Prophecy and a Wedding Dress

"'Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to meet the bridegroom.'" (Matthew 25:1)

In a recent Sunday morning service a woman came to the front of our church and began to prophesy. It was dynamic. It was disarming. (Wow.) It was right on.

And before I get to the "word" she shared I thought I might speak to the issue of prophesying, prophecy, discernment, etc.

I was talking with my wife about what took place in church (I was glad our three kids were there to hear the "word") and how well it was for the Pastor (ours) to give instruction after the prophecy was given. First, he spoke of the integrity of the woman delivering it. She was a long time attender of the church (3 decades). She'd prophesied before. (I'd seen it.) And so it wasn't just any ol' person that could come to the front and speak was his point.

Some people show up in your church and they are there to "take over." (Has it ever happened at yours?) These don't realize that they're the ones that have really been taken over (by the devil).

In a former church (where I was a baby Christian) I can remember numerous prophecies given that were both "of God" and "not of God." The latter included "words" similar to: "This church is lukewarm. I will spew you out of my mouth, says the Lord." (It seems to be a favorite of the false prophets.) The senior Pastor rebuked more than one speaker. And the ushers escorted them out (part of an usher's job description).

Something else about prophetic "words" and the one given in our service specifically ~ it was "confirming" to what was already going on in the service ~ and especially to the Pastor's message. I can't overemphasize the importance of this. Prophecy will line up with what God's already been doing/speaking. Of course, it will line up with Scripture, too (and must). My Pastor was speaking about Esther, "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14b), about non negotiables and how important it was to have those settled ahead of time. In other words (mine): What hills are you going to die on? What ground will you not compromise? (2 Thessalonians 2:15)

Which brings me finally to the "word" (prophetic utterance):

It was based on a dream the woman had. And she kept repeating throughout: "This is a 'now' message!" She was very forceful with this. "This is a 'now' message!"

She started out: "We have examples of people in the past that have stood for the faith. And that's great. But now it's time for us."

In the dream she was a bride to be and she was choosing white lace to attach to her dress. The problem was there was no white thread with which to attach it. All the people around her were saying, "Just use the black thread. No one will know the difference because it will be hidden." And she kept responding, "No, no, no. I can't do it. I won't do it."

Then came her message. While sharing this part she was facing towards a group of young people in attendance. She said: "Times are getting hard. It's gonna get a lot worse. The time to stand is now. The Bible is our anchor point." Her sharing went on for about 4 or 5 minutes.

My responding thought (and I challenge you to consider it): The church is going to be called to compromise with the world. (She already has been.) We must not. We can not.

Thus saith the Lord.

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