WHAT PROPHECY IS AND WHAT IT IS NOT

Intro:
By God’s grace, this is the second topic in our Prophecy Series, the introductory one being:

You Are Your Own Best Prophet!

Do read that first post to help set the stage for our discussions hereunder. And let me know what you think of each post in the series. Kindly share them too across social media, via email or however else you can, to bless as many as possible.

What Prophecy Is And What It Is Not

In the movie, “Fools Rush In,” starring Matthew Perry and Salma Hayek as a young interracial couple, the hero is told by a priest he had never met before (played by Chris O’Neill): “You seem lost. Look around you, there are signs everywhere to help you find your way.” This happened on a busy New York street. He was on the verge of divorce from his wife of several months. Subsequently, he saw several things he felt were the signs referred to and excitedly travelled to Mexico, from there to Las Vegas, to find and reconcile with his wife. This is the kind of message many want to receive everyday: supernatural, compass-like and error-proof. Lots of folks call this type of message prophecy.

To many people, prophecy simply means telling the future. Linked to knowing the future is finding out the divine will over the matters of life to guide one’s steps and decisions.”Should I go on this trip?” “Will the odds be in my favour if I invest in this business?” “Will my marriage be happy if I wed this person?” People are looking for answers in every area of their lives. They also want to know what will happen to their loved ones, their countries and the world.

They therefore seek out people who claim to have the supernatural power to make projections into the unknown. But are all such projections prophecy? No, they are not. And are all prophecies predictions about the future? Not necessarily. What then is prophecy?

[bctt tweet=”Are all prophecies predictions about the future? Not necessarily. What then is prophecy?” username=”edithohaja1″]

Prophecy is a statement that is divinely inspired. That means the person speaking has not reasoned it out, they are relaying the words as received. The proclamation may be contrary to the speaker’s understanding of the situation, it may be displeasing to them, it may expose them to hate or ridicule, yet they utter it because it is a message from a source beyond them. It has a supernatural origin. (There are many voices speaking in the supernatural realm: spirits, angels, gods and the Almighty God. We will explore the distinctions in what they are saying under the next topic in this series, “5 Guides For Identifying True Prophecy.“)

In Christendom, there are different classes of divinely-inspired utterances associated with the gifts of the Spirit identified in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10.

“8. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9. To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10. To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues”.

People speaking in tongues are speaking languages they did not learn in worship to God. Some who also have not learnt such languages can be empowered to interpret what the former are speaking to the understanding of the hearers. The word of wisdom is special insight given by God to solve a problem or guide decision-making (like the example from the movie cited earlier). The word of knowledge is hidden knowledge about a situation revealed by God. It could be about a healing He is perfecting in someone’s body or protection from danger. Some extend the word of knowledge to special ability to teach the word of God. Prophecy refers to discernible words which God speaks directly through someone to exhort and strengthen His people.

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(Related: I Will Never Leave You Nor Forsake You)
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But to the average person out there, every divinely-inspired message is prophecy, hence the plea, “Prophesy for me about this and that.” So we shall not be working with the distinctions made above. We shall go with the popular understanding that divinely-inspired messages are prophecy. We shall not go into the distinction between the gift of prophecy and office of the prophet (which by the way some see as ending with John the Baptist) either. We are working with the belief that God is still speaking through people today as He did in ages past. So let’s just see someone who prophesies or gives a divinely-inspired message as a prophet. This post and others in this series are not seminary-level teachings but practical guides to help believers navigate their ways through the maze of ‘prophecies’ out there today.

Going back to the source of the ‘prophecy’, a preacher once said that he does not usually prophesy to footballers and politicians because they understand their games better than he. From the foregoing, one can tell that this fellow has not been prophesying but making smart deductions, at least in some cases. So a person can be a preacher but using his head to make predictions in the name of prophecy. Hence this warning in the book of Jeremiah:

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.“‘ – Jeremiah 23:16 (NIV, emphasis, mine)

[bctt tweet=”That a person is a minister of God does not mean that every word they say is divinely inspired.” username=”edithohaja1″]

That a person is a minister of the gospel does not mean that every word he or she says is divinely inspired. This applies both when they are ministering and when they are not. Paul the apostle was a very disciplined man of God. In his letters to the churches he distinguished between his own words and those received from God.

