As we enter the month of Thanksgiving, I have been reflecting on moments where I've stood in awe of the doors the Lord has opened for our team, allowing us to engage in ministry across diverse spheres of influence. I am reminded of the time I was invited to Google Headquarters to teach about spiritual intelligence. I feel prompted to share this blog post originally written on October 23, 2020. This blog not only explores my encounter at Google but also delves into the profound reality of our identity as sons and daughters of God.

As School of the Prophets 2023 comes to a close, I am refreshed and expectant to see a company of prophets deployed into their unique prophetic calling, equipped to know people by the spirit, and partner with God in this cultural kairos moment. This week-long intensive training school was a marking moment as prophets and prophetic people from all over the world gathered both in-person and online with a unified heart to pursue the voice and presence of God.

Have you ever felt like the odd one out? Maybe you’ve questioned if, for some reason, you were not made to be like the rest. Not because you feel any less valuable, but simply because you’re just different. It can feel isolating and even confusing. So, often I have prophets and highly prophetic people come to me with this very concern. They feel confused and misunderstood; often unaware that the “different” that they feel is simply the call that is on their life that needs to be surrounded by community, given guidance, and to be embraced.

I often look back on my prophetic journey - I wish I could say I had a ten-step plan to share or a linear track you could take to stepping into the fullness of your prophetic calling. But, I think God is more brilliant than the step-by-step plans we often like to take or the courses we try to fit Him in for our comfort. Rather, stepping into my prophetic call was a faith walk; each step of the way required my belief and conviction.

Have you ever felt unsure how the prophetic operates outside of the confines of a church setting or prophetic gathering? Maybe you have even wondered if and how it’s possible to function in your gifting in the unique industry or sphere you feel called to. I often see people count themselves out from the fullness of their gifting because it doesn’t look like the prophets or prophetic people that stand behind the pulpit making powerful prophetic proclamations. But, the truth is that all throughout scripture we see prophets prepare the way, influence cultural change, and minister to priests and kings. They were not subjugated to the confines of cultural comfortability or religious regularity but took the sword of the prophetic into places that despised the word of God to cut through cultural chaos with truth that changed history and saved entire nations.

Have you ever considered the life of John the Baptist? Famously known for his “off the grid” milk-drinking and honey-eating, traveling through the wilderness barefoot, making a scene lifestyle? Ruffling the feathers of normalcy, confronting religious comfortability, and protesting societal hierarchy.

Have you ever wondered if you have a prophetic calling, but counted yourself out because you didn’t look or feel the part? Maybe you have had a deep knowing or a prophetic encounter that has confirmed the call on your life, but you still question how this could be true because your circumstances are far from how you have seen the “prophet’s” role play out.

Imagine with me for a minute the sad scene from a movie where a child gets ready for their long-awaited birthday party. They’ve sent out invites, decorated the house, set out all the party food and eagerly awaits the arrival of their friends. But, as the clock ticks by they begin to wonder if this will be like all the times before…will my friends fail to show up again? Will my dreams for this year fail to be fulfilled? The truth is, often we are like this small child waiting on the porch of our prophetic destiny, wondering if anyone else sees the call on our life, desperate to avoid the familiar disappointment of rejection.

Have you ever felt alone, isolated, or misunderstood in your prophetic gifting? Over the years I’ve often heard prophets and highly prophetic people express the distressing feeling of isolation as they’ve questioned their role in a community that lacked a prophetic culture. I know the feeling of being misunderstood and confused in your call. When I was called by God to be a prophet I hardly knew what the prophetic entailed let alone know how to surround myself with other prophets and prophetic equippers. Prophets being equipped and deployed into their prophetic calling is a topic I am passionate about which is why I felt led to re-share this blog and Cultural Catalysts conversation from July 12, 2022 with you this week.