We need to learn this principle. God will give us a diagnosis of where a person is at, but we are not to speak that. The prognosis is what we speak, we speak the next upgrade, the solution into their live.
In dealing with leadership in the church the Lord may show us an elder who is stabbing the pastor in the back. This person thinks he should be the leader of the church. He thinks he’s more anointed, has a better ministry, is better equipped to be the leader. In private the person runs the pastor’s ministry down. He smears his reputation, his gifting, his style, everything. He wants to build a platform for himself; he wants status and is jealous of the pastor’s popularity.
If we prophesied that thus says the Lord you need to stop back biting your pastor. We could destroy the person’s potential ministry. It may be the truth, but there is also grace, compassion and mercy that come with it. We can express God’s desires in a way that does not water down the truth but is also in line with his love for the individual involved.
What the Lord is calling the elder to do is to have this pastor back. The enemy wants to destroy his ministry, but the Lord wants the elder to strengthen it, which will open the door for his ministry to come forth.
It is not a prophet’s job to convict someone of their sin. That’s the work of the Holy Spirit and he doesn’t need our help doing it. As we prophecy blessing over the elder, and the future God has for him, he will be convicted of his sin at the same time. Convicted that he’s doing the very thing the enemy wants him to do.
The elder my field conviction but that’s OK. Conviction is a friend because it convinces us that we are wrong and need to repent. Conviction is different than condemnation, which makes us feel so bad that we cannot approach God for forgiveness. Conviction, however, leads us back to Christ.
As we blessed the elder to be an armor bearer in the spirit we can sense his resolve is being strengthened, he becomes determined to answer the call of God on his life.
God is the kindest person you’ll ever meet. That is what he is like. He is only being true to his essential nature. It is impossible for him to be anything but kind. God is good, and that goodness leads us to repentance.
That is the beauty of the prophetic. Anyone can speak to what is there, but only God can go beyond that and speak to what could come. Why speak to the flesh when you can speak to the treasure? If we do not understand the diagnosis principle, we will prophecy a problem and cause major damage. The gospel is redemptive; A prophet must be good news, even if that news is repentance.
We have this treasure in the earthen vessel (2 Corinthians 4: 7). It is better to speak to the treasure rather than just the clay pot. Whatever you speak to in people will rise up. If you speak to nobility it emerges. If you speak to the Christ like nature, he is revealed. If we connect with someone’s carnality it will also rise up too.