Their lives will be aimed at godliness. Jeremiah 23:14 says, “And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible: They commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his wickedness. They are all like Sodom to me...” God cares about hypocrisy among those speaking in His name, and so should you.

They will speak truth in a spirit of humility. Many of the prophets in the Bible spoke with authority and boldness, but all of them spoke in humility. Jesus was the ultimate example.

They announce sins before promising blessings: A blessed life is no good if you’re still lost in your sins. God has always had the condition of obedience before blessing. In Lamentations 2:13b-14 we read, “Your wound is as deep as the sea. Who can heal you? The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The oracles they gave you were false and misleading.” (Also see Jeremiah 23:16-17, 22)

They offend many. People do not want the truth; hence, prophets are not usually popular. Isaiah 30:9-11 says, “These are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the LORD's instruction. They say to the seers, ‘See no more visions!’ and to the prophets, ‘Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!’” (see also Luke 4:24, Acts 7:51-52, 2 Timothy 4:3)

They won’t predict "new truths" about end times and their words will not conflict with or go outside the bounds of scripture. Revelation 22:18 says, “If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book.”

Their gift isn’t “one size fits all.” Consider King David. Acts 2:30 tells us that David was a prophet, yet during his life you don't find him foretelling events to individuals like say, Isaiah or Ezekiel, or displaying special powers like Moses or Elijah. But throughout the Psalms, David prophesied about the future Messiah and His kingdom. So there are different kinds of prophets, and different kinds of messages.

Remember, the gift of prophecy can work out in many different ways. A few examples might be in dreams, special insight either in the Bible or in life situations, direction for future events, declaration of sin, and even just "truth-telling." And it can come from many different vessels, according to Acts 2—men, women, elderly folks, and even children.

When in doubt, wait it out.

We must keep our ears attuned to listen for prophetic words and signs. But again, one must use extreme caution and "wait it out" to see whether the word is from God, lest we be tricked by a false gift or a false impression.

One warning: Be very careful about speaking for the Lord or interpreting His message! 2 Peter 1:20-21 tells us, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

It’s so easy to get a word from God and interpret it totally different than what He means by it. It’s better to wait to see how He unfolds it, or even if it’s from Him. Even after the prophets of the Old Testament, no one had a clue about what the Messianic prophecies meant until after Jesus’ death—and even then many still never got it (also see Jeremiah 23:31-32).

As you can see, determining authentic prophecy and recognizing true prophets is very serious business to God. One can never be too careful. It was no surprise at our hometown revival that it never did rain those three days. But now I’m not deterred. I know prophets do exist and I’ve become much better at spotting the real thing.

Julie Ferwerda is the author of The Perfect Fit: Piecing Together True Love, and has written for publications such as Marriage Partnership, Focus on the Family, and Discipleship Journal. Find out more:  www.JulieFerwerda.com