Shared a prophecy but had it thrown back in your face? Here’s what to do if your pastor rejects a prophecy (or your prophetic gift).
“What should I do if my pastor rejects a prophecy?”
Believe it or not, it’s a common question and one I have received more than once from my readers.
Inside today’s article, we’re going to tackle that subject head-on.
Last time we looked at 3 strategies for overcoming your fears about sharing prophecy with others.
In fact, we only got time to discuss 2 of them. We looked at:
- how to get clarity on the prophecy itself.
- what to do if you need more confidence in sharing a prophecy.
(If you missed that post, you can catch up here)
As I mentioned previously, rejected prophecy needs special attention with a bit more detail, so that’s what this post is all about.
Pastor Rejects A Prophecy: Living In A Fallen World
We all have to deal with rejection from time to time. Unfortunately, it’s just another part of living in a fallen world.
Learning how to grow in the gift of prophecy is hard enough, but prophets may face the possibility of rejection more often than most.
I’ve experienced this myself. Once I overcame my initial fears about hearing God correctly, I then had to get used to sharing what he said with others.
While I am much more confident that I can hear the Lord these days, there is still some trepidation in speaking it out.
And at that point, it feels like anything could happen!
Learning how to grow in the gift of prophecy is hard enough, but prophets may face the possibility of rejection more often than most.
Growing Through Rejection
Thankfully, I have been part of a church which encouraged all the spiritual gifts. This also means that I have had good, honest friends to practice with.
However, there have been times when people have rejected what I said. And there are all kinds of reasons for this.
Once or twice, people have flat-out stated, “that’s wrong”.
At other times, they either said it was only partly right or they expressed doubt that God would speak in that way to them.
What Happens If Your Pastor Rejects All The Spiritual Gifts?
Before we go any further, what happens if your pastor rejects all the gifts of the spirit?
In other words, what if they believe that spiritual gifts only operated in bible times and are no longer available today (this is known as a “dispensational” viewpoint)?
That could be a whole other topic, in itself, but there is one prime rule to apply: arguments won’t help anyone (I'll come back to this later).
Ask God if:
- you should leave the church and find somewhere that accepts the gifts.
- stay at your church, but stop operating in the gift of prophecy.
- Seek other ways to (gently) show others that the gifts are still available today.
None of these options are easy, but it’s important that you ask the Lord what he wants you to do, not what you think (or what everyone else says, either!).
If you’d like me to talk more about this subject, please let me know in the comments.
For now, let’s say that we’re dealing with a pastor who does believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but doesn’t like what you share with them.
Pastor Rejects A Prophecy: What Is Being Rejected?
When a friend or pastor rejects your prophecy (or your prophetic gift), you need to understand exactly what is being rejected.
The important thing to remember is that it’s not personal to you. They are not usually rejecting you as a person.
They are usually rejecting either:
- that specific prophecy, or
- that you have the gift of prophecy
- the idea of prophecy operating today.
It’s a good idea to try to identify which of these three is happening in your case.
That’s because it will affect how you pray about the issue - and how you handle sharing prophetic words, going forward.
Regardless of which type of rejection you experience, the important thing to remember is this (here's the prime rule again):
Now is not the time for an argument!
Arguing with people - and particularly with your pastor - won’t help you or them.
In fact, it’s liable to make them think worse of you or the prophetic gifts and further entrench everyone in their belief that you got it wrong.
Instead, you need a strategy for coping with the feelings you may now be struggling with. That strategy also needs to help you handle things better next time.
That strategy may also involve finding different ways to share prophecies and may even mean you have to bite your tongue in church (but we’ll come to that).
Pastor Rejects A Prophecy: What To Do Instead
The first thing to do when your pastor rejects a prophecy is to pray and deal with any negative feelings you have.
But we need a strategy to get specific and ask God for wisdom.
There are 3 main parts to this strategy:
- 1Reset the past
- 2Rest in the present
- 3Reframe the future
Let’s follow them through now.
Pastor Rejects A Prophecy: 1. Reset The Past
If you are to find a new way forward, you first need to recognise where you are now.
That means you need to understand where you are with the gift of prophecy and deal with any negative emotions you have toward the person who hurt you.
Understand That Spiritual Gifts Require Maturity
Spiritual gifts require maturity to operate well in them, particularly in the gift of prophecy:
First you need to hear God’s voice correctly, then you need to interpret and understand what he says.
