For over forty years of ministry, I have been one who has depended on God's Word as my source of truth.  I know that God gives us revelation concerning what to say or do, where to go, or what He is up to in our lives and in the lives of others.  He has given the gift of prophesy to the church, as well as calling some to the office of the prophet.  However, above all, He has given us His Word.  We have been hearing words from the prophets, quite a bit lately, but I believe we do not always know how to respond to what they are saying.  The main topics these days seem to be about politics, revivals, the great awakening and generally what God is going to do in the near future. Much of what has been prophesied  lately seemingly has not come to pass.  Some have said that the words are from the Lord, however, the timing is off.  As we look at Deuteronomy 18: 21 and 22, we see the Word of God says, "And if you say in your heart, 'How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?'-- 22 "when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him."

 So, the question we have is, "Who can or what can we trust?"  As much as we would like supernatural events to declare or confirm what the Lord is doing, ultimately, what is thought to be revealed needs to line up with God's Word.  The Bible must always be the final authority.

 John 8:31 and 32, "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

2 Peter 1:19-21, "And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."

 Early in my ministry, I was guilty of asking God to speak to me through supernatural means i.e. through angels, visions, dreams, the appearance of Jesus or other visual revelations.  Thankfully, God's response to me was always the same..."Receive your revelation through My Word as revealed by My Spirit; for My Scripture is a more sure Word."  Receiving our revelation through the Word of God is God's best for us.  Since that time, as I have been faithful to His Word, I have experienced some supernatural manifestations from the Lord, however, I do not depend on them.  Some of what we are hearing from 'prophets' today appeal to our senses and it is tempting to think they are certainly true prophets.  Realize that God does sometimes allow us to see supernatural manifestations, as He wills, however, we must measure those words or occurrences by the Word of God.

 Matthew 24:12, 23 and 24, "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. ... 23 "Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it. 24 "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."  Jesus warns of false prophets in the last days.  Maybe you are one like others I have spoken with, who wonder how to tell the difference between real and false prophets.  We do not want to be fooled.  We want to have discernment, to be in tune with, and be a part of, what God is doing.

 One word of counsel you will consistently and constantly hear from me is to 'diligently seek God through His Word'.  Daily spending time with Him in prayer and in His written Word will enable you to hear and recognize His voice.  Actually, spending time with someone is how you learn to recognize their voice.

 I encourage you to read and study Psalm 119, which contains many references as to why you should study God's Word, put it first place in your life and hide it in your heart.  Throughout Scripture,  many words are used to represent God's Word.  The "law", "commandments", "testimonies", "statutes", judgments", "word", "ordinances", and "way" are a number of the words used in Psalm 119 in reference to God's divine revelation to us.  We see this also in Psalm 19:7-11, "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward."

 As the Israelites were about o enter the promised land, the Lord told Joshua what the source of their success would be.  Joshua 1:7 and 8, "Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."

 I encourage you to know, memorize, ponder, and speak Scripture every day.  Then, intentionally apply God's Word to your life.  It will produce great success.  Psalm 1:1 and 2, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night."    Both Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:2 tells us to "meditate" on God's Word.  The Hebrew word for meditate (haga) has a different meaning than in our Western culture.  Haga means: "to reflect, to moan, to mutter, to ponder, to make a quiet sound.  It denotes to contemplate something as one repeats the words."  Thus, to "meditate" in scripture is to quietly repeat them in a soft droning sound while utterly abandoning outside distractions.

 In Proverbs 4:20-23, we read of the importance of knowing and doing God's Word... "My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; 22 for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. 23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life."

 John 16:13, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come."  This verse tells us that the Holy Spirit of God will give us the revelation that we need from His Word.

 2 Timothy 2:15, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

2 Timothy 3:13-17, "But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."  These scriptures encourage us concerning our necessity of intimacy with God's Word.

 So, as God's Word tells us to hear and heed the prophets, it also gives us instructions to be wise to prove their words by searching the Scriptures.  We see this truth recorded in Acts 17:verses 10 and 11, "Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so."  They "received" the word with all readiness and yet, searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

 God's Word must always be our standard!

 The last Scriptures that I want to share with you today, are Isaiah 30: 19-21 (NASB20), "For, you people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer. He will certainly be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you. 20 Although the Lord has given you bread of deprivation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher, will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will see your Teacher. 21 Your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left."  I believe these verses show the importance of learning to recognize His voice, for during the times of adversity and affliction, He will speak and instruct us in which way to go.

 May you walk in peace in the coming days, knowing that you can hear His voice and He will direct you.