Beginning To Flow In Prophecy

Since I am a Prophet who teaches on the Gifts of the Spirit in general and the Gift of Prophecy specifically, quite regularly I get asked questions along this line: How do I begin to flow in the Gift of Prophecy? How do I know if it is God or just me? What if I don’t sound like others that I hear prophesying?

These are all good valid questions to ask. Before we get into the specifics of answering them and would serve us well to lay somewhat of a basic foundation.

What exactly is Prophecy anyway?

Prophecy is a supernatural manifestation of the Spirit where a believer is inspired to speak a message from God in a known language. (Known to the speaker)

What do I mean by a known language and known to the speaker? The only language that I know how to speak is English, so therefore I can only prophesy in English. I met a man on one of my trips to Africa that spoke seven languages. Guess how many languages he could prophesy in? You guessed it…seven…because he knew how to speak seven.

Many times because we look at Bible Prophecy and we see that it is predicting the future, this causes us to think that the Gift of Prophecy must always be declaring something that is to come. That is not the case. Actually the Gift of the Spirit that deals with the Revelation of the Purpose and Plan of God…that which is yet unborn, is the Word of Wisdom, which sometimes can come out through the vehicle of Prophecy, but Prophecy in and of itself in its simplest form has no Revelation in it.

So what it is Prophecy in its simplest form? The book of Revelation tells us:

“And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.’” Revelation 19:10 NKJV

So to make a compound definition of Prophecy, we would come up with: speaking by the inspiration of the Spirit in a language that you know how to speak where you share the testimony of Jesus.

This takes a lot of the pressure off for folks. So many when they are starting out compare themselves to other’s that are more proficient in the development and operation of the gift than they are and think that in order to Prophesy they must do what they see others do. Nothing could be further from the truth! Prophecy and Prophetic Gifting is something that you grow and develop in. I started to operate in what Kenneth E Hagin used to call “The Simple Gift of Prophecy” (basic prophecy described above, containing no revelation in it) as a Freshman in high School when I was 15 years old. The level of the gift that I operate in now having exercised and operated in it for almost 32 years is quite different than where I started.

It is important to remember that when you start you will speak very general and basic words and NEVER GET STUCK COMPARING YOURSELF TO SOMEONE MORE EXPERIENCED THAN YOU!

When it comes to understanding how the Prophetic comes to us, it will usually come one of two ways:

·         The Nabi Anointing

·         The Seer Anointing

The Nabi Anointing is when the words bubble up out of your spirit…the same place that Jesus spoke of when He said out of your belly will flow rivers of living water. The Seer Anointing is more visual and you either see words, pictures or mini movies.

Quite often in the Old Testament when the Prophets spoke the Scriptures record them saying: “The word of the Lord came unto me saying”. This is the Nabi anointing and the way I minister about 75% of the time. Quite often when I prophecy I will say: “I hear the Spirit of the Lord saying”, same idea, the Nabi anointing.

The Old Testament also tells us that a Prophet was formerly called a Seer. (1 Samuel 9:9) The reason they were called the Seer was because they could see. I only operate this way about 25% of the time.

Some people like me are stronger in one than they are the other. Some only operate in one or the other. And some flow in both equally, but that is quite rare.

Now that we understand what Basic Prophecy or The Simple Gift Of Prophecy is and we understand the two general ways that Prophecy comes to us, how do we know if it is God or us?

Again let me reiterate that you should never compare yourself to others as it will leave you feeling inadequate and afraid to step out. Whichever way it comes to you Seer or Nabi, ask yourself: “Does this agree with Scripture?” Second look to your spirit man, your innermost being, that place again that Jesus spoke of when He said out of your innermost being or out of your belly (depending on the translation), and see if you have peace inside. Does it feel like velvet? Or does it feel like sandpaper? Velvet = God! Sandpaper = not God.

I know when I first started all those years ago I would play the vacillation game saying Lord is this me or is this You? Many have felt that way and I am sure you will to. Quite often in the beginning God in His mercy gives us some physical manifestations to help confirm to us that it is indeed Him. You might feel like butterflies in your stomach, tingling in your arms or heat in your hands or in your belly are all quite common. (It should be noted that these physical manifestations do not last forever, as God expects you to grow and develop in your gifting and not require them.)

