Dr. Phillip Phinn, Contributor

PHINN

Great failures result from men and women of God becoming impatient as they await a personal prophecy's fulfilment. Should one choose to go ahead of God's timetable, to produce a given word, he or she will produce something "from the flesh" which eventually conflicts with the fruit of a true prophetic promise, for an ordained time.

King Saul was one such man of God who grew impatient, which cost him his anointing and cancelled God's prophetic word to him that his descendants would sit upon the throne of Israel (1 Samuel, Chapters 13-18). Jesus' verdict is never late and amidst Mary and Martha who may have reasoned otherwise, Jesus made the choice to resurrect the dead instead of rescuing a situation. Their brother Lazarus had died but after four days of death the Lord Jesus decided to show up at that point. Jesus demonstrated His position in Christ through Lazarus' death and witnessed to many, in bringing back life to the lifeless. His Father was glorified through what appeared impossible.

The Lord will always move to fulfil a vision He has given unto us, or a word given by the Spirit of God regardless of how circumstances may appear. What is required by the child of God, is a building of trust in Him and great faith, thus we need to water our seed and weed the soil. By so doing, we maintain focus, our lives are preserved, and Christ is glorified.

Prophetic Terminology

When a prophetic word is released, it needs to be noted that prophetic terminology is different from everyday language. For example, the words 'now' and 'this day' do not mean immediately or within 24 hours. It was prophet Samuel who gave King Saul a personal prophecy during his first two years of governorship. Saul, however, had disobeyed a previous word from God and as such Samuel prophesied judgment upon him by telling him, "now his kingdom would not continue". In God's prophetic timetable, 'now' was 38 years later (1 Samuel 13 v 1-14). Again in 1 Samuel 15 v 28, Samuel gave Saul another prophetic word, "The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours that is better than you." "This day" one would have thought meant 24 hours. It was 24 years later that the kingdom was transferred to David.

It should be understood that when a prophetic word is given and an exact date and time are not included, then what is divinely decreed will be established in the spiritual heavenly realm before it finds the earthly realm. God's timetable will reflect prophetic terminology and not mere translation as we are accustomed to.

Being in the prophetic realm in excess of two decades and occupying the office of the prophet, it is my belief with many others within the prophetic ministry, that when God declares a thing through the words immediately, very soon, and now or this day, that it is within His timetable to mean one day to three years, one to ten years, and one to forty years respectively. When God says "I will," without a definite time designation, then He will act in the person's life, if there is obedience.