Prophets are called and ordained by God even before they step into this world. You don’t choose to be a prophet; you are born one. Jeremiah 1:5 before I formed you in your mother’s womb, I knew you and ordained you to be a prophet. However, the gift of prophesy can be asked for by faith. The Holy Spirit distributes the gift as he wills. 1 Corinthians 14:1 says pursue love and earnestly desire spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. Love purifies your motive for the gift. The gift is given to serve others not to elevate your ego and profile before men.
Difference between Office of the prophet and gift of prophesy. The difference is the degree of the assignment. The prophet functions at a higher level of prophesy than the gift. They also tend to be territorial. For the prophet prophesy is their core assignment. It’s like the healing mantle, as believers we all have the power to heal the sick but one who walks in a healing anointing operates in it at a higher level and it is their core assignment here on earth.
Prophesy consists of two parts: – foretelling and forthtelling. Foretelling refers to the ability to predict future events while forthtelling focuses on declaring God’s truth through exhortation, strengthening, teachings, encouragement and warnings. With forthtelling you reveal God’s will in situations (1 Corinthians 14:3). You don’t need to operate in the office of a prophet to do so.
When it comes to prophesy don’t be afraid to get it wrong. It is how you gain your confidence and die to self when prophesying. Our prophecies are imperfect at times, as we see in part or our emotions and desires get in the way. Our ability to hear from God is not perfect and we often misinterpret what He wants to say. It is for this reason we are told to test prophesies with other people’s prophetic revelations, God’s word, prayer to get a full picture.
The prophetic has not died. Acts 13:1 says now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers. In Acts 11:27 we see a prophet named Agabus warning the church of a looming famine in Jerusalem so the church sent provisions to aid their brethren there. For witchcraft, witches and demonic spirits to rein in a church then they first need to silence the voice of the prophets in that church. This can be done through suppression (you quench the move of the Spirit 1 Thessalonians 5:19), a religious spirit that propagates false doctrines like cessationism (believe the gifts of the Spirit ceased with the Apostles), contaminating the prophetic gift through sexual perversion, or muting the prophets voice by causing them to prostitute their gift.
How are Prophets Made?
The wilderness period makes the prophet
God does not send the prophet to the wilderness to destroy them but to make them. The wilderness represents hardships, trials and tests essential to the making of the character of the prophet. You are not called to be like everyone else. The anointing comes through crushing; there is a hefty price to be paid for oil. However, the foundation for it flows from the finished works of Jesus at the cross. Don’t be afraid of the price you are going to pay. Because it’s not by might, not by power but by the spirit of God.
Whenever God wants to use someone greatly, he breaks them. You can trace the journey of any great man or woman of God to a process of crushing. For David it was the cave of Adullam, for Joseph it was the prison pit, for Elisha it was being fed in the brooks, John the Baptist lived in the wilderness. Even Jesus was led to the wilderness to be tempted. Paul spent around 12 years in Tarsus after the initial call from God (Acts 11:25). God does his greatest work on an individual in the dark. Here He allows you to master your private sins before it masters you in public life. What you are unable to master in the dark is magnified in public service.
While God does not tempt us, he does allow us to be tested while in the wilderness. The enemy will tempt you with the lust of the flesh, pride, greed, and premature promotion. You will be tempted to promote yourself before time while in the wilderness. David waited over 20 years to be king. He resisted the temptation to compromise towards the throne by refusing to kill Saul twice when he had the opportunity. The counterfeit blessing always speaks to a broken area of your life like loneliness, a need for validation from men, or worthiness that comes from titles. The wilderness helps you destroy your idols by casting them before the King of Kings and Lords of Lords. There is no shortcut to your season of preparation and obscurity. Premature promotion will destroy you as you can’t handle the weight of glory to be revealed.
Watch out for the Hand That Feeds You.
Who feeds the prophet influences their voice. In 1 Kings 18:19 it says that now summon all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel, along with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table. You dilute the prophet’s voice by feeding them. If you look at Elijah and John the Baptist, they were fed supernaturally by God. This means no one could influence their voice, and they were able to speak against injustices effectively with no fear. The prophets’ finances tend to be erratic, with God being their sole provider. Prophets are sustained in an unusual way to guard their voice from influence and corruption. The prophet is called to restrain their appetites and have contentment in whatever the Lord provides, whether it be feeding from ravens or eating of locusts and honey. If you do not allow the Holy Spirit to restrain the appetites of your flesh, then you will find yourself eating at Jezebel’s table. Jezebel seeks to control and manipulate you so that you don’t speak against her wickedness. Eventually, she seeks to kill you through seduction and untamed appetites. The price you pay for feasting at Jezebel’s table is bondage and death. You are afraid to speak against the hand that feeds you.
Prophets are Intercessors.
They are raised up from the people for the people. Moses and Samuel have a record before God of being powerful intercessors. Jeremiah 15:1, “The Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people”. Jesus was a prophet and intercessor. In Hebrews 5:7 it says, “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death and was heard because of his godly fear”. True prophets are characterised by compassion and empathy for people. The gift is for service, not for your ego or to gain celebrity status. Intercession builds compassion for people.
Certain Spirits Attack Specific Mantles.
