|
|
|
Mission Statement
|
HOW TO INTERPRET WHAT GOD TELLS YOU As we learn to hear God speak to us, we need to be cautious about how we interpret what He says. “Well, doesn’t He mean what He says?” you might ask. My answer would be, yes, of course. But He insists on using His own definitions for words – and His own timing. We have to interpret what God tells us in the light of the Word of God and in the light of what He’s told us in the past. Remember that the scribes knew the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. But they didn’t take all of them into consideration before they applied them to their current situation. We must also be aware that scripture says, “For we know in part and we prophecy in part.” 1 Corinthians 13:9 In other words, we probably won’t get the entire picture. So we need to be aware of this and, when sharing with others, be very careful to just give them exactly what we’ve heard. A lady I know did great battle and won some victory over fear, depression and confusion. Shortly thereafter, she went to church and when an altar call was made for those who wanted prayer she went forward. However, their prayers resulted in my friend leaving the church in a state of fear, depression and confusion. How did this happen? She did not tell them that those three things had been problems for her. But they began praying about them as if she was still doing battle with them. Probably what happened is that they heard the words, and assumed that she had those things in her life and prayed prayers accordingly. This woman was too inexperienced to realize what was happening and spent the next week fighting the same battles she’d already gotten victory over. Plus, she was now quite angry at those women for “putting those things back on” her. Victory came as soon as I explained what happened and she was able to forgive those women and shake off the residue of their misguided prayers. Then she had to deal with the things in herself that made it possible for her to be angry at them. And, lest we come down too hard on those caring women who were willing to pray for another, let us look at a similar example in scripture. Look at Acts 21, the story of Paul and Agabus. This story has been used to teach a number of things that just aren’t so - including how God will bring a man into the scene because God won’t allow women to exercise the spiritual gifts He gives them. But that’s another story. Instead, I’m going to show you how this story is a prime example of what not to do with what God shows us. When we share with others what God shows us or tells us, we must be very careful about putting our own interpretation on things that, in reality, we only heard “in part.” Verse 10 - Agabus came down from Judea. When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, “So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles’” Acts 21:10-11 Was this accurate? Did Agabus hear God correctly or is part of this prophecy his own interpretation. Well, let’s look at the fulfillment. Paul did go to Jerusalem and was bound. But… - Agabus said the Jews at Jerusalem would bind Paul. But, according to vs. 33 it was the Gentile commander who ordered him bound by other Gentiles. - -Agabus said the Jews would deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. But, according to verses 31-33, the Jews “were seeking to kill him” and it was the Gentiles who rescued him out of their hand. And they rescued him not once but twice as we see from this chapter and another time in chapter 23. What probably happened was that God showed Agabus either through words, an impression or a vision, Paul being bound in Jerusalem and being delivered over to others. And that’s it. But he added his own interpretation and his interpretation went along with his own private prejudices that said, ‘surely the Gentiles will be the bad guys.’ He also failed to submit his prophecy to the other prophets in the room. And there were four other prophets there. Was this because of his cultural prejudices since they were all women? Perhaps this is one of the reasons Paul later wrote, when explaining how the gift of prophecy should operate, that “the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.” 1 Corinthians 14:32 What was the result of this inaccurately given word from the Lord? Well, the first thing it did was strike fear into the hearts of the people present. Where fear is, God isn’t. And they pleaded and wept and cried for him not to go to Jerusalem to the point that Paul felt like his heart was breaking. Fortunately, Paul had his own word from God and he went anyway. If Agabus’s prophecy had been submitted and given correctly, would there have been a different outcome? We’ll never know. But it would have made a difference to my friend if those praying women had given only what they heard without their own interpretation. Using her as an example, here’s how you can handle an incomplete prophecy. They could have simply told her, “I’m hearing the words fear, depression. Does that witness to you?” She would then have had the opportunity to explain how she’d just received the victory over those little demons after a long hard fight. Then they could have prayed prayers of strengthening and thanksgiving into her. So, when you hear from God, don’t assume you know what He means. Write it down. Mark the date. Ask Him to give you the interpretation even if it appears obvious. Our son, Brent was out of work for quite a long time. He prayed diligently about his unemployment. One day he heard the Lord tell him that he’d have a job within the week. But no job materialized. He was very puzzled and discouraged. More than a year later, he was telling me about his struggle and how doubt had plagued him. He also told me that the week his pastor had asked him to teach a Sunday school class and he was excited because, being out of work, he had time to really prepare lesson plans. “So, you see,” I said, “God did give you a job that week, just like He said He would. It just wasn’t a job that paid materially.” Brent’s eyes got wide, his mouth dropped open and he said, “I never thought of that.” And at that instant, all his doubt went out the window and he was filled with faith and praise for a God who keeps His word. Ask Him if you are to share what He tells you or if it is something just between you and Him. He loves to tell secrets and He hates gossip. If you are to share it, ask Him when, to whom and how are you to share it. Always remember to ask four things:
|
|
Mission Statement | RaJean's Bio | Gary's Bio | Current Events | Teachings | Products | Contact Us | Home Page |
