John Piper (founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary) shared this very interesting story of when he and his wife, Noël, were expecting their fourth child, and how this lady shared with John a very dire “prophecy”: “Noël would die in childbirth, and the baby would be a girl.”
‘How would something like this encourage me’, was the immediate thought that went through my mind and as I continued to listen to John speak, he wisely said nothing about it to Noël. A few weeks later in the hospital, the child was born a boy, and mother and baby came through just fine!
There is this scary aspect that we do face regularly, sometimes people are motivated by self-interests and the use of the gift of the Holy Spirit and, this most often keeps Pastors and many of us move away from using it in our churches today. Even in the apostle Paul’s day, he had to strongly urge the churches and their leaders to “not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good”. The easiest way to avoid the messes this gift can make is to avoid the gift as much as possible, because we do not want to encourage anyone right!
The more we begin to understand, the more important it is that we must not let the misuse of prophecy cause us to miss out on the benefits the Spirit wants us to receive through this gift’s proper use. I have personally benefited from it many times — mostly on the receiving end.
On the 31st of December last year, in a certain church in Sri Lanka, this Prophecy was given in the Sinhala language, its on video and I will be happy to share it with you if you are interested. Below is the translation, some points have already been witnessed and, it is the fervent prayer of many of us who have access to this, to continue to pray, as we prepare. Many of us are burdened and very concerned that we did not heed the warnings but, today we have a responsibility for our nation.
2019 WILL BE A YEAR WHERE
1) The people will come on to the streets
2) The people will come looking a piece of bread, they will come to the streets
3) The 3rd month will be a month of stirring .
4) A war will be seen again in the land in the 4th month
5) Gun fire that was silenced will be heard again.
6) Many deaths will occur by road accidents more than during the times of war
7) It will be a year where people will be treated like dogs , beaten up, and left to die on the road sides.
8) No answers to resolving Political situations
9) The peoples economy will suffer
10) The country weeps much in this year.
11) Wasteful ! wasteful ! decisions, all of them.
12) Peoples minds will be distorted, by force
13) Political decisions are made in favour of themselves
14 ) Political decisions of self again
15) Many will migrate to other lands
16) The prevailing government will take a terrifying decision in the 8 month
17) people will be forced to the street for lack of food.
18) An year in which the rich will flourish in palaces while the needy are forced on to the street
19) Strange (distorted) doctrines in the church and Church teachings that deceive people
20) There will be distorted ideologies
21) Lovers of money and of themselves (in church)
22) God’s Name will be sold for money in the church
23) Two noble Churches will become commercialised.
24) People will mortgage their churches to foreign nations and be reduced to be dependants.
25) One leading and important church will fall 3/4 of its congregation will walk away.
26) Yet! This is a year of salvation in the land
27) It’s a year when people’s eyes will be on Me and their ears will hear My voice for they will have no other to turn to or place to go for help.
My grace will be their place of victory for those who are helpless. My grace alone will be there for them, My grace alone this year.
I say I am responsible because, as an individual, I have failed to lift and include my nation and its governance into my personal prayer life sufficiently. As a church, we have failed to be fervent, we have no passion for our nation, we let the nation run on its own, we never support it sufficiently in prayer. We are good at criticising, finding fault, specially when things go wrong, forgetting each moment that we are not willing to submit to governing authorities, which in turn brings about judgement on ourselves.
All of us must have a desire to obey our God, we need to pursue the spiritual gifts He gives us because they are truly gifts from Him! Just like we all love to receive gifts like little children, so also does God desire to give us so much more, only if we can ask and listen. God wants to reveal Himself to us, He is preparing us, He Loves us and therefore is reminding the Church and all of us who belong to the church that we have a part to play for our nation. This is why he is preparing us, building us, bringing us together, working in and through us and now using us for a greater cause.
More on the subject of Prophecy
I cannot explain the moment and the blessed opportunity, but what was interesting is that for the next 3 hours on our journey back, the next few days and even today, when ever we are together, out topic is all about this marvelous creation! We only spoke well of this bird, we talked about its habitat, its challenges, its future and everything positive in nature!
