Prophetic Cautions

Every word must be judged

When a prophetic word is given it should be judged by witnesses preferably in the presence of other prophets. Prophets are subject to prophets. As prophets we see and hear in part. We should not be handing out prophecies lightly or becoming a parking lot prophet where we hand people written prophecies. Instead we should look for ways to share the word before witnesses. There are a number of reasons for this to include:
-Protection from false accusations
-So that the word can be judged as accurate
-To keep order in the body and that everything is done openly instead of in secret

Not every word should be shared

There are times that the Lord will give you a word that is not to be shared. Instead you are to pray over it or pray for the person to see it come to pass. People just learning to flow in the gift often think that they must give the word. No, when we get a word we need to ask God what to do with the word we got. He may say I am just showing you the person's heart, or to pray. Or He may say - go and share this word.

We must follow the Holy Spirit's flow

The Holy Spirit is a gentleman and we must walk in decent order. There are obvious times where we know it is in decent order to share a word with someone. There are other times where if we were to stand up to give a word we would be disrupting the flow of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit never interrupts Himself.  Learn to work with your pastor to understand the right time in the service to flow in your gift.

How you give the word is just as important as the word itself

A true prophetic word given out of the wrong motive, heart, or attitude can destroy a person. Even though it is a true word of God how you deliver it makes all the difference. Every person's character and personality is different. Often God will tell you to change how you deliver a word to a particular person so that they will not become hurt by the word. Most prophecy is for the edification of the body. It is very rare that God would have you correct someone. If you get a word of correction make sure you talk to their pastor first.  Before you give any word check your heart and motives. If they are right then and only then proceed.  Lastly, do not prophesy what you perceive about a person based on how they look or what you know about them in the natural. Learn to listen to His voice.

Fear

Fear of man and fear of missing God are the two areas that prophets battle when first learning to walk in the gift of prophecy. When you are first walking in the gift of prophecy people will make you fearful to speak. Specifically those that despise or hate prophecy. They will even accuse you of pride or tell you that you are a false prophet. If you are going to be a prophet or move in the gift of prophecy you are going to have to have thick skin. You can not be easily offended and you must allow the Lord to break you so that you can be usable as a prophetic person.  Many pastors are scared of the prophetic gift and will get in the face of anyone prophesying. Other pastors don't allow prophecy at all in their services and you can feel the fear when you walk in the door of the church.  Lastly, it is healthy to have a fear of God and a fear of giving a correct word. But, the enemy will even use that healthy fear to try to get you to stop prophesying.  If you are going to prophesy it takes faith to step out and share a word that you believe to be true. Does a prophet miss it? Yes, absolutely yes. We see and hear in part. To be a prophet you have to be teachable and correctable and you will miss it on occasion as you learn how to walk in your fit.  You will only learn that you are hearing God by stepping out to give words. The feedback you receive from people usually will confirm and encourage you to keep going forward. There are times however that the person receiving the prophecy may lie and say it is not God when in reality it is God.