Do Not Despise Prophecies

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Being reserved for God

One night in 2021 the Lord said that many people are despising prophecy. It was impressed on me the word ‘many’, and so I understood that despising prophecy has become a huge problem in the church. Thus a growing trend that morphs into a culture of defiance. The word “despise” in Greek is ‘Exoutheneo’, which means ‘make of no account’. This means you treat something of very little importance, significance, or worth.

1 Thessalonians 5:20 speaks of not despising prophecies. In the Amplified Bible, it is translated as follows: “20 Do not scorn or reject gifts of prophecy or prophecies [spoken revelations—words of instruction or exhortation or warning].”

While God does speak directly to every believer, we must never make the mistake that prophecy has passed or God no longer mandates servants to step into the prophetic ministry. There has of course been a lot of confusion regarding the prophetic and what is validated prophecy in the church for many years now. God’s prophetic call and word have become muddled with misunderstandings regarding the difference between, for example, a word of knowledge or wisdom or edification compared to true prophecy. True prophecy deals on a far deeper level with God’s Kingdom, about coming into alignment with His Word, His Will, and His Truth.

It deals with correction and reproof, and it uproots and tears down the lies and the deception while at the same time planting and rebuilding what is proper, true, and right. It is partly because of growing confusion and uncertainty regarding what is the true prophecy that has allowed for this ‘culture’ of despising what God is saying.

To put it bluntly, to despise prophecy is simply to reject or dismiss what God is saying. This implies what God is saying corporately to His Bride and even individually. It means to treat what God is saying as of little value or little worth. Shouldn’t this then, therefore, concern God? Shouldn’t this be a concern for the Church if we are treating, even at times, His word with contempt through our passivity and lack of action towards it? For what God says should always be treated with great and utter seriousness, and deserves all our attention. Shouldn’t it, if He is our Lord and King?

See also
Prophetic Accountability

Of course, we also need to know when is a word truly from God and when it is a word inspired by the imagination, by the flesh, or even worse, when it is a form of divination. Read Ezekiel 13 to understand the danger of a word spoken that comes not from God. God’s true Word brings life, even when it brings correction, and it brings healing, deliverance, and restoration. His Word will always glorify God as the Trinity and will always uphold the written Word. Anything else will be detached and separated in some manner from God or His Word and thus brings forth captivity, and even death in some or other form.

In 1 Kings 22, the kings of Israel’s northern and southern kingdoms sought a word from God if they were to go to war against the king of Aram. They chose to listen to 400 prophets who prophesied falsely. At the same time, they rejected the true word as spoken by prophet Micaiah who predicted defeat if they chose such a course. It resulted in Ahab, the king of Israel’s death. Thus, there is a great danger to despising God’s true Word, for such a word determines the will of God and the correct course of action. In His will are life, hope, and protection. Anything else and we detach ourselves from God for despising prophecy is simply a form of rebellion.

So God is saying to us in this day DO NOT DESPISE WHAT HE HAS SPOKEN. Do not reject what God is saying to His Church. Do not reject the Word that God has spoken over your life. Do not treat God’s Word with ridicule, or even dismiss it. Do not rebel or resist it. Look at the history of Israel. They rejected prophecy time after time. They rejected God’s word of correction. They treated the prophets with contempt and treated what God was saying with little regard. They thus rejected God and were taken into captivity. If we reject prophecy, thus what God is directly saying, we then reject God. And remember, no matter what God says, He says it with a very specific reason and purpose. God never says anything simply for the sake of it. So take it very, but very seriously.

And so I asked the Lord why is this so that we so openly despise? And I was made to understand many have treated prophesy with a growing apathy because they have not seen the Word coming to pass. Yet, the problem is never with God or the Word, but with man. For we cannot fit God’s Word into our time frame, or define or shape it according to our ideas, perceptions, our will, or desires. God’s Word shall be done as God has spoken it in His time, way, and according to His will. Never according to man’s way or will. Read Isaiah 55:8-9. And God’s Word most of the time carries conditions, no matter how slight according to our understanding. We stand in a Covenant-relationship with God, so we cannot expect anything or everything to automatically happen. God speaks, and we act upon it. We have to embrace His Word fully. We need to pursue the prophecy, understand it, embrace it, and run with it as the Spirit of God leads. This requires faith and determined action.

See also
The Counterfeit Prophetic Movement

In the letters to the seven churches in Revelations, seven times it is spoken to hear what the Spirit is saying. We need to listen and take heed of prophecy in the Spirit of God, lest we are deceived by other voices, ideas, or suggestions. Yes, first separate the false from the real, and then stand upon it. Fight for it. Pursue it. Pray over it. If it is a corporate word, then hear what is said and act upon it. If God has spoken into your life, then never reject it. It is God speaking, so earnestly seek the Lord where you may have taken the wrong step, or are out of step or alignment. Never reject prophecy. For then we reject it then God Himself. If we embrace it, we embrace life, and we embrace God’s perfect will.

The 613 Laws of Moses speaks of ‘heeding the call of every prophet in each generation, provided that he neither adds to nor takes away from the Word of God’ (Deuteronomy 18:15). Still today, the Body of Christ needs to take heed of the prophets and true prophecy. We must not despise it or reject what God is saying. Yet this is happening, and it is of great concern. So let us take note of this and take action where needed.

Riaan Engelbrecht

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