Declaring opinions or the positions we have about heated issues are not prophecies no matter how prophetic sounding they may appear or how well-crafted the delivery may sound. We need to look deeper than just its presentation.

While there will be a final winnowing of all things at the end of time, there are lesser forms of winnowing that are happening today that will toss prophetic assumptions into the air to remove its chaff to reveal the truth of what God is saying.

Often, a prophetic word will run contrary to what has been widely accepted as a fact. Speaking a word that opposes the accepted norm can affect current relationships or even put someone’s well-being in jeopardy. Scripture is filled with those brave souls who bucked the religious and social norms of their day and were willing to speak the truth out of sheer obedience to God and were willing to bear the costs.

Nothing is confirmed until the Lord winnows a prophetic word. Waiting for the Lord’s winnowing to happen is a safeguard for our hearts and will direct the course of our lives.

Paul wrote, “Our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!” (I Corinthians 13:9). No prophetic word is the full picture.

Waiting to see the results of a winnowed prophetic word is a spiritual act when the Lord is directing our waiting. In the waiting, human opinions and the elements that support false arguments will finally melt away when a word from God is finally confirmed.