How do I grow in the prophetic? Part 2: Entering the conversation

The prophetic words we minister are often impressions, perceptions, even visions borne out of a moment of inspiration in a worship service or when praying for someone. While that in itself is an awesome gift that we love and appreciate, the Old Testament is full of examples of prophecies that come out of longer periods of carrying, dialoguing with God and receiving revelation. We can call this revelatory prophecy.

It can be likened to crafted prayer in the sense that both need inspiration, thought, processing, distilling and most importantly the dialogue with God throughout. Revelatory prophecy can be expressed as a crafted prayer, but not all crafted prayers are revelatory prophecy. Similar to inspirational prophecy, revelatory prophecy may find its output in any number of expressions from prayer, to art, to poetry, preaching, declarations, etc.

Every believer is able to prophesy on an inspirational level, especially in times of worship because we have all been filled with the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit is inherently prophetic and if we are filled with Him we can all bring edification, exhortation and comfort in the moment (1 Cor 14:3).

A call to deeper levels

However, Holy Spirit is calling us deeper in the prophetic to learn the way of entering into the conversation and carrying the word. Revelatory prophecy may also begin spontaneously in a moment of inspiration, but then a conversation is entered into between the carrier and God that grows the carrier and matures the word. From what I see, very few of the great prophetic words in Scripture were spontaneous. Most were released after hours, days and even weeks of prayer and meditation by the prophet.

What we call revelatory prophecy are words that may bring direction, correction, warning and strategy for a way forward. They often herald significant change and shift atmospheres. These kinds of words are therefore dependent on firstly carrying or birthing it in conversation with God and secondly observing healthy protocol for delivery, as they have the potential to cause damage if we miss God’s ways and timing.

But the emphasis for those growing in revelatory prophecy is not on the potential to miss God’s way. He is so big and so able to catch us if we stumble. If our hearts are right we will easily hear Him leading us and showing us how to carry the word to fulfilment or delivery. So the emphasis cannot be on the possibility of missing it, but it is rather on the conversation that God is inviting us into.

Depth and weight

The Bible begins the story of man with Adam and Eve face-to-face with God, talking and conversing together (Genesis). The book of Revelation also ends with this face-to-face way of being together.  It makes sense then that almost everything in-between is about us coming back to face-to-face! It’s what we were made for.

This is why I believe that the best way to learn to grow in the prophetic is to pay attention to the Voice that calls you aside into a conversation (kind of like Moses and the burning bush). As you draw aside and enter into it you will learn how to carry, how to respond, how to process, what to do with it and what questions to ask Him in order for you to go deeper. This is why there is a depth difference between inspirational and revelatory prophecy. It is a depth that comes from intimacy and a weightiness that comes from the glory of the conversation with God.

Spring has come

As I am preparing to post this blog I have such a strong sense that some of you have already been carrying a word for yourself or those close to you but there has been a growing question in your heart of “how long?” Even as today is the first day of spring, I believe it is heralding your time of birthing and bringing forth the new. I see new expressions of ministry being birthed, new ways of doing things and new entrepreneurial ventures. I see expansion and I see salvation. The Lord is faithful and always brings us to the time of delivery.

(In part 3, I will share some thoughts on the protocol for delivering revelatory prophecy.)