The Prophetic Anointing

DEFINING THE ANOINTING


By James W. Goll - Encounters Network



www.jamesgoll.com

A New Anointing for a New Generation

1. I Corinthians 12:4-6, "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons."

2. Psalms 92:10, "But Thou hast exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil."

3. Isaiah 10:27b, "...the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing fatness."

4. Acts 10:38, "...God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him!"

Definition of the Anointing

Supernatural enablement, grace, manifested presence of the Holy Spirit operating upon or through an individual or corporate group to produce the works of Jesus.

DEFINING THE PROPHETIC

What is the Prophetic?

1. As a people, we have been called to carry a prophetic-type burden; to live out on the living edge of God's eternal purpose.

2. We should, especially in the New Testament, make a working distinction between the office of a prophet and the prophetic ministry of a corporate people.

3. We see the prophetic ministry as one aspect of the five-fold calling, resident in a degree in every ministry; more evident and activated in others.

4. God's ultimate weapon is a man or a woman who has encountered the prophetic anointing. It should ever be kept in mind that God does not anoint projects but men and women--people!

5. A working definition of the prophetic ministry is as follows:

They speak the Word of the Lord in the Name of the Lord.

They carry "weight" by virtue of the ethical, moral, and spiritual urgency in their message.

They are prophetic, not by birth or official designation, but by the power of their inner call and the response of their hearers.

The single most characteristic mark of true prophetic people is the evidence that they have stood in the counsel of Jehovah and have, thereby, faithfully declared what they have heard from His mouth.

They are primarily concerned not with the distant future, but to tell forth the will of God in the crisis of their own days. They are then essentially, interpreters of God.

Their major task--Old Testament and New, was to declare that in Christ, all the prophecies were foreshadowed and fulfilled: Acts 3:24, I Peter 1:10-11, Revelation 19:10.

What is Prophecy?

We could say that prophecy is the expressed thoughts of God, spoken in a language that no man in his natural gift of speech could ever articulate. The substance and nature of prophecy exceeds the limits of what the natural mind could conceive. (God's thoughts are not man's thoughts, Isaiah 55:8.) The gift of prophecy comes through the mouth of man, but it comes from the mind of God--spiritual thoughts in spiritual words. (I Corinthians 2:9-16)

DEFINING VARIETIES

Varieties (from Webster's Dictionary): Being various or varied; absence of sameness; different form of same thing, condition; collection of different things.

Different Levels of Prophecy

1. Spirit of prophecy.

2. Gift of prophecy--circumstantial or occasional that comes upon a person.

3. Ministry gift--residential, consistently abiding within a person.

4. Prophetic office--that can be a foundational ministry in the church. (Ephesians 2:20)

Seven Expressions of the Prophetic Spirit

Prophets and those in prophetic ministry are as different as one snow flake is to another. The following list of seven distinct expressions gives us a sampling of these prophetic variations.

1. Seers operating in dreams and visions.

2. Those who proclaim God's corporate purpose.

3. Those who proclaim God's heart standards for His people.

4. Those who proclaim the church's social responsibilities and moral actions.

5. Those who speak forth the administrative strategy of God with a political slant.

6. Prophetic worship leaders who usher in the manifested presence of God through prophetic worship.

7. Prophetic intercessors who pave the way for prophetic fulfillment.

VARIETIES OF PROPHETIC ANOINTING

The Kingdom versus the Church

1. Some are placed in the church to equip the church. Others are placed in the church for ministry to the secular community to release God's Kingdom influence.

2. With governmental authority or without? Some prophetic vessels carry a governmental leadership anointing (Moses, Abraham, David, etc.) Others do not and should not. Let us not covet another person's grace allotment.

Other Possible Categories Needed Today

These are simply a few additional examples of the variety of prophetic anointing the Holy Spirit wants to release.

1. Spirit-Bearers:

John 3:8, "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

The practice of the presence of Jesus--releasing the ordinary manifestations of God's glorious presence, through a love-walk.

Extraordinary manifestations, such as falling in the Spirit, quaking, shaking, ecstatic speech, power encounters, kingdom clashes of angelic and demonic warfare, angelic activity, fragrance of Christ, etc.

