Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper, (2 Chr 20: 20, HKJV).
A navigational system in your car or on your phone is such a convenient tool; it’s hard to imagine life without a GPS! Whether you’re heading out to a meeting in an unfamiliar city, or trying a new restaurant, after you type in the location to where you are going, your GPS leads and guides you all the way to your destination. You simply drive and listen, following the directions.
Much like a GPS system guides us, prophecies from seasoned prophets, like Kenneth Copeland, are tools to guide us into what’s coming next, particularly at the start of a new year. With things becoming more chaotic in these end times, it can be easy to start reacting like the world does, living in fear, dread, or anxiousness. But when we listen to God, and to what He Says through His prophets, it helps us put our trust in God, live in Faith, and have peace. Prophetic words give us directions to help us stay on the straight and protected path, guiding us to a Miraculous and prosperous new year.
Study these 3 Reasons to Grab Hold of Prophecies for 2023. As you gain more understanding, you can live assured that, as God’s children, we will see His Glorious Promises fulfilled in this new year (1 Peter 2:9)!
Reason #1: Prophecies Are God Speaking to us.
“Surely the Lord God will do nothing without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7, Amplified Bible, Classic Edition).
Throughout history, and throughout the Bible, God has Used people to speak His Will on this earth. In fact, prophetic words have been like a megaphone from Heaven amplifying what God has Spoken to His People. Consider these Bible prophecies:
The Coming of Jesus was foretold throughout the Old Testament (Genesis 3:15; Malachi 3:1-6).
Joseph prophesied the seven-year famine (Gen. 41:30).
Moses foretold the ten plagues of Egypt (Exodus 7).
Jonah prophesied the destruction of Nineveh (Jonah 1:2; 3:4).
Amos prophesied the downfall of several kingdoms including Syria and Israel (Amos 1-2).
Just like in the past, we still have prophets who speak God’s Will to us today, telling us what’s going to come to pass in our lives, in the lives of the Body of Christ, and in our nation and the world. Some say that this gift has passed away, but that’s not what it Says in the New Testament, where we are all encouraged to prophesy in order to help build and encourage the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 14:3; John 14:15-31; 2 Peter 1:21).
Reason #2: Prophecies Are God’s Guidance for Us
“And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Hebrews 11:6 New Living Translation).
Just like we receive direction for our lives from the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and the preached Word, so we receive direction from prophecies. Like we put our Faith in the Word that we read or hear, so we put our Faith in prophecies. We believe them, speak in agreement with them, and watch for them to come to pass expectantly.
When our flesh is tempted to doubt or give up, we deny our flesh and press on in Faith. We don’t look at what’s happening around us that’s contrary to the prophecy and let that weaken our Faith. Instead, we keep ourselves built up in our faith, trusting God. As we are His children, and set apart in His Kingdom, we receive His prophecies and the guidance that comes with them in order to build our faith and to increase in spiritual strength (1Peter 2:9).
For example, years ago, when Kenneth Copeland prophesied that the Berlin Wall would fall, that prophecy gave people a clear vision as to what God’s Will was regarding the wall, and it gave them something to stand on in Faith and look forward to happening. The Berlin wall was devastating for people. Not only had communism gripped half of Germany, but it also had separated families for more than 28 years. Fathers, mothers and siblings couldn’t see or contact one another, so God Answered their prayers by sending in a prophet to speak His Will to the Berlin Wall. When Kenneth Copeland released the Word of the Lord, the Word went to work on the Berlin Wall, eating away at communism and its dominion over East Germany. People got into agreement with the prophecy, and released their Faith by speaking the prophecy, speaking to the wall, and declaring that the Word of the Lord prevail. One hundred and fifty days later, the world watched as the Berlin Wall came down.
Prophecies are just as important today as they were when Moses was leading the Egyptians out of Egypt. They provide a very clear direction from the Lord to not only what’s coming, but also what our response should be. Regardless of what is going on in the world, the Body of Christ can grab hold of His Truth and stand in Faith. As we do this, even if things start to look awry, we don’t have to become discouraged, because the Lord has spoken to us and given us guidance.
Reason #3: Prophecies Protect Us
“And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the LORD, have spoken!” Then the LORD reached out and touched my mouth and said, ‘Look, I have put my words in your mouth! Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant’” (Jeremiah 1:8-10, NLT).
We live in a world where stocks go up and down, where prices are skyrocketing, where the news stories regularly tell us of tragedies in our own nations and around the world. The enemy uses these events to tempt us to be anxious, fearful and feel we have no hope—but do we? We will always have hope because we have Jesus. We will always be protected when we put our trust in God and His Word, and not what we see. Yes, we are living in the end times, and things will most likely grow darker, but in the dark is where the Light of God Shines brightest—in us and through us.
Remember when people made fun of Noah for building an ark? All because they couldn’t recognize anything beyond what they saw right in front of them. They couldn’t see God’s Future, only their present. Yet, Noah understood he needed to obey God and His Truth, and not listen to the world and it’s many opinions and news stories (Genesis 6:13). Putting his trust in God’s prophetic words and guidance is what saved his family.
The next time you read or hear a news story that tempts you to fret, stop. Open the Word and read Psalm 91. Go back to a prophecy that promises protection for the people of God.
As you’ve read these 3 Reasons to Grab Hold of Prophecies for 2023, we encourage you to take hold of the promises being spoken by the Lord for 2023. Things may look out of hand to many people in the world, but to those of us who put our trust in God, His Word, and His prophecies, we will have a straight path to a successful and miraculous 2023!
