It has been a puzzle to me why so many people struggle with the gift of prophecy with doubt, fear and treat the Office of the Prophet with such disdain or deference. Prophecy and the Prophet is the most badly understood of all the giftedness. Yet, Paul the Apostle in 1 Corinthians 14:5 says, I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. NIV
If he meant what he said then we have missed the mark. In that vein I want to offer a primer that any serious child of God who desires to prophesy or wants to be enabled in that gift can pursue.
Prophecy is a gift which is activated the same way you were able to first speak in tongues. It was by faith, you stepped out, it was clumsy, it became less clumsy, then free flowing and rewarding. It became a way God used you in prayer, intercession and a way you are built up in faith. In the same way, stepping out in the prophetic requires the same obedience and faith you used at the beginning. There are some requirements, there are some boundaries.
There are proofs of the prophetic that I use in delivering the Word God gives me. This is a gift and an office God wants to release more believers in. Here are the core guidelines I observe as I Prophesy:
No one knows all, not even Karnak the Magnificent who used to appear on Johnny Carson. On the other hand, if I were some Psychic quoted by Weekly World News with 80% accuracy I’d be a front-page story. But because it has “Jesus” attached to the word there is an immediate discounting. The Bible says about modern prophecy, “we see thru a glass dimly” and "we know in part, we prophesy in part". At best it’s still nebulous, at worst is complexly obscure. Less obscure than Psychics. More encouraging. Faith Building.
Sometimes, I hear the voice in my head of my own prejudice or desire and not the voice of God. It’s sometimes easy to let my personal ideas interfere with what I’m actually hearing. But when reviewing what I have written down I will see my own voice and recognize it for what it is. That doesn’t make the cut.
What qualifies Gene Redlin or anyone who claims to speak for God as a Prophet? We qualify because we prophesy, continuously, accurately, Biblically. Others have to judge. Over time the gift and eventually the office is recognized and embraced by others.
I and others who carry the Prophetic gift or even office are as human, flawed and stupid as the next person down the street. If you knew me personally you would question rightly what in the world makes me qualified? I wear no halo. I have no degree in “Prophecy”. I sin. I get angry. I could commit all of the 7 deadly sins to one level or another. I wish I didn't but I know my heart.
So did ALL the other men and women called to be prophets or prophetesses in the Bible old and New Testament. They were all flawed and even sometimes even stupid human beings. Just like me. Just like you. I won’t give a review but if you are interested your local bookstore will have a book you can buy on the prophet’s lives. Weird stuff. Walking around naked, Laying on one side, Eating cakes cooked over human excrement, shaving or not shaving, spending time in pits, hiding in caves, depressed, marrying whores, wearing animal skins, sitting like a statue when your wife dies, pretty weird stuff. And always being hated, stoned. killed and despised. Not an appealing job description. It has to be a calling. Even today.
Here’s the rub. ANYONE CAN DO THIS. ANYONE. Everyone SHOULD. Most won’t. The average Christian won’t or can't give up lesser pleasures to pay the price he must to be a vessel used of God in prophecy.
If you are willing to be used, He is looking for willing vessels of Clay to use. Anyone can qualify IF they prepare themselves and are willing to pay the price. I have taught very nominal believers to do some of this at a rudimentary level. There are requirements.
First, you must put your human understanding in your back pocket. Reasoning will stop the flow. God is the rewarder of those who Diligently seek Him. You must believe. You must be willing to move and have faith; not in understanding, questioning or unbelief. This is the single biggest stopper. We have been conditioned to be safe, to be reasonable, to understand. Who said anything about safe?
Second, you must KNOW Jesus. Not know about Him, Know Him. Born again, follower, hard after His heart. Possessed and obsessed with HIM.
Third, you must accept the reality of all the Gifts of the Spirit and the ministry offices or ascension gifts. One of which is the Gift and then the Ministry of Prophet. How can you receive as a gift what you doubt exists?
