Things the Prophets Told Me
The Jell-O Prophecy*
I have a black, spiral-bound book full of colorful stickers, drawings, and words. Things that the prophets* told me.
While in the Charismatic movement, I went to many conferences, revival meetings, and church services hoping for personal revelation. Words from God about my personal life, divine purpose, and identity.
Back then, I loved getting prophecy. Some of these prophetic words were tagged with “thus saith the Lord”, but mostly they were prefaced with “Does this make sense to you?” or “I believe the Lord showed me this.”
Some of the prophecies were in third person, as if the speaker had heard a message and they were relaying it to me. Others were in the first person, as if God were using the speaker as a radio to transmit a message directly.
I wrote the words as quickly as they were spoken, always carrying a notebook with me in these settings. Then, I would record them carefully in my black book at home. I revisited the words often.
In these blog posts titled Things the Prophets Told Me, I will examine some of the things written in my prophecy notebook. I hope these blogs will be interesting and helpful. With that being said, here is the first word I will be examining…
The Jell-O Prophecy
I stood in a line of people at the front of the meeting. We were under a large, tea colored tent. Rolls of green, AstroTurf-like carpeting were under our feet.
The man of God had ministered to the tent full of people. Next, he called for those who desired prayer to come up front. I can’t recall the message that was shared, however, I do remember the ministry time.
When it came time for the minister to pray over me, he claimed to have a prophetic word. He said that the Lord showed him a picture of me swimming in Jell-O, moving but not getting anywhere.
At the time of this prophecy, I was probably 19 years old. What 19 year old wouldn’t accept this prophecy as true? The transition from teenager to adult, the stress of navigating college, career, or lack thereof. It’s pretty easy to peg a 19 year old as feeling like they’re struggling to get anywhere.
So, even though it was a somewhat hurtful prophecy to receive, I did take it in as being from the Lord. After all, this man was brought in as a trustworthy messenger of God.
Swimming in Jell-O wasn’t just something I related to as a young adult. This futile flailing sums up how I felt for years, as I tried to do more and more to show myself approved as a productive citizen of God’s Kingdom.
It wasn’t until I reached my 30s that I found the edge of the Jell-O pool.
Just STOP Swimming
I understood it to be true that a hidden, mysterious saga about my life was written before I was born. My mission as a Christian was to figure out my purpose and live it out to the best of my ability.
The burden of believing that I needed to discover and fulfill my divine destiny was draining, & in the end, it left me feeling unfulfilled & dissatisfied with daily life.
Now, almost 15 years later, I realize that my calling is actually as simple as repenting of sin & following Christ. I don’t feel the need to complicate it.
I can finally just stop swimming in the murky, prophetic Jell-O.
My life, whether I’m accomplishing something impressive, doing simple day to day tasks, or laid up in a bed due to illness- is significant, because He has redeemed me.
I realize now that the only scripturally mandated way for me to show myself approved is to study the Word. (2 Timothy 2:15)
I honestly feel freedom and purpose in something as simple as cleaning my house, because I’m caring for myself and others in doing so.
Consider that Jesus cited the greatest commandments as being those which tell us to love God with our whole self and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
“But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 22:34–40
Are We Missing the Point?
If you have a big dream that you’re chasing & you want to discover your strengths so you can do what fulfills you- that’s awesome. It is right to desire to please God in your life, but it is possible to become so self-centered that you miss the point of your life in Christ.
To assume that God has a hidden destiny for you that you’re capable of either attaining or losing is missing the point, in my opinion.
Christianity is about losing your life in order to gain the life that’s found in Christ. That life is not characterized by health, wealth, and personal accomplishments. It’s characterized by the fruit of the Spirit:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22–23
The Simplicity of the Gospel.
The gospel is truly good news for all people. Whether someone has resources and strength or they are poor and weak, Christ’s atoning sacrifice for our sins is good news.
Scripture makes it very clear that we are saved by grace through faith. Good works are not factored into the equation. This is a message that is not preached nearly enough in our materialistic, hustle-culture loving society.
“God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:4–10
It feels good to be out of the Jell-O pool. Being embraced by God’s grace and knowing that our good works are His design of grace also, is truly freeing.
He has called us according to His will, and I truly believe that the good works that He established for us to walk in are not within our power to miss. If God has a great plan for your life, or if God has a simple plan for your life- Your life is His. He will establish your steps.
I don’t think that I need to uncover a destiny and start running toward it like foolish Macbeth, with his blind ambition. I think that I need to be faithful by keeping my heart and mind and strength focused on loving the Lord my God and caring for others as myself in as far as I have that ability.
The details are in His hands. As is my life.
“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”
Proverbs 16:9
*I no longer consider that this was from the Lord. I believe it was out of the person’s imagination, as they went down a line of people and allowed their mind to wander, believing that God would direct their thoughts for each person they were ministering to. I do not consider this to be a model of actual prophecy.
If you’re curious about prophecy in these circles, as well as how I view prophecy since leaving the hyper-Charismatic movement, check out this previous blog article: Thoughts On Prophecy from an Ex-Bethel Follower.
