|
Author
|
Topic: prophecies/god's suggestions, how do you tell?
|
LaurieFL
Advanced Member
Member # 3794
|
posted
Maybe try reading the Bible when you are up and can't sleep? I used to do this when I had trouble sleeping. And as for not understanding the Bible, I truly believe one has to read it over and over with prayers to God asking for wisdom and understanding. Over time, my experience has been that God will reveal new things to you and will gradually transform your mind so that you think about things mroe His way. Sometimes I will read the same chapter or two over and over again for a period of days so that it can sink into my thick skull.
Posts: 700 | Registered: Aug 2004
| IP: Logged | 
|
|
MySavingGrace
Advanced Member
Member # 4697
|
posted
i never knew there was a question asking if i read it everyday. i try my best to and know i've bene lacking lately, mainly due to lack of sleep. i've dealt with sleep problems and a manic episode last summer, and hi've had a horrible time the past couple weeks working on an average of 5 hours of sleep if that, and getting up once or twice for at least a couple hours at a time in between, so I desperately need my REM sleep. The fact I can even operate is amazing. Luckily, I've been better and I think the praying about it is catching up and helping too.
I thought I was just asked if I had christians in my life I could talk to. but, still, I need to find a bible study as well as just read cause I'm new to it But, I gotta straighten out my sleep before I can get up early enough to go to a church or understand it. I definately do pray all the time and also thank God for what I have. But, though I have read the bible, I still don't get everything and its meaning. I think I also tend to anyalyze and think of many different answers and options too much on things so that gets in my way of what true meanings are.
But, I never said I was upset with David and I said it oculd be a misunderstanding (espeically since its online here and I can't hear a person's tone of voice.) ![[Smile]](smile.gif) and, sorry if I offended anyone, I'm just out of it and worried about a couple friends, so maybe I'm also having bad dreams cause that has been my state of mind.
--------------------
http://crawfordpeace.nfshost.com/forum
Support the mother who lost her son protest the war
http://crawfordpeace.nfshost.com/
here are my comments, I am UHaventDoneNothin
http://crawfordpeace.nfshost.com/node/121
Posts: 426 | From: United States | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
|
|
LaurieFL
Advanced Member
Member # 3794
|
posted
I think all David is saying to you, which is the sme thing I have said to you in every post I have made to you is to read your Bible every day and spend time in prayer. You have never answered regarding that really, but it is something that will really help you a lot.
Posts: 700 | Registered: Aug 2004
| IP: Logged |
|
|
MySavingGrace
Advanced Member
Member # 4697
|
posted
^^^^ not to be mean to you, but take it easy on me. I'm new to Christianity and I don't know all of the bible or whre certain statements are located.
and, though i still believe in god (and maybe myself and others just misinterpret messages like what you're saying) things like this make people wanna turn away from Christianity. I'm not being mean but it feels more like you are giving me a lecture and putting me down as opposed to heping me ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
I didn't grow up on the bible and much of it is still new and confusing to me.
and, are you accusing me of misusing the bible? because I don't think I do. I may not understand everything but it's not like I consider it a joke.
And, it could all be a misunderstanding, but when I'm unclear on stuff and I feel I get lectured (happened to me before and that time was blatantly that way when i first started trying to go to church a few years ago) it makes it hard for me to wanna follow chrsitianity. I refuse to turn my back on God but I think people with questions and confusion, especially new chrsitians, should have a little leniance there way
thanks
--------------------
http://crawfordpeace.nfshost.com/forum
Support the mother who lost her son protest the war
http://crawfordpeace.nfshost.com/
here are my comments, I am UHaventDoneNothin
http://crawfordpeace.nfshost.com/node/121
Posts: 426 | From: United States | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
|
|
KnowHim
Admin
Member # 1
|
posted
If you didn't know how to play a board game like Monopoly, how would you learn? You could ask someone to explain it to you, or you could go directly to the rulebook yourself, because rules can be misinterpreted or forgotten by other players. The final word is always the rulebook, written by the inventor of the game.
But what about something much more complex--like life itself? As the Inventor of life, God has spelled out how we are to "play the game." And we aren't allowed to make up our own rules to fit our own preferences. In life, the rulebook is the Bible, and it covers all the big issues. It contains everything we need to know about right thinking and right living (2 Tim. 3:16-17). But it does not speak directly to many issues that come up as we encounter complex situations. So what do we do? We need to understand (a) what the Bible clearly says, and (b) how its principles can apply to all situations of life to give us guidance. But we have to be careful that we do not misuse God's Word.
