Has someone given you a personal prophecy, or interpreted a dream that you have had? Here are some tests that you can put a prophetic word (or dream interpretation) through, to check whether or not it is from God.
In 1 Thess 5:20-21, the Bible says, ‘Do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good.’
A personal prophetic word, or prophetic dream, has the potential to be a great blessing to you. It can help encourage, strengthen, and grow you (1 Cor 14:3), reveal to you that God has you personally in His heart, and remind you that He has a great purpose for your life. When someone shares information about you and your hopes and dreams that only God would know, it is a miracle. You encounter Jesus!
We need to remember, however, that a prophecy should be weighed up carefully (1 Cor 14:29).
7 Tests to Help Weigh Up a Prophecy or Dream Interpretation
Here are some tests that you can apply to a prophecy, or part of a prophecy, to check whether or not it is from God. Note, these principles also apply to dream interpretation when it is given to you by another person:
1. The Character Test
Does the prophetic word or interpretation reflect the character of Jesus? Does it sound like something God would say to you?
He is loving and redemptive (that means He has a good outcome for your life, He has a purpose, He wants to bring you closer to Him). This is true even when a prophecy contains a warning.
A prophetic word given through the Holy Spirit should exhibit the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23).
2. The Bible Test
Does the prophetic word line up with the principles God has laid out in the Bible? A prophecy should never go against what the Bible says—for example, a prophecy that you should leave your spouse, cause disunity in the church, or commit sin would not agree with scripture!
3. The Heart Check Test
1 John 2:20 says, ‘But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.’
Does the prophecy or message sit well with your spirit, or does it make you feel uncomfortable and give you a warning ‘check’ in response? You don’t have to receive a prophecy if it makes you feel uncomfortable.
4. The Confirmation Test
A personal prophecy should confirm what God has already spoken to you, or be consistent with the way He has wired you. If the prophecy does not immediately bring confirmation, it may over time, so feel free to shelve it.
Do not make a sudden change of direction in response to a personal prophecy. If you feel led to make a change in response to a prophetic message brought through another person, remember that God never pressures you. The following test will be helpful:
5. The Leadership Test
Ask, would my church leadership be comfortable with this word? Submitting a prophecy, along with your response to it, to a leader in the church is a wise way to check prophetic guidance. Having another opinion from someone who is mature in their Christian walk and who also knows you can be helpful.
6. The Time Test
Hab 2:3 says, ‘For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false.’
You won’t know whether some prophecies are from God until you have given them time to be fulfilled. If you are unsure about a prophetic word, it is OK to shelve a prophecy, put it aside, and review it at a later date.
7. The Prophet Test
Do you know the person prophesying, and are they known to the leaders of your church or recognized in the wider church for their gift? Don’t accept a personal prophecy from just anyone. Jesus said that some people would prophesy in His name but not actually know Him (Matt 7:22-23). He also said to watch out for false prophets (Matt 7:15-16) and that you could tell by their fruit, i.e. their character and what their lives are producing.
If the person who is giving you the prophecy is unknown to you or your church leaders, is not submitted to leadership, or whose life does not reflect the character of Christ, do not receive the prophetic word outright.
A word given by someone who has a prophetic gift but is living an ungodly lifestyle may be partly right, which can be very confusing. If this is the case, the prophecy may contain something that is ‘off.’ It is a bit like emails that come with attachments that contain a virus. The message in the email may be right and good, but when you open it, something that is bad for your computer is also downloaded with the message. So we need to take care WHO we are receiving prophetic input from.
A prophecy that is contaminated by an issue that is out of order in the person prophesying can pull you off the track God has for you unless you put it through the above checks.
- This is a reminder not to be impressed with an external show of natural charisma or even giftedness, but also to watch for character and integrity.
One time I was listening as a prophetic team brought a prophecy to a young woman at a training session. One of the young guys in the team seemed to have a powerful prophetic gift. However at one part of the ‘prophecy’ he came out with a message that had a suggestive innuendo about the girl’s physical appearance. Although the rest of the prophecy sounded good, I felt that it was probable he had a sin issue, that was coming through in his prophecy.
Another thing to be wary of is prophecy that is flattering or that attracts you to the person prophesying rather than drawing you closer to Jesus. When it comes to personal prophecy, it is OK to ‘eat the meat and spit out the bones.’ Exercise wisdom and discernment.
