Prophetic

One of the things that God has been teaching me and moving me to is the prophetic. For what ever reason I had very little interest in the prophetic. God has flowed through me several times in the prophetic realm and some people get excited when they are around me but I do not consider myself that special. What people call prophetic gifting I just call my normal relationship with God. This is the way my life has went since I accepted Jesus into my life as Lord and Savior.

This new season in my life God is taking me back to build a foundation under the gifting (mercy and grace has protected me and allowed me to operate in the gifting to this point there has been some understanding but not what I would call a deep biblical understanding. This is not meant to confuse people I just have never studied prophecy like reading Mike Bickle and Jack Deere until now and part of that was timing. I have always known my gifting is from God and that it can be perverted or even attacked. God is just taking me back now to understanding what it all means). There has been some things that I flat out won't do if I am ministering or preparing to minister that I could never understand. As I stated earlier this was just how things have been since I have invited Jesus into my heart.

One of those things is television. I will take away the television about 2 weeks before ministering. I do not need distractions. God has trusted me with ministry and I want to know the Father's heart for the people that He is sending me to. I have found that I had been putting law over myself regarding that and God has brought it back and healed my heart. I now step away from the television not because I feel like I have to but because I want to draw close to God and hear His voice speaking to me.

The other thing I do before ministering is my prayer life becomes a focal point of my study time. I get in there and just pray in the spirit (Jude 20) and intercede as God directs. Prayer has really been a difficult place for me. I, until now, would only use prayer when I was in a tight spot and needed direction. God has created a new heart in me and it has changed my life. I know that being in DP we sometimes can get so focused on setting our swivel chair correctly that our quiet time is more about checking the boxes instead of spending quality time with the Father.

So what is God showing me concerning this? He actually had me go back and read Dr. Jack Deere's The Beginner's Guide to the Gift of Prophecy and here are some of the excerpts that hit home with me.

Interceding. Read Rev 4-5 and you get a powerful representation of the throne room of heaven. You have the four living creatures flying around a throne, hundreds of millions of angels and then you have the twenty-four thrones with the twenty-elders sitting on them. Pretty vivid and amazing picture no less but what is important is what Jesus is doing in the midst of all this awesomeness. He does not get distracted from His main task as the heavenly entourage is singing His adoration He is laboring in prayer for all those He is drawing to His Father(Heb 7:25). Pretty awesome.

Interceding is what happens once the word has been delivered. As Dr. Deere states; "If we truly want our prophetic word to draw our hearers to God, then we should pray for them after we deliver the message." If Jesus can do it in the midst of heaven then I have no excuse not to do it here on this earth with all of its distractions.

So what about the television being turned off (this is just for me as God treats each one of us differently and honestly I place way too much on my time with the television)

Well first some history. Back when I first was saved I felt that God was calling me to go speak with the Pastor concerning the state of his church. There was things that were revealed to me that needed to be spoken and God had chosen me. I had been saved for a little over a year so I was still wet behind the ears and I was really flying by the seat of my pants. I thought that everyone's relationship with God was like mine (even with Shelly speaking to the contrary)

So anyway I schedule the meeting and sit down and speak all that God had revealed to me. (I was very fortunate that there was a ton of tact and for whatever reason God had placed a heavy anointing on me before I walked into his office). John 14:10 states "The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. That was my focus on this day.

After sharing what God had placed on me I walked away heart broken. I knew that the words had not been received. That hurt but what was the source of my pain?

Today God revealed to me the motives of my heart. They were indeed pure. My heart was broken because I knew what was going to happen in that church. I knew that people were going to get hurt and some were going to get left behind. That hurt me more than the pastor not listening to me. I am thankful that God showed that to me because I do not desire to do anything unless God is doing it. Bottom line. That has been my hearts cry when God uses me prophetically. I have personalized John 5:19 that I can do nothing of myself unless it is something that I see the Father doing; for whatever the Father is doing that is what I desire to do in like manner. That is my hearts cry.

One of the goals that I have adapted in my life is that Satan have no hold on me. John 14:30 states I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me; and 31 But so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here. That is the pray of my heart, Father.

Overall I must say it is so funny that God uses me prophetically. I am a perfectionist. Why is that funny you say? Because I have to discern Interpretation, Revelation, and Application, a lot of times I may just get the revelation and someone else has the interpretation and someone else has the application. See how that could mess me up? It is not (to my way of thinking) a complete work if I just get one piece I want to finish this thing and see freedom but God's way is not mine now is it?

God has a wonderful sense of humor because I also have a fear of failure, of being wrong but when flowing in the prophetic how do you judge right or wrong? Look at the fruit. Fruit not signs and wonders which the enemy can duplicate. Satan can not copy the fruits of the Spirit

So why prophesy? 1 Cor 14:3 But one who prophesies speaks to me for edification and exhortation and consolation.

Edification the act of building up, promoting another's growth in Christian wisdom. piety, happiness, holiness

Exhortation consolation, comfort, solace; that which affords comfort or refreshment, persuasive discourse, stirring address

Consolation any address whether made for the purpose of persuading,or of arousing and stimulating, or of calming and consoling, comfort

To this purpose I have been called Roman 8:28
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

I have a lot to learn and a ton of room to grow. God is faithful to complete the work that He has started. The nice thing is there is no longer a false sense of me achieving this on my own or positioning myself to operate in this precious gift. I can't earn it the gifts of God are irrevocable (unregretted meaning God does not regret placing that gifting on the inside of me even knowing the mistakes that I am going to make along the way HE DOES NOT REGRET IT!!! think about that). I just need to make a decision to follow Him and to love Him not pursuing for the gift or anointing but because He is my Father and I want to be around Him. That is where my heart is right now.

As for that meeting with the pastor? Difficult times were indeed ahead and God has given me an understanding that a baby prophet is generally not ideal to speak corporately over the Body. So why did God send me? A few reasons come to mind. It was a lesson I will never forget the pain I felt for the Body was tremendous. Do I have the courage to speak what God is saying to someone I had placed on a pedestal? It would be and it still is a place of growth for me. God has used that point several times including the need for tact when in a difficult position. He also used it (again I had no idea what I was doing this was mercy and grace) about the importance of prayer. In Dwelling Place before giving a word of correction we always pray and seek Godly council before attempting something like what God had me do. I did not know of DP at the time but those were the steps I took. I prayed and fasted as well as sought the advice of my spiritual parents. All in all it proved to be an experience that God could later build on. And He is.