How is the Bible misused? A classic story is told of one way the Bible has been misused to find guidance. It's about the young man who used the "flip and point" method of reading the Bible. One day while wondering what to do with his life, he flipped his Bible open and pointed to Matthew 27:5. He read, "[Judas] went and hanged himself." He thought maybe he should try again. So he flipped and pointed, this time landing on Luke 10:37, "Go and do likewise." He tried flipping one more time and arrived at John 13:27, "What you do, do quickly." We may laugh at the absurdity of such a method of trying to determine God's will, yet we are often guilty of treating the Bible in a similar way. The Bible, however, is not a Christian Ouija board.
Most of the favorite methods of Bible misuse fall into the general category of taking verses out of context. Whether the method is flipping and pointing, taking for yourself messages directed toward someone else, or the more simple "reading into the text" a message that is not really there, the problem is the same--mishandling the Scriptures.
What does the Bible clearly say? Too many times we are guilty of not considering what the Bible says on an issue. For example, you don't have to wonder if God wants you to leave your spouse to marry another person you find attractive. Jesus said that marriage is a lifetime commitment (Mt. 19:6).
God has spelled out all we need to know. The Old Testament people of God were told, "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law" (Dt. 29:29). The Israelites were not to occupy their time trying to find out God's secrets about His future plan and purposes in the world, but they were responsible to obey what God had clearly revealed. The same truth can be applied to us. We cannot know or understand all that God is doing in our world. But we can understand our responsibilities before Him. Those duties are spelled out in God's Word. The Bible clearly tells us:
Worship God, not idols (Ex. 20:3-4).
Honor your parents (Eph. 6:1-3).
Do not murder (Ex. 20:13).
Do not commit adultery (Heb. 13:4).
Do not lie (Ex. 20:16; Eph. 4:15,25).
Do not covet (Ex. 20:17; Rom. 7:7-8).
Do not lust (Mt. 5:27-28).
Forgive others (Mk. 11:25; Eph. 4:32).
Love God and your neighbor (Mk. 12:28-31).
Be holy (1 Pet. 1:16).
Do not marry an unbeliever (1 Cor. 7:39; 2 Cor. 6:14-15).
Help a brother in need (1 Jn. 3:16-19).
Don't take a Christian to court (1 Cor. 6:1-8).
Do not steal (Eph. 4:28).
Be reconciled quickly to the person with whom you have a dispute (Mt. 5:23-24).
Tell the truth (Prov. 12:22).
The list could go on and on, but the point is this: The Bible is full of God's clear commands that offer us direction for most of life's decisions. The more we know of God's written Word, the more quickly we will know what God wants us to do.
Ephesians 5:17 states, "Do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is." The Lord's will is clear, as Paul stated in the preceding verses: "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (vv.15-16). God's clear will for our lives is that we live for Him and obey Him in all we do. We are not to live as unbelievers but as children of God who obey His commands for holy living (Eph. 4:17--5:17).
What if the matter isn't so clear? Many areas of life are not addressed by the clear commands of God's Word. The Bible doesn't tell us which television programs are acceptable viewing. It doesn't tell us what kind of music to listen to. It doesn't have a command that tells us what to do on Saturday nights. There isn't a specific command that says, "Don't buy lottery tickets." If you are looking for guidance on whether to buy granola or jelly-filled donuts, the Bible doesn't say which to buy. And it doesn't tell us specifically how to spend our paychecks. But that doesn't mean that we are left entirely on our own. It is in those areas that God offers general guidelines in His Word. For example, the Bible offers these principles:
Don't try to get rich quick (Prov. 28:22).
Put your treasures in heaven (Mt. 6:20).
Don't follow the crowd (Rom. 12:1-2).
Be subject to authorities (Rom. 13:1-4).
Choose the best (Phil. 4:8).
Work for God, not your boss (Col. 3:23).
Be faithful (1 Cor. 4:2).
Don't be enslaved (1 Cor. 6:12).
Treat your body as God's temple (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
Glorify God in everything (1 Cor. 10:31).
Live by grace, not legalism (Gal. 5:1-6).
Don't give Satan opportunity (Eph. 4:27).
Use your tongue to edify (Eph. 4:29).
Seek the good of others (Phil. 2:3-4).
Work hard (1 Th. 4:11-12).
These are only a few of the many principles that come from God's Word. Personal study and learning from gifted teachers will help us discover the biblical guidelines we should implement in our lives.