“10. And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: 11. But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife. 12. But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.” – 1 Corinthians 7:10-12 (emphasis, mine).

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(Related: 7 Dangers Of Idolising Preachers – A word of caution to Christians)
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If a person is godly, their words will be trustworthy and more or less influenced by their knowledge and devotion to God, even if they may not always be directly received from God. However, if a person (including one who occupies a spiritual office) is serving strange gods or living in the flesh, they will be open to perverse influences which will naturally inform their speech. Apostle Paul repeatedly warned against such people in the Epistles.

“Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.” – 2 Corinthians 2:17 (NIV)

“10. For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision group. 11. They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain.” – Titus 1:10 & 11

A strong motivation for manipulating people through ‘prophecy’ as we see above is the desire to make money.

While many prophecies speak about the future, the primary goal of prophecy is not to give a glimpse into the future but to help us acknowledge God and walk right with Him.

We can see this in the psalmist’s ebullient declaration in the passage below and in the succeeding passage from the Epistles. The psalmist’s words were received from God to stimulate worship among humanity.

“1. Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: 2. Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious. 3. Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.” – Psalm 66:1-3

“But on the other hand the one who prophesies speaks to people for edification to promote their spiritual growth and speaks words of encouragement to uphold and advise them concerning the matters of God and speaks words of consolation to compassionately comfort them.” – 1 Corinthians 14:3 (AMP)

Predictions of the future and whatever divine counsel revealed in prophecy are meant to serve this three-fold purpose mentioned above among God’s people: edification, encouragement and comfort. For example, when God gives warnings of future judgment and calamity, He hopes to bring the hearers to repentance and when He gives assurances of victory in impending physical and spiritual battles, it is to give those addressed the courage to hold on to their faith and stand their ground. God wants men to know Him and yield to His lordship. And as they do, He fights for them to enable them serve Him without restraint, which wouldn’t be the case if they were in physical and spiritual bondage.

Therefore, no true prophecy comes to satisfy idle curiosity but to build our faith in God and help us run the race He has set before us.

We see this clearly stated in scriptural explanations of why God sent His prophets to Israel as exemplified in the passages below.

“4. And the Lord hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear. 5. They said, Turn ye again now every one from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever: 6. And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt.” – Jeremiah 25:4-6 (emphasis, mine)

“Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.” – Daniel 9:10 (emphasis, mine).

14. Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation; 15. And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” – 2 Chronicles 20:14-15

The prophecy of Zechariah, after his son John the Baptist was born aptly shows why God rescues us from the clutches of the enemy:

“74. That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, 75. In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.” – Luke 1:74 -75

But besides their walk with God, as stated at the beginning of this post, people are looking for personal prophecies in different areas of their lives. They want specific words on the career to choose, who to wed, where to live, etc. God does not want us to be anxious about anything but to trust Him to undertake for us.

[bctt tweet=”God does not want us to run around looking for personal prophecies but to trust Him.” username=”edithohaja1″]

6. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 19… my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:6 & 19 (emphasis, mine)

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“25. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 31. Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32. (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” – Matthew 6:25, 31-33 (emphasis, mine)

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(Related: Do Not Be Anxious)
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In spite of these assurances, some are paying those who claim to ‘see’ to get them words on all kinds of personal issues. It is easy to be taken in by some hocus-pocus whereas the speaker is only making some intelligent guesses. Some of the so-called gifted people have been known to do some research to get people’s personal details which they reel off to convince them they actually have the power to see the unknown.

It has also been observed that a common way Christians err in the desire to get guidance on personal matters is to pick Bible passages randomly or deliberately on the grounds that the Bible is divinely inspired. The Bible is God’s word, yes, but specific words apply to specific situations only when they are quickened by the Holy Spirit. For instance, you may be going through a situation at work where you have to defend yourself before a panel and as you are praying, Luke 21:17 starts to burn in your heart.

“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.”

That is a prophecy for that occasion. You didn’t choose it by yourself. It may be the first indication you are getting that the real problem they have with you at work is your faith, the accusations are just a smoke screen. Strengthened by that word, you will take the outcome even if it means losing that job because you are not prepared to deny your faith for any job.

