Prophetic Messages/Religious Thread

Ah Olan, that sounds amazing and overwhelming. I can't go into my experience here- as much due to time constraints- but I wouldn't worry about presents at the end.

Use the moment as a positive opportunity to rethink what you believe, and be open to other possibilities. That journey most likely will be a gift, whether it ends in faith or more self knowledge.

Btw I'm a Christian, of the variety that believes there are multiple, plural, beliefs following different paths along a shared road.

Olan.- I'm a Christian and I will pray for you. Not in the way that you will come to Christ right this minute but that you will be in the right places at the right times and hear the right messages that give your soul peace and that He will direct the right people to you to help answer your questions.

Since you felt a connection at your sisters church, why not go back there this Sunday and just listen?

Sounds to me like the Holy Spirit is stirring in you. Jesus knocks on the door of our heart hoping we will stop and listen. We are the ones who have to be willing.

I had an experience like that once. I had never met the guy, and there was no way for him to have known some of the stuff that he pegged regarding my life, my desires, my gifts and my fears. It shook me.
A couple of the things I sort of laughed off as just maybe his own take on the "word God gave him" about me, but most of it (99%) was spot on. He knew I spoke Spanish (not many people knew that about me), he knew that I was musically gifted, that I love to dance, that I had a fear of dying alone and never being married. There's more, but they are more personal. The skeptic in me wanted to find a way to dismiss it, but I couldn't. So instead I chose to just take comfort in knowing that God does really know all about us and can use other people to really speak into our lives and make an impact.

As corny as it sounds, I fully believe that God was showing and showering His love upon you.

I have had too many experiences like this to count on both the giving and receiving end.

Feel free to PM me if you like.

Prayers,

Lisa

I completely agree with this.

I'd say if it makes you think, it is a good thing. This coming from a serious agnostic.

I agree with this.  People do and say crazy things in the name of religion and hypocrisy is rampant.  Anyone who tells you that you have to act a certain way, do certain things, can't drink,etc needs to be ignored.  I believe that God will convict you personally on anything that's in your life that needs changing.

Sincerely, a former smoker, continued drinker, f-bomb dropping, bible reading Christian who doesn't attend church on a regular basis.  And God loves me and made me who I am. This is about your personal relationship with God..not following rules.  Most people bark about the 10 commandments and forget that was the old covenant.  The new covenant was Jesus dying on the cross for ultimate forgiveness.

sorry...I got a little sidetracked there.  I went to Christian school my whole life and was told I would burn in hell unless I changed.  Kind of fires me up when someone else mentions the same experience.

I would think your sister had spoke to the pastor before the christening. Since she is a regular member of the church, she may have reached out to him possibly being concerned about your salvation. I don't know, that was my first thought.

Thanks, I wasn't really sure.

I still would wonder what he picked up on about me in conversation, etc. 

I had a similar experience.  I had a mormon bishop approach me and tell me that he heard I was engaged to be married. (I had not met this man before, he knew my room mate). I said I was, and he said he had a message he felt prompted by god to deliver to me. He informed me that I was making a mistake and that this man I had chosen would lead me astray,hurt and betray me and that I would live to regret it. He encouraged me to walk away. He knew a lot of "things" about me, that I now realize are similar to what psychics use, those techniques they employ to get people to believe they really know something about you or a loved one. 

I have been married in a happy marriage for 19 years next month. 

I say it's just an ego thing, and to be careful. I suspect you were just in an emotional space in your brain and heart and that makes it a lot easier to "reach" someone. I actually really think it's crappy for supposed "leaders" to do that to people, knowing full well what they are doing. He knew what kind of space you would be in and to approach you at that time is hardly fair. 

I can have a similar experience to those I had in church that I was told were "god" when I watch my kids play well in a band concert, or when I see them overcome a challenge, or when I'm having a bad day and hear a beautiful song that reminds me of something wonderful from my past. We are human and are wired that way. It doesn't mean there is a god. I also think you can get something from hearing  a sermon without believing the guy in the sky is responsible. You can learn a moral or hear something that helps you navigate your way just like you could get from a fairy tale or a self help book. 

I had replied to this last night but the board ate it... But I just want to say something brief.

There is a big difference between speaking as a prophet, and speaking as a fortune teller, and speaking as a psychic.

I believe that a prophet who is speaking from God speaks about something that God is doing or will do.

I have experienced this twice. Once was a personal prophecy spoken to me by a man I had never met. He spoke exactly a set of words that I had "heard" in my head and, after some time spent testing what he said, I believed that God had spoken through him to get me to pay attention. The other was just a couple of weeks ago, when a priest I know a little bit came up to me and spoke extremely specifically about something he couldn't have known, and told me that God was going to do something specific for me in response. I tested this too, and felt confident after doing so that it was a word from God to get me to listen.

ETA I want to clarify the second one. He said he was thinkng of my parents (who he doesn't know) and that I was fretting over their care (I haven't discussed it with anyone) and said he believed God had a storehouse of good things to pour into that situation, not necessarily money but the personal ability to take on their care. He was telling me that God was saying that He would be my strength and my portion to get through this season in life. There were some very specific things about what I am considering and feeling. What I felt when I heard it was that God was present, that God was real, and that God had a plan for my life and my circumstances. Those are things that made me believe it was prophecy for me. 

I have been a believer for years and years, but I am kind of a skeptic and I am really hesitant about the idea of prophecy because I don't want to get taken by hucksters. And they exist.

But in my heart, I believe I can ask God to tell me if a word is from God or if it is from a human mouth. God doesn't mind if we ask, He is big enough to handle that.

One sort of theological word we can use to talk about God's grace is "prevenient", meaning that He did it before we knew it or accepted it. So I do not believe that you have to already believe to receive a word from Him. He loved us first. And regardless of all the other crap we attach to it, that is the good news. And maybe God wants you to know that, or maybe someone else cares about you so much that they are trying to show you that if even in our flawed weird way.

Anyway, that is not as brief as I hoped but that's my thoughts.

I love what happened to you. Isn't it a great feeling when we allow ourselves to believe that we are being watched over and we are loved? I think so. It is so much better than just stumbling in the dark all alone.