GIFT OF PROPHECY Part 2

 INCREASING THE GIFT OF PROPHECY

Have you been wrestling with the idea of prophecy and the prophetic?

I slept feeling battered and my body ached. I was not anywhere near giving up but was wondering what the Lord had in store. When I woke up that morning of the 22nd day of March, 2023, the Spirit of Jesus said, “I Am going to increase your gift of prophecy”! And to confirm that I heard Him correctly, He reminded me again of the day and time I was going to remove the seal about Rapture. 

The Lord had earlier on made it very clear that my sending is to a people with hardened hearts [Ezekiel 2:2-3 a] – this was on the 31st day of October, 2019, a year after He had taken me away from my native home. At the beginning of this year, 2023 and for about three consecutive months, I delivered several prophecies to leaders who  blatantly ignored the message together with the messenger. So, when the LORD spoke of increasing my prophetic gift, it didn’t really add up. But, I believed and began to check out what this really meant biblically. 

In 1 Corinthians 14, the Bible tells us to eagerly desire the gift of prophecy. But what is the spiritual gift of prophecy, anyway? The spiritual gift of prophecy is listed among the gifts of the Spirit [1 Corinthians 12:10, Romans 12:6]. It means to proclaim or “speak forth” the purposes of God. So, who is a prophet? A prophet is a person that God uses to communicate with man, a person committed to speaking God’s truth to others. My prophetic gift is a voice of governing authority – a voice of one crying in the wilderness [‘a spirit and power of Elijah ’]. This is a heralding prophetic voice. But you don’t need to be a prophet to hear God’s voice. The Word of God says, “My sheep hears My voice.” That means that every believer must exercise and stretch the prophetic muscle. There are requirements that do not bring about the gift of prophecy, but are extremely useful when it comes to removing any obstacles that a prophet might face in his walk with God:

1. Ask the Lord Jesus to increase His grace upon your life

The gift of prophecy requires the grace of God. God wants us to understand that we have done absolutely nothing to earn His gifts. The Bible tells us in Romans 12:6 that “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith”.

We need God’s grace for our gift of prophesy to flow with the Holy Spirit, according to our faith. The grace of God over any gifting, only multiplies as our knowledge of Christ increases. Spend more time with Jesus and ask Him to reveal Himself to you, “I will love him and will show myself to him” [John 14:21] . 

2. Prophecy requires an open spirit because distraction shuts the spirit

Our Father is always speaking, but we can be easily distracted by problems, worries, or even technology in our relationship with the Lord. Don’t let your heart focus on worldly things and grow cold towards Daddy. “… but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful” [Matthew 13:22]. 

Ask for God’s grace to help you focus your mind and your heart on Him in the midst of chaos and distractions. Keep your spiritual antennas up so that you can hear the gentle whispers of the Holy Spirit. Be tuned and open to the spirit so that you can hear the Lord when He speaks. It is only when we remain in the Spirit that the word from God can be downloaded into our heart.

3. Prophecy requires boldness that comes from knowing Who is with you

Jesus is both the Lamb [meekness] and the Lion [boldness] , and He lives in you. Hence, the boldness of the Holy Spirit is already in you. “And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them. And you will be turned into another man.” [1 Samuel 10:6]. Allow Him to break the power of the fear over your life and let Him empower your spiritual boldness.  Let this boldness come forth as you prophesy boldly the Rhema Word that the Lord speaks to you.

4. Prophecy requires access

Prophesy is rooted in your relationship and fellowship with God, who knows everything about everyone. However, a prophecy also needs the cooperation of its recipient. The Spirit of God, won’t force Himself into someone’s life. Therefore trying to speak into someone who don’t want to receive from you is a waste of time. Be sensitive to the assignment, not everything is to be shared.

5. Prophecy requires an atmosphere that accelerates what God is doing

In 2 Kings 3:15 the Bible tells us that there was specific power in the music which brought the spirit of prophecy upon Elisha and caused him to prophesy powerfully. Praise God and worship Him until the mighty rivers of the Living Waters of the Holy Spirit are released and begin to flow.

Different people find different ways to create heavenly atmosphere in their home. Find what awakens and thrust you deeper into the presence of Jesus. Silence as I wait in His presence works best for me. The heavenly atmosphere you develop around you will also increase your capacity to hear God better. One time, I had been listening to a conversation of some young women who were my neighbor’s and this opened the demonic world in my vision until I had to play godly music in the background. Similarly, be sensitive to the Spirit to be able to eliminate those things that kill the heaven’s atmosphere around you. 

6. Prophecy requires practice

How do you know if you have a word from God?  Was it a prophetic word to be delivered and shared,  or was it just a random thought? To be able to answer these questions, we need to practice the prophetic. Discerning what is and isn’t of God comes with practice alone. Make it a habit to practice in a safe environment with brothers and sisters who are open and willing to correct and encourage you.

