Don’t add or subtract from what God has given - just give it as it is. Sometimes even the best get it slightly wrong!

 

Agabus was a prophet with a proven track record. In Acts 11:28 he prophesied there would be a famine. Probably because of his track record the disciples took up a collection for the believers in Jerusalem. The famine happened.
In Acts 21:10 Paul was staying at the house of Phillip the evangelist when:

“A prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, ‘This is what the Holy Spirit says; “In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.”

Later on in the chapter, Paul goes up to Jerusalem and when he enters into the temple and preaches. There is such an uproar that the Jews drag him out of the temple and try to kill him. The commander of the Roman army hears about it, stops the beating and “Then the commander came up and took hold of him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains.” Acts 21:33. So it was the Romans not the Jews who bound Paul!
Agabus probably saw a picture/vision of Paul being bound and then surmised that it was the Jews who did it. With the best of intentions, he could then have added that the Jews were the ones that would bind him, as these would have been the most obvious ones to do so.

1 Cor 13:9 states “For we know in part and we prophesy in part.” Try not to add to that part by making something up, but do flow with the spirit and allow him to minister through you. The difference is subtle but you will learn to recognise it with experience.

 

Issues in our lives can hinder us obtaining God’s interpretation

Some of the hindrances to hearing God for interpretation are contained in Lev. 21:20. Here it gives regulations as to those who may minister before the Lord in the holy of holies. In it are listed those who have a defect in their eye or boils or scabs (Joyner 1997).

In Luke 11: 34 Jesus says “The lamp of your body is your eye; when your eye is clear, your whole body also is full of light; but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Then watch out that the light in you may not be darkness. If therefore your whole body is full of light, with no dark part in it, it shall be wholly illuminated, as when the lamp illumines you with its rays.”

Boils, are normally caused by the blocking of the pores of the skin by oil or dirt caused by poor hygiene - unless you are a teenager! Scabs can also be caused by the re- opening of old wounds by scratching them. A constant scratching of a spiritual wound will mean that it never heals!
If we have ‘wounds’ in our lives, which still affect us, and our opinion of a subject, then we are unlikely to be able to objectively hear God’s voice regarding the interpretation of that subject.

Next
1. Introduction.
2. God is the only one who can interpret.
3. Bible is the best source.
4. Circumstances and knowledge can help.
5. Don't jump to conclusions.
6. Art or science? It'is only in part.
7. Ask for more.
8. Remembrance of the past can help.
9. How to interpret symbols correctly.
10. The importance of context
11. Don't add or subtract.
12. All prophecy must witness.
13. What if the opposite happens.
14. Dream interpretation.
15. Preparing to bring a prophecy.
16. How to bring a prophetic word.
17. Judging prophecy.
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