Good Day, Kingdom Friends!

As a young prophet, the most important thing you will ever need to learn about is the prophetic timeline. We speak until we see.  We must realize that just because we receive a word from the Lord, it will not necessarily manifest immediately, or within a day, or a week, or a month… or within our lifetime. We must not get discouraged just because we are not seeing the word come to pass. An example of this is the prophet Isaiah. The word that the Lord gave Isaiah through much of his ministry did not manifest until well after Isaiah had left the earth. He regularly was accountable for delivering prophecies about the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, His death, and His resurrection. I can only imagine how discouraging it may have been for Isaiah to consistently hear from the Lord, receive a word that he knew in his spirit was a true word, and yet never see it manifest.

For this very reason, we must have the confidence and assurance that the word that we are delivering is truly from the Lord. When we hear a word, we must take the time to go to the Lord in prayer, to ensure that we are not filtering it through our own opinions, impressions, and biases, so that it is pure. We must not be overzealous or hasty in delivering a word before it is time. For in the time that we spend in prayer over the word, it is wise to search out scripture as a foundation; for every word we receive from the Lord will always line up with scripture. Scripture will enhance the word, give it greater meaning and give us a better understanding. It will enable us to communicate the word with clarity, context, and foundation. Evidence of a sound word from the Lord is agreement with scripture (2 Tim. 3:15-17).

Just as important, if not more important, as understanding the prophetic timeline is understanding your own prophetic gift. As seen throughout scripture, each prophet had their own anointing for the delivery of the word and timing of the word. Just as prophets in the Bible gave words that manifested immediately (hours, days) such as Elijah, other prophetic words came to pass years and centuries later. Knowing your anointing and the timing is imperative to your effective operation in the prophetic. There is a time for everything under the sun, including a time to speak and a time to keep silent (Eccl. 3:7b). The purpose of our word may be to plant a seed or to water a word that has already been given. But we can have faith that the Lord will cause the harvest to be produced in His time (1 Cor. 3:6).

Another dimension of your prophetic gift is your prophetic type or style or personality. One of the most valuable assignments my mentor gave me very early on was to read the books of the prophets and, with help from Holy Spirit, identify the prophet whom I identified with. Once you identify your prophetic type, study that prophet’s life, ministry, and style. As you learn and grow in your gift, it will help you understand why you may be going through a certain testing; it will assist you in identifying the season you are in; it will bring comfort and understanding to the challenges that you face. Knowing your prophetic style will defend against insecurity during times of testing and opposition. It will also assist you with the lens through which you view scripture and the type of message the Lord will typically trust you with.

        Photo by Nathan Dumlao                             Courtesy of Unsplash

One of the biggest errors a prophet makes is to be in a hurry to speak what we believe the Lord is saying, without taking the time to assess the word, the timing, the purpose of the word, and the context in which it is being given. Maturity comes when, instead of being in a hurry to speak, we recognize that the word that we have heard is not ready to be released, for whatever reason.

1 Corinthians 13:9 says, “We know in part and we prophesy in part.” But do not use this as an excuse for delivering an unprocessed, immature word. The risk of stepping out and releasing a word too soon or undeveloped is manifold. There is a danger to the prophet in speaking an immature or undeveloped word. There is a danger that the hearer of the word does not receive it if their heart is not properly prepared to receive the word. There is the danger that the person receiving the word, if immature, will move in the wrong timing because the prophet spoke the word at the wrong time or a word out of context. Releasing a word that has not been fully developed or is out of God’s timing can cause confusion to those hearing the word.

At a time when “new” prophetic and apostolic voices are coming on the scene, it is imperative that the true prophets of God use wisdom and operate in the Lord’s timing. Our desire should always be to be a trusted voice in the Kingdom. With that desire comes a responsibility to allow the Lord to work in you and through you until completion. Allow Him to hide you until He decides the time has come to release what He has given you.

See Far & Perceive!