Question - How to Discern God's Guidance - The Week of September 27th 2011

Question Submitted:

When you want something or want to do something real bad, something that on the surface is not bad.  Moreover, you have different emotions about it how do you discern between what Gods is telling you to do and the devil is trying to get you to do?

Answer:

Without a specific example of the “something” referred to in the question this can be a hard question to answer.  Because we use so many factors to discern if the prompting and leading we are sensing is truly from God, Satan trying to trick us, or even just our own desire.  There are some things to keep in mind however, when trying to discern which it might be.

ý  God will NEVER under any circumstance contradict His written Word, the Bible.  If whatever we are prompted to do does not line up with the truths found in God’s Word, it is not God prompting us.

ý  God will not contradict a previous personal command He has given us.  If God told us something or gave us an answer on something one week, next week He will not give us different answer.  He will at times have us do something for a period of time then later have us stop, but He will not contradict Himself in what He guides us personally through Rhema Words from Him to do.

Numbers 23:19 NKJV

¹⁹   “God is not a man, that He should lie,

Nor a son of man, that He should repent.

Has He said, and will He not do?

 Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

Hebrews 13:8 NKJV

⁸Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

þ  We will have peace about whatever it is that we feel lead to do.  God will not lead us into something we do not have peace over.  We may feel a bit scared, inadequate, or intimidated but we will not be at spiritual unrest over the matter.  If we have spiritual unrest, we should question whether God is the source of the prompting.

John 14:27 NKJV

²⁷“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  (Jesus speaking)

ý  If confusion is present that is a sign God is not influencing that part of the decision.

1 Corinthians 14:33 NKJV

³³For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints

þ  We need to make sure our hearts long for what God desire and that we seek Him in every decision. Scripture tells us He will guide us if we let Him.

Proverbs 3:5,6

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

      And lean not on your own understanding;

⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him,

      And He shall direct your paths.

Shall direct -

as found in the Hebrew language to mean the following -

3474.      rv'y:

 yaÆshar, yaw-shar’; a prim. root; to be straight or even; fig. to be (caus. to make) right, pleasant, prosperous:— direct, fit, seem good (meet), + please (will), be (esteem, go) right (on), bring (look, make, take the) straight (way), be upright (-ly)

þ  God tells us exactly in His Word how to obtain that information we need to make wise godly decisions.

James 1:5,6 NKJV

⁵If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

From the Greek Language we can know -

wisdom,  ⁴⁶⁷⁸

4678.      sofiva soáphia, sof-ee´-ah; from 4680; wisdom (higher or lower, worldly or spiritual):— wisdom

o      God provides the information we need both for the world and for the spiritual life. Any and all information needed for living and following should be found by seeking God for His godly wisdom.  Making each of our decisions based on His wisdom will ensure our abundance in life. 

liberally,  ⁵⁷⁴

574.        aJplw`" haploµs, hap-loce´; adv. from 573 (in the obj. sense of 572); bountifully:— liberally.

o      There is no desire on God’s behalf to withhold information from us that we need.  He will grant us any form of godly wisdom we need, if we will only ask. The problem comes in two areas.  One, we do not ask. And secondly, we ask - then we doubt what we believe God to be telling us.

wavering.  ¹²⁵²

1252.      diakrivnw diakrinoµ, dee-ak-ree´-no; from 1223 and 2919; to separate thoroughly, i.e. (lit. and refl.) to withdraw from, or (by impl.) oppose; fig. to discriminate (by impl. decide), or (refl.) hesitate:— contend, make (to) differ (-ence), discern, doubt, judge, be partial, stagger, waver.

Here is where the rubber meets the road. Once we have heard from God regarding His godly wisdom for us, we must not depart from the course He has set before us. However, for many we hear from God, then fear sets in and doubt takes over.  We begin to tell ourselves things like, “What if that was not God I heard”, “What if I am wrong about what God said exactly or what I heard”, or “What if something or someone other than God was speaking to me.” Before you know it we are so confused and filled with so much doubt about what we should or should not do we become paralyzed with fear.  That paralysis leads to lack of productiveness, and lack of action taken, which leads to lack of abundance, growth, and change in our lives. Once we have heard from God, what is His wisdom for us, along with the duration of time in which He is asking us to invest in the matter; we should move forward despite any second-guessing.  Will we make mistakes, yes, but if our hearts are sincerely seeking to do God’s Will according to God’s Wisdom, God will take care of any mistakes we make.  Ask Him what to do, and then do it despite the little voice of the Wicked One who wants to make you doubt.

Here are some great Scripture references, which can be studied on the matter of making decisions - 

Decision—determination to follow a course of action

A.    Sources of:

Loyalty  Ruth 1:16

Prayer    1 Sam. 23:1–13

The Lord  1 Kin. 12:15

Satan     1 Chr. 21:1

The world              Luke 14:16–24

Human need        Acts 11:27–30

Disagreement       Acts 15:36–41

Faith       Heb. 11:24–28

B.    Wrong, leading to:

Spiritual decline   Gen. 13:7–11

Repentance          Heb. 12:16, 17

Defeat    Num. 14:40–45

Rejection    1 Sam. 15:6–26

Apostasy    1 Kin. 11:1–13

Division   1 Kin. 12:12–20

Death     Acts 1:16–20

C.    Good, manifested in:

Siding with the Lord            Ex. 32:26

Following God      Num. 14:24; Josh. 14:8

Loving God           Deut. 6:5

Seeking God         2 Chr. 15:12

           Obeying God        Neh. 10:28–30

Question Submitted–Re: Use of the title Prophet or Prophetess-The Week 9-19-11

Question Submitted:

What do you think of people who insist on the title of Prophet or Prophetess being added as a prefix to their name whenever anyone for any reason refers to them? 