Fourth, you must KNOW the word of God cold. That way you become familiar with what God's voice sounds like. Just like I can tell a note written by a friend of mine without his signature because it sounds like him. How can you sort out and accurately identify what is or isn’t God without this effective screen of the Spirit? Here's the danger, the denominational church has drifted into apostacy in this area because they believe that just knowing the Bible is enough to release the Gifts of God. So we have well educated impotent powerless churches. This has to change.
Fifth, you must be filled with the Holy Spirit and it must overflow from you. Yes, that includes speaking in tongues. It’s best to spend some time praying in tongues before you begin. Half hour is good, hour better. I will submit to you that if a person is Not Fully Immersed in the Holy Ghost they cannot do this. If they aren’t practicing the flow of the Spirit they can’t enter into and flow in this gift. Praying in tongues is the gateway to the gift of Prophecy and to all other spiritual gifts.
Sixth, you must set aside time to hear from God. Take pad and paper, shut everything off around you, don’t read, don’t listen to music, just listen. NO MULTITASKING! Wait. If you get nothing, don’t be discouraged, there’s always tomorrow. Patience is virtue. It takes the whole month of December for me to get the Word for the next year. If I seek God for another person it will usually take several weeks.
Seventh, when something comes, start writing without judging what you write. I ended up with 35 pages of hand written notes regarding 2007 before I began transcribing them. I did not go back until it came time to compile. This is how I record what I am hearing. I hear something, start to write and stop when I hear no more. Transcribe it without human edit. Screen out what is YOU. You will be astounded by the accuracy and precision of the word as it is given.
Eighth, Inquire of God by writing down your inquiry regarding an issue or a person. Place that inquiry before your eyes, pray in tounges until you get a release. Sometimes you will get an answer, sometimes not. Only those things you inquired of will be answered. I don’t prophesy on some things because I don’t want to pay the price to inquire and it doesn’t fit what God wants to accomplish. Remember, this is a gift I that I do only by the grace of God. I will not abuse it. It’s too valuable. So don’t ask me who is going to win in the 5th race at Pimlico in May.
Ninth, Not everything about everything will be prophesied. It’s different all the time. Just because God speaks about a certain issue today may mean he won’t “Update” that Prophecy again. Prophecy usually is targeted toward things that are on people’s hearts. God uses it most to allay fear and instill faith. Last year it was Bird Flu. This year it’s something else.
Tenth, don’t be thin skinned. Write down and transcribe what you are told to, it’s not about you. Even if people poke fun and discount what you have written, you are safe. Besides after you have done this for several years in a row with a high degree of accuracy you begin to have more and more confidence. Those who throw stones miss.
What’s interesting to me is looking at the 10 areas above which include waiting, hearing, praying, knowing his word, seeking God and being full of the Holy Ghost with all the manifestations was a normative operation after Pentecost and after the outpouring of the Spirit in the early 1900s. We as believers have begun a slippery slope drift away from the purity of faith and it’s disciplines that allow all believers to hear and prophesy as was intended. Teaching and preaching has replaced the prophetic in most churches today. People hear about God, but they don't Hear GOD. A Form of Godliness, no power.
People in most churches don’t accept prophecy. They don’t embrace it. They fear it. I understand that with the unbeliever. BUT, It is dangerous for a believer to discount prophecy as some crackpot activity. The proper approach is to say, HMMMM that’s interesting and just ponder it in your heart like Mary did. For the unbeliever, nothing you or anyone could say or do will change their mind or help them understand. They are blinded by the devil and lost. They rely on human understanding and reason, which is a dangerous place. When a “Christian” does the same thing they have been blinded by tradition and fear as well.
You may have read the Prophecy I posted, you may understand it, and you may not. You may disagree with it. You may find it all silly. To a believer this is a serious endevor that must be paid attention to.
