For many years, I was part of a body of believers who appeared to have a love/hate relationship with the prophetic. There were seasons where we would embrace the prophetic and seasons where we would shun the prophetic.
Of course, that type of attitude inadvertently breeds confusion and stunts the prophetic growth within the local body.
Through those years, God deposited within me a determination to train and equip people to walk in a healthy, biblically based prophetic calling. He was giving me the strength to address the challenging issues that arise within a prophetic culture. He was pouring out wisdom as I began to dive deeper into His word, seeking to understand this fantastic gift. Through the journey, He took me to passages in both the Old and New Testaments pointing out His wisdom and goodness.
One of those sections of Scripture is 1 Corinthians 14:24-25 (ASV):
“But if all prophesy, and there come in one unbelieving or unlearned, he is reproved by all, he is judged by all; the secrets of his heart are made manifest; and so, he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is among you indeed.”
I love to envision what that would look like in our churches. Imagine for a moment, rather than shutting down the prophetic, we raised up a standard of healthy, biblically grounded, prophetic within the body of Christ. What would happen if:
— We recognized there is a timing component with every prophetic word.
— We realized that we have to choose to partner with the Lord in the prophetic word.
— We addressed prophetic bumps and missteps rather than ignoring them.
Now, let’s step back to the unbeliever who enters our doors. In the prophetic culture, the secrets of his heart come out through the prophetic voice. I looked at this Scripture for some time as the unbeliever falls down on his face in worship rather than repentance.
As I pondered that, I realized that the healthy prophetic voice brings the unbeliever face to face with their God-ordained destiny. No wonder they fall to their face in worship. Now there is a salvation message!
As I continue to study, train and equip in areas of the prophetic, I am learning that there is so much more that we don’t understand. We truly need the wisdom of the Lord as we wrestle through this fantastic gift. It is a multi-faceted gift full of the glory of God.
It can be easily misused, and we can weave through our human understanding. However, we mustn’t shut down this powerful gift from fear, disappointment, discouragement or discomfort. We can be sure that God will continue to stretch us as we lean into Him for clarification.
Where is your heart with the prophetic? Are you confused and frustrated? Do you feel like you have more questions than answers?
Join us for our Real Truth with Ruth podcast Prophetic Bumps, Lessons and Stretches and be encouraged. {eoa}
Ruth Hendrickson is an ordained pastor, itinerant speaker, ministry trainer and board-certified Biblical counselor who has extensive experience in the development, training and oversight of emotional healing ministry teams, recovery ministries, prophetic ministry, prayer ministries and women’s ministry. In addition, she is a course facilitator for Patricia King Institute and Charisma courses. She writes for Elijah List and Charisma and has a podcast titled Real Truth with Ruth. Through biblically based teachings and practical applications infused with love and laughter, her goal is to introduce people not only to the living God who saves but also to the God who desires an intimate relationship with each one of us. Her latest book, Everyday Prophetic, will help you find the prophetic voice that God has given you. Visit her at her website at ruthhendrickson.org or find her on Facebook and listen to her podcast Real Truth with Ruth.
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