A friend of mine told me about such a person (a “friend” of hers).  I was just wondering what other people thought about it. 

Also, I’m referring to people that you know personally not the ministers or leaders in your churches.  This woman is a personal friend of my friend and they don’t even attend the same assembly.  However, she insists that she be referred to as Prophetess at all times. 

Answer:

You have to find that balance in life between not judging peoples actions but making sure, you discern their actions.  The church as a whole would be in better shape today had people been willing to ask questions like those that you are asking, discern people’s actions, and speak up.

One should neither "hide from" nor "advertise" their calling as a prophetess or prophet, but instead they should allow their fruit to be the proof.

In my own personal growth on this matter and in watching and learning from others, I have been able to discern a great deal on this matter.

Yes, I am a Prophetess, Called by God, Ordained by the Church, Received the Mantel as such from the church, I embrace the calling, and I accept the title.  However, I do not wear the title and did not always embrace the idea.  From what I have seen among REAL prophets / prophetess many, if not most, of them did not embrace their calling at first.  The reason being they understood their calling and all it involved, knowing it would be an extremely difficult job to embrace [topic to long for this question]. Therefore, often the hallmark of a true prophet or prophetess is their desire to not "advertise" their mantel all the time.  Now on the other side of the coin.  Someone who wants to advertise the idea they are a prophet or prophetess all the time, demanding people call them such, and signing it after their name regularly may well be someone who is finding their "worth" through their calling or a gift they believe they have obtained from God. This is very dangerous and these people are headed for a fall.  It is about God and a person’s relationship with God, not any gift or calling God gave that person.  When a person makes it about the gift or calling God will deal with that and fast.  In addition, a person with a poor self-image will have a gift of prophecy let's say and MISTAKE being able to use that gift on a regular bases as being a prophet or prophetess.  This is the case a great deal today.  People do not mean any harm but they believe because they have the gift of prophecy that they are a prophet / prophetess and this simply is not true.  At times these are Wanna-Be's and other times this is just ignorance of the actual difference between the gift or prophecy and the mantel of a prophetess / prophet.  Most servant leaders do not need to be called prophetess / prophet all the time, they know who they are, they need not have you to tell them.  I remember when I first started out operating as a prophetess I tried to discourage people from calling me such.  I came to realize for some people it is important to do so. The reason I did not want them to refer to me that way was because I knew it was unnecessary.  You see when you are the REAL DEAL per say, your reputation speaks for you; you do not have to do so.  When you speak, it holds all the authority of Christ for you are speaking for Him, you are speaking TRUTH and truth is the final authority in any situation.  Therefore, when dealing one on one I would not even use terms like, "Thus sayeth the Lord", or "I have a word for you" or "The Lord told me to share with you" [these statements scream LISTEN TO ME] and you see because I was / and am the real deal people knew and know when God is speaking through me whether they want to acknowledge that they know or not.  If I needed to stress over and over that  I have a Word from the Lord, maybe I do not have the authority of a Prophetess and do not have a word from the Lord after all.  Now in a congregational setting when a prophetess / prophet is giving a Rhema Word, that is handled different and a more formal way of communicating that message is required.  If one must do a lot to convince someone they are a prophetess / prophet they just may not be one.  When we have questions and red flags are raised in our spirit we need to seek God and seek answers because their often is a problem.  When it is appropriate, we should use the title that God has given us - that would not be ALL the time in private and public settings.  Again, if we need to use the title ALL the time perhaps we are not even convinced of who we are in our calling from Christ and/or we may have a major self (God) worth problem.  Sad to say, many people minister because they need to minister  not because people need to ministered to.

Where the calling of a Prophet or Prophetess is concerned along with someone who is a part of the five-fold ministry it is -

A- A direct calling from God, that comes from God FIRST.

B- It should be confirm-able by other sources of spiritual people / leaders.

C- This should be followed by acceptance of an ordination and mantel so the individual is accepting the responsibility and accountability that comes with the title, calling, giftings, and office. 

Generally, in that order is how it will develop.

None of this means one must strut around like a peacock wearing their title as a billboard around their neck; nor does it mean that they shun in any way or form away from acknowledgment of their title and the responsibilities that come with the title. 

As one operates in their calling, they will mature and these things will not be such an overblown issue.

Also - keep in mind when the references in the Word of God are made about “judging” they are in various contexts. 

**one is judging with a sense of condemning

**another is using spiritual discernment

Make sure which is which when using/referencing your Scriptures for it is a delicately balanced issue. 

A Prayer in Memory of and for 9-11

Father God You know so many lives changed on that horrible day ten years ago when hate won out over love and evil had it moment in the sun. We know that You know the why and what is needed now, today, these ten years later among all who have been affected and all those in our country. I ask for Your healing balm to cover this nation and the hearts of all the wounded that they may be made whole once again. I ask for peace in our country and for peace within the hearts of all who reside here. Restore the hope of those who lost hope on 9-11 and grant them the freedom that only forgiveness can bring.

In Jesus name I ask and pray,

Amen and Amen.