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Feb 21, 2016

Stewarding Prophecy

Stewarding Prophecy

Speaker: Dr. Clem Ferris

Category: Prophecy, Sunday Morning

Getting a Word from God is what sustains us, but what do we do when we hear from Him? We have a responsibility to hold on to that Word so that it will not be snatched away from us. The battle is all around us and we can take dominion and rise up.

“Stewarding Prophecy” by Dr. Clem Ferris - February 21, 2016

This past Sunday we welcomed guest speaker, Dr. Clem Ferris, who discussed what prophecy is, how to keep a Word from God, and the warfare that accompanies prophecy.
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Getting a word from God is what sustains us, but what do we do when we hear from Him, either through someone prophetically, from the Holy Spirit in our quiet time, or from His written Word?

How do you keep a Word from God?

Opening Scripture

Rev. 1:3  Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

Rev. 22:7  “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.”

There are two vital responsibilities regarding the Word of the Lord. We are to hear it and keep it.

What does it mean to “keep” the Word of the Lord?

The word “keep” in Greek means to watch over something; to guard it carefully so it won’t be lost or stolen.

When God gives you a word, if you don’t value it, it can be lost or stolen.

1. To keep a Word we must first ward off an enemy. (1 Tim. 1:18) The devil hates the Word of God, so he will be in full attack mode when you receive a Word.

2. To keep a Word is also to bring it action, or to its full completion; to fulfill it. We must make sure that we keep the Word active in our spirits until we see it come to pass. The enemy wants us to put the Word we receive on the back shelf. Don’t do it. Continue to pursue it until it comes to pass. Remind yourself continually, “but God said…”

Since the devil wages warfare against us when we receive a Word, we must learn how to wage warfare back. Here are 2 keys to waging good warfare:

Don’t let Satan snatch away the Word. Read Matthew 13:19, the beginning of Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the sower. There are two words in this verse that we need to understand:

  • The word for “understand” does not mean an intellectual understanding, but a convergence of our lives with God’s Word. We understand the Word when we experience it. 
  • If we don’t understand, or experience it, the devil will snatch it, or in the Greek, harpadzo it away from us. He will seize it by force in warfare.

If we commit to continually experience the Word we receive from God, Satan will not be able to take it away from us.

2. Hold onto the Word.

1 Tim. 1:18-19  Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith.

  • Hold it in faith - The heart is the holding tank for faith. Your head will fight you so that you will release the Word you received from God in your heart. Don’t let it go.
  • Have a good conscience - Your conscience is a place of agreement between your concepts, what the Lord has said to you, and your conduct. Prophetic words often involve a change of concepts. God’s goal is to change our conduct.

Battle is all around us when we are receiving Words from the Lord. Here are 5 battlegrounds of the prophetic Word:

  1. Delay
  2. No Recognition
  3. Misunderstanding
  4. Doubts
  5. Prophetic Crisis

In all of these cases, take your questions to the Lord. Receiving a Word from the Lord should be the beginning of a period of asking a whole lot of questions.

Close

1 Peter 5:10  And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

Rise up. Take dominion.