2. Prophetic Counselors: This is a combination of pastoral and prophetic. Often mingled with the spirit of counsel and understanding (gifts of healings and discerning of spirits). Their concern is with the internal condition of the heart and mind of man.

3. Prophetic Enquirers: This is a prophetic and teacher combination. They explain the ways of the Spirit, taking the bizarre and making it practical, relatable, and understandable. Their call is to multiply and disciple.

4. Prophetic Writers: This is a gift-mix of writing and prophetic. They write with revelatory anointing, expressing God's heart to contemporary society.

5. Prophetic Evangelist: This is taking the revelatory gifts to the streets, stadiums, neighborhoods, health clubs, executive places, shopping malls, etc.

SOME CLOSING ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS

The Killer

Comparing oneself to another, and wanting what they have produces death. Avoid jealousy and insecurity. God has plenty to go around--seek your own call and anointing, learn from others but get your own.

The Antidote

Walking in accountability with others. Cultivate faithfulness with what you already have. Find your identity in Christ Jesus first, instead of gifting. Then give yourself to that unique expression of His grace in your life.

Breaking Barriers and Mental Limitations

There can be "molds and yokes" that seem to hinder people. Through rejection, wrong types of comparisons, and the residue of legalistic traditions permeated with the fear of man, we can walk under false "yokes and molds" that need to be identified and broken off. The Holy Spirit will help us and liberate us to be the unique, varied expressions of His wonderful prophetic presence, and yet walk circumspectly with integrity within the Church.

Breaking out of the Box

God has never been in a box! We are the ones in boxes! We must let the Holy Spirit take the lid off, flow in creativity, and be all that you can be in God!

The Spirit of Revelation is for you

SUPERNATURAL ENDOWMENTS

BY PAUL KEITH DAVIS

[VIEW THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE]

In many ways, Daniel and his three friends provide a representation of the manner in which the Lord will equip His people for the special assignments set before us. The Babylonian captivity of natural Israel provides a prophetic portrait of our condition and the Lord's promise for deliverance of spiritual Israel.

Daniel 1:17 describes the special empowerment from heaven imparted to these loyal young men. God gave them:

intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams.

The Lord gave them by inspiration, revelatory knowledge and intelligence in various matters of writing and literature. The Lord quickened in them special skills to apprehend and articulate spiritual understanding and heavenly wisdom. Daniel was notably gifted with supernatural perception into all manner of visions and dreams.

There was a specific impartation from God that empowered them to excel in the apprehension of wisdom and governmental scholarship. The Lord bestowed by spiritual transference the blessing of unique knowledge and exceptional capacity in literature and all manner of written work. This pattern will also be followed in this day when the Lord discovers devoted hearts of obedience and loyalty. There are vast storehouses of revelatory insight and supernatural knowledge involving the Scriptures, creation, science, the arts and many other subjects that will be entrusted to saints who follow the model established by Daniel and his three friends.

A Prophetic Standard

These four young men provide a prophetic standard for the spiritually strong who know their God and carry out great exploits. They will intimately know God and engage the revelatory realm of heaven. In them will be an excellent spirit granting acute perception and understanding to interpret dreams and visions, clarify revelatory experiences and solve difficult and enigmatic problems. They will be people who apprehend insight from the throne room and respond to the invitation to "come up here" to be shown things to take place in the future.

A few years ago during a prophetic experience, the Lord specifically stated to me that Daniel 1:17 was spiritually linked to Ephesians 1:17. These are parallel passages stating the same promise from different time frames. One is from the old covenant outlining God's dealings during difficult times but also pointing to a future day of supernatural intervention into the lives of mankind. The other is expressed in the new covenant recording for all generations the heritage of the saints.

Despite our perceived personal limitations, the Lord is a quickening Spirit. He has promised to give life to our mortal bodies with His Spirit and grant to us the Spirit of Revelation that will access mysteries, secrets and revelatory knowledge as our legacy in Him.

