When I served as pastor of my campus fellowship, a young man in our exco came to share a revelation he saw concerning the fellowship. After listening and praying with him, the only response he gave was; “But I thought you’re the president of the fellowship? Why didn’t you see this?” I humbly replied him; “But I thought we’re working together as a team?” He nodded and left. Apparently, he could not handle divine revelation.
Friend, you need to know how to handle divine revelation (Luke 22:31-32). A lot of people have made shipwreck of their lives and that of others by how they handled a divine revelation. It is better not to have a revelation than to handle it wrongly. If the devil cannot be the supplier of your information, he wants to be the interpreter of it (Genesis 3:1-9).
Samuel handled divine revelation well. Unlike the young man in our opening story, Samuel never condemned the ministry of Eli, nor did he feel pompous about it. He simply humbly related to Eli, and he was properly guided (1 Samuel 3:1-21). He understood that some things are shown to you, not necessarily because you are more spiritual. It is just God’s sovereignty.
You need to realise that not all revelations are sharable (2 Corinthians 12:1-4). Sometimes, it is a mark of immaturity to want to say everything you see. Actually, your first response to a divine revelation is prayer not sharing. You are not permitted to share something you have not prayed about (Genesis 18:17-24). If you do, you are simply a gossip.
God will not give you a revelation where you do not have a responsibility. If you do have one, go share it with the person with responsibility, jurisdiction, and authority (Numbers 12:1-10). It is a misnomer for a church member to call another member and share whatever revelation he has about such a member. You need to go share with the pastor and leave him to administer it as he deems fit.
It is one thing to have a revelation. It is another to have the wisdom to share it and the spiritual authority to deal with it (2 Samuel 12:1-15). This is where pastors come in. They have the wisdom to pass it correctly, and they have the grace to deal with it. God does not reveal to make you feel superior. He reveals to redeem the situation and the individual involved (Luke 22:31-32). Learn how to handle divine revelation.
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria