The Prophetic Ministry

                                                               Introduction
Understanding Prophecy was written to help bring clarity to the Body of Christ concerning prophecy and the prophetic. Over the years, the prophetic gift has been misunderstood, and misused.
It is my prayer that as you read this blogpost, the Holy Spirit, our Teacher, would give you a greater revelation about this subject so that together we would be able to use this precious gift to bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.

                                                      Prophecy Defined
If we are truly going to understand prophecy, we must first define the word “prophecy” as it is found in Scripture.
The words prophecy (pronounced prof-i-see) and prophesy (pronounced prof-i-sigh) are synonymous, except that prophecy is a noun and prophesy is a verb.
The Hebrew word for prophecy is nebuwah, (pronounced neb-oo-aw`) which means “a prediction
(spoken or written).” Our greatest reference to written prophecies is the Word of God. Nebuwah originates from the word naba (pronounced naw-baw`) – “to prophesy (speak or sing by inspiration).”
2 Peter 1:20-21 (KJV) says it so powerfully: “Knowing this first that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
Simply stated, prophecy – or to prophesy – means speaking out what the Lord tells you in your spirit. NO MORE AND NO LESS!

                                                            Seeking The Lord
When we receive a prophetic word from someone, it is very important that we set our hearts toward the Lord to find out what we should do with that word. Let’s take a look at an example in Scripture as to what happens when we don’t seek the Lord for clear direction.
In reference to the prophet Agabus, Acts 21:11 says, When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit,
‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’”
As we read further, we see that Paul didn’t heed the prophecy and went on to Jerusalem anyway. This
happened to be Paul’s second warning because in verse four of chapter 21, some of the disciples “…told Paul through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem.” Some have claimed that the prophecy given by Agabus was inaccurate because the Jews didn’t bind him nor did they deliver him
to the Gentiles. But a closer look clears up the confusion: The word “bind” according to Webster means to restrain. The Jews didn’t use ropes or chains, but their own hands. “The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him
from the temple, and immediately the gates were shut.”
(Acts 21:30 NIV). The word “betray” means “to deliver into the hands of an enemy by fraud.” Fraud implies “an attempt to gain an advantage over another by stating falsehoods or suppressing the truth.”

In verse 34 of chapter 21, this is exactly what the Jews did. They suppressed the truth and “betrayed” him into the hands of the Gentiles. Paul chose not to heed the prophecy given to him. The outcome, therefore, was as Agabus prophesied.
The Word states in 2 Tim 3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (KJV) The Phillips translation says, “…for teaching them faith and correcting error, for resetting the direction of a
man’s life.”
As stated at the beginning of this chapter, we need to seek the Lord to find out what He is telling us through the prophecy that is being given. “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jer 33:3)

Bringing a Prophetic Word to Pass

This  will cover some basic principles to help you recognize and bring to pass a prophetic word. First,
let’s cover recognizing a prophetic word.
1 Corinthians 14:3 states, “But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.”
The word “edification” is the Greek oikodome,
(pronounced oy-kod-om-ay`) which is a combination of two words: oikos (pronounced oy`kos) – “a home” and doma (pronounced do`-mah) – “to build.” Vine’s dictionary defines it as “the act of building.” So, this word would deal with the promotion of your spiritual growth, or the building
of your faith and trust in the Lord. The word “exhortation” is the Greek paraklesis,
(pronounced par-ak`-lay-sis) which originates from the word parakaleo (pronounced par-ak-al-eh`-o) – “to call near.” This would deal with the Lord bringing us to a greater level of intimacy with Him. This Greek word comes over to us in English as “paraclete” – an advocate, intercessor, pleader – all characteristics of the Holy Spirit. Thus, the Spirit Himself is referred to as our Paraclete – the
One Who reveals Christ and brings us into a closer relationship with Him. That is His primary purpose in His Ministry of Sanctification in the life of the believer.

