By Donna Astern
Perhaps you can relate to this scenario. You receive an amazing promise of something wonderful unfolding in your life. God is going to bring a miracle or a breakthrough or some other fantastic blessing. You are humbled and delighted and excited!
Then everything goes wrong! A bad situation gets even worse! Money dries up, doors close, friends disappear, and bad news keeps coming. Baffled, you wonder, “What happened?!”
What happened is that you are on your way to seeing the prophecy come to pass! A process is involved and you have entered into the necessary work of personal transformation to that it CAN come to pass.
Here’s what the apostle Paul had to say to Timothy:
“This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.” (1 Tim. 1: 18-19)
Paul let Timothy know that the promised word wasn’t just going to automatically happen for him. Prophecy is conditional, that it, it is always implied that “I will… if you will…”.
For example, you may get a prophetic word about God sending you to the nations, but you will still need to get a passport! You may get a word about a promotion at work, but you will still need to show up and do your best on the job.
Paul’s instruction gives Timothy a heads-up of what he will need to be prepared to face to see the prophecies come true in his life.
- Timothy is going to have to “fight the good fight”. A challenge is coming that will require a response. He can quit, decide it’s not going to happen for him, that God must have meant something else, or it’s just too hard to believe anymore. Earlier in the chapter, Paul warns him that there will be opposition in obeying the command to lead the church in Ephesus.
- Timothy is going to have to keep faith and a good conscience. That is, he is going to have to believe God, to believe the prophecies, and maintain a good attitude in the middle of it all.
- Timothy is going to have to be willing to stand alone and stay on purpose, actively guarding his heart.
The path to prophecy’s fulfillment is testing. Conflict, frustration, doubt may arise. Faithfulness and attitude are challenged.
Transformation is necessary. The man who could walk in the fullness of the prophecy had to have strength, confidence, perseverance, character instilled. Detrimental attributes such as pride or cowardice would have to be dealt with and overcome.
Moses was challenged in a similar, yet dramatic way in Exodus 4. Having been commanded by the Lord to deliver Israel, the the covenant people of God, out of slavery in Egypt, Moses personal life revealed a glaring inconsistency. God met him on the way and sought to kill him, because he had neglected the command to circumcise his son even though he had commanded others to do so. His sin jeopardized his ability to lead others out of captivity, that is, his prophetic destiny.
I’m not implying that you are in mortal danger if you have overlooked something, but that God has a way of getting our attention on something that it is time to deal with.
From the time you receive the prophetic word, you begin a work of transforming “from glory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18).
Just as the refiner’s fire will cause the dross to arise from the silver ore, so impurities, attitudes, weaknesses are brought to the surface so we can be aware of them. What hinders you from stepping into that prophesied place will be brought to the surface so you are aware of it and it can be removed. (Mal. 3:2-3)
Be encouraged! The prophetic word gives you a picture of God’s desire for you. The Lord is after light, transformation, glory, Christlikeness, kingdom advance, liberty, love.
So consider what challenges you may face before your prophecy comes to pass. How can you fight the good fight and stay in faith, guarding your heart with confident expectation?
Hold on to the promise with joy! Do not waver in unbelief but, like Abraham (Rom 4) grow strong in faith, giving thanks and glory to God that what He has promised shall be fulfilled!
Together we partner with His promise in agreement to see His will accomplished on the Earth! The Lord is looking for faith. May He find it in us.
Question. Can you share a time when you had to choose to believe and trust the Lord and then things began to change? Share in the comments below.