Answer
Got Questions Ministries is leery of prophetic words and personal prophecy in general. We recognize that God can give someone insight into someone else’s life, but that is not the usual way He communicates with His people. The completed Bible tells us how we should live our lives. While believers can and should offer one another perspective and discernment, and exhortation/encouragement is a spiritual gift (Romans 12:8), we believe that a direct prophecy from God is a very rare occurrence. There is a big difference between giving someone personal advice and claiming to utter a “prophetic word” or divine revelation. For more information, please see our article on personal prophecy.
Got Questions Ministries is unable to interpret prophetic words or personal prophecies. One reason is that the act of giving a prophetic word is greatly abused in modern Christian culture. Further, we have no way of knowing the integrity or the intent of the person “prophesying.” As with many things in the Christian life, we recommend that the recipient of a supposed prophetic word start with 1 John 4:1, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” From there, James 1:5 will guide us: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” And always bear in mind that, if the prophetic word in any way goes against God’s Word, it should be dismissed completely.