Let’s clarify something before we continue. If the Lord is calling us closer to Him, He will generally deal with something that may be in our lives that hinders us from coming closer, such as, shame, unforgiveness, offense, disobedience and the guilt it produces, etc. The Lord deals with us very lovingly in our own prayer closet. It may also be that the Lord would use someone whom we trust to give us a word that deals with the hindrances in our lives.
Should the Lord expose our sin, it would be because we have hardened our hearts to His voice, and He loves us so much that He wants to set us free from bondage. Matthew 18:15-17 tells us how to deal with a sinning brother in love.
Now the Lord will deal openly with corporate sin or hindrances as we see in many of Paul’s epistles. He will also deal with the sin of a nation or a city as we see in the book of Jonah (see Jonah 1:2). So the Lord continually wants us to come closer to Him, as the Word says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8) The word “comfort” is the Greek paramuthia
(pronounced par-am-oo-thee`-ah). Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines comfort as, “relief from distress of mind; support; to give new strength to the spirit.”
Therefore, when you receive a prophetic word, it should do one or all three of the following:
1) Cause you to grow spiritually.
2) Cause you to draw closer to the Lord.
3) Bring strength and relief to your mind, body and spirit.
Ultimately, it should bring change to your life.
As defined earlier in  prophecy is to speak by inspiration from the Holy Spirit. Experience shows that
when giving a prophecy, most people tend not to receive the word that is given unless the Lord has already spoken to them about it. But, we must be very careful with prophetic words given to us, for it can be a two-sided coin. On the one hand, some will not receive the word given to them; on
the other, some will run with it without knowing the perfect timing of God.
As stated previously, “exhortation” means “to call near,” so we must take the prophecy given, go to our prayer closet and find out what the Lord wants us to do with the word we have received. Too often we mistake some prophecies as a principle from God, rather than a promise from God. Principles are set in place and can not be changed, like gravity, whereas a promise from God is
conditional; it is conditional upon our faith. So how do you get a personal prophecy to come to
pass? “The just shall live by faith.” (Hab. 2:4, Rom. 1:17, Gal. 3:11, Heb. 10:38). From beginning to end, everything in the life of the believer is based on faith. The following are four faith principles to help you bring the word to pass:
1. Write the prophecy down. (Hab. 2:1-4)
2. Proclaim over your life the promise given. “The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart, (that is, the Word of faith which we preach.)” (Rom. 10:8 quoting Deut. 30:14) “Preach” here means “to speak or proclaim.”
3. Believe what you say will come to pass. (Mark 11:24)

4. Worship and thank the Lord that the promise is already done. (Phil. 4:6)
Just remember that faith is birthed out of a relationship with the Lord. This isn’t a formula, but basic principles that must be in place in order for faith to work. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom. 10:17) In order for us to truly walk by faith, we must first have
the leading of the Holy Spirit. Scripture declares that He (Holy Spirit) will guide you into all truth, and the truth will make you free. (John 8:32 & 16:13)

                                  Delivering A Prophetic Word
What do you do with a word given to you from God for someone else?
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters will prophesy…” (Acts 2:17)
There are times when the Lord pours out of His Spirit and gives you the ability or unction to prophesy. That doesn’t mean you have the gift of prophecy as described in 1 Cor 12:7-11. “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He
wills.” (Vs. 11)
The gifts of the Spirit are available to all believers, however, they manifest at specific times, either to people or through people, when they are needed. Paul explains it this way: “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy let us
prophesy in proportion to our faith.” (Rom 12:6) Everyone has the ability to hear from God, but we must develop our faith to know that we are hearing from Him.
The key to everything is FAITH. Consequently, if you don’t believe you can hear from Him, you won’t. As the saying goes, “Those who think they can and those who think they can’t are both right!”

Activate your faith and believe the Scripture that says, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jer 33:3)
Once you develop your faith, using the four principles above it is time to develop your hearing
because you have to be able to recognize His voice. There is no formula. In the Body of Christ today, it seems there is a “formula” for everything, because that is what we’ve been taught – seven keys to this, ten steps for that, and shortcuts to the Promised Land. It simply takes time in His Word, time in prayer, and time in fellowship with Him.
Some say, “Well, isn’t time in His Word and time in prayer considered fellowship with Him?” Yes and no. We know that as we read His Word and spend time in prayer, we are having fellowship with Him. But we need to have time set aside to be intimate with Him. That means it is not about us or our desires, but it is all about HIM. Just spend time with your Father – no agendas, no requests and no
distractions. Try playing some worship music and praying in the Holy Ghost. Sing to Him and tell Him how much you love Him. Don’t confuse it, it’s still not a formula – it’s all about having an intimate relationship with your Father. It has worked for me, and it will work for you if you desire
the gift in humility. “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.” (1 Cor 14:1) A friend of mine asked me, “How do you know when you have heard from God?” When you walk in the office of a prophet, it is a gift you continually carry. The office of a pastor also continuously carries the gift of shepherding the people.