Now some of you disagree that it was not the case in the Old Testament and that they would be stoned for getting it wrong. You are right, and you’d probably not be alive to stone the false prophet either. However in the New Testament, we are encouraged to weigh the prophecy or test the spirit. And when every one is encouraged to get the gift of prophecy, surely then, everyone is not going to be perfect. So please let us stop it with the idea of stoning. Pray and ask the Lord for prophecies. Ask Him to open your spiritual eyes and ears to see what He is doing and hear what He is saying.

If you get something wrong, be honest, accept it and look into your heart and try to understand why the mistake happened. Was there a human circumstance that caused you to prophecy in the flesh? Acknowledging mistakes are an opportunity to grow and develop your spiritual discernment. Be intentional about growing in this gift. Ask the Lord for a word at least once a day!

7. Prophecy grows under guidance

What are your motives for wanting to grow in the prophetic? The prophetic is a very powerful gift which may cause you to become prideful if your heart is not guarded. Be quick to repent if pride has anything to do with it. Only God is all-knowing, so don’t make yourself equal to Lucifer. Pride will harden your heart and hinder your ability to hear clearly from God. 

Guard your heart from the desire to perform. The prophetic is not about the prophet. It’s about God’s heart for His people. A prophet is just a chosen vessel to carry the Father’s Word to those He loves. Be open to correction, guidance, and scrutiny. Be submissive, share regularly with your leaders what God is doing in your life, and be accountable so that the gift can grow.

8. Prophecy requires connectivity

God’s gifts are the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in your life. For your prophetic gift to flow freely, you have to grow in your intimacy with the Holy Spirit. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Have that special time together where you’re genuine and open with Him to receive His comfort. Stay connected so that when the Lord wants to speak, your spirit is available to hear and deliver. God needs a fresh new vessel to deliver His Word to the people. Will you be that vessel?

9. Prophecy requires sharpening

Sharpen your gift by pursuing the One who gives the prophecies. Get to know God’s Spirit as a friend. Ask Him to speak to you in an audible voice. Keep the tip of the sword of the Word sharp by staying crisp in the eyes of God. A heart to hear, and humility to obey will help you grow in the prophetic gift. Pray with a fervent heart for God to reveal His heart to you. Pray according to His Holy Word. The prayer of the righteous availeth much!

10. Prophecy requires humility

The desire to prophesy God’s heart is good, but the desire to have a title of a prophet is not godly. In fact, desire for any titles or positions is not a healthy desire. The greatest of all is the servant [Matthew 20:26,27 ], remember? Don’t show off your gift. It is by your fruits that people will know who you are in Christ. Accomplish your assignment without any desire for recognition, as this easily opens the door to the enemy. Ask the Lord for a revelation of humility and reverence for His Word. Maintaining an attitude of humility will push your gift of prophecy to a deeper level.

11. Prophecy requires the protection of the prophetic zone 

Loneliness is a price you need to pay to reach where God wants you to go. Moses’ life as a leader was extremely lonely, but God offered Him His friendship and they spoke face to face! All I have known for the last twelve years is loneliness. Though surrounded by people who cared, no one seemed to understand me. There will be times when it will seem like you might be alone, but because of the Holy Spirit , you will not walk alone. Be surrounded by people who will understand your call and support you in this walk. Remember, the Holy Spirit is your best friend.

12. Prophecy requires knocking

In 1 Peter 1:10-11 the Bible teaches the prophets to search and inquire diligently about God’s Word: “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.” Dig deep. “Search intently with greatest care”. Find out more about the time. And more about the circumstances. More is the key. Knock and knock.

13. Prophecy requires faith

Although faith is trust in God, it is also a gift of the Holy Spirit. How much do you trust God? Your answer will determine how much you can prophesy. Prophecy is accelerated according to the measure of your faith. The greater the faith, the greater the capacity of going into details of the prophetic.

Just like the prophets in the Old Testament who delivered the message of salvation by grace through Jesus, we might not always fully comprehend the meaning of God’s messages to His people spoken today. But we must have faith in God in order to prophesy the messages He gives us, even though we may not understand their meaning. You can accelerate the gift of prophecy by increasingly praying in the spirit. Speak in tongues every day for at least an hour. The gift of prophecy can also be accelerated by the laying on of hands by your spiritual authority. The gift of prophecy is also accelerated with fasting. Prophecy accelerates with revelation. 

Today, God is increasing your knowledge. Let the knowledge turn into revelation by meditating on His Word. The gift of prophecy accelerates in a new season; may the Lord provide a season of divine acceleration that will enable you to have an encounter with Him Who will launch you, victorious, into His purposes.

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Apostle Joo Ngare - MoH