God has spoken of a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Last Days. Look at Acts chapter 2 and Joel chapter 2.
“ In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
“ Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.” “I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Acts 2:17-21
Notice that the primary gift used during this time period is the gift of prophecy. There are 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit but the gift of prophecy is the predominant one to be used at this time. It’s indicating that there will be an increase in the gift of prophecy before the 2nd Coming of Christ. The question is why Prophecy?
If it were me I would have chosen the gifts of Healing, Faith or Miracles as the gifts to use. In Malachi chapter 4 it also speaks of this time period before the 2nd Coming of the Lord and in this chapter it speaks of an increase of healings and the ministry of Elijah who had an amazing miracle ministry. I believe that this Elijah spoken of is the Spirit filled Church.
“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.” Malachi 4:1-2
“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.” Malachi 4:5-6
What I see is that prophecy is the key to us preparing for this ministry. Speaking this ministry into being, so to speak. It says that prophecy will be so strong that our Sons and Daughters will also be prophesying. We have a long way to go for this to happen, for even the more mature Christians aren't prophesying all that much, let alone our children. We need to be believing that our sons and daughters will be prophesying and don’t settle for anything less. Lift up your sights for bigger things for your vision is too small.
This gift will not just be for the ‘Prophets’ or those certain people who are bold enough to speak on a Sunday morning, but open for many more. The question is “If more people are going to prophesy, when will there be time for it all to happen on a Sunday morning?” There is only a 30 minute window before the preaching of the word, so if it increases when are we going to fit it all in?” I believe we are doing the right thing now but there is much more that we need to yet embrace. The only thing I feel that we may be doing wrong is that often the word that some give in prophecy is meant to be for them and not for the Church. Because we can be so keen to use our ‘gift’ we don’t always listen to what the Spirit is saying. The word maybe for us personally and not for the Church.
I personally prophecy in the church as God leads me. I remember the first time I was used, I came up for prayer for the gift of Healing. The Minister said, no God wants to give you the gift of prophecy. I was disappointed but trusted the Man of God. The only thing I had on my heart was a scripture which I spoke out, and He said that this was of God. Short and Sweet. He said if you are faithful in the little things God will give you more. Awhile later I was in a Service and felt I was to prophecy. I was reluctant but the conviction grew until my heart was pounding in my chest. I spoke it out and knew that I had done the will of God. Since then I don't get that quickened heart beat and move more in faith, just knowing that I am to speak. I personally think that we can prophecy in the Church to be recognised as a ‘man’ or ‘woman’ of God which is the wrong motive. The gift can be abused.
After all these years I have realised that prophesy is not just for a Church setting nor is it always to be spontaneous (not knowing what we are to say next). It isn't just words of wisdom and knowledge either but much more than this. It requires faith but when operated consistently it will change your life and the world around you. I found a significant key in Ezekiel 37 and the Prophecy of the Dry Bones.
“The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” Ezekiel 37:1-3
The major thing to notice about this prophecy was that it was outside in a Valley and not only that, no one was listening. There was only God and Ezekiel and the very dead dry bones. Many would have a problem with prophesying like this. It would seem pointless because no one is listening, yet this prophecy produced an amazing miracle. I think through a lack of faith and the need to be noticed, we lose an amazing opportunity to minister prophetically. The end result of Ezekiel’s obedience was the raising up of a great army.
“Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ ”
Ezekiel’s prophecy wasn’t spontaneous. In other words he didn’t speak out not knowing what he was going to say next. He was given the words to say and told to read them out. It was like, “Repeat after me.” Ezekiel was obedient and a miracle took place. A Great Army was raised up from those dry bones. The wilderness was turned into a garden, the dead to life and all through words.
The world around us is in a mess, chaos abounding. I'm amazed at what is happening in the USA. Cities on fire and anarchy everywhere. The curse is increasing over the earth. The book of Malachi says that we, the Spirit filled Church are the answer. The situation can be changed, the curse pushed back by prophecy. It speaks of Elijah coming. I don't believe that it is the literal reincarnation of Elijah but the Spirit of Elijah accompanied by miracles on His Church. A Prophetic people who have God’s word in their mouths.
“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.” Malachi 4:5-6
God is looking for a prophetic people, not just a prophet, but our sons and daughters, just ordinary folk. Not just on a Sunday, but 24/7. Not just in the building but outside in the workplace and the wildernesses of life. We have been given the ammunition and it is the word of God in our mouths. We need to put the word into our hearts and minds so that we end up believing it. As we do this faith comes. The key to being a prophetic person is to love His word and speak it out.
“If you return, Then I will bring you back; You shall stand before Me; If you take out the precious from the vile, You shall be as My mouth.” Jeremiah 15:19
The key to power filled words is also separation and sanctification. Jeremiah was told that if he took the precious from the vile, he would be as God’s mouth. We need to surrender our lives to God and be careful what we say, speaking precious words, the words of God. Not allowing filthy words to come out of our mouths along with words of unbelief. We also need to know the scriptures for the situations of life. We may be able to answer questions on the ‘Chase,’ but do we know what the word says. These words bring life. God is looking for mouth pieces to declare life. He is looking for John the Baptists who declare His word. John was called the ‘voice’ in the wilderness. He was different and prepared the way of the Lord, as we are called to do. Look at what Jesus said.
“So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” Mark 11:22-24
Notice how the emphasis is on saying even more than believing. The more you say it the more you believe it. You can’t believe and not say. To get saved you need to believe in your heart and confess with your mouth. When you look at this verse it says that our words can move mountains. Words are so small in comparison, you can’t even see them. Mixed with faith they are powerful enough to remove those mountains in our lives.
