Guidelines: Discerning Personal Prophetic Ministry

• All personal prophecy must be judged by proven prophetic principles. We recommend that you consult with mature spiritual leadership regarding your prophetic word. Often your leadership will be of great help in interpretation.
  

• Personal prophecy is partial, progressive and conditional. What you will receive will only be part of God's counsel for your life. You must be obedient to the part you have received from God if you are to progress into further revelation. Disobedience can nullify your prophetic word.
  

• Prophecy does not authenticate character. The absence of rebuke or correction in a prophetic word in no way justifies the character or lifestyle of the individual receiving it. Not because God fails to mention a particular sin does it mean that He either doesn't know or doesn't care. Personal prophecy was never given for the purpose of exposing people's sins. We don't judge our "correctness" by personal prophecy, but by the Word of God.
  

• Be aware of prophetic terminology and tenses. Words such as "now," "today," "soon," "tomorrow," "new," and others may mean something entirely different from what we had imagined. Stay open to God and seek wise counsel. Something prophesied in the present tense may actually refer to something in the future, and vice versa.
  

• Don't make major decisions based on a prophetic word. It was never God's intent for you to be led by prophecy, but to be "led by the Spirit" (Romans 8:14). Don't neglect God's Word, prayer, wisdom, mature counsel and your inward spiritual witness when making major decisions.
  

• All revelation is subject to the authority of God's written Word (Bible). Let the Word of God have the final authority in your life in doctrine, belief, life and conduct.
  

• Keep a record of your personal prophecies. Don't just read it once and discard it, but use it to strategically focus your prayers for spiritual breakthrough. Use the same principles of Scripture to establish faith for results.
  

• Never use personal prophecy to justify a personal decision, position or action. This is called spiritual pride and can lead to deception. Be careful that you do not allow your personal desires, wants and aspirations to cloud or influence your judgment and ability to properly interpret and respond to God's word for your life.
  

• Don't be too quick to judge a prophetic word as false. There are many variables that go into making a prophetic word come to pass. Remember, all prophecy is conditional. Timing, prayer, faith, obedience and preparation are also key issues.
  

• Things may go completely opposite of what was prophesied to you for a season. Things may get worse before they get better after having received a prophetic word, though not always. Patiently hold fast to the promises of God (Hebrews 6:11, 12).
  

• Personal prophecy is not limited to confirmation. There is a school of thought that teaches that personal prophecy should always be a confirmation. There is no Scriptural precedent for such a position. Although this might be the ideal, it is definitely not the real. If you hear something that is totally new to you, seek God for further clarity and confirmation. If necessary, shelve it, but don't discard it.
  

• Present-day prophets are not infallible. Even a true prophet is capable of making mistakes or mixing a true word with error. Just as we should never accept a false prophet because of a true prophecy, we should never reject a true prophet because of a false prophecy. If after careful judgment part or all of your prophetic word is found to be inaccurate, then bring it to our attention in a spirit of meekness rather than condemnation. Remember Paul's admonition to "Prove (test) all things; hold fast to that which is good" (1 Thess. 5: 21)

For more information about the prophetic, see articles on Hearing God in the left site menu at www.cwlinc.com or go to Role of Prophets Today .