PROPHESY WITH WISDOM II
Memorise:
The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked. .. Proverbs 10:11
Read:
2 Samuel 12:1-15
Message
Today, I will be concluding the teaching I started yesterday on prophesying with wisdom. In our Bible reading for today, God sent Nathan to announce King David's punishment. As a wise prophet, Nathan knew that the way he communicated God's message would determine if he would leave the palace alive that day or not. Therefore, he started the message with a parable. When the king himself pronounced judgment based on his parable, he said, "That fellow is you, sir. "There is a powerful lesson for you to learn from here: when God sends a message through you to someone, you must be careful about the way you relay that message to the fellow.
If God tells you something about somebody, don't be in a hurry to tell the fellow. Ask God for wisdom to relay the message in the right way so that no one gets in trouble because of the prophecy. Over time, I have learnt to do this. This is why I often give prophecies in the form of parables. If God has told me something and I am to share it with the public, if I know that the thing can be tough for some people to swallow, I will say it in the form of a parable. This way, I communicate God's message with wisdom.
I have also seen people who use the gift of prophecy to destroy families. If God tells you something about someone and He says you should tell the fellow, after asking God for wisdom on how to relay the message, you might also need to advise the fellow on how to use the information that he or she now has. This is because such a fellow might not have the same level of wisdom and understanding as you. If he or she lacks understanding or is not mature enough to handle the message appropriately, the devil can take advantage of this and push the fellow into taking actions that will cause more harm than good. If you know that the fellow may not use the prophecy correctly, and God is not compelling you to reveal the message, you may decide to just approach the person with general advice and guidance concerning that issue. This way, you can help him or her without causing any trouble.
Beloved, the gift of prophecy is to perfect the saints, not to confuse or endanger them (Ephesians 4:11-12); use it wisely!
Bible In One Year:
Romans 8-10
Hymn:
When We Walk With The Lord
Key Point:
Deliver prophecies with wisdom.
When we walk with the Lord
Trust and obey!
For there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.