God uses His voice to create. In the book of Genesis God SPEAKS the creation into being. We see Him SPEAK into the chaos and darkness, and light and into being. The power of His voice created the heavens and the earth and all of creation.

When Jesus came to earth He SPOKE and miracles took place. He raised Lazarus from the dead, for example, with His voice and three words, "Lazarus, come forth!"

"Peace! Be still!" He admonished a storm over the sea. The Lord spoke a new reality into existence continually whether in signs, wonders, miracles and healings, or in His teachings.

Today each member of the Holy Trinity speaks to us. The Holy Spirit speaks to us and through us, and prophesy, as we define it, was birthed when the Holy Spirit spoke through human beings.

God speaks today, just as He has since the beginning of time. If He is not speaking to us that means He must have said all He had to say by 95 A.D., and He has been tight-lipped ever since.

There are many ways He speaks, of course. Most of the time He doesn't speak to us in an audible voice because it's His desire that we be spiritual people. He wants us to think, listen, hear, walk and live in the Spirit. "Walk in the Spirit," it says in Galatians 5:16. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice ..." John 10:27. And that is because we, His sheep, are spiritual. We are born of His spirit because we have given Him our lives. We can now hear the voice of His Holy Spirit. "The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life," Jesus said in John 6:63. So when we hear His voice it's in the Spirit. We hear and know within, and He pours out His gifts into us.

There are some people who believe the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not for today. They quote 1Corinthians 13:8-9 which says, "...whether there are prophecies they will fail; where there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away."

Well, of course. When the Lord comes all will be fulfilled! The gifts of the Holy Spirit are for this earth realm as we grow in our spiritual walk with the Lord. Also, let me point out that right in the next chapter, 1Corinthians 14:1, Paul admonishes us to desire prophecy, which is a gift of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 4:11-13 tells us that the gifts of the Holy spirit have been given to us by God until we reach the stature of the fullness of Christ. I'm afraid we haven't gotten there yet. We need those precious gifts.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO PROPHESY?

To prophesy means to speak or act on behalf of God. He loves to communicate to His people and the prophetic gift is one way He expresses Himself to us. Prophetic words are meant to bring encouragement, life, and blessing to people. Prophesy is for exhortation, encouragement and edification. God is an all knowing God. He knows all things about all things. All wisdom and knowledge belongs to Him, and He will reveal His will and His heart through His chosen vessels.

Patricia King says, "The Holy Spirit is within Christians to reveal the things to come and to lead and guide us into all truth. He [the Lord] gives insights into the heart and mind of God. When we are sensitive to Him, He will often lead us into prophetic revelation. We can learn to listen and discern." The increased prophetic activity in the world today is a sign of the emergence of the last days victorious church.

Chuck Pierce describes prophecy like this: "Prophecy is speaking the mind and heart of God as revealed by the Holy Spirit. Prophecy is the outflow of the heart and the very nature of God."1 One prophetic word can change a life forever. Jesus said in John 6:63, "The flesh profits nothing. It is the Spirit that gives life. The words I speak they are spirit and life." Prophetic words will bring life and blessing from the heart of God.

PROPHECY IN TODAY'S WORLD

Jim Goll writes, "Today there is a new anointing for a new generation, a Joshua generation of people who will be born into the things of the Spirit in the midst of a great spiritual storm that is sweeping across our land."

Persons anointed with a prophetic ministry speak the word of the Lord in the name of the Lord. Goll explains it, "They [prophetic persons] carry weight in the church by virtue of the ethical, moral and spiritual urgency of their message;" -- if they are the true bearer of messages from God.

Prophets are essentially interpreters of God, His will and His heart, and prophesy is a natural biblical means for God to speak to His people with no interference.

There are two dangers regarding prophetic ministry in today's world I'd like us to look at. One is that the person with a prophetic gifting chooses to be an isolated figure without recognized authority over him or her. I saw this example when a husband and wife team who proclaimed themselves to be prophets traveled around giving a word of instruction "from God" to individuals. They stayed away from what they called the organized church, because they believed they had the real truth and they wanted to be taught by the Holy Spirit and not man. They were popular for a time in their small sphere. People would telephone them for "direction from the Lord," and also visit them for intense times of prayer and seeking spiritual guidance and help. The results, however, in time were devastating. The couple had created an open door for the devil to move in on what could have been a gifted ministry -- by their choosing to be isolated, like lone wolves. They became angry and upset if a person didn't follow their directives, and eventually they began extorting money from their victims. They became alien fortune tellers, and many people were seriously wounded by them. They turned a good gift into something bad and became false prophets.

A true prophet of the Lord is not without community and a place of submission to godly leadership. A true prophet is under authority and open to correction and admonition. A true prophet is strong in the Lord, and humble with a teachable spirit. These are just a few of the marks to look for in the prophet of the Lord. And a trait I love so much is the common ordinariness of most prophets. Gone are the days of the exalted Christian celebrity high on their holy pedestal above the hungry masses-- You'll find them now washing someone's car who needs it, or cleaning the bathroom at church if it needs it, or offering to baby-sit for you if you need help, as well as giving a Word from God to the nations or ministering to hundreds of thousands in worldwide crusades.

Actually, I think this humility just-plain-folk wave of the Spirit applies in each of the five-fold ministries. You'll find your pastor out under someone's car helping to fix their brakes, the evangelist will be driving the bus, the prophet is stacking chairs after the service, the teachers are collating and running off copies of hand-outs, the apostles are washing dishes in the kitchen... And they are powerful ministers of the Gospel of Christ. The Lord loves it when we don't think of ourselves higher or lower than anyone else, no matter what job we have in the Kingdom.

He wants us strong and steadfast in the Kingdom, which brings me to the second danger I want us to look at. It's discouragement. It takes a strong prophetic spirit to endure in confident prayer even when things become very difficult and the seeds planted don't seem to be flowering. Maybe you don't feel accepted with your gift where you are. Let the Lord guide you. He wants you accepted, but more than that, He wants you strong.

"Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." (Ephesians 6:10) Then when you move prophetically, sometimes the message you receive is heavy. It takes wisdom and strength to handle such words. I remember when the Lord told me to stop praying for mercy for the area where I lived. He told me He demanded justice. I didn't know what to make of that word, so I kept quiet about it and prayed and waited. Then one day I got revelation. I saw that the area was meant by God to be a blessing and a comfort to people, but it was polluted with worldliness, pride and greed. I was able to bring this to my coalition of intercessors (many who are the people who pray for you when you send us your prayer requests. Together we are praying for the region to be brought into alignment with the will of God, and much more wisdom, understanding and revelation is coming to us as we spend time in prayer together for the region. The gift of prophesy is for everyone. The prophet doesn't have all the revelation.

The wise prophet knows when to speak and when to be quiet. Some very blessed and gifted men and women can move in the gift of prophecy, but don't know how to handle the gift. But please, don't let that discourage you. Even if you make a mistake and blunder into areas where you shouldn't have gone, ask for forgiveness, brush yourself off, and start listening for His voice again. You'll hear it in the Word of God for sure. Fall in love with Him and His Word all over again. Learn from your leaders and teachers. Listen to the prophets God has raised up in the world today. Never give up or throw in the towel, never go with the miserable punches the devil hands out. Reach up higher. Take the gifts He freely gives. Be brave and go on trusting. The training process will be hard and long. It will take years. I'm willing to step up to the plate. What about you?

"Follow after love, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that you may prophesy... He that prophesies speaks to people for edification, exhortation and comfort." (1 Corinthians 14:1,3)