The word you received could have been, “I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist,” (Luke 21:15) – just two verses before – which would mean that you will effectively refute the allegations against you. If your heart is open to God’s will in the situation, as you pray you will probably perceive what the outcome will be and will be prepared for it, whether it comes down to retaining your job or losing it. Ultimately, the victory is yours in Christ Jesus if you refuse to compromise your faith for any immediate relief.

So going through the Bible and picking favourable scriptures or whatever we like isn’t a means of receiving prophetic words. God may have said something to King David but is he saying the same thing to you in the particular situation you’re in?

[bctt tweet=”Going through the Bible and picking whatever we like isn’t a means of receiving prophetic words.” username=”edithohaja1″]

Based on the foregoing, we can say that:

Prophecy is a divinely-inspired declaration of divine will.

Prophecy is a divinely-inspired message meant to stimulate and sustain worship.

Prophecy is a message from God to edify, encourage and comfort His people.

Prophecy is a divinely-inspired message that offers guidance.

Prophecy is a divinely-inspired message that reveals the unknown and predicts the future.

However:

Prophecy is not every word spoken by a person who occupies a spiritual office. Some of this person’s words may be divinely inspired, others may not.

Prophecy is not every projection made about the future by those who claim to ‘see’. Some projections are based on intellectual deductions and guesswork.

Prophecy is not any statement picked from the Bible by an individual.

You will notice that at many points in this post I have used the word, ‘divine’ and in other cases, I have used ‘God’. The former refers to any power demanding worship while the latter refers to the Almighty God alone. I’d like you to bear this in mind when we go into the next topic in this series:

5 Guides For Identifying True Prophecy

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(Related: Do Not Unduly Probe Into The Future)
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Conclusion

I hope you have seen from this post that chasing predictions of the future and personal prophecies is missing the essence of Christianity. As King Solomon told us in Ecclesiastes 12:13, we should strive to, “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” A better use of our time rather than pursuing prophecies and prophets is learning the requirements of our God and pleasing Him. When we do, He will meet our needs and He will reveal to us any information we need to be privy to, just like He informed Abraham about the imminent destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in the book of Genesis.

“17. And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18. Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19. For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” – Genesis 18:17-19

“12. What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. 13. His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth. 14. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.” – Psalm 25:12-14

Amen. Praise the Lord!

[bctt tweet=”Chasing personal prophecies and predictions of the future is missing the essence of Christianity.” username=”edithohaja1″]

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The scriptures used in this post are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible except where otherwise stated.
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I would love to know if there’s anything you’re taking away from this post and do help me share it widely, if you will. You are richly blessed in Jesus’ name.

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55 comments

  • Ziri Dafranchi

    Insightful. Thank you for taking the time to write and share. God bless you and your ministry.

  • Ike V. Nwalieji

    Phew! That’s a very long read but worth the time. Deep truth in a simple language. Thank you very much.

    • Edith Ohaja

      Yes, it was! When you add a lot of scriptures, it turns out so, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. You are richly blessed, my brother!

  • Asogwa Emmanuel C.

    Hmm! Psalm 25:12-14 is so heavy but I get it. God is ever ready to have direct contact with us if only we can walk blamelessly with Him. As I went through the post, I began to reflect on how God revealed Himself to the great men and women of old who were faithful in their services to Him.
    Thank you very much, ma, for sharing this.

    • Edith Ohaja

      It’s wonderful, Emmanuel, that God can speak to us and through us as He did through His servants in times past. May He multiply grace for us to serve Him well in Jesus’ name.

  • Amaugo Stephanie Chidinma

    Truth be told! I’m glad you took your time to make reference to scriptures. You did a good job Ma! There’s a part that caught my attention; where you said that people use biblical scriptures to suit their situations without crosschecking if that’s the rhema for them or not. This should be really looked into. I also hope that we stop thinking that prophecy is just for the sole aim of getting to know about the future. Thank you Ma for sharing this great piece about prophecy. I learnt a lot.

