Prophesy

  “In the last days,” God says, “I will pour out my spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy.” Acts 2:17

   Peter quoted the prophet Joel on this day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given to all who believe.

  I learned something very important last night. We had our home church yesterday because the weather is supposed to turn nasty tonight. We haven’t met since before I went away because of it!

  I had always thought that prophesy was like fortune telling (for want of a better comparison). That prophesying was only about the future; divinely inspired statements of what lay ahead. In true God fashion, He has gifted all of us, men and women alike, with something that is far more.

  The terms forth-telling and foretelling were shared. Foretelling is related to what will come. It is a part of prophesy. Forth-telling is Godly words about what is. Forth-telling is when truths are spoken over a person or even a place.

  (Oh, Lord, forgive me for speaking my own “truth”, not Yours.)

  There’s a building south west of here, sort of in the middle of nowhere. It has seen business after business set up shop then fail in a matter of months. Every time we drove past, someone in the car would inevitably point this out.

  “Nothing ever succeeds there. Why would they even think it was a good location? Man, that’s an ugly building!”

   There was a feeling of dejection and abandonment and darkness, like a shadow, over the whole area. Then God revealed that a good number of people were saying the same thing about the place every single day. It is a busy road.

  All of us together, believer and non-believer alike, had laid the foundation for failure by the words we spoke, by prophesying poisonous words. (The devil is more than happy to oblige.)

  From then on, whenever I passed, I began praying the business would succeed. Mostly, the prayers were for the people involved, that they would learn how to protect themselves from the onslaught of curses through the love and power of Jesus Christ.

  I don’t go that way very often any more so there’s no way of knowing if there was a happy ending for the place. Was one voice, speaking life and love, enough to eradicate years of hateful words?

  And I am feeling convicted by this tale for the number of times un-Godly words have passed over my lips; those times when criticisms, judgments and negativity have carelessly poured out. Can I take them back? Can I place them at the foot of the cross? Will You forgive me?

  Thank You, Lord, for Your grace and patience and kindness. Thank You for bringing me into an even greater awareness of just how necessary it is to watch my language. Now I understand what an incredible gift You have entrusted us with.

  I realize too, that forth-telling and foretelling are intricately intertwined with each other. That one cannot exist without the other. And it is a powerful team.

PS. I also believe that honestly sharing our struggles and feelings with the Lord or a trusted counselor is part of the healing process; an unraveling of lies that makes way for truth.