Tokens of the Past

Many who attended Maria Woodworth-Etter meetings at the turn of the 20th century would be caught up in the Spirit to experience visions and revelations of the Lord. Some would be commissioned in their encounter as missionaries to foreign lands and emerge from their visionary revelation capable of fluently speaking the language of the nation to which they were called.

It is the Father's good pleasure to reveal to us His Kingdom and perform awesome deeds that only He can achieve. It was a small thing for Him to rejuvenate the bodies of Abraham and Sarah and quicken them with strengthening virtue. Even after Sarah's death and well over one-hundred years of age, Abraham continued in the strength imparted to him and bore many more sons through Keturah. The Lord is more than able to equip us to access the unfathomable treasures hidden in Him that require supernatural gifts like those entrusted to the apostle Paul.

As the Bible also clearly promises, the Holy Spirit knows what is hidden in darkness and reveals the deep and secret things. Light dwells with Him bringing illumination to that which has been set apart and reserved for the generation of destiny. (Daniel 2:22)

Even now there are individuals engaging the revelatory realm of Heaven receiving downloads of insight into physics, light, sound and spiritual colors. The visitation of the apostle John to Heaven's throne room was both visual and audible. His experience disclosed awesome sights, sounds and vibrant colors surrounding the Lord's seat of dominion and victory. The more understanding we have of that realm the greater our ability to cooperate with Heaven in the demonstration of the Kingdom dominion on the earth.

Many being awakened to this realm and seeking understanding into science, physics and the elements of creation are not super geniuses with great scientific minds. Most are ordinary Christians who are tapping into God's heart to release supernatural endowments of His mind into the Bride. Much is going to be spoken and written in the coming days involving this dimension of our heritage. Like Einstein, an insatiable desire to understand creation and the Creator will flourish in the hearts of many Christians. Access to the spiritual books of Heaven will be granted providing divine wisdom, revelatory knowledge and supernatural strategy.

Paul Keith Davis

WhiteDove Ministries

Website: www.whitedoveministries.org

Paul Keith Davis has a unique gift for imparting prophetic understanding of times and seasons. His heart's desire is to see the full restoration of biblical apostolic ministry manifested through the spirit of truth, salvation, healing, and deliverance. Paul Keith and his wife, Wanda, reside in Orange Beach, Alabama. Together they have five children and five grandchildren.

Wilderness to Destiny

Doug Addison:

Four Prophetic Words Being Fulfilled Right Now!

I want to give an update on four prophetic words that I released over the past few months, as we are seeing them begin to unfold. Last year I prophesied that God had brought us all into a wilderness time beginning in 2006. I also saw that in the spring of 2010 something new was going to be released that would begin to catapult people into a new season. I saw a great realignment of people within the Kingdom of God and an attack coming in the area of identity theft. Here are the original words and my thoughts regarding them:

The Wilderness Started in 2006

Several years ago God spoke to me and others about something new from Heaven that was going to be released on the earth in 2005. I was telling people everywhere I went and was helping to prepare for a revival that we knew was and is still to come. Then 2005 came and went with nothing new. In fact, everything began to look the opposite. I did not understand it at the time, but Bob Jones, a prophetic friend of mine, told me that I had not been mistaken with what I had prophesied. He said it just came in a different form than we all expected.

In September 2009 I had a prophetic dream in which I heard the audible voice of God tell me that He really did want to bring something new in 2005, but the majority of Christians were not ready for it. Because of that, God brought us into a time of wilderness which was designed to reveal our motives, heal and prepare us for His greater intentions.

The first month of the wilderness began in January 2006. In my life and ministry I can look at the calendar and see that things began to look completely opposite than what I had expected or heard from God. We had tried to start an outreach center in Hollywood, but suddenly it was like hitting a brick wall. As a result, we moved and lived for three years in Moravian Falls, North Carolina. I got a lot of similar feedback from people everywhere who had experienced the same thing in 2006. (Click here to read the article I wrote last year on it on the ElijahList.)

The Wilderness is Over on the First Day of Spring

I was speaking at a conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in January 2006 with Heidi Baker and Mel Tari when this wilderness time officially began. Just this month, on the first day of spring (March 20, 2010), I was in Albuquerque again speaking at the same church with Mel Tari. God reminded me that it was 50 months ago (January 2006) that the wilderness had begun, and He told me that on the first day of spring of 2010 the wilderness time has officially ended!

