Have you been questioning past prophetic words or visions?
Perhaps you have been holding on to a promise from God for a long time, but it has not come to pass the way you expected.
Today, God is inviting you into a place of liberty with Him.
“Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?”
(Isaiah 43:18-19, NKJV)
Signpost Prophetic Words
There are times to continue contending for a prophetic word, even when the opposite is taking place.
Every true word from God goes through a season of testing and purifying—and Joseph’s story is a great example of this.
But there are also times to let go.
A prophetic word may have been a “signpost” word, and God used it to lead you in a certain direction.
But now, He has a new path for you to follow and new instructions for you.
The Day God Changed His Instructions
One day, God spoke to Moses about a change in direction.
“Then we turned around and headed back across the wilderness toward the Red Sea, just as the Lord had instructed me, and we wandered around in the region of Mount Seir for a long time. “Then at last the Lord said to me, ‘You have been wandering around in this hill country long enough; turn to the north.” (Deut 2:1-2, NLT)
At one stage, that mountain was a prophetic destination.
But it was time to move on!
What if some of those people had resisted Moses’ new instructions? They could have complained, “But Moses, God said go to Mount Seir.”
And that was true.
Yet, it was not true for “now” and it can be like that for us!
God sent an earlier word to position us. But now, it is time to receive His new agenda.
We Needed to “Unhook” from Past Prophetic Words
Someone needs to know today that a past prophetic vision is no longer your assignment! You may have been grieving over it, but your Father is giving you fresh instructions.
My husband Malcolm and I were involved in a mission agency for around 16 years. We sacrificed a great deal in that season—and believed that calling was for life! But, our time with that organization came to a close unexpectedly in 2004.
At that time, and during the years since, there have been times we’ve needed to “unhook” from our past prophetic dreams of that time. These ran very deep for us.
We also had some prophetic words from that era that were left unfulfilled. But our call from Jesus was bigger than that season. Be assured that right now, your life’s calling is greater than any single season!
You Are Not Disempowered
The story of how Moses redirected the people from Mount Seir is a helpful reminder.
When we know God has planted us in a church or team, and we are in the place of His choosing, we can trust God’s oversight of our leaders.
Through the decades and transitions of life, I’ve learned this:
- My personal prophetic calling is not bound to a church or ministry, beyond the timing of God
When I believed that it was, and a leader of my church or ministry changed direction, it affected me deeply (and needlessly).
So, don’t buy into the lie that you have been disempowered by another person.
No one else can “torpedo” your God-given prophetic dream—and you can trust in God’s sovereignty regarding your calling.
Full of Power
Whenever and however a prophetic insight comes, it is not untouchable—it is adjustable!
And this is true, even when years have passed.
God’s instructions to you are not fragile, but full of power!
Paul wrote, “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good.” (I Thess 5:19-21 NKJV)
The Bible tells us to hold onto prophetic words that have been proven to be good and of the Holy Spirit.
That Greek word translated good, Kalos (Strong’s G2570), means excellent, eminent, genuine, approved.
The question could be—Is this prophetic insight “good” for right now?
Ask, “Is this a promise to carry into my next season?”
The Power of Surrender
Is something resonating with you as you read this? You are not being unfaithful by surrendering a past prophetic promise to God! Your Father is a God of resurrection and well able to cause it to spring to life.
Remember Abraham, who was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac, a prophetic promise to God. Even when we head in the opposite direction of God’s commands, His grace is still available to us.
On the other hand, all of us have made mistakes in our past. If this has been troubling you, the story of Jonah will encourage you: “Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” (Jonah 3:1,2, NKJV)
Whatever has taken place that has affected your prophetic vision, yield to God now.
And lean in close.
Now, hear your Father say, “Beloved, I have new instructions for you to receive.”
Leave a Comment
Do you believe God is speaking to you about becoming free of past expectations? I’d love to hear from you, so scroll down to share your thoughts in the comments box below.
Can a “Soul Tie” Hold Us to Past Prophetic Words?
This is a question I’m currently exploring some answers to, so if you’re interested in this topic, let me know in the comments. And keep an eye out for the upcoming “Part 2” on this topic, as I share further about letting go of past prophetic words and visions.
This can now be found here: Tent Pegs: 5 Keys to Cut Soul Ties from Past Seasons
Related Posts:
Dealing with Prophetic Disappointment: Why is My Prophecy Unfulfilled?
4 Reasons Why the Opposite of Your Prophetic Word is Happening
Discover More in the Prophetic Guidance Master Class
Is the above article timely, or would you like to learn more on this topic?
In my Prophetic Guidance Master Class, I tackle some tough questions such as:
- How do faith and wisdom work together when following prophetic guidance?
- What extra care can I take when my prophetic insights are about relationships or emotional issues?
- When I’m faced with a closed door, what can I do?
- If my prophetic guidance is unclear, what actions should I take?
- What is God doing when there are delays and disappointments?
These are some of the questions I explore in my Prophetic Guidance Master Class. Plus, I’ve uploaded the PDF transcript of these ten lessons, so you can keep your own summary for reference.
You can find the Prophetic Guidance Master Class in the Enliven Prophetic School here.
Modules on the School currently include: “How to hear God’s voice”; “How to Begin and Grow in Prophecy”; “The Seer Gift: How to Grow in Pictures and Visions”; “Discernment and Prophetic Warnings” and the “Prophetic Guidance Master Class”.
© 2021 Helen Calder, Enliven Blog
Enliven Ministries: In 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.
Hi Helen,
I’m Helen too. Every morning for the last 3-4 weeks, the Lord has impressed upon me to use a freshly washed glass to pour my drink of water into, not use the one from the night before. He says “I am giving you a new anointing, which cannot be poured into the old glass”. I say, ok, and use a fresh glass, feeling really connected to His purposes as I do this, but not really knowing what the new anointing is. This morning at church, Pentecost Sunday, the discussion was directly about the time of grieving of Christ’s death by his followers, Christ’s resurrection, and then ascension. Then there was the waiting period of 40 days, then the Holy Spirit’s empowering and infilling to go out in power to fulfil their callings. So the old is put to death: old expectations, prophecies, dreams, hurts and grievances, and what has been achieved so far. The grieving for those past things takes place, if there is grief, then the healing of those things, the door is closed on them, and the new is ushered in. I will thoroughly go through these “old” things with the Lord’s guidance, leave all the previous expectations behind and allow His new anointing and way forward to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Another word He has given me is “It is time for your light to be turned up, it’s a little dim. It is time to shine”. I’m not certain of all that entails, but am willing to walk in what He wants me to do and say.
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick” when a promise or a word gets our focus off of the Lord it may be time to put it into His hands. Earlier in life, during a divorce, I had a dream of possible reconciliation. I put all my focus on this, and it took my eyes off the Lord :( My ex remarried after 13 years, and a month later I started dating my present husband! Whenever a word involves the will of another person, God will not override their will. I’m very curious about the soul tie and past words as well, as this was very difficult for me to let go of.