SIMPLIFYING THE PROPHETIC
Part I: Making It Plain
A SIMPLIFIED VIEW OF THE PROPHETIC
In courses within The School of the Scribe, we don't really teach on the prophetic from a deep perspective. Whether you do or not is completely up to you. ONLY YOU KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE or will be introduced to your specific audience.
In my ministry experience, I have often drawn those who are just awakening to the prophetic in our on-site or online scribe schools, conferences or workshops. As a result, I leave this part in that BASIC place and don't go to deep. (In my worship center, The Scribal Conservatory, I go deep.)
Our students come from all kinds of backgrounds. The best situation is when you have students that have a mature understanding of the prophetic already. If that's the case, you won't need to teach this topic AT ALL.
But just in case, I've put together this section as a means for teaching this topic fundamentally -- without any bells and whistles.
The purpose of this section on "simplifying the prophetic" is to take all the weirdness out of the conversation, put the focus on Christ and to help those that may not know how to teach this part do so with ease.
Keep in mind that the first part of the prophetic journey is learning to recognize THE VOICE OF GOD. The easiest way to begin that process for a new believer or a person who is new to the Charismatic faith is to help them realize that the "power of conviction" of sin is one of the best ways that we learn to recognize God's voice.
No special insight is needed to understand that.
If you can be convicted by Holy Spirit, meaning made aware of something negative in your life that does not produce Christ likeness WITH THE UNDERSTANDING that change toward something Christ-worthy is needed, then you can hear Him. The process of becoming aware of how to believe God IS THE PROCESS of learning to recognize and know HIS VOICE.
Teach people this truth... and their foundations for recognizing the voice of the Lord within themselves will be affirmed.
As you know, it is Holy Spirit who releases the presence of the Lord within us, through us and for us. Holy Spirit IS THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD AT WORK IN US TO CAUSE US TO BE LIKE HIM. And the presence of the Lord is the manifestation of Holy Spirit making use of our vessel.
Teach them that the "anointing" is the presence of the Lord actively moving through us to accomplish His will in any given moment. To move prophetically or to be prophetic is to have an awareness of God's presence, desire and power to accomplish His will at the appointed time presented to us.
When people began differentiating between "my anointing, this type of anointing" and so forth, they are generally getting ready to poke their chests out and brag about some perceived special ability. With a simplistic view, we knock that kind of posturing out of the way by simply saying, "It is a blessing to be used by the Lord."
Understanding this was very freeing to me as a believer. It allowed me to shed all of the religious jargon and ideas that can keep us bound, confused and desperately thinking we need more of God. It also helped me see clearly when people were attempting to take ownership of Holy Spirit vs. understanding that they are but vessels daily being fitted for the master's use.
To say someone is anointed is simply acknowledging that the presence of the Lord is visible and tangible within that person's life. When people say things from a pure place like "the anointing on my life is..." or that "this is my anointing....," I believe what they are truly trying to convey: "This is how Holy Spirit reveals himself in me" or "This is the particular release of the Spirit that flows with my assignment." After all, no one can command or own the Lord's Spirit.
Nehemiah 9:20 declares, "You gave your GOOD SPIRIT TO INSTRUCT them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst."
John 15:26, "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me."
SIDE NOTE: When I was a young believer, I realized that the teachings I was receiving about the prophetic could be really complication. They were accurate, but there were so many parts that I would often have trouble making sense of what I was learning. So instead of putting everything in boxes, I began studying the identity, work and power of Holy Spirit in both the Old & New Covenants. I concluded that the POWER OF GOD IN ANY SON rests in the POWER OF HOLY SPIRIT WITHIN THEM. If there is any prophecy, anointing, miracle, sign or wonder... then it is due to the resurrecting power of Holy Spirit regardless of how we label that manifestation.
I also recognized that if we are PROPHETIC in our sonship, it simply means that we are sensitive to the heart, mind and will of God, especially as it relates to his corresponding guidance, instruction and intention within the portion entrusted to us.
As a result, moving in the prophetic - as I teach it - really has four critical components that strengthens the Lord's presence HIS SONS:
FULL IMMERSION. In Christian ease, it's a place of being "personally and privately" committed to growing into fullness as it relates to likeness and image. It's not just being sold out for gifts and callings, but for Jesus's inward, outward lifestyle. Our covenant love for him should be so immersive, that Jesus's example becomes the driving source of our lives.