Spring Forward

As part of the prophetic insight God gave me for 2010, God showed me that when we set the clocks forward for Daylight Saving Time, we will all begin to "Spring Forward" spiritually. Then, when we set the clocks back, things will begin to "Fall into Place." This is beginning to happen right now. I am experiencing it personally, as I am seeing prophetic words and promises God gave me years ago begin to be fulfilled. Many people are reporting feeling new energy, vibrancy, and spiritual hope. We are starting to see breakthrough in the areas of ministry, business, finances, and relationships, and many will begin to see changes almost immediately. This is the season to start something new! Start a new diet, exercise, a business, ministry, or write a new book. This is a time of new beginnings as strategies from Heaven are coming to earth.

Isaiah 43:19 (NKJV) Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

As God releases new things from Heaven, we will experience a great shift of positions. We are seeing this happen as well. I heard three words: Resign, Realign and Reassign. People are being divinely realigned by God right now to increase our Kingdom effectiveness. It has happened in my own ministry and with many people everywhere. I saw a chessboard, and God is strategically positioning us for this next season. (Click here to read the article on the ElijahList).

Spiritual Identity Theft

In January 2010 I released a prophetic word about spiritual identify theft, a plan of the enemy to get people to miss their destiny by attacking their identity in Christ. Just last week I had a spiritual experience in the middle of the night in which I battled a dark spirit that had come to literally steal the identity of people. At first I thought it was retaliation against me for releasing the prophetic word. But as I began to share it, I am getting feedback that people everywhere are getting attacked right now in the area of theft. People are getting things stolen, websites and email hacked, and being ripped off of what rightfully belongs to them. (Click here to read the article on the ElijahList here).

When satan attacks us in a particular area, it is an indicator that this is an area of our life where God is bringing blessing or wants to use for His Kingdom. Since God is releasing new things from Heaven, the enemy will try to distract us and get us to believe that nothing is changing. This is a lie and we need to get "eyes to see" what God is doing in this time of our lives.

Prophetic Word: Year of Destiny

I am prophesying that the wilderness is over, we are springing into new life and finding our identities in Christ like never before. This is a year of destiny and we will begin to fulfill things that have been promised to us. It is a year that we need to develop ourselves personally in the unique way that God has called us. It is time to take action and not be passive. New doors of opportunity are opening and we have new strength and resources to walk through them. The future is now.

Matthew 7:7–8 (NLT) Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

Doug Addison

InLight Connection

Email: respond@dougaddison.com

Website: www.dougaddison.com

Promise Word for 2010

“BEHOLD, I make all things new” (Rev 21:5)

Prophecies for the Year 2010

This is the year of Increase. Jobless will get Jobs. Childless will bear a child. The downtrodden will be restored to a higher standard. The mercies of God will be upon the nations and many will be placed in jobs.

The Lord says “Behold I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (Isa 43:19). The river of peace shall flow in the nations. The children of God will be prosperous.

“BEHOLD, I make all things new”. (Rev 21:5)

Children of God :

1. This will be a glorious year for the children of God and God will lift up the standard for his people.

2. They will be flourishing and good. There will be spiritual, physical and material blessing.

3. According to (Heb 6:14) “Saying surely blessing I will bless them and multiplying I will multiply them”.

4. This year is the year of blessing to the children of God.

5. The single people will be settled in life.

6. The childless will be blessed with children.

7. The solitary will be placed in families.

8. God will meet the needs of servants of God.

9. According to (Joel 2:28) and (Acts 2:17) “ And it shall come to pass afterwards that I will pour out My spirit on all flesh…………………………..upon the servants and upon handmaid in those days will I pour out my spirit”.

10. There will be unity among the children of God

For India :

11. There will be bomb blasts in many states of India.

12. Tamil Nadu – There will be confusion in politics.

13. Many parts will face natural calamities.

14. There will be heavy rains ever recorded in the history of India. After effects of it will affect almost all the states of India. Especially the state of Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu will have worst effect.

