“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 NIV
PRAYER KEEPS US INTIMATE WITH GOD AND ALERT TO SATAN’S SCHEMES
God loves to share his secrets with those he spends intimate fellowship with. He especially loves to share his secrets with his servants the prophets. Although prophetic function looks different than it did in the Old Testament, it is still a part of God’s plan for the church and necessary for the equipping through discipleship today.
“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Ephesians 4:11-16 NIV
Having been myself in the prophetic community for many many years, I’ve seen the need for the reset that is upon us and has been for the last year and a half in the prophetic community.
Prophetic ministry became in many circles very soulish and was rooted in pride and greed. It also became primarily predictive and although it does have the predictive element within its function it is not solely predictive by nature.
True prophetic function requires great intimacy with God whereby we have an ability to see, hear, and release his heart concerning the current issues and yes even future issues in our world.
God wants his people to know what’s going on in the world he created, and also what’s coming, so we can be prepared. He shares his heart with those he has intimate fellowship with in prayer. The very heart and nature of God is to protect and provide for his beloved and for those who have not yet come into the fold.
As I shared in my blog last week we have the promise of Jesus as the Great Shepherd. So we need not fear but we do need to pray unceasingly. Pray about everything and especially the things he brings to our attention.
I absolutely love this imagery of him as The Great Shepherd leading us, protecting us and guiding us as Psalm 23 and John 10:10 reminds us. And as he leads us we must pray because we must live with others in mind.
This is where prayer comes in.
As disciples of Jesus we are reminded that we lay down our lives just like Jesus laid down his life for the sheep. One of the ways we lay down our lives is in prayer. So if you are a disciple or if God has called you to a specific office such as pastor or teacher or prophet etc. you too have a responsibility to lay down your life for others in prayer. The Bible says while we have today we must do all that we can to help and encourage those around us (Paraphrased).
“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” Hebrews 3:13 NIV
We must be able to give people answers for the hope that lies within us all the while speaking the truth where denial and deception are gaining ground in our world. We are living in such turbulent and uncertain times and many people are fearing the future.
STAYING PURE IN PRAYER
If I’m going to speak candidly which you know I am, I can’t leave out the need to stay separate from the political arena as it relates to this topic. The reason why we needed a reset in the prophetic community is because there was such a mixture of politics with prophecy. Jesus told Pilate my kingdom is not of this world. Jesus has his own politics and his own government and it rests upon his shoulders.
Do I see the deception in the political arena? Absolutely I do. But I speak to it in prayer. It has become a divisive topic that invaded the church, corrupted prayer, and separated relationships.
We must guard ourselves moving forward in this new age from this political spirit that Jesus warned his disciples about. And one of the main ways we must guard ourselves is by staying alert with Holy Spirit in prayer.
We need to cover our families daily in prayer. We need to cover our national and state leaders daily. I am intentionally speaking life and applying the blood of Jesus to my family, ministry and friends on a daily basis. We need to raise up a hedge of protection around our children, our grandchildren, our families our state and our nation.
We still need God’s protection in a way that many are still not discerning. In the Gospel account in Mark, Jesus warned the disciples that they weren’t seeing or hearing correctly because their hearts were hardened. Prayer keeps our hearts humble with God and others. In the sermon on the mount Jesus said the pure in heart will see God. So dear friend, let us guard our hearts with all diligence, because not only do people need truth, we will also give an account for every idle word spoken.
There are many things looming in the darkness that wants to steal, kill and destroy, much like what has been done in the last year and a half. We must not lose sight of where we still are right now; while we desire to see a new way forward. Our normal has changed and I don’t like it anymore than you do, but I don’t want to be blind or stubborn about it.
PRAYER AND FORESIGHT
Prophetic function requires us learning to study trends and trajectories with God as hindsight gives way to insight and then foresight. It requires intimacy with God in prayer. Right now I sense a warning in the spirit to stay alert and sober as the devil roams around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. We must pray!
There’s a serious lying and deceptive spirit in this world right now and what it’s doing grieves me terribly and has caused me to be more soberly minded. At the heart of true prophetic function is prayer and intercession with Holy Spirit concerning such unseen spiritualities.
Travail and intercession have been heavy on me lately, as there are many things happening in the unseen realms that need addressing in prayer. This will require us being more intentional in yielding our day and lives to Holy Spirit.
Last week I shared the seriousness to pray about the important abortion topic before the Supreme Court and I continue to encourage and admonish you to do so; especially as you read this and process where the Lord may be leading you into times of prayer. 🙏
Thank you and may the Spirit of grace be upon you as you pray.
-Dana