A daughter of a dear friend was utterly heartbroken and nothing her mother did to try and console her was working. The daughter had received a word of prophecy from a very well-known young prophet. He told her that she would meet her spouse in six months. Well, six months came and went, and she did not meet the man of her dreams. Needless to say, this young woman is devastated. She’s angry and disappointed, and although she knows better, her mind is telling her that God let her down. This could never be true, but it’s where many of us go when life heads south and yields results that don’t meet our expectations.
Human tendency is to play the blame game, and never take that all important and blatantly honest look in the mirror. Arrogance is a dream killer. God strongly dislikes and is displeased with a mindset and attitude of arrogance and pride, and more of us have it than we think. Many Christians have allowed arrogance to slip in undetected. It’s such an ugly reality and many of us will not own up to it. We always think we’re doing enough to satisfy God’s requirements, and this way of thinking keeps us stuck in the ‘same old’.
But more than that, thinking that we don’t need to do more for the Kingdom of God blindfolds us. It keeps us from seeing what God has in store for us next. Jesus Christ said in Luke 12:48(NLT), “When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” This piece of wisdom is a great gem. It provides the lens that allows us to see the fruition of God’s promises.
God’s requirement is for us to abound in Christ every moment of every day. To abound is to increase. The law that Christ revealed in Luke 12:48 is instruction about how to excel in the things of God. This is a law against stagnancy and shortsightedness. It’s a ‘blinders off’ reality. When the blinders are off, we don’t seek to place blame on others. We take responsibility for our own choices and actions and begin to ask God for answers and directions.
Prophecy is a manifestation or outward demonstration of the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is forth telling and forward looking. The Holy Spirit reveals information to a born-again believer’s human spirit, and this individual is then released by the Holy Spirit to inform the body of Christ or an individual about a future encounter or experience. 1Corinthians 14:4(NLT) says, “A person who speaks in tongues is strengthened personally, but one who speaks a word of prophecy strengthens the entire church.” So, the body of Christ can be strengthened by a person, or someone operating in the ministry of a prophet, that prophesies according to the truth God has released and empowered them to speak forth.
A word of prophecy from God is life changing. It sets our feet on higher ground and very often can change the trajectory of life we’re currently on. It lights a fire in us, because it illuminates a path that our eyes could not see before. After we receive this Word, we have God’s permission to shift into high gear. He has let us know through His prophet that He has opened a door and released us to walk through it. Whether or not we do this is completely and utterly left up to us.
When God releases a Word of Prophecy, a response is required. You can’t expect to keep doing the same things you’ve always done and receive different results. Greater blessings always translate to greater responsibilities. Many of us have not yet grasped this truth. When we receive God’s permission and confirmation that He has ordained us to be blessed in a certain way according to His Will, the appropriate response should be celebratory gratitude and actions that line up with that higher level of thankfulness.
In the Old Testament, Hannah gave birth to the prophet, Samuel, but before she did, she was extremely sad and thought she might not get pregnant. During the biblical times in which Hannah lived, women were looked upon as their husband’s property. Daughters were not allowed to be heirs of their father’s property and wealth. Only boys or men could inherit their father’s inheritances. Therefore, wives were expected to bear a son so the father’s name and bloodline could continue.
Hannah’s husband, Elkanah, had another wife, Peninnah, and she was not a nice person. She made fun of Hannah, and this greatly deepened Hannah’s sadness about not being able to conceive. 1Samuel 1:7(NLT) tells us, “Year after year it was the same—Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle. Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat.”
One day, after a sacrificial meal, Hannah went to the tabernacle to pray. She was crying so bitterly to God about her plight that the priest, Eli, thought she was drunk. While crying, 1Samuel 1:11(NLT) tells us, “And she made this vow: “O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the LORD, his hair will never be cut.” The priest later questioned her and demanded that she throw away her wine.
What happened next is extremely pivotal to our discipline and requirement to respond to God with honor. Hannah told the priest in 1Samuel 1:16-17(NLT), “16 Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow. 17 In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”
Hannah and Elkanah conceived Samuel, who became God’s prophet. Do you think Hannah would have received this blessing if she had not said to God, “give me a son, then I will give him back to you.”? I submit to you that she would not have. Her willingness to demonstrate allegiance and thankfulness to God was her “blinders off” moment. It set her feet on the path to receive, and the priest, Eli, confirmed it with, “May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”
God is deserving of everything of quality that we have to give Him. In the Old Testament, He did not accept Cain’s offering because it was not his best. He accepted Abel’s offering because Abel’s heart was to offer God his best. Everything that we have and all that we are belongs to God. He doesn’t need anything from us, but when we present and offer Him our best, it demonstrates our gratitude to Him, and it also shows that we understand and supremely honor all that He is.
In older biblical times, people understood God’s requirement and a sacrificial offering was given to acknowledge His goodness and the Word they had received from Him. They were servants, but we are children. Because of the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we have received greater blessings, yet somehow, we have gotten it into our heads that we can get away with doing less. We belong to God’s Kingdom because of Christ, and we are empowered through His Spirit. 2Timothy 3:17 declares that God has made us complete in Christ and we are thoroughly equipped for EVERY good work. We have no excuses.
We shouldn’t blame the prophet when he or she has delivered a Word to us from God. We have a choice. We can do no more than we’re doing now, or we can continue to remain at our current level of faith with no new works. But when the results of this doesn’t meet our expectations, we can’t blame anyone. The answer is to seek God in a greater way and to endeavor with all our hearts to give Him our absolute best. ■
“Received a Prophecy that Hasn’t Come to Pass” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2022. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!