Purpose of Prophecy: Part 3

A prophetic word can impart faith and strength to stand during spiritual warfare and when encountering assaults against us, our faith, and our work.

“This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare.”  1Timothy 1: 18

Timothy received prophetic words that confirmed his call and the specific work he was about to do. Those words were given through Paul, the elders, or other saints in the local church. According to Paul, these prophetic words would sustain and strengthen Timothy during the spiritual warfare he was certain to encounter. These prophecies would sustain him in the face of struggles, persecutions, and tribulations that come with advancing the kingdom of God.

This principle of “waging a good warfare” or “fighting the good fight” through the prophetic word is also illustrated in the life of the apostle Paul. A prophetic word can have the same effect as the instruction Jesus gave to Paul regarding his subsequent travel to Rome. The risen Lord appeared to Paul in the night and said, “As you have testified for me at Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome” (Acts 23:11). This word gave Paul the assurance that whatever else might happened on the journey, it was inevitable that he would end up in Rome to preach the gospel there. This word sustained him as death threatened him many times on this particular journey.

Forty men banded together with an oath that they would not eat or drink until they killed him. I can imagine Paul thinking, “You men are going to be mighty hungry and thirsty because I am going to Rome.”

He was held in chains by the Roman authorities while the Jewish leaders wanted him taken to Jerusalem where he could be put to death. Paul’s response: “I am going to Rome.”

On a Roman ship in the Mediterranean Sea a severe and violent storm threatened to destroy the ship and everyone on it. Paul said, “I’ll not die here. I am going to Rome.”

When the ship ran aground and was breaking up, the soldiers were about to kill the prisoners, including Paul, but the centurion stopped them. Paul was “going to Rome.”

The passengers were marooned on the island of Malta. While gathering wood for a fire Paul was bitten by a poisonous viper. Everyone watched, expecting him to fall over dead, but he shook off the snake and suffered no harm. He was “going to Rome.”

The prophetic ministry in Christian fellowship often works on the same principle. When the Lord speaks to confirm his plan or purpose or to encourage us in an endeavor, we can stand on that word. Of course, the Bible is the written and final word of God on which we stand as the foundation for our faith and life in Christ. But the Holy Spirit does give us specific prophetic words, such as those given to Timothy, to encourage and help us “fight the good fight.” 

On one occasion I faced a difficult decision. I told the Lord that I did not have the courage or strength in myself to do what He was calling me to do. I did not want to refuse or say “no” to God. So I went to the Lord with these words: “My Lord, I do not want to make such a decision out of the imaginations of my own heart. The only way I can obey is to know that I have heard your voice, to know I have a clear commission from God. Only then will I be able to face the struggles and difficulties that might accompany this step.” This is why Peter, standing in the boat during the storm, said to Jesus, “Lord, command me to come to you on the water.” Peter knew he would be able to take that step of faith only if He was certain Jesus was telling him to come. The same principle was at work when Peter responded to Jesus’ instructions to cast his net into the water. “Lord, we have toiled all night and have caught nothing. Nevertheless, at your word I will let down the net.”

Of course the Lord can and does speak to us personally and directly by the Holy Spirit in our daily walk with Him as we pray and read our Bibles. But He will not allow us to be so independent that we get everything we need from Him without receiving from others.  He delights in Christians’ blessing and serving one another. We see this in the ministry of the body of Christ as it is described in 1 Corinthians 12. The prophetic anointing is one of the means by which the Lord uses us to minister to one another.

(Scroll down to read previous postings. Also, keep a look-out for more to come. --BL)