Many highly noted prophets are less specific and less accurate than lesser-known prophets. They have a reputation to preserve. That makes them cautious and conservative. I’m OK with that. I don’t have a TV show. I’m neither cautious nor conservative. I want to hear from the famous prophets. But I also want to hear from the “common” prophet without a platform but who really hears from God. I find the lesser prophets who are specific and more accurate than the notable sometimes more helpful. God will deal with the hearts of those who have become timid. A timid prophet is an oxymoron. God will use even a donkey to get his word out if they back off and make it palatable. That is a word to me, I have backed off sometimes. My fear in backing off is that God will stop using me. I teach the Word of God because I must. I know that if I go inactive in this area God will withdraw the gift. If I back off prophesing because I fear rebuke God will withdraw that from me too. Worse, like Samson I may not even KNOW that the gift has left. That's why I try very hard to keep myself in places where the gift flows.
The Devil HATES prophets, Jesus condemned the Pharisees because they killed the prophets, Ultimately even HIM. Why should any prophet think he or she would get any better treatment at the hands of the Enemy today?
2007 will be an interesting year. I could show you where to read all the headlines in advance. But that would take all the fun out of it. Some of us won’t be too surprised when God does what he has said he will do. God does nothing unless he tells his prophets first. Then there’s the proof of the two or three witnesses which is in a previous post.
But then, you can hear God for yourself IF you just pay the price. It’s not Rocket Science. As the apostle Paul says: So, my dear brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and don’t forbid speaking in tongues. But be sure that everything is done properly and in order. 1 Corinthians 14:39-40 NLT
If he meant what he said then we have missed the mark. In that vein I want to offer a primer that any serious child of God who desires to prophesy or wants to be enabled in that gift can pursue.
Prophecy is a gift which is activated the same way you were able to first speak in tongues. It was by faith, you stepped out, it was clumsy, it became less clumsy, then free flowing and rewarding. It became a way God used you in prayer, intercession and a way you are built up in faith. In the same way, stepping out in the prophetic requires the same obedience and faith you used at the beginning. There are some requirements, there are some boundaries.
There are proofs of the prophetic that I use in delivering the Word God gives me. This is a gift and an office God wants to release more believers in. Here are the core guidelines I observe as I Prophesy:
- Usually whatever comes is surprising and not my own voice. (Usually it starts with a picture I describe)
- It always ends up agreeing with the Bible.
- It points people to Jesus and his purposes for them in encouragment and comfort.
- It has the effect of preparing believers for God’s hand to move.
- Should I avail myself of Prophecy, what if it’s not perfectly accurate? I Trust God to reveal himself more than the Devil to Deceive me.
- It takes Faith to receive from God. Faith is a substance. I physically take hold of it.
No one knows all, not even Karnak the Magnificent who used to appear on Johnny Carson. On the other hand, if I were some Psychic quoted by Weekly World News with 80% accuracy I’d be a front-page story. But because it has “Jesus” attached to the word there is an immediate discounting. The Bible says about modern prophecy, “we see thru a glass dimly” and "we know in part, we prophesy in part". At best it’s still nebulous, at worst is complexly obscure. Less obscure than Psychics. More encouraging. Faith Building.
Sometimes, I hear the voice in my head of my own prejudice or desire and not the voice of God. It’s sometimes easy to let my personal ideas interfere with what I’m actually hearing. But when reviewing what I have written down I will see my own voice and recognize it for what it is. That doesn’t make the cut.
What qualifies Gene Redlin or anyone who claims to speak for God as a Prophet? We qualify because we prophesy, continuously, accurately, Biblically. Others have to judge. Over time the gift and eventually the office is recognized and embraced by others.
I and others who carry the Prophetic gift or even office are as human, flawed and stupid as the next person down the street. If you knew me personally you would question rightly what in the world makes me qualified? I wear no halo. I have no degree in “Prophecy”. I sin. I get angry. I could commit all of the 7 deadly sins to one level or another. I wish I didn't but I know my heart.
