[metmom]

Some do not believe in prophecy and go out of their way to try to disprove it. Do not disparage prophecy as it grieves the Holy Spirit.

Only if it's truly from God.

So tell me, how do you know if it is or not?

False prophets abound there are far more of them than true prophets, so being skeptical is not grieving the Holy Spirit, it's exercising discernment until one can verify that the prophecy is from God.

And considering the plethora of false prophets, taking anything at face value means you are far more likely to be wrong than right.

Besides, grieving the Holy Spirit is not just about being suspicious about someone's *Thus saith the Lord.... * proclamation.

[mountainlion]

God can even use a false prophet like Balim. The best of prophets can give a false prophecy like when I think it was Heziciah was told he had 15 days. to get his things in order. He turned to the wall and prayed and cried and the prophet was told before he left the courtyard to go back and tell him he had 15 years.