Thursday – Letters

Reading – 1 Thessalonians 3-5

Highlight Verses:

“Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭19‬-‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

For a change, I highlighted four verses.

Together, they make one unified thought.

How is it that people stifle the Holy Spirit?

Four ways are listed right there:
• Making fun of prophecies.
• Accepting or rejecting prophetic ideas without testing them against the Bible.
• Letting go of the good.
• Welcoming evil.

To keep from stifling the Holy Spirit:
• Respect prophetic attempts.
• Test those prophecies to make sure they are Biblical.
• Learn from those prophecies that agree with the Bible.
• Reject evil.

I once was given a prophecy that, in essence, was rooted in evil.

I didn’t know what to do with it, so I sought advice from a trusted wise friend.

He simply asked me if the message agreed with the principles of the Bible.

I checked. The so-called prophecy was rooted in fear and gossip, not Biblical wisdom.

I embraced the good that I learned from testing that prophecy against the Bible. I released the fear and gossipy nature of it and stuck to Biblical principles.

I also accepted the fact that I am as imperfect as those people who brought the “prophecy” to me in error.

I honestly don’t remember if I brought my concerns to my prophetic friends.

But I learned the importance in checking everything by the principles of the Bible, whether I am receiving or giving advice or guidance.

With this scripture and my experience in mind, I urge you to check prophecies with the Bible. If they are Biblical, do not hesitate to accept or give them depending on whether you are on the receiving or giving side.

No matter how good or bad they are, learn from them in accordance with what the Bible has to say.

Have you been on the receiving end of an inaccurate prophecy? How did you deal with it?
If you have been used in prophecy, how did you check to be sure it was correct?