19 Do not put out the Spirit’s fire;
20 do not treat prophecies with contempt.
Don’t throw a bucket of water on what God is doing. If God is really in it, no amount of water can quench the fire. You will just be making steam. And if you try to contain the steam, it will explode with destructive potential. When God is moving, we need to get out of the way and let Him do what He does best, change lives. But sometimes we get mad when God moves. Perhaps we like things to happen a certain way, within certain boundaries, and along comes God messing with your boxes. Or maybe God makes a bit too much noise when He enters a room. Or people do undignified things, like weeping or shouting, that just ruffle your feathers. Well, all I can say is quit being a bird! If we are not willing to let God be God and allow people to respond to Him in an authentic manner, then we had might as well put in an application for His position. If we don’t let God act like God, then we have replaced the infinite with a partial substitute. We are not to act as though God does not speak to His people, reaffirming the Scriptures. If we treat those affirmations with contempt, we are again taking His place. We need to not look down on or ridicule those reaffirmations. Some have abused this verse and say that we need constant new revelation from God in the form of prophecies, that these new revelations are more important than the Word, or that they are an extension of the written Word. Nothing can add to the Scriptures and we don’t need anything more than the Scriptures. They are sufficient, in fact more than sufficient, they provide abundance. I am convinced that those who want to emphasize a “fresh” word from God are simply self-promoting. They are feeding into the frenzy of the moment that says we can have a relationship with God on the “drive up window” plan, that somehow if we get something new it will be better and quicker than the old plan, that it won’t involve self-discipline or trails. Nothing could be further than the truth. There is an old saying that I think sums up the truth: If it is true it isn’t new, and if it is new it isn’t true. Let the Spirit do His work in your life today. We could all use a little more heat.
The Arnold Journey 