Paradise Cafe Discussions - A Place For Bible Research And Christian Encouragement

I've seen and heard a great many Christians move in prophecy and healing and I've never heard a single one try and get anyone to listen to them or focus on them. The focus is always, always God. Being able to speak into someone's life should encourage, heal, help but most of all get them closer to God.

The girl with the python Spirit - Paul could discern the spirit through which she opperated because he knew the Holy Spirit, the more you know God, the more what is false becomes obvious. The girl with the demon was telling the truth, but the spirit by which she was speaking was not God. That's why you cannot discern by your eyes or your head or your logic or even your knowledge of scripture. You test everything by the Spirit of God dwelling within you. That's why the most important part of a Christian's life is time in God's presence and a desperate thirst to experience that presence, where the Holy Spirit makes his presence in your life and heart tangible.

You're so right to suspect anyone who tries to "wow" you with their special hotline to God. Run away. Run very far and very fast.

Its like that subtle difference between being convicted by the spirit of God or condemned by another spirit altogether - the words can be very similar. Its discernment, and you can only get that by spending oodles of time in God's presence, in praise, in worship, in prayer.

I mean, I know my husband's voice, I know his handwriting, the style of his language, when he communicates with me I can be pretty sure whether it's him or someone else, but only because I know him so well.

That's why so many people go after false prophets (some of them with wonderful promises and a good grasp of scripture) They go because the want God but don't know him.

Prophecy, like any gift, gets people closer to God. The person in question kind of fades into insignificance.

There is a lot of false stuff out there, but where there are false teachers, there are real teachers; where there are false prophets, there are also the real thing. It's only a minefield if you are not absolutely in a full, born-again relationship with Jesus. I used to look at the "church" with such distain, such a din of different voices, so much disharmony. Until you move into that personal relationship with Jesus you're stuck with trying to judge what someone's saying by your own, human ideas of what could, or could not be God - no wonder the church is in a bit of confusion.

Rule of thumb, spend time in God's presence every opportunity you get.:thumbup:

Sorry, I have never heard of this place.

It seems you copied/pasted information also to be found here:

http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word/8425

Scroll down and you will find:

"Eileen Fisher:
Corporate Prophecy for 2010:
This is the Year of Restoration, Jubilation and Resurrection"

:coffeeread:

Yes, those remind me of watchman - it was all about him, his 'only-i-can-see-the-truth' views, predicting year after year the 'October surprise', spreading his 'word' in the form of letters to Bethel and cong. elders and books and blogs and videos... "Tell all the people you know about my site so they too can know the real truth..." Oh yeah, the whole mess could've been 'healed' by his prophetic prowess if only everyone had listened, eh? Mock humility or none. I don't think that's the m.o. of anyone here - at least I hope not!

This has concerned me as well, gogh. How does one retain humility in teaching - 'cause we all do 'teach' in this medium, by our words. However, I've never had prophetic visions or dreams, so I don't know how I'd handle that, lol. The Bible does say that in the last days God's spirit will be poured out and men and women will "see visions and dream dreams".... but I tend to think it won't be as sparce, diverse individual messages, but a global encounter where every one of God's children will experience the same messages - a unifying blessing which we'll know is from the undoubtable Source - but that's just the feeling I get from those scriptures. They don't really go into as much detail as we'd like, do they? Peter applied Joel 2:28 to Pentecost, but have we seen the events of vss 26 and 27 leading up to that prophecy? So there may've been an initial fulfillment and a yet future one.:dontknow:

The corruption described here, imho, was the beginning of the gnostic avenue away from the apostolic teachings - "defiling the flesh" in immoral ways as part of their 'worship', speaking abusively of glorious ones - speaking against God and Christ - "who needs them when we have the power within ourselves to become gods?"? So.. I'm not seeing that this is what we have here.

One thing that we may have overlooked though, is the peaceful way prophecies should be accepted or rejected - by "interpreter". Joseph was an interpreter of dreams in Gen. 40-42; Gideon accepted the interpretation of a vision just from overhearing a conversation at Judges 7:13-15; Daniel started out as an interpreter in ch. 2(notice his humble attitude in vs.30), 5, and 7 and then had his own vision in ch. 8. There are things in common with those instances - it was always about God's will working out, not about the visionary or the interpreter. And they seem to be selective circumstances, not visons upon visions of disconnected subjects - they served an immediate purpose, and sometimes a future purpose, but that was made clear... generally...
These words of Paul are hard for me to interpret, lol -
1 Corinthians 14:26 What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, and each in turn, and one must interpret; 28 but if there is no interpreter, he must keep silent in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment.30 But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted; 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; 33 for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

I get the feeling that what they called 'prophecy' is not the narrow definition we think now, pertaining mostly to prediction. I think it was simply reading and speaking God's word, and reinterating fine points about how the prophecies of old apply to Christ Jesus, and thus the future kingdom prophecies are sure to come also.... If they were all giving prophecies of future events, as in John's revelation, then they would've been written down and shared. So I really doubt that was the purpose. The purpose, imho, was to upbuild those foundling ecclessias with the Word of God becoming real in Christ's life, death and resurrection; God's Word through His holy prophets of old proving true through Christ; and God's future plans spoken through His prophets of old made possible through Christ.

Maybe, in that sense, we've been prophesying to each other and interpreting each others' prophecies(upholding God's word through revelations about the Christ) all the while we've known each other on the internet! And we've often heard each other say, like Daniel, it's not me - it must be the guiding of God's Spirit...

So, overall, it should be all about Christ and upbuild our confidence and faith in him and our Father. If it's about something I can't interpret then it's meaning and value are lost on me - but maybe it's for someone else?

Love you gogh-go! (big hug!)
:peace:

New Heart,

Makes me think of this scripture

Romans 8:18-19
Consequently I reckon that the sufferings of the present season do not amount to anything in comparison with the glory that is going to be revealed in us. 19 For the eager expectation of the creation is waiting for the revealing of the sons of God


In Christ

abe