  • Sunday, Ezekwesiri Daniel

    There is more to prophecy than predicting the future. It is a spiritual insight. The understanding of the scripture is a prophecy on its own to your life. All you need to do is to study and understand His word. For the entrance of His word giveth light unto our path.
    You are lifted, ma!

    • Edith Ohaja

      OMW! I just said you are lifted too in reply to your comment on another post. I guess it’s our year of promotion then. May God perfect it in Jesus’ name.

  • May God bless you and your ministry and reveal to you more of His hidden treasures. This is quite insightful.

  • And we know a prophecy (or prophet) is divinely inspired if the prophecy comes true! 🙂 You made so many great points here.

    • Edith Ohaja

      That’s right, Jennie! That’s the subject of the next post: how to distinguish true from false prophecy. Thanks for visiting and remain ever blessed! ❤️

  • Miracle

    Such an instructive piece. I hadn’t been able to access this mystery because of poor network. Bless God I finally did. Thank you, Ma.

    • Edith Ohaja

      My dear, the networks have really gone loco. It seems that we have no government agency regulating them at all. Thanks for calling, Miracle! I pay you have a fruitful week in Jesus’ name.

  • egbo Rita Somtochukwu

    Prophecy is not just a mere saying, it’s beyond the physical n we must respect n follow any genuine prophecy we recive accordingly. We shouldn’t always expect it to be pleasant, it’s a way God communicates to His people. If it’s what requires prayers, we shuld pray with all our hearts. We should know that for a prophecy to be given, it’s a sign of answered prayers (miracle) from above….

    • Edith Ohaja

      Sometimes prophecies are not the answer to prayer but the prompt. When we pray as required, we get a follow-up prophecy which is God’s answer to resolve the problem. You are blessed, my dear!

  • Blessing Udeobasi

    If only Christians will learn to live without trying to foresee what the future holds. If only they will leave the future in the hands of God who knows everything, then the world will be a happier place.
    Prophecy is good sometimes but it shouldn’t be our priority as Christians, our priority should be to make heaven at last.

  • Kat

    I have a friend who finds great happiness in seeking out ‘prophets’ and having them ‘prophesy’ to her. When I look at her I can only pity her because I have a strong inkling that those prophesies are fake. Her life doesn’t get better. Her situation hasn’t improved much. She even claims to be a seer herself. Lol. I don’t know what to believe anymore so I just keep quiet when she tells me these things. I have little tolerance for prophets of any kind. I just go directly to God when I need answers and hope in his wisdom and judgement. That’s enough for me. Thanks for sharing ma’am.

  • Amana Sharon Umola

    That a person is a minister of God does not mean that every word they say is divinely inspired. Wawwww. This is amazing. Prophecy these days has become a means of livelihood to some persons. This matter is a crucial one because Christians goes to self-acclaimed prophets and ask them to prophesy as if they are the originators of it. It is well with my generation.

  • Eze chinyere

    True indeed!! Prophecies are messages inspired and induced by God which are meant to build our faith and enable us walk right with him. A lot of us are guilty of mistaking prophecy for any word uttered by a minister of God or randomly picked bible passages/verses.We should learn to ask for God’s direction (to find out if bible verses apply to our situation). A lesson learned; thank you for sharing…
    The ‘God’ and ‘divine’ thing you pointed out toward the end of the post is not very clear to me though..

  • Arene Ifeyinwa Ketochukwu

    Thanks ma for sharing this eye – opening post. “Prophecy is a statement that is divenly inspired”. This means that a prophecy is not a mere prediction. The word of God is already prophetic so if a Christian speaks the word of God, he is already prophesying. A Christian should not only depend on prophets to give him prophecies.

  • Oma

    This days people don’t want to know what the word of God is saying ,they only care about what a prophet says ,how the prophet paints the future and so on.
    Jesus died to give us access to Gods presence and the book of john said for those who believe and received him he has given power to be called sons of God ,therefore we have our future in our hands, we should be the one with Gods guardance organizing our future the way we want it.
    Ma I appreciate the fact that you took your time to trash this topic.

  • Euphemia Nwele

    Prophecy is an inspired utterance, prophecy isn’t meant to condemn but direct.
    It’s a pity what the world has turned prophecy to, and I agree with Sharon when she said ministers can be anointed but it doesn’t mean his prophecy is divinely inspired.
    This is an eye opener.

