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In our last lesson, I gave you 10 tests you can apply to judge a word. They were:
We already looked at the first three in our last lesson. So let's pick up from there, and start with the fourth test.
What Is The Character Of The Prophet?
Matt 7:15-17 says, ""Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit."
So one of the things you want to do when evaluating a word is to determine if there are evidences of the fruits of the Spirit in the prophet's life. According to Gal 5:22-23, the fruit of the Spirit includes the following: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control..."
In addition to seeing evidence of the Holy Spirit in the person's character, you can look for other types of "good fruit" in the prophet's ministry. That would be things like previous prophecies have come true, people are turned to Jesus, etc.
By the way, one of the first tests of a prophet's character is to tell him (or her) that you are going to test the prophecy--if the prophet reacts badly then that's a pretty strong negative indicator!
Jesus warned us that, "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45). So be cautious if you hear any the following come out of the mouth of the 'prophet': condemnation, self-justification, judgment, or manipulation. If the prophet speaks those types of words, that prophet is likely to be speaking out of his/her own unhealed heart rather than from the Spirit of Jesus.
Is There An Inner Witness Of The Holy Spirit?
I John 2:20 says, "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth." And John 16:13 says, "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come."
The inner witness of the Holy Spirit is very important and is usually the very first test to use. But be careful, because the voice of the Holy Spirit is discerned in the inner being. This means that your own soulish reactions can obscure His message. For example, if you are offended by the prophet's mannerisms (or even by strange physical manifestations), then it is highly probable that an inner dislike of these manifestations could come across as a "check" in the Spirit.
"Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7). Seek to discern the difference between your own soulish reactions and the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit.
It is important to grow in discernment and walking with the Lord to make it easier to hear His voice on these things. Practice makes perfect--or, at least, better!
Heb 5:14 puts it this way: "But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."
Is There An Independent Witness?
Deut 19:15 says, "...A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses."
This is a fundamental Scriptural principal which was obviously greatly respected in the early church (Matt 18:16, 2 Cor 13:1, 1 Tim 5:19). It is a very important test of any prophecy.
If a word of prophecy is given, especially if it is a major life-changing one, it would seem reasonable to me to "put it on ice" until independent confirmation has been received. Such confirmation could be another prophecy, a bible reading or something similar which clearly reflects the guiding hand of God.
One thing to watch out for here is that the other witnesses must be truly independent. This is why a prophecy given by somebody who in the natural does not know anything about a given situation is so powerful.
Of course, the absence of independent witnesses does not necessarily mean that a prophecy is false. But I do feel that there are Scriptural grounds for seeking independent confirmation from the Lord on such matters.
One strange thing about false prophecy is that often the devil will generally arrange for some form of seemingly independent witness to it (1 Kings 22, especially verse 22). You see, he knows that these witnesses strengthen his case. However, something about the prophecy will not "ring true" (verse 16) or a small part of the fruit will be bad - it might cause fear, for example (2 Tim 1:7). Which leads onto the next point...
Does The Word Set Us Free?
Remember, the Lord's will for His disciples who hold on to His teachings is found in John 8:32: "...you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
As we seek to obey the Lord and to hold onto His teachings, then I believe that we are entitled to live in the good of that promise! At the very least, we have helped create a favorable environment in which to hear accurately from the Lord.
Does The Prophet Testify That Jesus Is God In The Flesh?
I John 4:1-3 says, "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."
This is the litmus test for every religion or religious group in the world: what do they say about Jesus? Do they acknowledge that He is really God incarnate, fully man and fully God? If there is any wavering on this central point of how we view the Lord, be very careful, because something false has got in.
What Does Your Church Leadership Say?
Heb 13:17 says, "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you."
It is a pretty sure principle that those whom the Lord has raised into leadership in the church will have a good insight into your life, and can judge a personal prophecy spoken over you. That's NOT to say they are always right (leaders are imperfect too) but a confirmation from a leader can be a pretty strong indicator that a word spoken over you is accurate.
The ideal situation here is for your church leader(s) to also minister in the prophetic, since this will further equip them to judge the prophecy. 1 Cor 14:29 says, "Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said."
Even if a church leader is not a prophet, I do believe that his or her input is valuable in weighting up a prophecy since they are moving in an anointed position (if they are God appointed that is!) and that anointing from the Spirit can show them the truth in matters pertaining to their area of authority (such as their oversight for you). I John 2:20 bears that out: "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth."
I have often found spirit-filled leaders who are not in themselves prophets to have real words of wisdom when evaluating prophecies.
What Is The Prophet's Attitude Towards Other Brothers/Sisters?
I John 2:11 says, "But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him."
This point is really a particular aspect of an earlier point, but it has a more detailed emphasis on the prophet's attitude towards others in the church.
It seems to me that somebody who walks around in darkness is not exactly a good person to be relied upon to give me clear guidance from the Lord!
Psalm 92:13 says that the righteous are "PLANTED in the house of the Lord." (The emphasis is mine.) Some people have a pattern of being what I call "tumbleweed Christians." They go from church to church and never set down roots; and as a result, they are not properly accountable to Godly authority. We need to be cautious about receiving words from prophets who cannot demonstrate that they are planted in a fellowship and that they are in a right relationship with the other leaders who God has set in the church (Ephesians 4:11).
A prophet can fall into false prophecy and divination more easily when they are not accountable in their local church. 1 Samuel 15:23 tells us that rebellion is linked to divination. So if a prophet is deliberately in rebellion against God's authority, that person becomes more vulnerable to receiving false revelation from a spirit of divination instead of from the Holy Spirit.
It is important that we understand accountability, and I've recently had an experience that underscores that point. My wife and I had been mentoring someone who was growing very quickly in prophetic ministry. But he came under the influence of a tumbleweed Christian. As a result, the person who we were previously mentoring has recently gone "off the rails." I learned a few lessons from that experience, which I used to adjust my approach to judging prophecy. Now I emphasize more need for a proper authority structure in the prophet's life. I feel that he/she must be planted in the local church (Psalm 92:13), and not be a "tumbleweed Christian" who blows from church to church.
Proper accountability is an important point for the Western Church to consider. It is easy to be "independently minded" in our culture. However, the Lord doesn't see us as a collection of individuals, but as a body. That is why it is so important for us to learn the lesson of proper accountability. In fact, I am wondering if this (the lesson of accountability) is one of the reasons that the Lord had us resurrect this teaching at this time?
And Finally
Please understand that the above represents the state of my knowledge on this topic as it stands at the moment. I have much more to learn on testing prophecy and my subsequent lessons may well modify what I have written here, but this is the best that I know at the moment. I trust that it will be helpful.
I would like to close by praying Eph 3:14-19 over you:
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom His whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.