The prophet should be aware of the spirit of Jezebel that wants to muzzle the prophet’s voice. Lust comes to contaminate the gift, while pride comes to exalt the gift above the voice of God. If you are led by your gift rather than the voice of God, then that gift will lead you into spaces God did not assign you. These spaces will then cut off your gift. Example: Samson. The voice of your gift should not be higher than the voice of God. Greed will cause you to prostitute your gift to the highest bidder. The pressure to constantly prophesy will attract spirits of divination as you live to please man rather than God. The rule is if God has not said something, then you don’t have something to say. A corrupted altar will not only celebrate your gift but also pollute it. Not every door is an open door to walk in. Even prisons have doors. Prophecy should not have greater weight than the word of God. That’s why we are told to test prophecies. If God spoke to you, then you should not be worried about having prophecy tested. Don’t glorify the gift above the giver of the gift.
The spirit of Jezebel is gender-neutral. The mistake we make as believers is to associate the spirit with women who are bold, charismatic, in leadership, or aggressive. Men can also operate under this spirit as it expresses itself through fear, intimidation, control, manipulation, seduction, and depression. This spirit does not like to be exposed, so it fights prophets zealously. Example: the beheading of John the Baptist. This was a scheme hatched by Herodias because John exposed her incestuous love affair (Matthew 14:3-12), under instruction from her mother, Salome. Supposedly, she dances an exotic and seductive dance called ‘the Dance of the Seven Veils’. In Elijah’s time, it says Jezebel was killing the Lord’s prophets (1 Kings 18:4), even Elijah was on the run from her.
Jezebel represented the spirit during Elijah’s time, and she embodied its traits. Jesus mentions the spirit in Revelation 2:20-23. Note that in this passage, she is described as a prophetess who teaches false teachings. It’s the same spirit that induced Israel to sin with the Moabite women and commit idolatry (Numbers 25:1-3). Jesus describes Jezebel as a teacher, which means she has ascended into a leadership position where she can lead many astray through false teachings (to commit sexual sins). Other spirits to watch out for are the leviathan and religious spirit. These spirits are against revival.
My advice is to surround yourself with godly friends, as they can identify the seductress better than you. Watch your belly; don’t just eat everything presented to you; have discernment. If you are under the influence of the Jezebel spirit, repent and ask God to cleanse you of her contamination. If it depends on you (especially men), marry early or completely surrender to the authority and governance of the Holy Spirit.
Holiness and Purity: The Doors to Power and Authority.
Your power and the authority of your voice are determined by your level of consecration, purity, and holiness. Watch out for anything that tries to contaminate these. Since prophets live a consecrated life that is higher than that of other people, they are subject to depression and loneliness. The story of Elijah. Find godly friends to walk with you. Know how to handle your low moments. The purpose of loneliness and depression is to get you to quit the call.
Purity will heighten your level of discernment, while perversion will weaken it. Watch what goes through your eyes and ears. It says Elijah saw, and he was afraid. How come in his mind he saw, but the messenger spoke ( 1 Kings 19:2)? It is because fear was projected to his mind through words.
Power is for service, but one needs character to survive as a prophet. The outer anointing brings power, and this often causes men to elevate the prophet in their minds. The inner anointing is for character. It helps develop the fruits of the Spirit. You need the latter for longevity in ministry. People crave power but not intimacy. Your relationship with the Holy Spirit is what will sustain and protect you from the spirit of Jezebel, pride, lust, and greed. You guard the anointing from pollution because that anointing guards you.
What gives you longevity in ministry is the fear of God, character, humility, and intimacy with the Holy Spirit, not the gift or power. Lust, pride, and greed are your enemies. Your altar of prayer should always have fire in it if you want to live in purity and holiness. You are the wood for the fire. Romans 12:1 says offer your bodies as living sacrifices. This calls for a submitted and yielded life that says no to the flesh.
Learn How to Interpret Symbols in Dreams.
Some dreams warn you; others are prophetic, where God’s will has been settled. Some symbols are literal, others use allegory. Avoid interpreting your dreams through Google and AI apps. The Holy Spirit is the interpreter of dreams. Guard your private time with God zealously. Take note of your dreams, how you felt (fear/peace), locations, names, territories, what was said, etc. Some dreams and visions require others to interpret them; some are for fulfilment today, others for a future time. Some require intercession, others, the will of God has been settled, and he is just informing you what is to take place. Dreams do not have a higher authority than the word of God, so test them with God’s word. The fruit of a dream reveals the seed. God is consistent with his nature, and this applies to when he speaks in dreams.
Prophets are seers. Seeing in visions activates all your spiritual senses. Seeing, feeling, hearing, tasting, and smelling. Pray for mentors to guide you through your gifting. Prophets discern things in the spiritual realm through having their spiritual senses activated. They can see, smell, and hear in the spiritual realm.
Test the Prophet by the Spirit Behind Him.
You test a prophet not so much for accuracy as for the spirit behind the prophet. In the book of Acts 16:16, we find a girl prophesying through divination, and she was accurate. Realise some things are just facts in the realm of the spirit. Demons can’t predict the future, but due to their high intelligence, they are good at predicting events. They can also predict events they are going to manipulate. If the prophet is under the authority of the Holy Spirit, then their lives are marked by humility, fear of God, purity, holiness, and restraint of the flesh. If under any other spirit, then their flesh is out of control; it knows no restraint. Perversion and excesses rule their lives.
The prophetic is for today, not the past.
