Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in 1 Thessalonians chapter 3:
19 Never restrain or put out the fire of the Holy Spirit. 20 And don’t be one who scorns prophecies, 21 but be faithful to examine them by putting them to the test, and afterward hold tightly to what has proven to be right. 22 Avoid every appearance of evil.
23 Now, may the God of peace and harmony set you apart, making you completely Holy. And may your entire being—spirit, soul, and body—be kept completely flawless in the appearing of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. 24 The one who calls you by name is trustworthy and will thoroughly complete his work in you.
There is an implication in the context of verses 19–20 that we put out the Spirit’s fire when we scorn prophecy. Prophecy is a valid gift of the Holy Spirit needed by believers today. There is no place in Scripture or in church history that indicates the gift of prophecy has ceased or disappeared. It is an active function of the Holy Spirit today, especially in our secret place.
We must not ignore, despise, or scorn any true gift of the Holy Spirit. Putting out the fire of the Holy Spirit (v. 19) is connected to scorning the prophetic ministry. What does the word scorn mean? It is the feeling or belief that someone or something is worthless or despicable; contempt.
We need prophets and prophecy to keep the fire (inspiration) of the Holy Spirit burning in our hearts. Prophecies encourage us as we continue our walk on the path known as The Way. Paul also wrote by The Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians chapter 13:
8 Love never stops loving. It extends beyond the gift of prophecy, which eventually fades away. It is more enduring than tongues, which will one day fall silent. Love remains long after words of knowledge are forgotten. 9 Our present knowledge and our prophecies are but partial, 10 but when love’s perfection arrives, the partial will fade away.
Eventually, we will not need to pray in Tongues nor will we need prophecy. When the fullness of Agape Love is operational in our spirit, mind, and body, the partial will no longer be needed and will fade away. For the last fourteen years, FATHER has instructed me to focus on Agape Love and write on the expanding revelation HE is giving for the benefit of those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.
FATHER is interested in each of us who are called to be set apart, making us completely Holy in spirit, mind, AND body. It is our individual choices to immerse ourselves in receiving the revelation of Agape Love. Agape Love has the solution which supersedes every issue we will confront.
You can choose to walk in a lower level of revelation but you will walk in the limitations of that lower level. Why walk in an incomplete manner when we have been given the path to full maturity?
When we consistently dwell in our secret place, The Holy Spirit will confirm true prophecies which have been declared and are specifically relevant to us. There are many false prophets out there who have consistently prophesied and were later found to be false. Often, they declare timelines as though no one else is hearing from FATHER but those dates come and go without consequence. We are told to examine and test those prophecies to determine their validity.
We must hold only to true prophecies and jettison the rest from our midst. Let us not scorn true prophecy just because there are false prophecies being declared in our midst. The Holy Spirit will rightly divide the prophecies for us.
If I want to fix a broken world, I first must be fixed myself in my soul and body. Agape Love “fixes” me and I become a Son whom FATHER can trust to empower and give Heaven’s authority to so that I can bring forth Heaven to earth. As I enter into the “secret place” (aka the closet in Matthew 6:6), I submit to whatever repair work is needful in order for me to become fully useful to FATHER. My revelation of Agape Love draws me into the secret place daily where I can expect that revelation to increase. What a blessing!