UNDERSTANDING THE PROPHETIC
When men and women prophesy, the Spirit of God inspires their speech and causes His own words to come forth. The same is true in the church today. Men and women can utter words from the Lord as He inspires them to speak for the edification, exhortation, and comfort of the entire body.
The prophetic anointing comes through the mouth of man, but it comes from the mind of God.
But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. - 1 Corinthians 2:10-11
Prophecy is a spiritual gift given to Christians by the Holy Spirit. The gift should strengthen the believers and glorify Jesus.
Prophecy is God speaking His mind, His heart, and His intentions to the church through a believer as revealed by the Holy Spirit. Prophecy is the outflow of the heart and the very nature of God.
To prophesy is to speak the mind of God for the purpose of direction, building, and encouragement of the church.
Prophecy is the word of God that is usually addressed to the church about the things of God.
For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. - Revelation 19:10
There is the ministry of the prophet, but not everyone is a prophet.
The gift of prophecy and the office of the prophet are not the same thing.
A prophet is a man or woman who is called by God to be His spokesperson.
The prophet is one sent by God to speak the word of the Lord to an individual or group of people, most often to a church. A seasoned and mature prophet is a God-called, God-trained individual who God has shaped and molded into a spokesperson for Himself.
A prophet is someone who serves as a regular and reliable channel of communication between God and man and stands before man on behalf of the Lord.
Their focus is one of foundation laying, restoration of truth, and bringing the light of God's whole counsel to the church. They act as an eye in the body of Christ.
In the Old Testament, prophets were often times called seers. They received revelations from God and were given the mandate to deliver His word to the people. Those men were God's prophets. For example, a prophet would enquire of God and would pass on God's words to the people.
The role of the prophet in the Old Testament dealt with rebuking and correcting people, often times harshly. This is one of the main differences between the Old Testament prophet and the New Testament prophet or prophetic person.
A prophet operates frequently in the gifts of prophecy and word of knowledge. A word of knowledge is the ability to reveal a matter by the inspiration of the Spirit of God without reliance on human knowledge.
Clairvoyance, extra-sensory perception, fortune telling, and other forms of witchcraft activities are demonic and counterfeits.
A prophet operates in the prophetic anointing and is able to predict, sense, and become aware of things that are in the future. A prophet is also able to encourage and comfort believers.
THE WORD OF GOD IS PROPHETIC
The Word of God is prophetic. If you want to know anything about the prophetic, start studying the Word.
The Word of God is truth. The Word of God is the Spirit of truth and the truth you receive will set you free.
The Word of God is a prophetic Word. It is about Jesus as well as the future. The Word of God will never ever lie. It instructs us about where we are going.
No current prophecy from God will ever supersede, override, or be in conflict with Scripture. Genuine prophecy will always be in harmony with the Word of God.
THE PROPHETIC REVEALS THE SECRETS OF GOD
Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. - Amos 3:7
We have access to the secrets of God through the Spirit of God and we should know where we are going. This is why we can confidently say that we do not fear the future because the future is in God’s hands and He will reveal anything and everything that affects the well-being of His children.
BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS
The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof? - Jeremiah 5:31
We have to walk in spiritual discernment especially in the times we are living.
The Bible warns that false prophets will be so convincing, that we could lose our eternal destiny. We should be anointed with God’s Spirit of truth so that the spirit of lies and deception can be exposed.
The Bible teaches us that in the last days people will have itchy ears and they will run after the spirit of sensation.
PROPHECY ALWAYS UNVEILS EVIL
Prophecy is not for the faint-hearted. It is about putting God’s Word in your mouth and speaking it. God’s people need to confront evil and speak the Word of the Lord over their circumstances. They need to be bold and oppose evil that is overtaking their homes and negatively influencing their lives.
When you speak you are prophesying over situations. When things are wrong, you need to say that they are wrong. There are things that are wrong and we need to open our mouths and speak against evil that tries to overtake our places of work, our families, and our finances.
We need to start speaking over our children while they are still infants. Speak to your children while they are still in the womb.
ALL CAN PROPHECY
For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. - 1 Corinthians 14:31
Prophecy is not just for the five-fold office. It is also for you. Everyone that has the Spirit of God can prophecy. God is about to pour out His Spirit on the church and we will see even the very young people prophecy and speak life. They will release faith, miracles, and the supernatural.
When you prophesy the truth, you are able to bring healing. Prophecy was not designed to make us prophets. It is designed to speak encouragement and comfort to others by the Spirit of God.
