The Importance of Prophecy

1 Timothy 1:18 (CJB)
¹⁸ This charge, son Timothy, I put to you, in keeping with the prophecies already made about you, so that by these prophecies you may fight the good fight,

 A well-known minister of the gospel was once asked what the purpose of prophecy was.  He replied, “The purpose of prophecy is to give the people something to say.” Prophecy is defined as, “a foretelling, a declaration of something to come.”  Putting those two thoughts together gives us a pretty good picture of the importance of prophecy.  It is telling us that while prophecy is a declaration of something to come, it takes something more to actually bring it to pass.  It takes a believer/believers actually declaring the message.  As an example, prophets declared the coming of Christ for 2,000 years before it actually happened.

Prophecy is very much a New Testament priority, whether it comes from someone holding the Office of Prophet or from those engaging in the gift of prophecy.  1 Timothy 1:18 further clarifies the importance of prophecy by stating that it is through prophetic words that we fight the good fight (of faith).  We can see the importance of this in the church. Our faith is not only positively affected by prophetic words spoken over the body; it is increased when, we as the Body, then speak out those words. The Body must take those words and “say something”; that “something” being what the prophet spoke.  It is in giving voice to the prophetic message that the faith is released to bring the message to pass.

Similarly, when a prophetic word is spoken over an individual that word must be spoken by the person and those standing with that person to bring the prophecy to pass. There was a person who had had a prophetic word spoken over her about the strength and health that she would enjoy in the coming years.  Shortly after that, she developed a serious illness that doctors warned could take her life.  It was touch-and-go for a number of weeks. During that time, her friends remembered the word that had been spoken over her and took 1 Timothy 1:18 as their marching orders for intercession. She did not die. Her friends fought the good fight of faith by standing on the prophetic utterance that was spoken over this her life.

What if you have never had a prophetic word spoken over you?  Actually, you have – through the promises given to you in God’s Word.  If you are facing illness, you take I Peter 2:24 and confess “by His stripes I am healed.” If you are dealing with financial lack, you take Philippians 4:19 and confess, “He meets all my needs according to His riches in Glory.”  For every challenge in life, there is a WORD that can help you fight the good fight of faith.

Prophecy is much more than a one-way street, where only the prophet speaks.  The Good News Translation calls it a weapon.  It is provided to believers corporately or individually to release the faith into our lives to bring about the good things God wants us to enjoy.  As one minister of the gospel says, “If you are not saying something, then you are not changing anything”.  Prophecy gives us a “heavenly something” to say! 

1 Timothy 1:18 (GNT)
18 Timothy, my child, I entrust to you this command,
which is in accordance with the words of prophecy spoken in the past about you.
Use those words as weapons in order to fight well,