When you feel these types of things, you have peace like velvet in your spirit and you know it agrees with the Word, follow the Protocol of your local church (key point I can’t go into here) and go ahead and release what you believe you have. Will you start perfect? Probably not, nobody does, but we all grow. It is up to local leadership to then coach and lovingly correct you. Not long ago we had a service where a few actually stepped out and released what was in their spirit for the first time. I went around the room and asked folks what is stirring in your belly? What feels like butterflies in your belly? I then instructed them to go ahead and release those things.

IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A LONG DETAILED WORD TO BE FROM GOD! Start where you are. Remember the Word says:

“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.” Romans 12: 6 NKJV

You can only prophesy according to the proportion of your faith and in the beginning your faith is not that great in this area…so again, don’t compare yourself to others that are more advanced in their gifting than you are in yours.

Finally, remember that God created you as a unique one of kind individual with your own gifts, talents, and abilities and anointing on your life. Nobody else is like you. You were created to be an original, not a copy. Be yourself! Don’t try to sound like somebody else! Sound like you! God will use your normal every day speech patterns, verbiage and conversation style just as much as He will use anybody else’s, you don’t have to be somebody you are not to be used by God in the Gift of Prophecy!

Blessings!

WAIT WAIT WAIT

I went to sleep last night praying in the Spirit. I woke up this morning hearing the Lord saying WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! Then this Scripture came to me:

“Then the Lord answered me and said: ‘Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.’” Habakkuk 2: 2 & 3 NKJV

So often when we get a Prophetic Word we have a tendency to run off immediately with it thinking it is for right now. As I look back over my life I can look at many Prophetic Words that I received that took years to even begin to come to pass and some I am still waiting for. Don't get in a hurry trying to make what God told you come to pass! Many have almost shipwrecked their life, me included, not understanding or knowing the timing of God.

I remember in 1982, right after I got married, my wife and I were on our way to Tulsa, OK for me to attend Rhema Bible Training Center (now Rhema Bible Training College). We made a slight detour on our way from NJ to OK via MI where my sister Bonnie and her family lived at the time for a visit.

During that visit we went to church with them and her Pastor, Robert Doorn (known to many the world over as Papa Doorn) called me out and prophesied to me on the Sunday night we were there. Here is an excerpt of what he prophesied to me that night, August 29, 1982:

“The Lord would say to you tonight Brother Mike, The Spirit of God would say, that while your Mother and Father are going to the mission field, they’re only going to blaze a trail before you. For surely, the trail they will blaze, shall even be a trail that you yourself will walk and minister under the anointing of My Spirit. You shall see multitudes healed and delivered and set free by My power, for behold, I’ll put the Word of Faith within you...”

Now here is what we need to learn about the Prophetic. THERE IS TIMING TO THE PROPHETIC! I didn’t take my first missionary trip to Africa until 1987, right after I graduated from Rhema, five years later. I didn’t really see multitudes get healed through my ministry until 1993 on a missions trip to Uganda during a crusade where the Gift of Faith fell on me, six years after my first missionary trip, and eleven years after I received the Prophetic Word.

The true legitimate Prophetic Word of God will always come to pass, but not on our time, on God’s time, and more times than not, they are not the same! What I think we fail to realize is that the language of the Prophetic can confuse us. For example, many times in Prophetic Words we will here God say “Soon”. Well, we immediately run off trying in our strength and ability to cause that word to come to pass because God said “Soon”.

We must remember that “Soon” to God and “Soon” to us mean two different things. God lives outside of time and we live in time. God measures time totally different than we do. Peter gives us a clue:

“But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.” 2 Peter 3:8 NASB

So if we take this formula that Peter gives and apply it to Bible Prophecy it helps us in interpreting the Scriptures.

“He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day that we may live before Him. So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth.” Hosea 6:2 & 3 NASB

I want you to pay attention to the underlined words in this text…two days & third day. In this portion of Scripture the Prophet is declaring that some things will take place after two days and on the third day. My question to you is this…was this Scripture fulfilled after two days from when it was written?

Most of you who understand where we are in God’s timetable understand that these promises that the Prophet declared are things that we are walking in today. Using Peter’s time calculation formula, it has been 2 days, or 2000 years since Christ was here and we are now in the beginning of the third day, or the third 1000 year period. (I have a whole message I preach from this text titled: “Where Are We Now”, but that is not the focus of this article, understanding God’s timing is)

If God has given you a promise…it will come to pass! Just don’t be in a hurry trying to make it come to pass. There is Timing to every Prophetic Word. Remember it is for an Appointed Time. Though it tarries…WAIT for it…for it will surely come!