The Power of Positive Prophecy
- Author unknown

It is said that the grandmother of Jackie Joyner Kersee named the child Jackie, "Because someday she is going to be first lady of something!" Because she grew up in an atmosphere of positive prophecies and expectation, this child, who later overcame a birth defect, went on to become the first lady of track and field.

One of the most important things we can do for others - and for ourselves - is to create and maintain an atmosphere charged with positive prophecies. While not all of us were fortunate enough to have parents or grandparents or families who gave us positive prophecies about ourselves, I believe that God always offers a compensating balance of grace to us. I believe that somewhere, sometime, someone offered you a positive prophecy about yourself. Perhaps it was a comment that shocked or surprised you. Perhaps it was an observation that you automatically dismissed out of foot-shifting humility. But if you think back, I would be willing to bet that you can remember some encouragement that had been given to you - a compliment that, if believed, could be used as a key to unlock your destiny.

One man shared in my workshop that although he grew up in a tough neighborhood, the elderly man who ran the dry cleaner always told him he was a very smart boy, and would someday grow up to run a big business. Billy, who came from a family of alcoholics, somehow clung to this life raft of hope about himself, and climbed onto it. He became the chief financial officer of a multi-dollar health care entity despite his family's negative example, and perhaps because of one man's positive prophecy - which he chose to believe.

In each of the above cases, success came directly as a result of the person's CHOSEN REACTION to the prediction or prophecy. Too many of us choose to ignore the many signs about our destiny that God is sending us through other people.

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