We need to separate from our lives the careless words and change our vocabulary. Changing our words can change our lives. The bible says that our words are like a rudder that steers our lives and that life and death are in the power of our tongues.
Our words are forerunners of a future event.
In Ezekiel’s situation things were just too impossible to change. Not only were the bones dry, but very dry. But God was able through a prophetic word to cause life to enter those bones and raise up a great army. I believe God is training us to walk by faith and not look at the those things that are seen but to that which is invisible, calling it forth into the here and now. To not be carnally minded and look at that which we see and feel but beyond that to what we believe and know to be true. Not to look at the facts but the truth. We can be too fleshly and look at the circumstances all the time ignoring what God says about it. If we are carnal then we say what we see and this always produces fear. Fear causes our words to be weak and full of unbelief. Our faith becomes small and our words have no authority in them anymore. We need to be a ‘word’ people, filled with His Spirit with life changing speech.
We had a real life example of the power of prophecy recently, in our son and daughter in law. Adrian our son went over to Wales and got married to a Zimbabwe girl who he used to know when we were in Africa. They had a child there and lived in Cwmbran, Wales. His wife Janelle had a good job with the council but Adrian struggled to find work and had to stay home and look after their son. It seemed a dead end for them both. Adrian longed to come home but they both couldn’t see how they would ever be able to come to New Zealand. Adrian was concerned about getting a job and also for Janelle to get the appropriate visas.
About a year and a half ago I was praying down at Kawaroa Park overlooking the sea. It was here many years earlier that I had looked out over the sea to the west and cried out to God for Bernice to be my wife who was in Zimbabwe. God eventually brought that to pass, and here she was living with me in New Plymouth.
I had learnt a lot about prayer since then and prophesied that Adrian and Janelle would be here by Christmas and I would see Sebastian my grandson sliding down the slides here at Kawaroa Park. Its seemed so impossible.
I told my wife and we prophesied their coming. When ever we drove past where Adrian used to work we would prophecy him a job. The company he worked for was not there anymore and Powerco had taken its place. Whenever we drove past a sign for the Christian School we would declare that Sebastian would go to that pre-school. When I walked through the bush at Brooklands I would prophecy that Adrian will be running though here by Christmas.
Praise God it all came together and all these things came to pass and they were here by November 2019. Praise God they came when they did for the Epidemic hit and their chances of coming reduced.
I have since watched Sebastian slide down those slides, Adrian run through the park and Sebastian is loving going to the school. They stayed with us for 10 months and have recently got their own place to rent. Just before the ‘Lock Down’ Adrian got a job at Powerco in the building we spoke over and being an essential service never lost his job. Janelle has recently got a job too which she loves and is working with the Council here in New Plymouth. They both have great cars and its amazing to see what God has done. The wilderness became a garden and the dry bones became alive.
In the light of all that has happened I can see again that God wants us to prosper. He wants us to have His best and delights to bless us. Our desires are powerful forces that can guide and effect our lives and can be harnessed with our words. Faith filled prophetic words.
If you are keen it would be good to find someone who thinks the same as you, so that you can practise to prophecy together over situations. God wants you healed, prospering and walking in victory. This opens up a ministry for all of us that can change the dry situations of life. I know that God answers prayer but there is a lot of power in prophecy.
One thing I know is that God wants your children blessed. Here is a great verse to prophecy over your children while in prayer.
“All your children will be taught by the LORD, and great will be their peace.” Isaiah 54:13
I was chatting to my son Sean about how God wants to use our sons in prophecy and he said that he has been doing this for quite awhile now after hearing this teaching. He told me that he was greatly encouraged after he prophesied over a friend who worked at a supermarket a few years ago. He prophesied that he would have his own supermarket one day. The friend said that Sean was the only one believing in him and speaking this into his life. Well today that friend has his own New World Supermarket near Wellington. The amazing thing is, how Sean came to know this young man.
Speaking in tongues outside of Church particularly on prayer walks is a very important ministry. Just because you don’t know what you are saying doesn't mean that tongues isn't powerful, after all tongues are the words of the Holy Spirit speaking through you. You are praying the will of God. I feel that this prophesying and speaking in tongues outside of Church go hand in hand.
I had a wonderful example of this while ministering as a pastor in Te Kuiti, New Zealand many years ago. I regularly walked around the town quietly praying in tongues, not really knowing what I was praying about and just communicating with God. The local newspaper deliberately miss-quoted me in an interview on my views of a school play called “Mort’ which Christian parents didn’t agree with. It was promoting death and had a grim reaper as part of its advertising. The main actor was in hospital sick and others were also falling sick and we believed that they were opening the door for the devil. Two of the school teachers were part of the problem and encouraging students to partake of seances and use Ouija boards etc. After the interview the reporter made me look a real idiot in the newspaper article which went all over the Waitomo area. The Devil was laughing at me and my future there looked bleak. I stepped up my prayer walks around the town and especially the High School where the problem had originated. God eventually came through for me and those 2 teachers who were causing all the trouble left. The Headmaster who was allowing this sort of thing to happen also left and was replaced by a Christian Headmaster. The head boy and head girl came to our church and went on for God. The reporter who was out to get me left and the newspaper favoured us as a Church from then on, with many good articles. The Head boy became friends with my son and is the young man who now owns his own supermarket. All this came about through tongues and prophecy.
My son said that he also spoke to a friend whose marriage was on the rocks and prophesied over him. Just recently the couple re dedicated their marriage in Church. I rest my case.