Thinking It Over. Brainstorm some additional examples of God's clear commands and principles. What are some specific biblical guidelines you have applied to your life during this past week? Are you "feeding" your thoughts with God's Word? If you are not already doing so, set aside a daily time to search out instruction from the Bible.
http://www.rbc.org/ds/q0704/point2.html
--------------------
Video Tracts
Christian Media
LiveTracts
Friend Me On Facebook
Evangelism TackleBox
Posts: 3276 | From: Charlestown, IN | Registered: Jun 2002
| IP: Logged |
|
|
MySavingGrace
Advanced Member
Member # 4697
|
posted
someone told me that satan can twist dreams or turn a dream that starts good into bad. i think i occassionally have night tremors too. Mine aren't as bad as some can be but I do get vivid revistings of things only worse and wake up. i also dream i'm falling down stairs or falling then wake up with slight jolt of my body. This may also be to having been on antipsychotics at the time. i wasnt on any when i had the dream a couple days ago, but maybe the chemicals are still left over
also, people can probably think they have amessage from god but it is from satan or just a dream in general.
--------------------
http://crawfordpeace.nfshost.com/forum
Support the mother who lost her son protest the war
http://crawfordpeace.nfshost.com/
here are my comments, I am UHaventDoneNothin
http://crawfordpeace.nfshost.com/node/121
Posts: 426 | From: United States | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
|
|
Eduardo Grequi
Advanced Member
Member # 3984
|
posted
When it concerns thing like telling someone that something bad is going to happen, is usually based on a statute of God. (Proverbs) Intution is a gut feeling that is lead out of things that we usually have unconsciously learned. Until the time is right then that which is surpressed is put into action. Prophesing on the other hand is said it will be used of God. But remember if it doesn't build up the church and edify Christ then it something other than God. For everything that is God, Satan himself can use for his misconception. I am reading a book called the Great Controversy. It seems to be sound. found it for free on www.ProjectRestore.com There are other books for free too. Also if you go to the following website you can have free books to from the New Life Mission www.bjnewlife.org
Posts: 771 | From: Belvidere, IL | Registered: Oct 2004
| IP: Logged |
|
|
peh
Advanced Member
Member # 4446
|
posted
Yes, MySavingGrace, I was speaking of fellow christians, preferably ones that have been a long time in the Word and are not entirely given over to their particular doctrine, whatever that might be, but are able to hear you out and speak the Word back to you, as the other posters here have done, but sort of up close and personal, you see what I mean? These posts are slow and our words not always conveying the meaning too well.
You posted quote:
And, I think the difference you are talking about is how you react to visions/insights. I got some last year but was irrational with how to speak about them and very hyper. Maybe I myself couldnt comprehend them either. I think that yoou have to think about what you see/feel before you really can speak about it or understand it yourself.
I'm not talking about how we react to visions or insights. I am speaking of talking to God about visions and insights before we speak of them to others, to determine from Him why He has given them to us, if in fact He has.
And what He wants done because of them, whether to speak of them or not, or perhaps just to pray about what you've seen or heard.
You are correct in another way, in that you said you may not comprehend what you heard or saw. That is quite often the case. It may take several times hearing or seeing it before the Lord is able to get thru the preconceptions of your mind enough for you to receive the message.
There is a way of life to be sought after with all we are and have, with everything that comes into our life, that is, to seek the Lord in all things. Even the last of the verse I quoted from Joel 2, after revealing all the Spirit is doing in the last days, says "whosoever calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved."
He is Master, after all, and we His created beings. We are for His purpose and not He for ours. If we keep that uppermost in our minds, we will see that everything we do has to be done for His purpose (and His glory).
That makes the question of which gift I have and if it is "really" from God, or if that sly one has crept in somehow, kind of unimportant. What takes the uppermost importance is what does Father say to my spirit? How does He want me to be of service today? In what way does He wish me to speak or be silent? To go or come? To go here or go there?
Of course, if we wait for hours in between every move trying to ascertain where He'd have us go or do next, it gets equally twisted up. He has promised us that the Spirit which He sent back in His place would lead us into all truth. For now, we walk in the truth we have, and that is the truth that sets us free. We may know more truth the next day, and walk in that, but for today, we do with what we have. And believe me when I tell you, if you are moving or saying or doing contrary to His purpose, He is able to straighten you out.
Remain as open as you are able to His speaking. And that entails setting and listening, reading the Word, listening to teachers and preachers of the Word, and most of all, maintaining a constant communication with Him. For myself, I find writing a journal type of thing helps me remember what I heard and what happened afterwards.