And finally, you get to share it with others. Even the tone of your voice may affect how they receive it.
Be honest with yourself and acknowledge that you are growing in your faith and in this gift (just like everyone else).
Understand that it’s possible that you made a mistake and upset someone and that’s why they rejected you.
It’s also possible that your prophecy was correct but the person you shared it with was not in a place to be able to receive it.
Forgive Whoever Hurt You
Regardless of whether you made a mistake or not, there is one thing you can do: forgive.
Forgive the person that hurt or rejected you or your prophecy.
Not only does God command forgiveness in the bible, but he knows what’s best for us too.
I know from my own experience that refusing to forgive someone who rejected me only hurts me, not the other person.
And unforgiveness leads to repressed anger, bitterness and depression.
Sadly, I have seen more than one friend go down that path, resulting in further damage to their relationships. Some lost their faith in God, others ended in divorce or worse.
Don’t let that happen to you: forgive and ask for God’s strength to do it.
Pastor Rejects A Prophecy: 2. Rest In The Present
Whatever happens to us, no matter how we get hurt, we can always come back to God.
Recognise That God Is Good
Begin by recognising that God is good and he gives good gifts to his children.
If you are a believer in God, then you are his son or daughter through Jesus’ death on the cross for you.
That means that he loves you and wants the very best for you.
Here are two bible verses to remind you of this truth:
The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him. (Nahum 1:7)
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17)
Enjoy God’s Presence
Once you remind yourself of God’s goodness, it’s easier to get back into his presence.
And when you spend time in his presence, you can receive peace, joy and all the fruit of the spirit.
So spend some time with him and rest in his presence.
Ask to be filled with Holy Spirit again and for him to give you wisdom and understanding about what to do next.
Pastor Rejects A Prophecy: 3. Reframe The Future
One way of receiving wisdom from the Lord is to ask him for his perspective on things.
We can also do this practically by declaring the truth and seeking new ways to share prophecy.
Declare The Truth
You may not need to approach the person who hurt you directly in order to forgive them (ask God what he wants you to do).
However, you can help rid yourself of any residual feelings by declaring the truth over yourself.
Speak out words that will encourage your heart and heal your mind. The bible verses about God’s goodness I shared earlier from Nahum 1:7 and James 1:17 are good examples of this.
And I do mean to speak them out loud: words have power and faith comes through hearing (Romans 10:17). So speaking bible verses to yourself, rather than simply reading them in your head will make a big difference.
Seek New Ways To Share Prophecy
If your pastor rejects a specific prophecy, then you may need to find other ways to share them in future. This will depend on the circumstances at the time.
Your pastor may simply object to you sharing a prophecy in a church meeting. In which case, you may be able to share them in a small group setting, instead.
If that would still be an issue, you could encourage some friends to attend a prophecy school with you (or take part in an online course together).
If you’re brave and have a good relationship with your pastor, you might want to ask to meet for a coffee. That way, you can find out more about why they rejected your prophetic word and how they would like you to do things in the future. (This may be as simple as sending them an email, instead of approaching them in church.)
Your Turn: Free Course!
What we have discussed today can also work if you have been hurt by someone else’s prophecy for you.
I hope you can see how you can grow in your gift of prophecy, despite potential rejection. In fact, making mistakes and recovering from them is a big part of how we learn and grow in any skill or gift.
If you would like to understand more about the right way to share prophecy, so you can avoid (or at least, limit) the kind of rejection we’ve been talking about, then:
Join my new FREE online course, Learn To Prophesy.
Signing up takes just a minute and then you can follow the clear, easy lessons at your own pace.
I wanted to say thank you for this post. I have been serving the lord for 14 years and the gift of Prophecy has placed upon me by the grace of God I’ve tried different ways to approach it but have gotten the same reaction which is rejection. I have prayed on this matter and still have been feeling hurt and rejected I didn’t really know how to address it.
Hi Maria,
You’re more than welcome!
Sadly, this seems to be a big issue across some sections of the church.
I hope what you found here has given you a way to cope with that rejection and some hope that it doesn’t always have to be that way.
I pray that God will heal and strengthen you by his spirit in your innermost being and that he will give you his wisdom, now and in the future.
Blessings,
Tim