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GIFT OF PROPHECY

…to another prophecy…

—1 CORINTHIANS 12:10

The gift of prophecy is not an office. The gift of prophecy is a speaking gift to build up, cheer up, and call near. Prophecy is a message or utterance through an individual from God to strengthen, encourage, or comfort a person or group of people at a particular time (1 Cor. 14:3).

God is a prophetic Spirit. He can speak through the prophetic gift in Christians. Prophecy is the supernatural utterance or divine communication of the mind of God conveyed in a native tongue. It is a miracle of divine utterance, not conceived by human thought or reasoning. It includes speaking unto men to edification, exhortation, and comfort. I love the prophetic because it’s a building gift. God speaks through this gift of prophesying to believers. I have prophesied to hundreds of thousands people and seen many miracles, healings, and breakthroughs taking place because of the prophecy.

God talks to believers through the power of the prophetic. The prophetic is so needed today and in every generation. The prophetic comes through the gifts and voices of believers. We have to look at what prophecy means in the Greek. The Greek word is prophēteia and properly means “a speaking forth” (Strong’s #G4394). According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, the word refers to “discourse emanating from divine inspiration and declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden; especially by foretelling future events.”

To prophesy is to declare the divine will, to interpret the purposes of God, or to make known in any way the truth of God that is designed to influence people. God wants to speak to you as you hear His voice as He shares and reveals hidden things, foretelling your purpose and destiny. God will use this powerful gift to help you interpret His plan, will, and vision for your life. In addition, He wants to encourage, comfort, and build you up while you are pursuing your destiny in Him by faith.

We must know clearly what the supernatural gift of prophecy does and why God uses it in His Church. We must first know that the gift of prophecy is not for unbelievers but for a sign to believers. First Corinthians 14:22 says clearly, “Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers.” This gift of prophecy is one of the most powerful but also sometimes one of the most misunderstood of the nine supernatural gifts from God. It is the forth-telling of a divine revelation, a prophetic message, intended to build up the Body of Christ. Prophetic messages are usually for the purpose of:

Edification of the Body of Christ by building them up in faith (1 Cor. 14:3)

Exhortation of the Body of Christ by calling people nearer to God (1 Cor. 14:3)

Comforting the Body of Christ to set at ease and to encourage (1 Cor. 14:3)

Convict and convince people of sin leading to repentance and reconciliation (1 Cor. 14:24-25)

Instruct, discern, and confirm calling and gifting (1 Tim. 4:14-15)

Testimony of and from Jesus—people realize that Jesus is near by the operation of the gift of prophecy (Rev. 19:10).

The purpose of the gift of prophecy in the New Testament church is described in First Corinthians 14:3: “But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.” We have to understand that the gift of prophecy is to encourage the Church at large or the body of believers with the love and heart of God. In the New Testament Church, we as prophetic people are not called to bring negative words, correction, or call fire down upon people. We are prophets of grace, not prophets of judgment. We do not prophesy people’s problems but we prophesy the answers. We are called to bring forth the best in people. The gift of prophecy is to build, exhort, encourage, and comfort believers by the Spirit of God.