Your Prophetic Words are Going Before You!

This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;

1 Timothy 1:18

Jenny and I are currently reading through the New Testament together during our quiet times together every morning. Recently, as I read this verse in 1 Timothy, the Holy Spirit showed me something I had never seen before.

Even though I had read this verse and even studied it before, I had never seen what I am about to share with you today until recently!

First, notice that the Holy Spirit says to Timothy that he would be able to wage a good warfare by the prophecies given to him.

It is so important to receive and meditate on Holy Spirit-inspired prophecies over your life. If you have never received a prophecy, ask the Lord for one! He is ready and waiting to give you a now word for your life. 

A Shining Leader on the Battlefield

I would love to dive into a deep study of prophecy here, but for now, I’ll assume you’ve received a word from God and have tested the word against the Scripture. You’ve decided that it is indeed a word from God; that this prophecy (or prophecies) are filled with edification, exhortation, and comfort. (See 1 Corinthians 14:3)

I want to emphasize the fact that Paul was telling Timothy that the prophecies he had received were weapons that gave Timothy the power and might to wage “the good warfare.” I believe you are going to be stunned by what we find as we study these words out. 

First, “that you may war the good warfare” in the Greek is the phrase strateuō kalos strateia. The word strateuō comes from the Greek word stratos, which describes an army. This word strateuō literally means: to make a military expedition, to lead soldiers to war or to battle, (spoken of a commander); to do military duty, be on active service, be a soldier; or to fight.

In many English translations, kalos is translated as “good,” but in the Greek, there is so much more. Kalos describes something that is not just good, but something that is beautiful, handsome, excellent, precious, useful, suitable, commendable, admirable; honorable, approved, or magnificent.

The word strateia, finally, represents the noun version of the verb strateuō, which, as we saw earlier, describes the action of leading a military expedition in to battle. 

The use of strateia indicates the military campaign itself. 

Putting this all together, we have a picture of a military commander who is not just a run-of-the-mill leader–but one who has his soldiers organized, in line, effective, and even magnificent in battle. This is a leader who shines on the battlefield; a person whom his troops look up to and have the utmost respect for.

The way this leader and his armies perform in battle leave onlookers and those who hear of it speechless–his troops not only perform well, but they are actually beautiful to look at when fighting. The commander is praised as having such effective leadership that his battalion is the choice, eminent, and cream-of-the-crop fighting force in all the armies of the nation. If you were a soldier in this commander’s army, you could boast of your position as part of the most elite group of soldiers under the command of an illustrious leader. 

This is the picture painted in 1 Timothy 1:18 when Paul talks of “warring a good warfare.” 

Now, how did Paul say Timothy was to get to this place in his leadership? Timothy was certainly fighting a battle. He was a young man charged with the leadership of the church of Ephesus, which was the largest church in the world at that time, and was experiencing raging persecution.

How to strateuō kalos strateia

Notice that Paul said that Timothy was to strateuō kalos strateia by the prophecies which went on before thee.

These prophecies could have been words given by the Lord specifically to Timothy, or to Paul, who then shared God’s words to Timothy. These prophecies could also have been words God gave Timothy directly, either through direct revelation or through His written word. 

Here’s the big revelation: the verb tense of the word prophecies in the Greek indicates an active, present, and ongoing action. This means that this verse really should read, “…according to the prophecies which are going before you, that by them you may war a good warfare.”

Your prophecies are not stuck in time. The words God has given you are not just for the moment in which you receive them.

Going back to the war analogy, these prophecies are like special operations units, which oftentimes are the first ones to go behind enemy lines and wipe out enemies and get out before anyone knows what happened.

Using the most advanced intel, weaponry, and having been trained at the highest level of training in the world, these elite and hardened men blaze a trail into enemy territory to take care of situations that most of the world will never hear about. These men take out key enemy leaders and establish bases of operations in remote areas that are too dangerous for any other fighting force to try and conquer. These special ops units are revered, respected, and feared all over the world. 

This is the image the Holy Spirit paints for us when He reveals that the prophecies we have received literally “are going before us.”

The prophecies, like the special operations units, pave the way for the rest of the fighting force to conquer an entire area under enemy control. Without the aid of these elite and silent soldiers, the commander of the “magnificent army” we discussed earlier would have little chance of success. The secret to this revered leader’s ability and strength in battle comes from the fact that, while he holds his army to a standard of excellence and high quality, the best and most effective special ops men in the world have gone in and paved the way long before he and his fighting force come on the scene.

In the same way, you and I have our own “special ops” units that go before us into every battle and territory where the enemy has set traps and ambushes for us–our prophetic words! These words are actively going before us, paving a way for us, and taking care of things in the spirit and natural realms that we may never know about until we get to Heaven. 

In order for our prophetic words to truly “go before us” as the elite guerilla warfare force they are meant to be, we must actively engage our faith with these prophetic words. Place high value on these words. Meditate them and pray over them. Give them to Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you through them. Give the Lord honor and thanksgiving when He gives you a word.

Here are some thoughts and questions to consider in light of what we’ve learned today:

1. Have you been faithful with the word(s) God has given you? This could include prophetic words given to you by others or directly from the Spirit of God, but this also applies to the Scripture that God has supernaturally “highlighted” to you as you faithfully read your Bible. When something stands out to you, do you take the time to meditate on it and seek out God’s intention for showing you that verse or passage? Or do you make a note of it and move on?
2. If you haven’t ever received a word, or haven’t had one in a long time, why don’t you ask the Lord for one? The Bible is the ultimate and final Word of God, but you can cultivate a listening ear that is tuned to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and you can hear from Him directly with the ears of your spirit. Why don’t you take some time today to get quiet before the Lord and let Him speak to you?
3. Maybe you have a dozen words, but aren’t following through on what God has instructed you to do with them, or perhaps you aren’t being faithful with them. None of us are perfect at this, but if you find yourself always seeking after a fresh word from God, but hearing silence, it’s likely that you haven’t fully meditated or acted upon the words you already have. Take some time to go back over your previous words and bring them before the Lord, asking Him if you’ve missed anything that He wanted for you to receive and walk in through those words.

How does this idea of your prophetic words “actively going before you” as a special operations team change your attitude towards the prophetic? Does it strengthen your faith in this area? Does it challenge you? I’d love to hear your comments!