INTERNATIONALLY renowned prophet, Dr Bill Hamon, says prophets should use wisdom and discretion in delivering prophecies, and not allow their personal opinion to interfere.

“If you are prophesying edification, exhortation and comfort to someone it won’t hurt anybody, but if you start prophesying things that will affect nations, churches, or a group of people it needs to be properly confirmed,” Hamon said during a recent visit to the island.

Hamon, an American, said “a prophecy is so delicate it needs wisdom and some things you don’t prophesy as it will influence people wrongly”.

He was speaking with the Observer against the recent failed prophecy that the People’s National Party (PNP) would have won the general elections. The elections, held on September 3, went to the Jamaica Labour Party, which ended 18 years of PNP rule.

According to Hamon, a prophet should hear a clear word from God, have assurance and conviction and speak it with wisdom and discretion.

“It is not only important that you get the right word but you deliver it the right way at the right time,” he told the Observer.

Of the more than 50,000 persons he has prophesied to, Hamon said, there were times he felt he may have missed the mark because he had pre-information that influenced his mind-set.

“I may have felt it in my spirit but was later influenced by my thinking which is why it is dangerous to prophesy about things you get emotionally involved with,” said Hamon.

At the same time, he said whenever a prophecy is not fulfilled the wisest thing to do is to admit the error and apologise. “If you make a specific statement and it didn’t come to past I have to admit I missed it…I am sorry because the Bible says I prophesy in part and I know in part.”

Hamon, who has been a prophet for 55 years, also warned that training is required for the prophetic ministry because of its delicate nature.

“Prophecy is like a laser beam. If it is directed properly and the time is right it will heal you but if you just turn it loose, it will destroy you,” he added.

The American prophet, who was in the island for a five-night prophetic conference at Fellowship Tabernacle in Kingston, also sought to explain the reasons behind failed prophecies.

He explained that the Bible talks about true prophets, false prophets, presumptuous and immature prophets.

Contrary to popular beliefs, Hamon said a false prophet, is one that does not believe in Jesus Christ or follows God’s order as with occult prophets.

He said that there can be times when a prophet gets a true word and uses it to assume the outcome of a situation.

“Someone may prophesy that a certain person will get nominated for office. When they get nominated it may be assumed they will get elected too, so they presumptuously prophesy that,” he said. “They had the right word at the first time then they added their own words,” he reiterated.

The biggest problem, he added, is separating one’s own thoughts and desire’s from God’s.

“We have mind-sets of what we think should be, we have convictions and ideas then we have soul block where we get emotionally involved,” he said.

He added that it was, therefore, important that prophets do not prophesy to people they were emotional about, or if they had an opinion on the subject area, as that could “clutter and cloud their thinking”.

Hamon also explained that if a prophecy does not come through it does not mean the person is a false prophet, as prophecy is judged by one standard and the prophet by another.

“You judge prophecy by its accuracy according to the word of God, but you judge a prophet by the person’s morality, attitude, manhood, money, ministry, methods and motive,” he said.