A More Sure Word of Prophecy

Nothing can be more sure than the written Word of God. But when the assurance of that word becomes specifically emphasized prophetically, it becomes a more personalized sure word of prophecy. The Holy Spirit may use a word of knowledge to shine a spotlight on something very specific in an individual’s life, or group. “And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth (1 Corinthians 14:25).

The deeds of the heart are revealed through revelation knowledge that may or may not have a thing to do with the Word of God as it relates to Christianity at large, or to the historic Christian faith. A mental approach to spiritual truth has the tendency to generalize all Biblical truth making it void of any specific personal immediate power.

The doctrine of cessation is one of the common names for this type of reasoning. It places all revelation knowledge back in time, somewhere other than now. Rather than using the Bible to test truth, it is used to make void the power of God for today.

The Word made flesh is deity, but the Bible is not. You may know the Bible, but the Bible does not know you. The corporation or company that you work for is probably not listed in the Bible; the town you live in, the type of car you drive, your doctor’s name, these are all not found in the Bible.

The Bible without the Spirit can become as an idol to those who worship and deify it. When Hezekiah, king of Judah was twenty five years old, “He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan” (2 Kings 18:40).

Nehushtan means a brazen thing, just a thing of brass; a name of contempt given to the serpent Moses had made. Can you imagine how the religious community of his day must have been in an uproar when this young man attacked their holy artifact and smashed it.

We must remember that the Bible is only a book that contains the written word. The word was not written to be contained, but rather proclaimed. The Word of God is a living word and will not be restrained by the canonization of it. The revelation is complete within the cannon of scripture, but the unveiling of all truth is yet to be revealed. God will not be put in a box, even when the cover says HOLY BIBLE.

You can memorize the whole Bible and still be starving for a word from God. That is why God sends His word in many forms. One of the clearest, yet largely abandoned practices, is to receive personal ministry from the prophets.

The prophets speak and then we test what they say by the written word. The apostle Paul said, “Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the others judge” (1 Corinthians 14:29). When a word from God is personalized, it becomes a more sure word that shines into our hearts. If there is any dark place in our hearts it will expose that darkness. “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day star arise in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19). Peter had a more sure word because he heard it for himself. He said, “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.”

A word of prophecy or call to the ministry becomes ‘A More Sure Word of Prophecy’ when it is spoken directly to you and you’ve heard it for yourself.

Pastor Tilson Shumate