I would like to recommend a book, after all. It is called "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence and it is in nearly every Christian bookstore, is a very thin volume, and usually is very low cost. You could read it all in an hour probably, but it will take far longer than that to put it into practice.
Blessings to you, MySavingGrace, and peace be upon you.
--------------------
St. Peh
I don't know everything but I know the One Who does.
Posts: 255 | From: Kentucky | Registered: Mar 2005
| IP: Logged |
|
|
MySavingGrace
Advanced Member
Member # 4697
|
posted
quote:
I hope this is helpful to you. I must admit I am somewhat concerned in your behalf because you seem to have no spiritual assistants around you physically that you can speak to about these things. Are there none? Or are you just not wanting to bring it up to them?
do you mean fellow christians for insight?
i do have a few. I wish I could talk to my parents about these things, but they aren't believers in God .
And, I think the difference you are talking about is how you react to visions/insights. I got some last year but was irrational with how to speak about them and very hyper. Maybe I myself couldnt comprehend them either. I think that yoou have to think about what you see/feel before you really can speak about it or understand it yourself.
thanks for info.
--------------------
http://crawfordpeace.nfshost.com/forum
Support the mother who lost her son protest the war
http://crawfordpeace.nfshost.com/
here are my comments, I am UHaventDoneNothin
http://crawfordpeace.nfshost.com/node/121
Posts: 426 | From: United States | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
|
|
peh
Advanced Member
Member # 4446
|
posted
quote:
MySavingGrace posted: "how do you tell that a dream or inution is a prophecy of things to come or that will/may come? and how do you know the difference between god telling you to do something and it just being your subconcious?... was it from god, and how do i know?"
As WhiteEagle posted: quote:
I suggest that you pray to God for wisdom.
The only way I've found to differentiate between something I'm "imagining" and something God has given me, whether a vision or dream, or a "premonition" or warning, whatever it feels like: Spend a great deal of time before the Lord in prayer, asking Him not to let you be deceived or become prideful concerning revelations He does give you, asking for understanding of His will and purpose in giving what seems to be from Him to you.
I am confident that the time spent with Him is the only safeguard that will end up leading us into the truth. Our wills are free, deliberately made so by our Maker so that we can freely offer them back to Him. If He chooses to give us dreams, or visions, then He must have a purpose for them, and we will need to offer Him our will to carry out His purposes.
By this, I DO NOT intend to say that we offer Him a blank mind. That is asking for trouble. But I do say we must cast down our imaginations that puff us up, or add to the Word He has already spoken in the Bible. Then too, who gave us our imaginations but God? It is our motivation that twists imagination into vanity.
How could Moses have approached the burning bush if not for curiousity concerning the vision? Or David gone from shepherd boy to king if he had not believed in the vision of Samuel?
Personally, and you will have to arrive at your own conclusions, the Word that says in Joel 2:28 "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions", seems to me to be happening.
Verse 30 in that passage says "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. 32 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved..." He doesn't say precisely that the wonders will be SEEN in the heavens, and I don't see why it could not be that He is saying He will show these wonders to His people, possibly in visions, and perhaps only later to the rest of the world.
If God is no respecter of persons, and His Word says He is not, then how is it that we consider that present day saints are being deceived when they receive visions and dream dreams? I know some of the posters on this forum are not so inclined but many others are, and I think it is a serious blockage to the Body and the world dwellers that it is viewed so skeptically.
I prayed before I was saved, and the Lord has assured me through outcome alone if nothing else, that He heard my prayer. After all the Word says in Isa 44:2 "Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen."
You asked: quote:
are there any good parts in the bible, sites, books about these things?
I wouldn't recommend trying to 'figure it out' with the help of someone else's writings. Who knows if they know the truth or not? The Bible is full of visions, dreams, and prophecies, I'm thinking of Daniel and Revelation just now, but the Biblical prophets also had their share of visions and of course, prophecies.
You may or may not understand the Word written at first, but reading it allows the Spirit to speak to you through it.
Romans 12:6 says: "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith..." in other words, I get from that passage, if you believe you have the gift of prophecy, then use it according to your level of faith in the gift.
If your level is indicated by your words on this post, it would seem you need to spend more time with God, praying and asking for clarity before you release your gift. There is a difference between the gift of prophecy and the word of wisdom, or word of knowledge gifts, apparently, since Paul listed them separately.
You may have the gift of word of knowledge in operation at the times you quote:
predict things and they do come true.
By the way, prophesy is not just foretelling the future. It is even more usually operative as speaking for God things He wishes said. Telling His Word to others is a form of prophesying.