15. Famine will occur in many parts of India.

16. There will be flood in Uttarpradesh

For the World

17. A very noted, famous and respected politician will pass away.

18. America will be condemned by many countries of the world. Because America will occupy and destroy a particular place of a nation. God will stand for the people of America. This will be a sign for the Lord’s coming. The nation of America will prosper.

19. In Europe, natural calamities will occur.

20. A very well known servant of God will be taken home by the Lord.

21. Cruelty and barbarism will increase.

22. Unexpected hurricanes will affect many nations of the world, because of this there will be great losses for the nation.

23. Calamities by water will claim many lives. The dead will be in heaps.

24. A religious preacher will pass away.

25. Due to natural calamities in China and Japan there will be tremendous loss of lives.

26. In Philippines and Indonesia Earthquake will swallow many lives.

27. There will be confusion between Israel and other nations.

28. Many servants will be taken home by the Lord, including elderly people. God will gather many people towards him this year.

29. Middle East – God’s mercy will be seen in these places. Those places would prosper. Many who had lost their jobs will be given jobs once again. God will lift his children living in those areas.

30. Magical powers and witchcraft will increase.

31. Diseases connected with Sex will increase more. Serpent received the authority to deceive many.

32. From the year 2013 onwards the glory of the Lord will be revealed openly. The signs and works of the Lord can be seen in many places. (2012 - Things would not occur as it was spoken by many. By this, people will come to know that the Lord rules and reins).

33. The churches will flourish and the glory of the Lord will be manifested and every eye will see it (Isa 40:5).

Bro.Samuel Jabez

Mohan singh Ministries

No, 9, Jothi Street, Periyar Nagar,

Nagal keni, Chrompet, Chennai- 600044

S.India

E.MAIL samhandofgod@yahoo.com

Is Prophecy for Everyone?

John Mark Pool:

Prophecy—It's for Everyone!

God created us in His image and breathed into humanity in the first prophetic breath in order for us to have eternal communion with Himself. He has never stopped speaking to His creation. God made us to have fellowship with Him, to multiply and fill the earth and take dominion of His Kingdom in the earth as it is in Heaven.

In furthering the Kingdom of God, God gave gifts to mankind and speaks to His creation. In speaking to us, God chose the channel known as prophecy for that communication of His secrets unto all His creation, which begins with mankind, into all the elements of the earth. Keep in mind, people were created to have communion with God. Communication, at its basic format, is speaking in any form of a language exchanged with one another. In that process, God begins with His highest order of communion—mankind—because we are the ones charged with "taking dominion and multiplying" God's Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. Prophecy is a major channel of God's messages to His creation.

Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets.—Amos 3:7 NASB

We do not have to be a "prophet" to hear God or to prophesy His words. Yes, there is an "office" of the prophet, which is a function of a leadership position in the administrative five-fold office gifts for the benefit of the whole Church. But, not everyone should want to be in that office or in any other leadership office. Keep in mind the more responsibility in your calling, the more a leader is held to higher standards. Bearing a "title" does not equip a person for the accompanying liability that God assures we will be held to. Consider that when you desire the leadership titles! Hopefully however, if we train the younger ones truthfully, helping all to prophesy, and not to acquire a title or position, then they will fit where God places them. We must seek the Lord in every part of our calling, but especially when we begin to understand the meaning "that all should prophesy" (see 1 Corinthians 14).

Therefore, my brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak in tongues.—1 Corinthians 14:39 NASB, emphasis added

There is indeed an office of the prophet, but attaining to that "office" or "title" is not our goal in this adventure of our Kingdom assignments. We cannot make anyone a prophet; that is God's choice. But we can train as many as "desire to prophesy." Think of a sports team, like football. They have a few coaches, but games have more players on the fields than coaches on the sidelines. When a game is played, it is with both coaches and players. Prophesying is always a "team" event that should be furthering the Kingdom of God—not one individual, nor a "few select superstars."

The goal is that all may hear and discern God's voice, and be equipped to do the work of the ministry in order to fulfill their individual calling. As this is accomplished, we must focus on the "big picture" of everyone in the Lord's family coming into the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may build upon His Church and not our gifts. Truly, we must desire, get trained, and prophesy Jesus to a desperate world. We must each truly become God's word to the hurting world!

