Culturally Irrelevant

Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good.  (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21)

What does it mean to put a prophetic word of insight or encouragement “on the shelf”? Someone gives you a “word” about your life or situation or future. Maybe it falls in line with what you already know, or maybe it sounds new. What do you do with it?

I used to think putting a prophetic promise “on the shelf” meant to file it way in the back of my mind to see if it ever comes true. But the Bible doesn’t say to put promises or prophecies “on the shelf” at all. We’re supposed to test every spirit, test prophecy against scripture, and look into the character and lifestyle of the person speaking to us, but we’re not told to put it on the shelf or forget about it until it comes to pass.

God promised Abraham that he would have a son, that he would be blessed and father a nation of countless people. Did Abraham put that prophetic promise “on the shelf”? Romans 4 says that Abraham became stronger in faith as he waited for the promise of a son. His confession got stronger, not weaker, during those years of waiting. He grew more hopeful with time and got more excited about having a son, not less. That doesn’t sound like someone who put the promise “on the shelf”.

In verses 19 and 51 of Luke 2 we read that Mary treasured the events and prophecies surrounding Jesus’ birth and growing up, and “pondered” all of them in her heart.

I like the way these two people treated the prophetic promises and mysterious developments with which they were surrounded. They treasured God’s promises, pondering them in their hearts, rehearsing the details and allowing themselves to get excited about what was happening or would soon happen. Because they operated in faith, trusting God and believing the promises, they grew in excitement. And when things seemed to take a while, they only got stronger. Rather than questioning God, they knew they were getting that much closer.

I believe some promises have to be fought over. When I was born, I was premature with underdeveloped lungs. God promised my Mom that I would live and not die. That was confirmed to her in a card from a friend with a scripture out of the Psalms. But the doctors came in and said I wouldn’t live through the night. Instead of collapsing into tears of doubt and fear, she warred over what she had been promised (I’m not saying she didn’t cry, but that she ultimately rose up in faith). She didn’t just wait to see what would happen. If she had, I probably wouldn’t be here (thanks, Mom!). The promise had been “given” to her, but she had to own it, steward it, rest in it and fight against doubt and fear for it. Can the enemy come in and steal the promises? I believe he can if he can get us into fear and doubt and out of agreement with God. We’ll stop believing, stop trusting and stop letting ourselves get excited about the future we’ve been promised.

This is a big deal for parents of small children, me included. Babies and little kids don’t have the ability to believe for themselves, so it’s up to parents to stand in faith for them. As stewards, it’s our responsibility to cover them in faith at a time when they can’t cover themselves, just like we do in the natural. Whatever we settle for or let into their lives, they’ll have to struggle with later because we didn’t deal with it appropriately. This happened with John’s excema. Katy and I knew he would want to be healed of it later on in life, so we began to stand in faith for his healing as a baby. In a way, we simply applied the faith we knew he would have as a believing teenager or adult. I’m happy to say that because of some practical insight and God’s healing touch, John is free from excema today!

Ultimately, I’m discovering that prophetic promises are something that don’t belong on the shelf. I think that’s an excuse for not operating in discernment. We need to be able to discern things right away, spit out the bad and keep the good, and then stand on what God is telling us. For myself, I’m determined to keep the promises in front of my eyes daily. I’ve forgotten them before and had them ripped out from under me. I’m not going to let that happen again.