A disclaimer. I am simply a Prophet. You need to know the truth about this.

I am not a final authority on the Word of God.  I am constantly discovering depths that are new and fresh. It helps me measure what I see and hear.  The screen thru which all experiences are filtered.  The more of the Word I have in me, the better the screen. 

Yet sometimes the screen gets plugged up with worldly crud.  I have to clean that screen with washing words of regeneration.  Words that come from many places, but even that must be filtered carefully. 

I don't mind people wanting to question or argue my teachings or writings.  I wrote them, I better be able to defend them well. I don't make this stuff up. It is hammered out carefully, not by reading other people's books as much as taking what the Word says and carefully parsing out what was really meant by that saying. 

It helps that today we have many translations of the word of God from many sources.  I don't singularly trust them all, but they all carry some light.  Just depending on ONE is danger.  The amplified can give you depth, the NLT can give you perspective, the KJV will give you historical poetic importation, the NASB/NKJV takes that a step further, the NIV offers modern english, the ESV is practical, the Message is interesting if wild and the God's Word Translation is sometimes readable.

Then a good dictionary and concordance will help. The published commentaries are good..  and I will look at them but understand they are a perspective only.  Not much better than many of the heterodox books that litter the Christian Book Stores.  Just older.  I own a few that I may toss someday. Big OLD books that are NOT inspired of God at all. 

So, when you see a writing, it is not something made from whole cloth, it is rooted in a half century of personal digging and experience in the word of God.  Maybe not as readable as I wish.  I'm not nearly as glib a writer as many.  Maybe not as well footnoted as some, JESUS would be a prime footnote.  YET.. they are grounded deep and when filtered thru the screen with a prophet's gift they do carry whatever weight you decide to attach. 

This is not simply one man's opinion and my opinion is as good or bad as any others.  That would miss the point of what God imparts thru his Prophets.  Paul said it best, "Despise not prophecy"  or as the NLT puts it: 1 Thess 5:19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. 20Do not scoff at prophecies, 21but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. 22Stay away from every kind of evil.

Still a good plan.