In this "adventure in the prophetic" journey, it is important to understand some prophetic terminology and how each should be applied according to each individual (don't forget how unique God made everyone), small group, fellowship of Believers and the entire Kingdom of God. As each of us matures in the prophetic, each person should become familiar with the prophetic vocabulary and how it will apply in everyday functions of life—not just in a church service.

Clarity on Basic Prophetic Terms

Prophecy

Prophecy is God-directed communication to His people. Also, prophecy is one of God's supernatural communication channels. Prophecy, as the Lord's language from Heaven to earth, becomes foretelling to mankind when God speaks through His prophets before the earthly events of interest occur. That is why it is called prophecy—it is decreeing facts before the events occur. Interestingly as it seems, however, prophecy is not simply predicting the future of earthly events; it is God's answer to events He already intended for good.

We may contend with the prophetic word, once released, to bring about God's plan that otherwise could occur differently if left alone. That is why faith in God is essential in the prophetic, as well as a clear understanding of our vital role as God's children.

A Prophetic Myth Busted

A "myth" that needs to be exposed in prophecy is the saying, "I will put the prophetic word on the 'shelf,' and if it is from God it will come to pass, but if not, it was not from God." That has not one ounce of truth to it concerning the meaning of prophecy from God, nor does it have any Biblical foundation.

We are to know the giver of the prophecy, understand the "spirit of truth" surrounding the person's word as an accountably delivered word, and then, if it is from the right spirit—the Spirit of God—and not carnally nor demonically influenced, we begin to intercede and pray to bring this word into existence as God intended. That means that all prophetic words are in effect "conditional" to the level of our participation in God's level of expectancy. Prophecy is very inclusive of God's Word, His heart, and His messengers and family members. Always compare the message with the one found in the book of Jonah for the heart of God with prophecy. Rescuing the lost creation is God's desire!

Psychics are FALSE Prophets

Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.—1 John 4:1 NLT, emphasis added

The world system, apart from the family of God, views psychics as "prophets," but psychics are not prophets of God; they are psychic—whose words are no more than demonic, spiritually-induced fortunes. Psychics enjoy being labeled prophets, yet truthfully, they must be correctly termed—false prophets.

How Psychics are Different from Prophets

Psychics "rob God's truth" as if it were from psychic powers, and then distort and reveal these words as if they were psychics' prophecies. God for sure knows the intentions of their hearts, as psychics ultimately hope to deceive many away from the Kingdom of God! This is why prophecy must be tried for the "spirit" that is propagating the Word. God judges motives and intentions of the heart. We cannot be ignorant concerning spiritual gifts!

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because [of] many false prophets are gone out into the world.—1 John 4:1 KJV, emphases added

Prophet

A true prophet is one of the five-fold office gifts from Christ. When Jesus ascended to His throne, He released these headship, administrative spokespeople for God upon earth (see Ephesians 4:7-12). The "office" of prophet is not a Holy Spirit gift, but a gift through Christ's ascension. The Hebrew word is Nabi, derived from Naba (pronounced naw-baw). A nabi is to tell God's messages to mankind as a prophet or prophetess. Also, Hebrew uses Chozeh/Hozeh, but those terms are particularly for the Seer Prophet.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I (God) have appointed you a prophet to the nations...Do not say, "I am a youth," because everywhere I send you, you shall go, and all that I command you, you shall speak.—Jeremiah 1:5, 7 NASB, emphasis added

In the New Testament, the original Greek word is prophayteuw—to foretell, tell forth, to prophesy; one who speaks for God, a prophetes (pronounced pro-fay'-tace).

Seer

A seer is one who sees into the spirit realm and prophesies what is seen into God's Kingdom upon earth. Prophet Samuel, our first major prophet, was also termed "seer" early in his ministry.

Later, the standard term for a prophet, nabi, was used to separate it from its official functions in respect to those of the classic seer prophet's (hozeh/chozeh) characteristics. (In the Old Testament, Gad, Iddo and Asaph were all seers).