That’s not what they do; it is who they are all the time, because of the gifting that has been placed in their lives.
Let’s go back to the question “How do you know when you have heard from God?” As you spend time with Him, you will begin to recognize His voice, which will become increasingly distinctive in your spirit, and you will begin to sense His peace “that passes understanding,” (Phil 4:7)
even if what He says doesn’t compute in your natural mind. As you hear His voice in your spirit, step out in faith and deliver the word He gives you.

Have you ever wondered, “Is it God, me, or the devil speaking?” Here is a simple confession to help you develop your hearing: “I am a sheep of the Shepherd Jesus.
Only His voice do I know and follow. No stranger’s voice do I know or follow.” (John 10:1-5 paraphrased) It works! Remember; charge your atmosphere (mind and  heart) with His presence and it becomes easier to hear Him speak.
In order to hear the Lord clearly we must also be empty of every impure motive as to why we want to hear the Lord speak to us. Is our reason for hearing to impact or impress?
Jesus tells us in Luke 9:23, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
Not only are we to deny ourselves, but we are also to DIE to ourselves. Galatians 2:20 states, “I have been CRUCIFIED with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Okay, now you have heard the Lord speak to you about someone. Now you need to ask the Lord, “What do You want me to do with this word You have given me?” Just because you hear the Lord say something to you, doesn’t mean He wants you to go tell someone immediately. I have
learned that sometimes He wants you to take the word and water it with prayer. He may reveal to you a problem that someone has but He wants you to pray for their situation.
Generally the Lord will speak to us according to our personality or how we would understand how important a matter is to Him. But we need to ask Him HOW and WHEN He wants a word delivered.

These are two very important keys which cannot be overemphasized. As the Body of Christ, we must be sure that we have the green light from the Lord (the How and When) before we deliver a word. This will help us avoid some train wrecks.
After you get the approval from the Lord, how should the word be delivered? First, it must be delivered in love and humility. Just because God told you something, that doesn’t make you superior to that person. Someone wisely said, “If you want to impress someone, tell them about your successes. If you want to impact someone, tell them about your failures.”
When I first started to hear from the Lord, I had a lot of zeal, but no structure- like the beginning of a thunderstorm; a lot of noise but no rain. In other words, something was said the wrong way at first, and it failed to produce any fruit. Chances are, others were hurt or offended in the
process. No offense intended – that’s all part of the growing and maturing process.
Your approach is very important. Some people don’t like to hear “Thus saith the Lord.” That should not cause you to water down a word from the Lord. Don’t ever add or take anything away from the word the Lord gives you.
Depending on the person receiving the word, you might use some phrases like, “I feel impressed to tell you,” “You were on my heart and I wanted to tell you…” “I was thinking of you and…” or “I want to share something with you and I don’t know why.” The Lord loves us very much
and He will give you exactly what to say and how to say it to someone so they can grow.

There is only one thing that keeps you from giving a word when the Lord tells you to prophesy to someone – FEAR! You start questioning what you heard: “Will they receive it? What if I’m wrong?” etc., etc. The only thing that overcomes fear is FAITH. By faith you have to step out on the water and develop your hearing. Practice makes perfect.
If you never test what you hear, you will never know if you are hearing correctly. I don’t believe that anyone immediately knows how to be led by the Holy Spirit. We learn in these areas, and it takes teaching, studying, training, exercising your gift, and making a few mistakes.
Making a mistake is not the end of the world; not learning from our mistake is a greater mistake than the original error. Let me say it again, it takes time. Your best teacher is the Holy Spirit. If you desire to hear from Him, He will speak to you.

The “Extra” Ordinary Or the “Out of the” Ordinary

Over time, the prophetic has been labeled as being strange and unstable. Mainly (or often) because of the actions people perform and not so much for the words (or prophecies) themselves. For example, when people dance prophetically, it may seem a little strange. It may also seem a bit unstable when a prophet pours water out on a stage and breaks a glass during a message.
A closer look into the Scriptures will help to clarify this subject. In Jeremiah 13, the Lord gives Jeremiah several specific instructions concerning a linen belt, or sash: he was to buy one, wear it about his waist, remove it and bury it, then dig it back up. It should be noted that each instruction
was given only after obedience to the previous one.
Upon digging it up (v.7), Jeremiah states that the belt was now ruined and profitable for nothing (NIV: completely useless). Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah to bring clarity as to why the Lord had him bury the sash: “Thus says the LORD: ‘In this manner I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.
This evil people, who refuse to hear My words, who follow the dictates of their hearts, and walk after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be just like this sash which is profitable for nothing.” (Jer 13:9-10)

