If a prophecy is filled with judgment and negativity toward an individual, believers should steer clear of it. So says Pastor Bob Sawvelle of Passion Church in Tucson, Arizona.
Such prophecies don’t emulate the heart of God, Sawvelle adds. He encourages believers who prophesy to others to speak life and hope.
“I always encourage the folks in our church and those students who I teach online that if prophecy has a ring of condemnation to it, that’s not God,” Sawvelle said on a recent episode of Charisma Connection on the Charisma Podcast Network. “In Romans 8, Paul says that those who are in Christ Jesus are no longer under a spirit of condemnation. They are free from that.
“At its very basic level, prophecy is about love and hope and affirmation to us. Even Jeremiah spoke to those who were about ready to be exiled and under 70 years of captivity that … God knows the plans He has for us, for peace and for a future filled with hope. In 1 Corinthians, Paul says prophecy is for edification, exhortation and comfort. We need to shy away from anything else because that’s not God.”
To find out more about how to weigh a word of knowledge, listen to this episode of the Charisma Connection podcast, and be sure to check out Sawvelle’s own podcast, Empowered for Purpose, also on the Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}
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