All real seers are prophets of God, but not all prophets are seers. Also, because a person may see in the spirit realm as an intercessor or psalmist does not establish them as a seer or prophet. People who passionately reside in the spirit realm of God often become inappropriately termed as seers and prophets, even though they do hear, see, and declare what God has shown.

Gift of Prophecy

There is also a gift of prophecy from the Holy Spirit, as compared above to the office of prophet given as "Christ's ascension gifts" (see Ephesians 4:7-12). One of the gifts from Holy Spirit is the gift of prophecy. This Holy Spirit gift is a "body-wide" functioning endowment. "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's (or woman's) gift is prophesying, let them use it in proportion to his (or her) faith" (Romans 12:6 NIV). Interestingly enough, of all the Holy Spirit's gifts (such as healing, tongues, miracles, etc.), this is the only gift God specifically says to "covet" or desire earnestly. That means it is very important, and God sincerely wants all His family to prophesy.

Since God is always speaking, then it would be beneficial to acquire and learn properly the usage of the gifts of God for communicating His will and way to others in our sphere of influence. Because God is love, how much better could it get than to prophesy God's Kingdom purposes into the people the Lord places in our paths! Our goal is always to extract out of a person's heart—God's greatness to be fulfilled for Father God's plan in their life. When God uses a messenger—anointed by the Holy Spirit—to reveal His heart into another's life, that is indeed "proclaiming" a person to become free of the enemy's grip into God's eternal "life-changing plan!"

Keep Obeying and Saying!

By obeying the "still, small voice of the Lord" we can allow the Holy Spirit's gift to effectively add to God's Kingdom a life for eternity—anytime, anywhere, for anybody! It can happen on an airplane, in a shopping mall, coffee shop or just about anywhere! This is the "fun stuff" to me, and I know it will be to you, too. You are always allowed to speak prophetic fulfillment of edification, exhortation, and comfort (see 1 Corinthians 14:3) to those whom the Lord places you around! Don't sweat the mistakes, and just continue to get some good, accountable training in this exciting prophetic adventure—and by all means know that God wants us to desire earnestly the prophetic gift so we can increase His Kingdom—one person at a time—so that "all may prophesy!"

Prophesy-Prophesy-Prophesy! Just Do it, OK?

Like foreign language studies on the mission field, if we've heard this once, we've heard it a hundred times, "Use it or lose it!"

That is so true in the prophetic gifts of God. So, grow in your pursuit, get all the accountable training you can, but by all means, do not wait on perfection to prophesy eternal life into a hurting person! We may be the last person to speak that word into their soul!

People always ask for an example, and this is what we mean by obeying the "stirring of our heart" by the Holy Spirit. Here is a true story, a kind that happens more than you probably hear:

A Voice told me one day to "not go home right now to watch the Super Bowl game," but go to the hospital and "prophesy a man's life into God's eternal family." I reluctantly obeyed (because I did not know the man in the hospital). The nurses helped me to find the room of the elderly man, near the point of death, weak from surgery, and as he looked into my eyes, I asked if I could "speak eternal life" into him in the form of prayer. He said in a hoarse whisper, "Yes." I held his weak hand and we prayed a very brief prayer that included salvation. Tears ran down his face as it changed with that eternal glow only God can express from a transformed heart. I went home joyful, caught the end of the game, and received a call a few hours later that the gentleman I had seen just passed into eternity!

Does hearing from God and obeying His commands to prophesy matter? Yes! I received a call from the son of the deceased elder saint, who was so very grateful that the Lord directed someone by his father's room, to know he is now living in Heaven forever!

We have so much to gain from being better equipped with God's awesome, prophetic "tool kit"! The idea is to never be concerned about making a mistake in view of lives desperately needing hope for eternity! Just do it!

Yes, prophesy Jesus into darkness and watch the illumination of the Lord's love light up their lives! Be warned—it is very contagious, and others will be changed for God's best, and as they do, you will be energized to prophesy regularly! Indeed, our goal is to prophesy God's plan into as many "whosoevers" as we can, so that all may prophesy!

Always a voice for God,

John Mark Pool

Word to the World Ministries

Email: MarkandSandyPool@aol.com

Website: www.w2wmin.org