaks" to us in non canonical ways, I would recieve that sort of gift only very carefully from only a limited number of people I trust. I have been the recipient of such spirit led "words" and oh what a blessing they are!! But the average charismatic? No way.

I feel the same way. For some reason, many of the individuals who've offered me "words from the Lord" give me the creeps.

Even so, over the years, many brothers and sisters have given me a word from the Lord and didn't realize that what they were speaking was what I needed. They share what's on their heart (how God is working or what He is teaching them) and it turns out to be exacly what I need. To me that is a real "word from the Lord."