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Despise Not Prophesyings

Despise not prophesyings.

1 Thessalonians 5:20

Despise not prophesying! Despise not the prophesying of curses! Despise not the prophesying of blessings! Be particularly careful when an authority figure is prophesying blessings or curses. Prophesying means to speak forth by divine inspiration, to foretell future events and to declare a thing that can only come to pass by divine authority. Prophesying is to speak words under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In the Bible, prophesying does not only stand for predictions but also for words spoken under the inspiration and direction of the Holy Spirit.

Many people despise prophecies, predictions and declarations of faith that come from the mouth of authority figures. That is a spiritual mistake. The Bible teaches us not to despise or look down on such declarations. God inspires His servants to speak forth words that you must only say “Amen” to. When Elisha prophesied about a twenty-four hour miracle, the servant of the king despised him and paid for it with his life.

Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.

Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

2 Kings 7:1-2

It is a Mistake to Despise Prophesying

Do not think to yourself that a word that is spoken by an authority figure is powerless and will not happen. Some years ago, a man of God destroyed his spiritual father’s church and took over the property that belonged to this father. The spiritual father then sent a message to him saying, “The day you mount the pulpit in that church you will die.” There had been great commotion during that church crisis and the day came for this local pastor to mount the pulpit. It was a Sunday and the pastor stood behind the pulpit and preached his Sunday sermon. On the Monday following and the weeks after, he boasted, “You see, I am still alive. I did not die. He said that I would die if I ever preached from that pulpit again. But here I am.”

Such boasting is ill advised. When Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden they were given a solemn warning, “In the day that you eat of this tree, you will surely die.” Did they actually die on the day that they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? No, they did not die physically in twenty-four hours. They lived to a good old age of over nine hundred years. Adam died just short of a thousand years. With God, a thousand years is as a day and a day is as a thousand years. In actual fact they died within the day that they ate the tree. According to God’s calculation, they actually did die in the day they ate of the tree.

Be careful when you despise or make fun of a prophecy. Sometimes the meaning of a prophecy is not clear.

When the prophet Elisha prophesied that there would be abundance of food and prosperity within a few hours, the king’s adviser could not see how this would be possible. He unfortunately made a wrong remark about Elisha’s prophecy. He asked, “How could that be?” He paid with his life because he mocked at the prophecy. He was trampled to death because he despised the prophecy of Elisha.

Elisha replied, “Listen to this message from the Lord! This is what the Lord says: By this time tomorrow in the markets of Samaria, six quarts of choice flour will cost only one piece of silver, and twelve quarts of barley grain will cost only one piece of silver.

The officer assisting the king said to the man of God, “THAT COULDN’T HAPPEN EVEN IF THE LORD OPENED THE WINDOWS OF HEAVEN!

Then the people of Samaria rushed out and plundered the Aramean camp. So it was true that six quarts of choice flour were sold that day for one piece of silver, and ten quarts of barley grain were sold for one piece of silver, just as the Lord had promised. The king appointed his officer to control the traffic at the gate, but he was knocked down and trampled to death as the people rushed out.

So everything happened exactly as the man of God had predicted when the king came to his house. The man of God had said to the king, “By this time tomorrow in the markets of Samaria, six quarts of choice flour will cost one piece of silver, and twelve quarts of barley grain will cost one piece of silver.”

The king’s officer had replied, “That couldn’t happen even if the Lord opened the windows of heaven!” And the man of God had said, “You will see it happen with your own eyes, but you won’t be able to eat any of it!”

And so it was, for THE PEOPLE TRAMPLED HIM TO DEATH AT THE GATE” (2 Kings 7:1-2, 16-20 NLT)

Prophesying also means to speak words that edify, exhort and comfort. There may not be any prediction of events when you prophesy to edify, exhort and comfort.

It is important to know all the different types of speaking which are actually prophesying. To “despise not prophesyings” is to not despise any of the different types of prophesying that the Bible speaks of. The prophecy you doubt is the prophecy that will not happen for you. The prophecy you believe, is the one that will work in your favour.

But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.

1 Corinthians 14:3

1. “Despise not prophesying” means you must respect the prophecies of the scripture.

Knowing this first, that no PROPHECY OF THE SCRIPTURE is of any private interpretation

For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

2 Peter 1:20-21

The whole Bible is a collection of prophecies. It is called “the prophecy of the scripture”. This is why the prophecy that you believe is the one that comes to pass. The whole Bible is a prophecy but it is not everything in the Bible that comes to pass in your life. It is the sections you believe that happen in your life.

When a whole section of the church took the scripture “you must be born again” seriously and believed in that prophecy, the charismatic movement was created where people could only join the church by being born again. The scripture about being born again had been there for years. A group of Christians decided to believe in it literally and emphasize it. Their belief in that portion of scripture is what generated the evangelical and charismatic movements we have today.

2. “Despise not prophesying” means you must scream “Amen” to the prophecies spoken over your life.

And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Genesis 12:3

Even the prophet Jeremiah said, Amen: the Lord do so: the Lord perform thy words which thou hast prophesied…

Jeremiah 28:6

When someone speaks a blessing over you, it is important for you not to sit there like a deaf and dumb doll. Shout “Amen” when you hear a blessing coming your way. “Amen” means “so be it”. Scream “Amen” when you hear a blessing coming your way. Decide to be the one with the loudest “Amen” always. When you say “Amen” you secure the blessing for yourself and make it a reality.

3. “Despise not prophesying” means you must block negative words and encourage positive words spoken in your direction.

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Genesis 3:19

And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

Genesis 9:25

When someone speaks a curse, do not take it lightly. It is important to fight negative words that are spoken against your life with counter curses and blocking prayers. It is a mistake to despise prophesying and take words, thoughts and intentions that people have said against you lightly.

4. “Despise not prophesying” means you must respect the prophecies and proverbs that come from fathers.

Amazingly, sections of the book of Proverbs are described as prophecies. Many wisdom nuggets are actually prophecies for your life.

The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,

Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man.

Proverbs 30:1-2

5. “Despise not prophesying” means you must respect the prophecies of your mothers.

The teachings of your mother may be prophecies. Despising these words may bring a curse on your life.

The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.

Proverbs 31:1

6. “Despise not prophesying” means you must receive the prophecies in books.

Many times you receive prophecies whilst reading a book.

And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of THE PROPHECY OF THIS BOOK, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

Revelation 22:10, 18,

7. “Despise not prophesying” means you must receive the impartation of gifts that come through the spoken word.

Many people receive impartations through prophecies.

Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which WAS GIVEN THEE BY PROPHECY, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

1 Timothy 4:13-14

by Dag Heward--Mills