Why Prophecies Fail by Apostle Joshua Selman: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

The Reality of Unfulfilled Prophecies

So many believers continue to battle with the tragedy of unfulfilled prophecies. Men and women of God all over the world speak the counsel of God to individuals, yet most of the prophecies received never come to pass. Tonight we examine what may be wrong, and we reveal the place of the prophetic and the place of the Word of God.

1 Timothy 1:18 — "This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mayest war a good warfare."

Paul tells Timothy: prophetic words were released to go ahead of you. And by those prophecies you are to war — not sit and wait. It is possible that prophetic words can be sent ahead of a person in ministry, family life, business, or career.

The Place of the Prophetic

1 Thessalonians 5:20 — "Despise not prophesyings."

This is a warning. There is a place for the prophetic in every believer's journey. Do not fight anyone over it — but let it be a settled conviction that in the journey of a believer, there is a place for prophesying.

2 Peter 1:19 — "We have also a more sure word of prophecy."

Scripture itself is a more sure word of prophecy. There are two kinds of prophetic operation:

1. The prophecy of Scripture — the revelation captured in the Bible.
2. The prophecy of men — the speaking of a vessel under the influence of the Holy Spirit in real time.

Although both are engineered by the Spirit of God, they do not hold the same weight. The word "more sure" (Greek: bebaioteron) means more reliable, more dependable. The truths of Scripture have been vetted and found reliable again and again. The Bible is the wisest perspective in all matters — not because other books contain no wisdom, but because in the wisdom of God, this compendium of 66 books has been ordained as the sufficient jurisdiction of your knowing God.

Why Human Prophecy Can Be Limited

The vessel who speaks prophetically is limited by several factors:

• The accuracy of their perception at the time of speaking.
• The accuracy of their interpretation.
• The atmosphere under which they spoke.
• The level of renewal of the vessel at the time of speaking.
• The personal biases or limitations of the prophet's own understanding — a prophet who trivializes excellence will deliver a word about excellence at a reduced gravity.
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Apostle Joshua Selman
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These things do not mean the person is fake. They are factors that can water down the purity of the prophetic.

All Prophecies Have Conditions

Isaiah 38:1-8 — The prophet Isaiah came to Hezekiah and said, "Thus saith the Lord: Set thy house in order, for thou shalt die and not live." This was a genuine word from God through a genuine prophet. But Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed. And God sent Isaiah back: "Go and say to Hezekiah, I have heard thy prayer... I will add unto thy days fifteen years."

God never admitted he had made a mistake. He simply changed. Between the first prophecy and the second, a man did something. Between a positive prophecy and a negative one that happens, there is man in between — doing something or doing nothing.

Write this down: All personal prophecies spoken by any servant of God have conditions that must be adhered to for their actualization. There is no prophecy spoken by any man of God that happens on its own.

The prophecy of Scripture is different — God has already attached conditions to every promise. For every speaking of God in Scripture, there is a condition. The moment you satisfy that condition, the result follows.

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 — "If thou shalt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments... the Lord thy God will set thee on high... and all these blessings shall come upon thee and overtake thee."

Faith is not just hearing what God said — faith is doing what God says should be done to see the result.

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Mary was not just randomly chosen. Heaven studied her. Among all the virgins, they examined who was most aligned to receive that assignment. The angel came and said, "We have found thee favoured." And when Mary said, "Be it unto me according to thy word" — she partnered with prophecy. Had she hesitated or demanded more signs, she would have delayed the birth of Jesus.

The Number One Reason Prophecies Fail

People receive the word but do not receive the conditions. They left the conditions on the ground when they fell under the anointing. They caught the word but not the requirements. As a result, their lives are a shadow of what God said it should be.

The prophet can speak to you and not be aligned enough to receive the principles that make the prophecy come to pass. A man of God can tell you God is going to lift you, but the limitation of his prophetic reception may not allow him to tell you what you must do to make it happen. You received the word without the conditions. And then it never comes to pass.

This is where charismatics have failed. The excitement that comes with revelation has swallowed the need for compliance. People jump from meeting to meeting — things will happen. But prophecy was not designed to replace obedience.

Negative Prophecies Can Be Changed

It is within the power of a believer to change prophecies — positive or negative. A mother, in her anger, can curse a child. But there is a more sure word of prophecy. Isaiah says: "Even the lawful captive shall be delivered." You are not delivered simply by knowing that — you must find the conditions for that deliverance and engage them.

There are certain prophecies that are written judgments — the eternal doom of Lucifer, the end of the Antichrist — these cannot be changed. But personal prophecies and family patterns are subject to the engagement of the Word.

Warring with Prophecy

Anything you see in a dream, in a vision, or receive from a prophet — is a prophecy seeking manifestation. You can allow it, change it, or stop it. Inaction is a disaster to a believer.

• If you see a negative dream, do not sit down. Get up and pray.
• Fast strategically. Fasting is important for your destiny — you will never fully do business with God if you cannot turn your life upside down in a season.
• Engage Scripture. When you pray, engage the truths of God's word. Do not cry to God in lamentation — decree. "I choose life. I am the head of this home. By the prophecy of Scripture, my seed shall be mighty."
• Find a friend who can agree with you. Two agreeing in his name opens something in the heavens.

Jesus prayed at Gethsemane — not once but three times. He came out the third time in the power of the Spirit. Do not pray once and sit down.

Every prophetic word that has come to you — through scripture or through a servant of God — requires your partnership. You must understand the conditions and obtain grace to walk in them. That is warring a good warfare. By them, Timothy — by the prophecies that went before on thee — war a good warfare.