A person’s gift to prophesy is nothing to Yahweh without that person showing true love to others
The Gift to Prophesy is Nothing Without Love
Hello everyone. Welcome back to Spiritual Podcast, your podcast for authentic Bible teachings. I’m Elder Dan, your host. I’m sitting here in my study, coffee in hand, thinking about something that hits close to home for anyone who’s ever tried to “speak truth” into someone’s life.
Yes, we’re diving into a heavy-hitter from the “Love Chapter,” but maybe not the part you usually hear in today’s sermons from the pulpits.
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The Verse That Keeps Us Honest
Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 13:2, the biblical verse that keeps us honest. It says and I quote: “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” Did you catch that?
Knowledge Without a Heart
Imagine for a second that you actually knew everything. You could predict the markets, you understood the deepest mysteries of the universe, and you had a direct line to what Yahweh, the Almighty Father and Elohim in heaven, was doing next. That sounds like the ultimate spiritual “superpower,” right?
But the Apostle Paul drops a bombshell on us here. He says you could be the most “spiritually gifted” person in the room, a person who literally moves mountains with their words, and still be a total zero.
Yes, you heard it correctly. Zero. Nothing. Nada.
Why? Because prophecy without love isn’t a bridge; it’s a wrecking ball!
Why Love is the “Operating System”
Think of it like this: Prophecy and knowledge are like high-end apps on a smartphone. They’re powerful, they’re cool, and they can do amazing things. But love is the operating system. Without the O, S, the apps won’t even open. Without the Wi-Fi connection of love, you’re just holding a very expensive brick.
When we share a “word” or a “truth” with someone, but we don’t actually care about the person standing in front of us, we aren’t being prophetic. We’re just being loud.
I’d like you to think of these two words right now: prophecy and love.
Prophecy identifies the problem or the future. Love identifies the person.
If we have the “insight” to see where someone is failing or where they need to go, but we don’t have the love to walk beside them in the mud to get there, we’ve missed the entire point of the Gospel!
Keeping it Real
I’ve seen “prophetic” people use their “discernment” like a weapon to make themselves look more spiritual or more “in the know.” It’s a dangerous ego trip.
If your “truth” leaves people feeling crushed instead of called upward, check your heart. If you’re more excited about being right than being kind, you’ve lost the signal. Yahweh Almighty is not looking for experts; Yes, He’s looking for icons of His affection!
Here are a few reflection questions I’d like to share in your head space for some honest heart-work. They are contemplative or introspective examinations that encourage you to dig deeper.
- The “Why” Behind the “What”– Think about the last time you gave someone advice or shared a “truth” with them. Looking back, was your primary goal to be helpful and right, or was it rooted in a genuine, sacrificial love for that person’s well-being?
- The Weight of Silence – 1 Corinthians 13 suggests that without love, our spiritual insights are just “noise.” Are there areas in your life where you should perhaps stay silent until your heart is more aligned with Yahweh’s love for that person?
- Knowledge vs. Connection – It’s easy to study the Bible to gain “knowledge and mysteries,” but are you also spending time letting Yahweh’s love transform your character? Which do you find yourself prioritizing more during the week: being “informed” or being “transformed”?
- The “Mountain-Moving” Check-In – Paul says even faith that moves mountains is “nothing” without love. If you achieved your biggest spiritual goals tomorrow—but lost your connection and kindness toward your family or friends in the process—would you consider that a success or a failure?
- Loving the “Unlovable”– Prophecy is often about seeing what Elohim sees. When you look at someone you find difficult to deal with, can you ask Yahweh to show you one thing He loves about them before you speak to (or about) them?
Friends, I want you to look at yourself in the mirror and think very deeply of what I was saying here. Yes, I want you to be totally honest with yourself and, of course, with others as well.
Now, let us all pray together:
“Almighty Father Yahweh, we come before You today with humbled hearts.
We thank You for the gifts You’ve poured into us—for the moments of insight, the strength of our faith, and the words You give us to share. But Father, we admit that sometimes we get caught up in the ‘power’ of the gift and forget the ‘purpose’ of the Giver, that is, You!
Forgive us for the times we’ve used our words to be right rather than to be kind. Forgive us for the moments we’ve pursued knowledge to puff ourselves up, instead of pursuing love to build others up.
Father, we ask that Your Holy Spirit would calibrate our hearts. If we have the insight to see a brother or sister’s struggle, give us the love to carry their burden, too. Don’t let us be ‘clanging cymbals’ or ‘noisy gongs.’ Instead, make our lives a beautiful harmony of Your truth and Your grace.
Help us to remember that we are nothing without Your love flowing through us. Let our words be seasoned with salt, and let our actions be driven by the same complete, self-sacrificing love that Messiah Yahshua showed us on the stake.
May we leave this place not just wanting to be more ‘spiritual,’ but wanting to be more loving.
In the precious and powerful name of Yahshua we pray, Amen.”
The Bottom Line
So yes, spiritual gifts are tools to build the Church, not trophies to decorate our resumes. Today, let’s ask Yahweh, our Elohim, to tune our hearts to His frequency. Let’s worry less about “fathoming all mysteries” and worry more about loving the person right in front of us.
Because at the end of the day, people might forget what you predicted, but they’ll never forget how you loved them.
Folks, if you’d like to continue this conversation or share your thoughts on this topic, leave a comment below or reach out to me directly. You are also welcome to peruse our previous blog or podcast episodes on this website and visit our sister website by clicking here to read and learn more genuine truths from the Bible.
Brethren, before I go, let me pray this prayer for you: May Yahweh bless you and keep you; may Yahweh make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; may Yahweh lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. I humbly pray all these things to Yahweh through Yahshua the Messiah, our Master and coming King, amen. Kindly keep praying for the shalom of Israel. Take care. Halleluyah!