THE POWER OF PROPHETIC ENCOURAGEMENT

The call of the prophet can feel like a mystical mystery filled with misunderstood mandates given to a select few, chosen people in the body of Christ. The truth is the office of a prophet and their royal responsibility is clear all throughout scripture — to equip the saints and build up the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:3). However, it is often forgotten in the Church today as a deep fear of the prophetic has seeped into the seams of the body of Christ, stripping it from the very thing that was intended to nurture it to strength and live out the fullness of its destiny. But, what does this divine duty look like when walking out the true calling in your day-to-day life?

The truth is, the prophetic is powerful! Like anything that carries weight it should be acknowledged, revered, studied, and stewarded in our lives. The call of the prophet is a God-given position; a gift of Jesus Christ that represents His heart to encourage, equip, and exhort the Bride. Now, let me be clear, I've seen so much growth in the body of Christ in recent years as we have taught people how to hear from God and how to prophesy. I’ve seen prophetic communities develop and grow all around the world and watched as brilliant prophets steward the call on their life with purity and grace! It’s so important that as we grow, we keep ourselves anchored in biblical truth and surrounded by a community that keeps us accountable to these principles.

I’d propose that God is calling prophets to arise and shine — to step boldly into our call in this season of reformation so that we can positively influence the course of history. I recently sat down for a conversation with Justin Allen, the founder of Times and Seasons, which is a company that implements the prophetic in multiple spheres of influence. In our conversation, Justin Allen shared a profound yet simple encouragement for us as prophetic people to remember in this season: to never underestimate the power of God-breathed encouragement! So often we overcomplicate the simplicity of sharing the voice of God with His children that we allow our pride and personal ambitions to get in the way of His word reaching the ears of the Church. I would even go further to say that as prophetic people we have gotten really good at sharing prophetic words of encouragement and direction, but fall short when we leave the body it was delivered to, relinquishing responsibility in seeing the word come to fruition. But, I’d propose that equipping the saints for the work of service requires additional guidance and insight that often we abandon when it requires further work.