One of the purposes for prophecy is to arm the people for war. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds,” (2 Cor. 10:4). A stronghold is a military structure made to protect and defend the inhabitants. Whenever a stronghold is devised, it is with warfare in mind. The stronghold that God’s word attacks is the Kingdom of Darkness. Whenever a prophecy is given, it is given with this in mind, as Paul admonished Timothy, “according to the prophecies that went before thee, that by them thou mightest war a good warfare,” 1 Ti. 1:19. Prophecy, because it is God’s word in spoken form, is just a powerful as any rhema word you may receive from God. How sad that we diminish the importance of God’s word once it has been handled by a human vessel. We have such a long way to go in obeying the commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves, which is as important as loving God, according to Jesus.
One reason that God gives prophecy through prophets is that these words need a platform from which they can be heard. Also, there must be an anointing on the Words that gives them life and power. When the prophetic word is believed, it brings strength, direction and joy to the hearer. Prophecy gives one a plan of action for accomplishing what the prophecy promises. Paul said something interesting to Timothy. He said the prophecies had gone before him. Have any prophecies preceded you into your endeavors? This was one of the successes of the early church. They took prophecy seriously, received it, and used it to help themselves gain victory over the powers of darkness. They esteemed the office of the prophet, and sought confirmation and witness from God for their direction in important matters. Notice I did not say anything about deciding if the prophecy is of God, putting it on the shelf, judging it, pouring over it, asking for more confirmations, or making up some rules for accepting or rejecting prophecy. Hopefully you have grown beyond the fear level, and know that I am speaking about prophecy that you have already decided is from God. Many people never understand how to know the voice of God. I am not speaking to goats, but to sheep. Jesus said, “My sheep know my voice, and follow.” Some persons never intend to follow God, and so they can never receive the prophecy. Prophecy speaks to people who are going somewhere in God besides to a church building twice a week. Prophecy is for the movers and shakers of the Kingdom of God.
Since hearing and applying the instruction given in these prophecies, people have begun to report a good result. This is why we are making them available to you. As you read each prophecy, please do the following:
* Meditate on the promises
* Look for instructive phrases and obey them
* Use the promises in your prayers as weapons of warfare
* Email us a praise report