One of the things that troubles many Christians about the "spooky" gifts, is that those who are gifted with them, at least in their early times, tend to be so exciteable about them. Christians who are more versed in the Word and have had enough personal experiences that sort of dampened their overenthusiasm about spiritual gifts, might feel the need to slow you down, have you take a deep breath, and then proceed.
You should not, of course, allow anyone to dissuade you from utilizing the gift God gives you. If you think God has gifted you and you feel He wants you to use the gift, then do so, without attempting to make the hearers believe you are speaking for God, let them decide for themselves.
If it is from God, it will prove itself to be so, if not, you must bear the responsibility of speaking wrongly, but at least you will not be found to be a false prophet.
I hope this is helpful to you. I must admit I am somewhat concerned in your behalf because you seem to have no spiritual assistants around you physically that you can speak to about these things. Are there none? Or are you just not wanting to bring it up to them?
BTW, it is not considered sufficiently reverent to type "God" without the capital. ![[Kiss]](graemlins/Kiss.gif)
--------------------
St. Peh
I don't know everything but I know the One Who does.
Posts: 255 | From: Kentucky | Registered: Mar 2005
| IP: Logged |
|
|
MySavingGrace
Advanced Member
Member # 4697
|
posted
but how can you tell the difference? since my being told about something bad happening to friends helped them, I belive that it was from God.
I've heard that Satan can twist dreams and make them bad. I believe when I get dreams of giong back into certain experiences or similar experiences ive had but even worse in my dreams it is satanic.
but, this one was like flashes. but, thanks for tellin me to pray about the dreams. Can Satan also make it so you have a hard time foing to sleep and wake up often? i've been wondering if thats part of my sleep problem too.
--------------------
http://crawfordpeace.nfshost.com/forum
Support the mother who lost her son protest the war
http://crawfordpeace.nfshost.com/
here are my comments, I am UHaventDoneNothin
http://crawfordpeace.nfshost.com/node/121
Posts: 426 | From: United States | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
|
|
WhiteEagle
Advanced Member
Member # 3728
|
posted
I suggest that you pray to God for wisdom. Ask that if the visions/dreams are NOT from God, that He remove them. Sometimes Satan will send us dreams/visions to deceive us, and we need to be able to discern the spirit.
I've have some dreams of things that occurred that I believe were from Satan. I did ask God to remove all that was not from Him in Jesus name.
I no longer have these disturbing dreams about things, or insights that were from Satan.
Satan can decieve us into thinking that we have psychic powers, and that's because we are fooled into thinking that it's a gift from God.
God does give us the true spiritual gifts such as prophecy,dreams, and visions. These will always be consistant with the Bible.
Tell God that you want to refuse any thing from Satan or your own flesh, and only receive the true gift of His spiritual gift for your life and see what happens. Pray for discernment and wisdom.
God bless.
Posts: 1392 | From: Maine | Registered: Aug 2004
| IP: Logged |
|
|
MySavingGrace
Advanced Member
Member # 4697
|
posted
how do you tell that a dream or inution is a prophecy of things to come or that will/may come? and how do you know the difference between god telling you to do something and it just being your subconcious?
even before i was born again, i had a dream about someone having something awful happen to them, and i told them so they avoided it possibly happening. and, i got an intuition about the same bad thing happening to another firend, i told her i had, and she said her friend caught the guy drugging their drinks and they left. i wonder if you still get prophecies/go'd guidance without being a beliver or not. And, I do belive it was God cuase I feel that it helped me to help those people
And, though I don't wanna share what dream/vision i had (cause its really really bad about the end times) but i feel it was sent to me by a higher purpose. and, it was putting together pieces off stuff but all together not seperate and it was shockingly bad and real seeming. was it from god, and how do i know?
also, can you pray for help with knowing what to do with prophecies/visions/intuitions? i'm thinkin it was more a "visoin" cuase i'd get brief scen then flash of light/lighting light to another a couple times of other scenes.
and, are there any good parts in the bible, sites, books about these things?
my friend told me her mom dreams things that happen. and, i dont know evrything about spiritual gifts. But, with people (especially if i know them and the situation) i often predict things and they do come true. i feel it is possible i have the gift of prophecy (though i really hope its not true with what i saw yesterday in my dream/vision)
thanks
--------------------
http://crawfordpeace.nfshost.com/forum
Support the mother who lost her son protest the war
http://crawfordpeace.nfshost.com/
here are my comments, I am UHaventDoneNothin
http://crawfordpeace.nfshost.com/node/121
Posts: 426 | From: United States | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
|
|
|
Printer-friendly view of this topic
