Walk Whole

Maybe you’ve had a prophetic word spoken over your life. It seems God has even bigger plans for your life than you did. It can be an exciting thing to be given a glimpse of what God has in mind for your future. You’ve been given a great trust. So, what does it look like to steward that word well?

1. Test the prophetic word.  First, test it alongside scripture. If it contradicts the Bible, it isn’t from God.  The second way to test it is with those who hold legitimate positions of authority in our lives. See if the word rings true to them. Ask: what does my Pastor think about this word? The Elders of my church? My husband? If they don’t receive the word as truth, ask for unity of perspective. Ask for all involved to have God’s perspective. It’s a big red flag when a prophetic word isn’t received by our spiritual authority.  Not only do we test the word as a whole, but the parts. If it all rings true except this one thing… then let the one thing fall. I once had a powerful prophetic word spoken over my life. It all rang true to me, except this one part. I took it to my husband, and he received the prophetic word as true, except that same one part. This is where the checks and balances come in. Testing. Prophetic words are never above needing to be tested, no matter how mature the prophetic voice who delivers it. The third way to test a prophetic word is by watching for confirmation among the prophetically gifted in the house. What is the consensus? Who are the prophetically gifted in the church who you trust to tell you the truth, even if it isn’t what you want to hear?
2. Bring your agreement to the tested prophetic word. Stand firm and wait for God to accomplish what He has promised.
3. The third way to steward prophetic words well is to guard against ambition. We cannot fulfill prophetic words spoken over us in our own strength, and we cannot maintain prophetic words once they’re fulfilled. That’s God’s job. It takes patience as we wait for prophetic words to be fulfilled. It takes humility as well. We might think we’re ready NOW, but God alone knows if we truly are.  God is building in us the character qualities that we’ll need once the prophetic word is fulfilled. It doesn’t do much good to get to our destiny if we’re unprepared to stand once we get there.
4. Trust in God to be the protector of the prophetic word, not self. We can take a lesson from the life of Jeroboam on this one. The nation of Israel had gone through the motions of repenting for their sins, but had not changed their ways. As a result, God had decided that the nation would be torn into 12 parts. A prophet of God was sent to Jeroboam to tell him that he was being given the rule of 10 of the tribes of Israel. God was offering Jeroboam a dynasty as enduring as King David’s if he would simply obey Him. (1 Ki 11:37-38) A powerful prophetic word had been spoken over Jeroboam. He had God’s promise that he would be made king. God made good on his word when, in 1 Kings 12:20, the Israelites called for Jeroboam and made him King. God had put him on the throne, but Jeroboam didn’t trust God to keep him there.  He was afraid that if the Israelites went to Jerusalem to worship God that he would lose their allegiance. So in a fear-motivated decision, he erected false alters for the people to worship God, close to home. In an effort to maintain the promises of God in his own strength, he led God’s people astray. Sadly, this led to the ending of Jeroboam’s dynasty.  If we recognize that we’re finding it difficult to trust God to maintain His prophetic word over us, it can be helpful to identify and pray about our fears. Peace comes as we cast our anxieties upon Him. 
5. Another way to steward prophetic words well is to resist the temptation to add to a prophetic word. If God didn’t say it, don’t assume it. It’s so tempting to fill in the details for God. But doing this can lead to disillusionment when it doesn’t play out the way we expected.
6. Ask God for confirmations of prophetic words. God has no problem giving needed confirmations, especially when it comes to life altering decisions.
7. We can also steward prophetic words by declaring those words.  Our tongues have the power of life and death in them. Let’s give life to what God is saying to us personally. In faith we declare what God has decreed, bringing into being that which is not.
8. “The righteous shall live by faith” still applies. Did you think the prophetic word would have been fulfilled by now? Trust Him. Did you think the fulfillment of His word would look different? Trust Him. Do you feel like you blew it with people who you think will catapult you into your destiny? Trust Him. He’s got this.  Does it look like the prophetic word is dead in the water? Trust Him. His promises are yes and amen.
9. Pay attention to “if, then…” messages within prophetic words. If God is requiring something of you, and then He will do _______, then make sure you do your part. Good intentions are not the same as obedience. If God is offering you conditional promises, then make sure you follow through on what He is asking of you. Obedience is a condition of fulfillment of prophetic words when we see “if, then…”
10. Stand firm, immovable, unshaken. Steward well the prophetic word you’ve been given. Our part is to believe, God’s part is to fulfill. And so we believe God, no matter what our feelings tell us. No matter what our perspective is. No matter what our senses tell us. We stand firm, bold, faith-filled until we see God fulfill His promises. I declare that we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!