Lessons I Have Learned Growing In Prophetic Ministry
"Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts
of the Spirit, especially prophecy."
1 Corinthians 14:1 (NIV)
That day I remember getting a word
of knowledge for someone on Facebook about him having pain in his right foot.
"How did you know that?!" was
his response. I called him and after praying for him the pain was gone.
After my first four years of living
in Holland as a missionary, I began looking for mature prophets whom I could
learn from. I found some and the Lord made a way for me to be mentored by a
prophet in Chicago named Bruce Foster. I remember after eating at a Subway
restaurant that I asked him how to grow in prophecy. His response was, "The same Holy Spirit I have, you do
to. Just do it!"
I believed him and the next month of
traveling and preaching in churches in the USA, I started prophesying. Later
that year, during another month of ministry in the USA, I started literally
prophesying and praying for the sick everywhere I went (Wal-Mart, QT,
Walgreens, IHOP, etc.). It was a lot of fun.
But like anything that you start
learning, I made my fair share of mistakes and learned valuable lessons from
them (and continue learning). One of
them was to always remain humble and never prophesy when I am angry or
offended.
During a meal, there was a leader
who offended me. I reacted in my flesh and did not respond in the right spirit.
When I returned to the US later that year, the first thing I had to do was call
him and apologize. Using power gifts NEVER gives us permission to be rude,
arrogant, or obnoxious. Jesus was humble and gentle in spirit and so we must
reflect the heart of Jesus in the way we behave (Matt. 11:29).
(Prophetic Ministry is always to help, serve, and build up the church).
Whenever ministering somewhere, the
first thing I communicate to the leaders is that I will submit to their
leadership. I am there to help and serve. The gifts of the Spirit are to build
up the church and not cause chaos or confusion (1 Cor. 14:4, 39-40). This means
that I must continually be sensitive not just to what I feel the God is saying,
but what is the appropriate fashion to communicate something so that people can
understand it and be built up by it. How
we deliver a message is just as important as the message that we deliver.
On more than one occasion, I have
had to apologize because something I said or did was misunderstood. This can be
messy and even painful, but being transparent, teachable, and humble are
crucial for growing in maturity. The heart of a minister is more important than
what great signs and wonders they may do. Jesus himself says that there will be
people who prophesy, heal the sick and cast out demons who will have never
really known Him (Matt. 7:20-23). The goal of any true prophet is like John the
Baptist to say that Jesus must become greater and I must become less (John
3:30). True prophetic ministry is not about getting a big ego, but about making
Jesus great and loving people like God loves us.
So continue eagerly desiring to
prophesy and grow in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but remember that your
character (who you really are) is even more important than what you do. Spend a
lot of time with Jesus in prayer and fill your heart up with scripture because
what is in your heart will come out when you prophesy. Hopefully, as we grow in
prophecy and the gifts of the Spirit, people will be convinced that God is real
and want to get to know his love and power for themselves (1 Corinthians
14:24-25).
(Praying Prophetically with at Team at a Day of Prayer and Fasting in London).
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