FULL OBEDIENCE. The New Covenant teaches that obedience is "willing" submission to the heart-life we are called to as sons by Jesus. For me, obedience was used as a word of force and associated solely with disobedience within the church of my youth. It's full connotation, however, is not a reference to "being forced" to do or to be because it's contrary to my own nature; but it is a reference to submitting to the gentle ways of the Lord.
I had to understand that this was a "term of sonship" and "covenant," not rebellion and anger. It was an instruction for sons to submit fully into the wise counsel of the Lord, and submitting to wholesome instruction that was valuable to our lives and purpose. It is an "immersive" word that is saturated in covenant love, blessings and freedom to thrive.
HUMILITY. Humility is a developed virtue and principle of life that declares we see ourselves in correct esteem. This means that we do not exaggerate our lowliness before God or others; and we also do not exaggerate views of superiority before God or others. Humility declares that a son can fully be who he or she was created to be with a clear understanding of their immersive dependency on the Lord.
FAITH. When humility exists in our lives as sons, it becomes easier in our maturity to believe that God is reliable and trustworthy. We are able to grasp hold of that immersive love we are experiencing and count on the truth of His hope for us as sons. If mustard seed faith can move mountains, how much more could be accomplished when we grow into a mass amount of faith.
You see, I believe the prophetic is deeply fueled by these postures in the heart. Why? Well, each areas positions sons to understand and know the will of God without any religious pretense or oddities. We can literally stand as exploring sons, children in our faith. After all, Galatians reminds us that IT IS FOR FREEDOM that we have been set free. We are admonished not to become bound again (Gal. 5:1).
Because the PROPHETIC is an extremely tangible release of Holy Spirit in our lives, it is imperative that we understand the ROLE OF HOLY SPIRIT in the prophetic release -- especially as it relates to prophetic callings and giftings. We must understand that what is being released is "God's presence." And it is presence that creates the "anointed atmosphere" or an atmosphere saturated with the tangible presence of Holy Spirit.
FIRST, understanding that the prophetic is Holy Spirit moving in us, around us and on behalf of us is the first component of that foundation. God sent us someone to HELP US fulfill our purpose and destiny from the inside of our temples out.
SECONDLY, Holy Spirit is who releases the Lord's resurrecting power within us. Period. We are powerless without the Spirit's place in our temple as sons.
THIRDLY, Holy Spirit operates within three clear, defined and immovable boundaries.
These boundaries are defined as follows through three key scriptures: (1) Holy Spirit is our eternal teacher who is committed to bringing all things THE LORD taught us into our remembrance (John 14:26); (2) Holy Spirit is God's truth which guides us in God's desires, speaks on the authority of God and declares God's present and future will for His people (John 15:26, John 16:13); and (3) Holy Spirit is tasked with bearing witness to the life, ministry and work of Jesus (John 1:18).
The best summation of this can be seen in Rev. 19:10c where the scripture declares, "...Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy.” In other words, TRUE PROPHECY & ALL WORKS OF THE PROPHETIC will only testify to the intention of Christ - his heart for the Kingdom NOW and his his heart for the KINGDOM in the future as He has already proclaimed.
Holy Spirit's role is one that functions to reveal Christ in us and in the earth. This simplistic, bare-bones perspective will help us set the stage for the prophetic in this course. In addition, if there is any conversation about the "saturation" of Holy Spirit in any given environment... we can contribute that to two areas: (1) God's will to saturate an environment, making it weighty and heavy; and (2) the authority in which a Son operates which generates saturation, a weightiness or heaviness, within their realm. But one thing we must always remember: IT IS NOT US, BUT GOD MOVING THROUGH THE VESSEL!
This teaching also seeks to affirm that any gifting or calling that is associated with what we identify as the prophetic IS A GIFT OF HOLY SPIRIT. AND IF IT IS A GIFT OF THE SPIRIT, IT'S PURPOSE IS TO CONTINUE REVEALING CHRIST -- IN US, THROUGH US AND FOR OTHERS.