  • Chinenye lucy

    Prophesy is a divine message from God , prophesy is a message from God that edify and direct us
    Prophesy is not anything that come out of a pastor during preaching .
    I wish people will learn this and stop being deceived by some churches that lay emphasis more on prophesy and keep the word of God aside. I wish christains will know that every prophesy is meant to direct and not decieve.

  • Onu Tochukwu

    Prophecy is beyond mere procasting the future. It is a spiritual operation which helps you to really understand the scripture.

  • Akuma Victor

    Truly,a good number of our men of God have deviated from the divinely inspired utterance which prophecy ought to be about and like you said aunty, we the lay faithful are the cause of it since we need something act on. It is also true that prophecies are now sweet messages unlike what was obtainable in the days of old when men of God served as an instrument of warning to the people of God. Things has really gone south and it is painful that the Church as the Body of Christ shares in societal irregularities.

  • Awaka vivian

    Today I got to know that prophecies are not reasoned out, but they are relayed as received from God… Nice teachings and lessons ma.

  • Ukwueze Oluchi B.

    Some Persons hardly stay to wait on the lord. The popular saying, “God’s Time is the Best” has become impracticable. Everybody desperately wants to know the mind of God in their situations. The craze led to this current phenomenon of Pastorprenuers- a term used to refer to fake Men of God who ask for money or deceive people for Spiritual blessings or Prophecies. 1 Tim 4 may have captured the current scenario.

  • Annabelle Orji

    “That a person is a minister of the gospel does not mean that every word he or she says is divinely inspired”. This really struck me as we see a lot of spiritual ministers making false utterances in the name of prophecy and deceiving the people they lead. Another very good point made here was that prophecy should not be inspired by/because of money. An amazing post ma, good work

  • Onoyima Juliet

    I like the fact that you included Bible verses. Prophecy is for edification, comfort and encouragement simple. Shikena!!

  • Agugbua chisom

    Nowadays men of God actually make us believe that prophesy is about knowing the future. I am happy you have made us understand the difference between prophesy and fortune telling. Prophesy is not all about telling the future or having a link to the future, it is a spiritual insight. I pray God opens the eye of everyone to see the true meaning of prophesy. God bless you ma.

  • Uche, David Ihechukwu

    Wonderful as always, prophecy is much more than just looking into the future. I used to think prophecy is just all about receiving a message from God or whoever and dispersing that message to the congregation. I see I was wrong

  • Prophecy is indeed a message from God and should be well understood. Thank you ma

  • Anorue John-Daniel Kelechi

    Am I permitted to share this piece? Very wonderful and insightful. Prophecy is a divinely-inspired message from God (word). A lot of false prophets around that one no longer believes in prophesies.

    • Edith Ohaja

      Of course! That is why there are share buttons to various social media at the end of each post. Share as many posts as you wish over time and encourage your friends to do the same. Bless you!

  • Isaac sopuruchi peace

    Church these days can be likened to profit making organization. The fake ones are more than the the real ones. Prophesy is not all about giving you insight of the future. Their is more to it. Our prayer should be for God to distinguish, between the good and bad prophecy to us.

  • Eze Nathaniel Izunna

    Prophecy has to do with divine connection not human prediction.
    Most at times the prophet oblivion what he prophecies because the message comes to him direct from the heavenly source and should be under the control of the Holy Spirit.
    Gift of prophecy is inborn and almighty God chooses his own people.
    Thus, prophecy can not be gotten through the act of pragmatism/prediction.

  • Aniebo Beauty

    Phew! That’s a very long read but worth the time. Deep truth in a simple language. Thank you very much.

  • IGBOKWE JANEFRANCES JESSICA

    This is beautifully written, I hear a lot of christians who are now skeptical about prophesies because of all the fakes out there, but like a great preacher once said, “the fact that there’s a fake currency means there’s a genuine one.

  • Okonkwo Goodness Chiamaka

    Prophecy is truly a gift from God.it’s not humans imagination neither prediction it’s a direct message from the holy spirit. People ought to be careful to be able to discern from evil spirit and God’s spirit

  • Favour Nnaemeka

    As Christians, I believe it’s okay to respond to a God-given prophecy if the signs are right. However, I do not think it is something you should go about looking for before you do anything purposeful with your life. God’s word and guidance is enough prophecy to guide you to doing the right things!