The word continues to come to Jeremiah, but these two verses sum up the reason for his actions.
Let’s look at another example in the Bible. In Isaiah 20:2-3, the Lord makes the following statement: “At the same time the LORD spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, ‘Go, and remove the sackcloth from your body, and take your sandals off your feet.’ And he did so, walking naked and barefoot. Then the LORD said, ‘Just as My servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot
three years for a sign and a wonder against Egypt and Ethiopia.’”
In verse three, the word “sign” (Heb. owth) (pronounced oth) means “a token of something to come.”
The word “wonder” (mowpheth) (pronounced mo-faith`) signifies “a divine act.” In other words, this was a divine act done by Isaiah as a sign of something to come. Verse four brings clarity to Isaiah’s actions: “So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians as prisoners and the Ethiopians as captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of
Egypt.”
I refer to these examples as “prophetic acts” or “illustrations.” The Holy Spirit may have you perform a prophetic act for the benefit of others. People remember what they see more readily than what they hear. We must guard against doing things simply by habit rather than by revelation.
Sometimes, during a corporate setting when the presence of the Lord is strong, you may feel or sense from the Holy Spirit to do something. For example, you feel led to run up and down in the front of the church.

The next time you have that same sensation, your mind goes back to the last time you felt this way, and you repeat what you did the first time. We must have clear direction from the Lord before we proceed in doing a prophetic act. If we don’t, it is simply our flesh, and the Lord isn’t getting
any glory – WE ARE!

                                      False Prophets
“And the word of the Lord came to me saying, son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their OWN HEART, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God: Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their OWN SPIRIT and have seen nothing!” (Ezek. 13: 1-3)
“When a prophet speaks in the Name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.” (Deut 18:22)
The word “presumptuously” is the Heb. zadown (pronounced zaw-done) – “pride, or the quality of being arrogant.” “Arrogant” is defined as, marked by or arising from a feeling, or assumption of one’s superiority toward others. How do we overcome this problem? Intimacy with
Jesus – knowing His Word, knowing His Voice, and knowing His Nature. Paul’s ultimate desire was to “…know Him and the power of His Resurrection.” (Phil 3:10)
The Cross of Christ has put us all on an equal playing field. No one is of greater importance than another. It is all about giving glory to Jesus and expanding His Kingdom. Jesus foretold of many false prophets and many false Christs. (Matt. 24:24)

Remember what was stated in Chapter 3 on what a prophetic word should accomplish: spiritual growth, closeness to the Lord, strength and relief to your mind, body, and spirit.
“The way to judge a prophetic word is to ask yourself this question, ‘Does it lead me to God or away from Him?’” – Kenneth Hagin.
“…Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy…” (Acts 2:17). As stated earlier, the gift must be developed. But some Christians refuse to be discipled by someone God has placed as a spiritual parent in their lives, thereby frustrating their own spiritual development. Paul makes an interesting statement in 1 Cor 4:15-16:
“For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel. Therefore I urge you, imitate me.” What is he saying? Listen to what your “spiritual father” is saying to you, and then duplicate that in others. Paul was following the command of the Lord when He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” (Matt 28:19-20)

In summary here are a few questions:
• Are there false prophets? Yes. The key question to ask yourself is, “Do they lead me away from Jesus or to Him?”
• Are there true prophets who miss God? Yes. They have spoken the word presumptuously (in their
prideful self- confidence).
• Are there times when true prophets are correct and the word doesn’t come to pass? Yes. Remember,
some prophecies are promises from God, not principles. You must receive them by faith.


                                        Final Thoughts
I cannot stress enough the importance of prophecy. In 1 Cor 14:1, Paul exhorts us to “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.”
Prophecy is a great evangelistic tool. Grown men have wept from a prophetic word that pierced their hearts.
One of the reasons we see so many things in the world dealing with psychics, people talking to the dead, and various other realms of darkness is because many in the Church haven’t embraced prophecy as a whole. I know the Lord is about to pour out a greater anointing of prophecy
like never before. I know it in my spirit and by the signs in the natural. When the Genuine comes in, the counterfeit departs.
The purpose for this great outpouring is to win the lost.
“But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is convicted by all. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.”(1 Cor 14:24-25)
“…For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Rev 19:10) In other words, if you’re not sure what the Lord is saying for someone, then simply speak what the Word of God says about them.

In closing, develop an intimate relationship with the Lord and His Word, and from that intimacy, He will increase the gift inside of you. Then have faith that you hear from the Lord and deliver the word with love and humility. This will cause those receiving the word to grow in the Lord and together we can build God’s kingdom.