When the prophetic really began to operate in my life, I was a senior at Missouri State University studying elementary education. I had only one semester left, student teaching, before I would graduate with my bachelor’s degree. I would be the first out of my immediate family to graduate from college, and they were all very proud. On this specific day at a local elementary school, I was to be evaluated by my college professor in a fourth grade class where I was to teach a social studies lesson. Right before I took over the class, as I was waiting off to the side for the standing teacher to finish up her lesson, Holy Spirit washed down over me like a tidal wave. Unexpected, completely caught off guard, I quickly saw a series of visions of me doing different things—I was speaking with a group of women at a church somewhere; books were stacked up in front of me, implying I had written them all; and I saw myself traveling and encouraging and healing people. Voiced over that stream of consciousness about my future was the question, “What are you doing?” And it was asked in a literal type of way, a way that was encouraging me to speak out loud what Holy Spirit was revealing to me—an audible acknowledgement of what I was seeing. I didn’t know it then, but it was definitely Holy Spirit teaching me how to declare and prophesy over myself.
The next thing I knew, the standing teacher was introducing me to the classroom, and I went on to teach my lesson—which I knocked out of the park, by the way. But after that school day, I sat in my car recalling the images that were still playing out over and over in my imagination. My heart ached because a depth of wonder and awe that I had not been in touch with before was calling, aching for me to agree with the promises that I felt impregnated by. That’s when I decided, right then and there, that if there was even a remote chance that I was hearing right and I could actually spend my days connecting people to the Spirit of God, then that was something I was willing to believe in. I just needed to think about how I was going break it to my husband, who had been faithfully supporting me going back to school, who had been so looking forward to the future second income I was only one semester away from.
I felt a draw toward something bigger than me, and at the time I thought it was about the work. I thought that if I didn’t do what I saw in those visions then I was going to mess up God’s grand plans. I didn’t understand that God was giving me an alternative choice, a choice that would require incredible faith but would develop me. I needed this—it would heal my soul in ways that I would have been too afraid to engage with on my own. My prosperity would be found as my soul was healed, and this was the journey that Holy Spirit was inviting me into. Walking with God has shown me that this life is about experiencing His salvation today, not trying to earn His pleasure. It is His great pleasure to invite you into impossibilities so you can experience what abundant living looks like.
Many of us want to hear what God has to say about our future, but we aren’t willing to do anything with the vision outside of being entertained by it. Some of us are afraid of being disappointed, allowing our past to cast judgement on our potential. And some of us are only willing to embrace the dying process that all of our physical bodies are in because it’s the only vision we’ve been repeatedly taught within the church—that we only prosper when we die and go to Heaven. Think about it—placing your hope in dying when Jesus said He came to give you life and life abundantly is contradicting to faith. He came so that you could advance His Kingdom, which is all about the revelation and gift of this supernaturally natural abundant life that’s found in relationship with Him.
I believe God invited me to seek Holy Spirit so that I could not only experience knowing Him but experience what life in connection/relationship to Him looks like. It’s pretty extravagant. I mean, have you read about Heaven? He paved His streets out of gold. Have you seen what Jesus did when He was on earth? They say there aren’t enough books that can hold it all. Let’s get real about what it means to share in God’s glory! It’s beautiful, it’s loving and kind, but it’s beyond your simple ability and it’s wild! Your life is supposed to be bigger than what you by yourself could create. Your life is supposed to reflect what you and God in relationship can accomplish. This is why you’re called a co-heir, an ambassador, a child of the living God! I believe to embrace a prophetic lifestyle is vital in truly advancing the Kingdom of God, which looks like God’s children waking up and manifesting on earth their union with God, empowered by Holy Spirit. This life has never been about starting up ministries; its about learning how to truly live reconciled to God, which is the ministry of reconciliation that Christ has called us into!
As I began to become awakened to the potential of my new identity, Holy Spirit began to teach me to view myself in more of a holistic way versus a compartmentalized way. This brought tremendous balance to me as I learned how to honor the spiritual gifts on my life and understand Holy Spirit’s role in reconciling me to God wholly, not just one part of me.
For me, early on, that looked like seeing and hearing the promises Holy Spirit revealed to me and then allowing that prophetic hope to heal the part of my soul that was shut off and shut down from going after more. For example, in the story I just told you about Holy Spirit falling on me in the classroom, holistically walking this out looked like me physically going to my husband and telling him that I’m believing in me as much as God does, which meant dropping out of college so that I could learn how to possess the promises God had placed on my life. It started out with believing in something unseen and then practically walking it out in the little ways I was able to at the time—writing down my testimonies and my experiences and teaching those closest to me how to possess the promises God was speaking over their own lives. Nothing glamorous there, but very supernaturally natural and incredibly powerful.
