How to Discern Prophetic Words for the Upcoming U.S. Presidential Election by Jennifer Eivaz

Prophecies vs. Conspiracy Theories

Election seasons are revealing seasons. They reveal the heart of the nation and they reveal the heart of the church. And this presidential election is no different. It has also presented many sincere, as well as some really “out-there” prophecies, about the next American president and the future of America. There are prophecies that seem to be competing with each other – some predicting Trump while others predicting Clinton as the next President. And then others, acting on our fears, have actually prophesied one or the other candidate to be the judgment of God to our nation.

First of all, God is not confused. He knows the beginning from the end and He knows the next President come November. Prophetic confusion appears when personal preferences, fear of the future, and/or selfish agendas begin to color and even counterfeit the word of the Lord. Also, recognize that prophetic words appearing more like conspiracy theories are most likely false conclusions conjured up from the imaginations of anxious souls. For example, the prophetic word about a national shutdown at election time is most likely one such type of word. Several sources say that anxiety about the future causes many people to draw false conclusions and ingest conspiracies in an attempt to feel in control (Time Magazine, The New York Times, and Scientific American). Conspiracy type prophecies, like urban legends, act to incite paranoia and fear. The prophetic word doesn’t keep us in the dark, but neither does it steal our hope for the future.

Multiple prophecies that compete with each other are nothing new. The bible hosts several stories that depict the same phenomenon. For example, Ahab and Jehoshaphat inquired of the prophets about their battle plans to take Ramoth Gilead from the Syrians (I Kings 22). All of these so-called prophets predicted a favorable outcome, except for the prophet Micaiah.

Micaiah didn’t prophesy a favorable outcome, but predicted Ahab’s death and then sternly rebuked the error of the other prophets. Micaiah was put in jail for this, but he prophesied correctly. Everything he said came to pass. The others, however, prophesied “politically correct” words to please the kings and please the other prophets. Their short-sightedness saved them from immediate punishment, but ultimately sold out their leaders and compromised their nation.

Because of these tendencies during election seasons especially, we need to acknowledge and challenge our biases when it comes to the prophetic. Having an opinion or personal preference is one thing, but prophetic words need to be sifted for such biases as well. We are not to despise prophesies. We are to discern them. The prophetic community, then, needs to build from the foundation of the written word before it can ever begin to accurately hear the prophetic word – including words about the next presidency.

Discerning Prophetic Words Concerning the Presidency

Here are some things to look for in prophetic words concerning the presidency and the nation:

1. God sees the nations as “sons.” When God called Israel out of Egypt, He referred to Israel as His first-born son (Ex. 4:22). This is different, obviously, from Jesus who is God’s only begotten Son. It demonstrates the heart of God towards the nations, however. He sees them as sons and calls them forth into their inheritance. America, then, is a son and God fights for his sons! America has an inheritance in God and is being called, challenged, and shaped into its divinely appointed assignment and glory. Therefore, a prophetic word to the nation should call it forth, and not throw it down in judgement.
2. He answers the nation’s problems through His church. We are quick to complain about our nation, but can we save our nation? Pastor Sunday Adelaja, in his book Church Shift, powerfully describes the role of the church in the nations. His book illustrates how the church is constructively responsible for its society and its government. I believe the reason we are all called to be “a house of prayer for all nations” is because we’ve been authorized to shift our nation at every level (Is. 56:7). That shift begins in prayer, but our “obedience to the heavenly vision” will ultimately lead us to restore our foundations and repair our breaches (Acts 26:19; Is. 58:12). Therefore, a prophetic word will summon this generation, and future generations, into their nation-shifting assignments. Prophetic words will call the church to lead out, constructively act out, and to not sit out in defeat.
3. Can you see and prophesy the next 100 years of America? We have a deep tension in regards to the return of the Lord and then seeing a long-term future for our nation. Jesus is coming back and, yes, He might return tomorrow. But if He doesn’t return tomorrow, then what? We have to have a long-term, generational vision for America. The bible says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish… (Prov. 29:18 KJV).” The word “vision” in this passage implies having a “prophetic vision.” Without a prophetic vision for our future, we will perish! Just like Isaiah prophesied things to come hundreds of years before they happened, we too need to prophesy into the next decades and even into the next century of America. A prophetic word for this nation, then, not only deals with the immediate but will also see afar off. It will call out greater harvests, greater glory, and greater exploits in the coming years. It will challenge and shape America into a nation much more ready for the return of the Lord.
4. Pray and prophesy for your President. I once worked for a person I didn’t like. I wrongly felt judgement towards this person because of their wishy washy Christianity and the way they mishandled company problems. Regardless, the Holy Spirit would give me prophetic words to encourage them – even words that revealed confidential situations and how to best handle them. This was challenging for me because I didn’t like the person, but God had a different idea. I learned a lot about the heart of God through this situation and was forced to see the condition of my own heart. Ouch.

The Bible says to pray for all those in authority, kings included, so that we would have peace (I Tim. 2:2). We have a tendency to stop praying for rulers and authorities when we disagree with them, which makes them wide-open targets to be used by satan. Think

about this. The Holy Spirit is counseling our hearts about the next President. He’s asking, “Can you pray for a President you don’t like?” Can you hear the heart of God for a person that you don’t agree with? You are more powerful than you think and your prayers and prophetic decrees matter.

Come November, some of the circulating prophetic words are going to be authenticated, while others will be dismissed. Hopefully, those that missed such prophetic words will have the integrity to correct themselves. Let’s also extend the scepter of grace to those who made prophetic mistakes.

Regardless, I believe the Holy Spirit is calling the American church to a greater maturity and discernment in the prophetic words for it’s nation and government. There is so much more He wants to tell us!

WATCH THE VIDEO: Prepare yourself For a Divine Turnaround

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Jennifer Eivaz, Executive Pastor

Harvest Christian Center, Turlock, CA

Email: [email protected]

Website: jennifereivaz.com Blog: jennifereivazblog.com

Itinerary:

September 23, 2016 Prayer Quake 2016 ? Shrine Auditorium ? 665 W Jefferson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007 ? (855) 404-4443

September 23-24, 2016 Aglow Women’s Conference ? 2801 Notre Dame Blvd, Chico, CA 95928

October 15-16, 2016 Douglas Assembly of God ? 501 S. 4th Street, Douglas, WY 82633 ? (307) 358-3619