Read more on How To Make The Most Of Your Personal Prophecy
Related Posts:
4 Types Of Dreams And Their Meanings
What To When You Have a Prophetic Dream
Prophetic Dream: 11 Tips to Discover the Meaning of Your Dream
© Helen Calder Enliven Blog – Prophetic Teaching
Enliven Ministries
A part of the David McCracken Ministries family
Helen Calder is a prophetic minister and writer, and founder of Enliven Ministries. Helen has a unique gift of equipping in prophetic ministry and prayer. She is known for Enliven Blog (est. 2009), an online resource that reaches thousands of people globally.
i real need a personal true prophet.
Hello Helen,
I been receiving prophecy from a 10 year old cousin. She will send me messages such as God said to read this psalm or this scripture. Sometimes it’s like 10 psalms at one time. Just recently, she told me that my husband has a demon and the demon is after me and other family members that live in my home. She said she is being obedient to what God told her to say and God said that I will see and not to tell me anything else. This is very confusing, especially coming from a 10 year old. I actually believe her mother is orchestrating a good deal of this. I told her that prophecy should already confirmed what I feel in my heart. I told the mother she should really get the daughter some training in her church and speak with her Pastor who walks in the Prophetic. Am I making too much out of this? It’s really nerve wrecking because it’s constant with what God told her to tell me.
Hi Valerie, you are certainly taking the right approach in saying that prophecy should confirm what God has spoken to you in your personal relationship with Him.
I think gently but firmly deflecting the words and speaking truth is the way to go. Don’t receive anything that feels oppressive or manipulating (even when well intended).
Right now am in a middle of a court case I pray over my court case to be done . so I was sleeping on the cough in the morning when I dreamt of my prophet actually he told my mam that “it is well” I was there with my mam after that my prophet gave my mam money even me I was given money by the person he was going with
..Please help me to interpret this dream
.
Hi Dikekedi, we don’t give dream interpretations on this website. I encourage you to pray about the dream – it does seem to be an encouraging one!
Hi
I was told by the leader of our house group that I should not leave the country if I wanted to avoid the plagues that hit those who chose Babylon rather than Egypt. I will ask her where this exact scripture is. She is a godly woman, but rather dominating. She passes all the tests you have laid out, except one, which is that I felt uncomfortable with the prophecy. Firstly, we wish to leave the country, and secondly, I felt fear when it was made. I know fear is not from the Lord, but on the other hand it may be from me, and I would not want to despise the prophecy.I am also aware that Paul was warned by Spirit filled believers not to go to Jerusalem , but notice that he did! I would not want to put you in the position of asking advice but I would appreciate your thoughts on this.
Hi Paul, yes I can understand you feeling uncomfortable with that word. Have a read of this article as there could be some helpful advice for you to weigh it up further: https://www.enlivenpublishing.com/blog/2012/07/03/prophetic-warnings-what-should-we-do-with-them/
A prophetess spoke over my life the other day. Saying when I was talking in a church meeting she saw in the spirit a crown with diamonds within it on my head. I asked her was that good or bad! She said good. But I’m still buffaled. It really didn’t make much sense to me.
Hello Faye,
Well, a couple of things come to mind. Firstly, you can rest assured that if a prophetic insight or picture is from God, it will be for good, not bad! (Jer 29:11, 1 Cor 14:3)
And the next thing is, prophetic insights do sometimes come as pictures. These may be symbols that you need to pray about and seek an interpretation. What does the Bible say about crowns?
Is 61:3 and 62:3 comes to mind. A crown speaks of authority and beauty. So be encouraged, that is a great word. If you are unsure about a prophecy, we recommend asking a pastor or leader to help you weigh it up.
Helen, you have a very nice blog! Maybe you can help me better understand my dreams? Overall, I have somewhat of an understanding. My last dream has me confused I’m not really sure what to make of it.
Dreams started January 2016 around the second week of January…
Hi Lugo, thank you for sharing your dreams. Sorry we don’t give dream interpretations online or via emails.
This article has information to help you move forward with your prophetic dreams: https://www.enlivenpublishing.com/blog/2009/09/19/what-to-do-when-you-have-a-prophetic-dream/