It is important to understand key principles concerning the prophetic. One of the primary principles that we must stress is that no one can arbitrarily “choose” to become a prophet. Further, no one can be ‘promoted’ to the ‘Office’ of the Prophet. God’s Sovereignty calls the prophet from the womb and places within him the ‘Prophet’s Spirit’. Without that innate divine gifting from God, one cannot graduate into this ministry gift. It is a calling, meaning, God is the one who makes the “call.” Consider this scripture:
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou earnest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” – Jer 1:5
Interesting enough, from time to time, God brings information across our path concerning individuals we have known at various times in our ministry. Just recently, we received starting news of some individuals who are currently taking classes to become prophets.
This would be almost funny if it were not so dangerous! Simply put, we know these people as some of the least submitted, most rebellious, and decisively defiant we have ever come across. They have the reputation of following one “hot spot” after another in an attempt to “chase and catch” the “anointing”. Further, they were not discerning as to what spiritual meat they ate. They were even willing to entertain teaching from the Mormons and other off-center sects in their quest to obtain the title of prophet. It seems there is always a small band of gullible people that fall under their “spell” and tag along robotically behind them. This is a very slippery slope that leads downward to deception, error and destruction for the entire lot.
The great danger of this is quite clear. Anyone that attempts to enter into a spiritual realm that God has not ordained or directed them to, opens up spiritual doors in their life that grants entrance to unnecessary demonic attacks. They are not spiritually equipped to handle the intensity of the spiritual warfare at that level. The spirit of Confusion along with its cohorts of Rebellion and Error gains legal access to enter their lives. This realm of the spirit is not a good place to be without the proper spiritual training, the spiritual warfare equipment for the deeper dimension or the proper spiritual covering.
There will always be people who “hear” sound doctrine and yet due to “visions of grandeur”, the apparitions of fame, fortune and selfishness, they will follow the lusts of their own hearts. Paul is quite clear in the following verses.
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables“. – 2Ti 4:3 -4
A true prophet is able to stand in the hard place because of the years of increasingly intense training that they have had to endure. They are able to prophesy the difficult things to the hard places and hard faces because of the training process that God has put them through. During this intense training, they must learn to ignore the pangs of rejection, abandonment, isolation and betrayal. Further, they must endure the test of time in the ’wilderness’. In these difficult seasons, the prophet learns to stand and live or die based on God’s Word alone. In addition, the prophet-in- training (P.l.T.s) must submit to years of mentoring under a “Chief Prophet”. All of these things can be quite excruciating to the flesh and soul but they are necessary to train the prophet, establish their anointing and purify their mouths.
“Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” -Rom 8:30
During this training process, God purifies and glorifies, making the prophet’s face as hard as flint in order to do what he has been called and ordained to do. He learns not to minister for financially gain, fame, or fortune but for the very breath he needs to sustain his own life.
Let us be very clear, Paul exhorts all to prophesy, (a body ministry), yet God alone has the right to select the agents that enter into the fivefold ministry office gifts.
A bona fide prophet has a divine enablement within them, an anointing, and an unction from the Holy Spirit. This divine enhancement, which constitutes the makeup of the prophet’s mantle encompasses more than just prophesying and uttering words of edification. Within the true prophet of God lies a specific capacity to activate and release the Will of God in the earth realm. Angels respond to the word spoken by the prophets. The words are released and are carried by the angels who are our ministering spirits The angels set in motion the Will and very Heart of God concerning the matter. God’s Word in the mouth of a genuine prophet sets the course of nature, establishes kingdoms, changes atmospheres and opens doors in the realm of the spirit.
“Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word“. – Psa 103:20
“See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant“. – Jer 1:10
When prophets speak, God’s Will is ushered into the earth realm with tangible results. Friends, be not fooled, there is more to being a prophet then sprouting up to declare a Word, with flapping hands in a dramatic display of emotion and excitement Often times, people that are not called as prophets desire to be prophets because of what they perceive as power, fame or fortune. However, we must all learn to be satisfied and blessed according to how God has called us individually.
Let us meditate on the following scriptures.
“For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body m Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that grveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness.” – Rom 12:4 – 8
“Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.” -1 Cor 7:20
“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles: to another prophecy; to another discerning of spriits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues ” But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spint, dividing to every man severally as he will” -1 Cor 12:7 -11
May God’s Grace Abundantly Rain In Your Lives,
Dr Ric & Kathy Steele
The Prophetic Voice 