PROPHECY PROVES THE BIBLE IS ACCURATE
All Biblical prophecy relating to the coming of Jesus came to pass. This means that you can believe the Word of God. When the Old Testament prophets predicted that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, He was not born anywhere else but in Bethlehem.
When Isaiah foretold that the Messiah would be born of a virgin, He was born of a virgin. There are hundreds of prophecies that have already been fulfilled which proves that our Bible is credible. Over time the Bible has proved itself over and over again.
PROPHECY PROMOTES HOLINESS AMONG BELIEVERS
Prophecy encourages, comforts, and exhorts. It encourages believers to always excel and to go to a new level with God. It is sad when people who have been serving God for many years, begin to lose their desire for serving Him and become less and less committed to His things and His ways. Do not ever lose your passion and desire for God. Surround yourself with believers who encourage you prophetically and who speak words of comfort and love. Avoid people who are negative and critical and who do not respect your prophetic destiny.
We are called to holiness and need to be passionate about God and ensure that we receive a fresh anointing from the Holy Spirit every day. We must cultivate a desire for more of God’s presence, His anointing, His outpouring, His revelation, and His Word.
PROPHECY CAN CHANGE YOUR WORLD
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. - Proverbs 18:21
Your tongue is a prophetic tool. It can create good or bad things. You can choose to create good or bad things. That is why it is good to prophecy over bad situations. When you have the Spirit of God in you, you can create your own world through your mouth.
And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know." Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD." ' " - Ezekiel 37:3-6
Dry bones are situations in your life. Through God’s Word, you can speak life into your dead situations and produce life.
ONLY GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING
God is omniscient or all-knowing. No single individual can claim that they have full knowledge and understanding of the future or the mysteries of God because God does not reveal all His secret plans to any one individual.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part. - 1 Corinthians 13:9
Prophecy is not preaching or teaching
Prophecy is not preaching, giving a sermon, or teaching. Prophecy is a message coming directly from the mouth of God by revelation and addressed to the believers who are present. It is God speaking directly in the first person.
THE PURPOSE OF THE PROPHETIC
The main purpose of prophecy is to encourage and edify the body of Christ. By means of a prophetic Word, believers can be assured how much God loves them and how valuable they are to Him. This will certainly bring them closer to the Lord.
He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification. - 1 Corinthians 14:4-5
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant…But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all…But earnestly desire the best gifts. - 1 Corinthians 12:1,7,31
God wants us to desire prophecy so that we can be instrumental in building up the body of believers.
One of the purposes of the prophetic ministry is to bring the body of Christ to a place of maturity. God wants to pour out His Spirit on all believers so that we can prophesy His Word. When we do this, multitudes of people will come to know Jesus as Savior.
God is busy raising up an end-time prophetic generation. He wants us to become a prophetic people who hear His voice, and proclaim His living Word to others. When we do this, people will be encouraged, comforted, and set free.
In the last days, the Spirit of prophecy will be on all groups of people. The miracle of Pentecost was that the Holy Spirit was poured out upon all believers and was received by every child of God. Joel foretold of the Spirit being poured out upon every significant division of human kind and that they would prophecy whether through the spoken Word or through visions and dreams.
* Men and women will prophecy
* The young and old will prophecy
* People of every race group will prophecy
* People of every social class will prophecy
The gifts and ministries of the Holy Spirit are all intended to build the church in unity and love for Christ. Prophecy is one of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit, given by God to the church for:
* Edification - to build up
* Exhortation - to stir up
* Comfort - to cheer up
* Redemption – to redeem
* Direction – to lead
Prophetic words bring life. We can speak prophetically to dead and hopeless situations and release life.
He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions. - Psalm 107:20
Although prophecy is often used by God to speak concerning actual events which are past, present, and future, this is not its primary purpose.
Prophecy is primarily to reveal the heart, mind, nature, and especially the love of God towards His people, and also to those who do not yet know Him.
Prophecy can also bring direction, correction, and even rebuke, but this is usually brought by a proven prophet.
It is vital for us to remember that God is far more ready to speak to us than we are ready to listen to Him when He does speak.
The prophet's specific purpose is to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, just as John the Baptist did. We are living in the last days and God is raising up His prophets and His prophetic people to declare the word of the Lord in the times in which we are living.
Prophets are called as one of the five-fold offices for equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry.
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. - Ephesians. 4: 11-12
One of the main functions of the prophet is to equip the saints for the work of ministry. To fulfill this function the prophet needs to help Christians identify their gifts and ministries.