  • Ezekiel Stanley C.

    Many today see prophecy as a way of extorting valuables from people and I ask, why? A lot of false prophets are everywhere busy decieving many and at the end they will say, thus says the Lord. This is bad.
    Indeed Ma, you have enlightened many through including myself that prophecy is for edification, encouragement, comfort and it is divinely inspired. God bless and keep you .. amen

  • Prophecy is not just predictions about the future, sadly most believers think that, that is all to prophecy. A prophecy that doesn’t encourage and bring hope is not prophecy. Thank you ma for this enlightenment

  • iheanyi ugochi Elizabeth

    A word is enough for the wise. Many people are after what the prophet has to say and not what God is saying that is why some preachers have turn the alter to shrine because we expect prophecy from God every new day.

  • Abonyi Chisom E

    It is quite alarming today that most people attend a particular church ’cause of miracles. Some are in the habit of consulting supposed prophets of God, not minding the source of the prophet’s power. The bible records that in the end time, there will be an up-spring of fake prophets, who seek to deceive the children of God. The bible equally made an admonition to Christians to be as wise as a serpent, and as humble as a dove. The children of God ought to understand what a prophecy is, and what it is not. We should be able to differentiate fake prophets from the true ones. or did the bible not say that: By their fruits, you shall know them. Thanks Aunty, for this post. I believe it will go a long way in educating the latter-day Christians on the sustenance of their faith. It should serve as a hint to Christians not to compromise their faith.

  • Chidinma Obasi

    The word of God is the prophecy we are seeking for our lives. I see the future in the word of God. So, there is absolutely no need for chasing after prophecies when we have our Christian manual (The Bible).

  • Orji Chidiebube Prudence

    “Chasing personal prophecies and predictions of the future is missing the essence of Christianity”. Many Christians are madly after “what God says about them” especially from a pronounced Prophet and nothing else and as such go all the way to getting these prophecies no matter he means. This in turn leads them to meeting the wrong persons who end up complicating their lives. The best form of prophecy is direction through God’s words and conviction in one’s spirit. This post is worth the reading of most Nigerians…

  • Oleighibe Oluebube Tessy

    Smiles! I remember inviting a friend to church few weeks ago, first thing she Told me was ‘do they give prophecies?’ I asked what she meant by Prophecies and she explained it to be about a Pastor revealing to her the plans of her enemies and how or what her future is all about, I did try to tell her that there are more to prophecies than what she thinks or knows. I wish I have read this post before the encounter, so as to explained better, but it is not too late because I’m going to share this post with her. Thank you Ma for this wonderful post. Remain blessed Ma.

  • Bessong Faith A.

    Prophesy is divine and should be treated as such. It’s not some random sayings or predictions. It is a message from God that directs us or reveals something to us. Prophesy is not anything that come out of a preacher’s mouth. And it does not contradict God’s word. We have to understand God’s word to be able to understand the things He reveals to us through His prophets. May God open our hearts to know the true prophecies and to act as directed. Amen.

  • Otti Augusta

    Not all the words from the mouth of spiritual leader is a prophecy.
    Thank you ma for this series.

  • Agbodike Ogochukwu Maryclaret

    It’s so sad that we’re busy chasing prophecies instead of settling down for the most important thing. It’s best to do the will of God first and wait on Him to know what’s expected of us through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in our minds.

  • Ezeh Blessing

    Christianity is anchored on prophecy. Everybody wants to know what the future will be like… This has caused serious tension in Christendom as the demons themselves now appear like the children of the light, prophesying to the supposed children of God. Thanks so much, Aunty for this post, at least I’ve learnt what a true prophesy is and what it’s not. I believe my fellow readers will benefit from it as well..

  • Ossai Chidimma Linda

    I am guilty of this, sometimes I just want to find out, the direction my life would be take, say 5 years from now and some other things that bother me.
    However, reading some Christian books have basically enlightened me and this post further reaffirmed my will to only look onto God.

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