Prophecy Today
Lent is over, but I did not want to end this series without talking about what prophecy today looks like.
Pentecost
After the resurrection of Jesus, we read throughout the book of Acts the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which began on the day of Pentecost. Just as these believers received the Holy Spirit, we receive Him too when we believe that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the grave.
After we receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we can receive spiritual gifts. One of these many gifts is prophecy. We do not get to choose our gifts, but God specifically chooses them for us to use for His glory. Some gifts we have for a lifetime, and others He uses for specific moments in time.
Six different scriptures reference the gift of prophecy.
'Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.' ~Ephesians 4:11 NLT #scripture Click To Tweet 'In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.'~Romans 12:6 NLT #dailyscripture Click To TweetThe book of 1 Corinthians contains the other four scriptures on the gift of prophecy in chapters 12, 13, and 14.
A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another, the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
~1 Corinthians 12:7-11
Dig deeper by reading more in verses 28 and 29 of the same chapter.
“If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.”
~1 Corinthians 13:2 NLT
“Let two or three people prophesy, and let the others evaluate what is said. But if someone is prophesying and another person receives a revelation from the Lord, the one who is speaking must stop. In this way, all who prophesy will have a turn to speak, one after the other, so that everyone will learn and be encouraged. Remember that people who prophesy are in control of their spirit and can take turns. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people.”
~1 Corinthians 14:29-33 NLT
What does prophecy look like today?
We must remember that all spiritual gifts are used to build up the body of Christ, serve one another, and equip the saints. So what does prophecy look like today? I believe it looks very much like it did in biblical times.
People still receive prophetic words. Some people have received prophetic words for our nation; others receive a message to share in church. Some may receive a message and share it in a prayer group, or a friend may call you because God gave them a word to share with you.
A Story Of Prophecy
I am going to share a story with you from my first year of marriage. At that time, I was a new pastor’s wife and really seeking to find my place in the church. I thought if Sam had a calling to be a pastor then I must have a calling too.
This was my first experience with prophecy. I did not recognize it at the time, but years later, I realized everything said had come to pass.
Seeking His Call
Each month at the church, we had wonderful ladies’ gatherings. We would have a speaker and an amazing time of worship. For this particular gathering, we had a prayer meeting the night before in preparation. This time our speaker Mary had traveled all the way from Alaska to Texas. I was so excited. I had heard so much about Mary and knew God spoke to her, so maybe God would speak to me through her.
Let me be clear, my thoughts of a calling at that time were big callings, by man’s standards. I just knew God would tell me I would be the next great speaker or bible teacher, an overseas missionary, or something on that level. You will see, I was not very humble. I now understand anything God calls us to do is a “Big” calling.
She Offered To Pray For Us
After we prayed for the upcoming gathering, Mary offered to pray for each of us. She was just one of those women that captured my full attention. I hung on her every word. So when she offered to pray for us I was more than excited.
With ten of us gathered, she began praying. She made her way around the circle, praying for each of us individually. As she got closer to me, I could hardly contain myself. My heart raced as I waited to hear what the Lord would say to me. I just knew God would give me my life calling. I just knew He would tell me how I would have an awesome, exciting ministry right next to Sam.
The closer she moved to me, the more eager I became. She made it to Sam, who sat on my left. She must have prayed for him for twenty minutes. It felt like hours. I thought to myself, would you finish and get to me. Did she not understand how badly I needed to hear from God?
She Caught My Attention
Now she has my attention. What was she saying? When I stopped thinking about myself, I heard her say things to Sam she should not know. It became evident to me God was speaking through her. She shared with him about upcoming struggles and obstacles he would face. All I could think was, poor guy. Now get to me. (Did I mention my lack of humility?)
Anticipation was killing me.
Finally, it was my turn. She looked me directly in the eyes with her hands firmly on my shoulders and said one concise phrase. She said, “You are to be his support.” And with that, she moved on to the next person.
I did not want to be his support! What was this? This was my calling? He got twenty minutes of hearing from the Lord, and I get to be his support. I was fighting back the tears. Words cannot express the turmoil within me. It felt like God had so much for Sam and left me behind. I felt forgotten in God’s plan.
Everything Came To Pass
To make a much longer story short, everything prayed that night came to pass. Not just once but four times over. I sought so much for myself, but God used this moment to do a lot of humbling. God had not forgotten me. He has given me lots of opportunities to serve Him, but along with these opportunities supporting Sam has been the greatest.
This story is not a profound prophecy like Moses’ burning bush experience, but this was God giving Sam and me words that would equip us for our entire marriage and our journey of serving Him together.
Now It Is Your Turn
I would love to hear your experiences with prophecy. If you are willing, please share your stories in the comments below, no matter how big or small you believe them to be. If you feel more comfortable, you can share them with me via email in the form below.
I want to thank you again for reading this Lenten series. It was an honor to write it for you, and I pray God spoke to you somehow through it. The series is over, but there are more posts to come.