With each testimony written and each choice I made that agreed with the promises God had shown me over my life, I was reintroduced to the familiar woman in me who had been waiting to be recognized by no one other than myself. I liked her. A lot. She was radiant as her face was set upon the Lord! I found a lot of favor when I began to practically walk out the spiritual things God was showing me as well. For example, five years later Missouri State contacted me by letter to tell me that I had actually earned my bachelor’s degree if I wanted to simply reapply to MSU (for free) and apply to graduate! I received my bachelor’s degree in general studies with an emphasis in business in the mail several months later. Come on! How faithful is God! Talk about redemption! I had always felt embarrassed to tell people that I dropped out of college with only one semester left because I believed God was offering me a better gig.
I’d like to make a distinction here. When I say better, I am not saying holier. For me it would be a better gig because it was awakening me to the potential in me that I had stopped believing in. The teaching profession is a sacred profession. God is faithful to complete what He starts, even if doesn’t look like we are. And He always rewards those who walk by faith! This is salvation working through each part of us. Faith is walking out that salvation in fear and trembling, in holy remembrance of who God is and who you are to God! Believe me, the trembling part is real, but remember, to know God is to know He can be trusted!
First Thessalonians 5:23-24 says: “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” Paul clearly distinguishes three parts that make us up—spirit, soul, and body. He also said it is God Himself who sanctifies you and keeps you holy. This is the work of Holy Spirit!
Most believers are comfortable with the idea that when we die, our natural body will go back into the dirt and the non-physical part of us will go to Heaven in the twinkling of eye, as is our promise as a believer (see 1 Cor. 15:52), but maybe not all of us exactly understand the three parts of us that Holy Spirit is renewing and sanctifying. Maybe we aren’t exactly sure what functioning as a whole looks like. And some may not understand that we don’t have to wait until we die and get to Heaven before we begin walking in our new creation that is found in Jesus, because Jesus died and rose again to get Heaven inside of you today! Today is the day that Lord has made! Today is the day that every circumstance, everything can change when you begin to see yourself found in Christ—not lacking, not orphaned but found and wholly loved!
Hebrews 4:12 says that “the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Though you are one being, each part of you—spirit, soul, and body—is being actively brought into wholeness and purity by the Word of God, which the Bible clearly describes all throughout as being Jesus Christ. The spirit of prophecy, which is the spirit of Jesus, is the Word, and it says that the Word became flesh. Holy Spirit is speaking the Word of Christ over us, and it’s a prophetic lifestyle and believing in the Word of God that actively brings us into wholeness. When we believe in Jesus and place our faith in His Word over our life, we can walk in truth as the person God says we are and live an abundant life!
One of Holy Spirit’s beautiful pursuits is to reveal to you who Jesus is and what He has done for you. It’s by grace, God’s unearned love, and by His supernatural power and truth that you are actively being transformed in your spirit and soul, which then manifests through your physical body. I have heard multiple testimonies of people receiving God’s abundant love only to find they have been healed from a sickness or depression has left them. This is the beauty of Jesus’ gift of salvation at work! When we place our faith in the spoken Word of God over our lives, it is not just so one part of us can be reconciled to God; it impacts us body, soul, and spirit and reconciles us wholly to God!
The word salvation in Greek is sozo. It means to save, heal, recover, deliver, protect, preserve, to do well, and to be made whole—your entire human being (Strong’s #G4982).
Jesus came not only so that we could have eternal reconciliation with Abba but so that we would walk in supernatural and natural wholeness with God on earth in our whole being! Placing our faith in Jesus’ accomplishments alone grants us Heaven’s success on earth. We become victors, as Christ is victor! God’s love is not just for one part of us; it’s for our whole being. We are new and whole in Christ, and we have been given eternal life with God, as mentioned in John 3:16.
Eternal life in Greek is aionies zoe. It refers to the miraculous perpetual life you simply receive upon believing—we can’t earn it, we receive it (Strong’s #G166).
Sozo is the whole package, and it comes by faith and trusting in the Word of God, Jesus, who is sanctifying us. When it’s said that we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, I take this to mean that you honor the Word of God in your life above all else—so much that it produces action! It’s not about striving to earn something from God. Your belief animates your life! What you see is what you become! Jesus told the woman in Luke 8:48 to go in peace; Jesus told the man at the pool at Bethesda to pick up his mat and go (see John 5). Just like those who placed their faith in the spoken word of God, which is Jesus, and received His grace and truth, we are forever changed; they believed, received, got up and went! When we receive the gift of eternal life (aionies zoe), a life of wholeness (sozo) is ours to walk out by keeping our eyes on what He has done!
Your new identity that is found in Christ activates with the spoken word of God! What is it God is speaking over you? What are the promises that He has uniquely given you? Have you seen yourself through His eyes? Have you heard all that He has planned for you? This is why living a prophetic lifestyle is so important.