So did ALL the other men and women called to be prophets or prophetesses in the Bible old and New Testament. They were all flawed and even sometimes even stupid human beings. Just like me. Just like you. I won’t give a review but if you are interested your local bookstore will have a book you can buy on the prophet’s lives. Weird stuff. Walking around naked, Laying on one side, Eating cakes cooked over human excrement, shaving or not shaving, spending time in pits, hiding in caves, depressed, marrying whores, wearing animal skins, sitting like a statue when your wife dies, pretty weird stuff. And always being hated, stoned. killed and despised. Not an appealing job description. It has to be a calling. Even today.
Here’s the rub. ANYONE CAN DO THIS. ANYONE. Everyone SHOULD. Most won’t. The average Christian won’t or can't give up lesser pleasures to pay the price he must to be a vessel used of God in prophecy.
If you are willing to be used, He is looking for willing vessels of Clay to use. Anyone can qualify IF they prepare themselves and are willing to pay the price. I have taught very nominal believers to do some of this at a rudimentary level. There are requirements.
First, you must put your human understanding in your back pocket. Reasoning will stop the flow. God is the rewarder of those who Diligently seek Him. You must believe. You must be willing to move and have faith; not in understanding, questioning or unbelief. This is the single biggest stopper. We have been conditioned to be safe, to be reasonable, to understand. Who said anything about safe?
Second, you must KNOW Jesus. Not know about Him, Know Him. Born again, follower, hard after His heart. Possessed and obsessed with HIM.
Third, you must accept the reality of all the Gifts of the Spirit and the ministry offices or ascension gifts. One of which is the Gift and then the Ministry of Prophet. How can you receive as a gift what you doubt exists?
Fourth, you must KNOW the word of God cold. That way you become familiar with what God's voice sounds like. Just like I can tell a note written by a friend of mine without his signature because it sounds like him. How can you sort out and accurately identify what is or isn’t God without this effective screen of the Spirit? Here's the danger, the denominational church has drifted into apostacy in this area because they believe that just knowing the Bible is enough to release the Gifts of God. So we have well educated impotent powerless churches. This has to change.
Fifth, you must be filled with the Holy Spirit and it must overflow from you. Yes, that includes speaking in tongues. It’s best to spend some time praying in tongues before you begin. Half hour is good, hour better. I will submit to you that if a person is Not Fully Immersed in the Holy Ghost they cannot do this. If they aren’t practicing the flow of the Spirit they can’t enter into and flow in this gift. Praying in tongues is the gateway to the gift of Prophecy and to all other spiritual gifts.
Sixth, you must set aside time to hear from God. Take pad and paper, shut everything off around you, don’t read, don’t listen to music, just listen. NO MULTITASKING! Wait. If you get nothing, don’t be discouraged, there’s always tomorrow. Patience is virtue. It takes the whole month of December for me to get the Word for the next year. If I seek God for another person it will usually take several weeks.
Seventh, when something comes, start writing without judging what you write. I ended up with 35 pages of hand written notes regarding 2007 before I began transcribing them. I did not go back until it came time to compile. This is how I record what I am hearing. I hear something, start to write and stop when I hear no more. Transcribe it without human edit. Screen out what is YOU. You will be astounded by the accuracy and precision of the word as it is given.
Eighth, Inquire of God by writing down your inquiry regarding an issue or a person. Place that inquiry before your eyes, pray in tounges until you get a release. Sometimes you will get an answer, sometimes not. Only those things you inquired of will be answered. I don’t prophesy on some things because I don’t want to pay the price to inquire and it doesn’t fit what God wants to accomplish. Remember, this is a gift I that I do only by the grace of God. I will not abuse it. It’s too valuable. So don’t ask me who is going to win in the 5th race at Pimlico in May.
Ninth, Not everything about everything will be prophesied. It’s different all the time. Just because God speaks about a certain issue today may mean he won’t “Update” that Prophecy again. Prophecy usually is targeted toward things that are on people’s hearts. God uses it most to allay fear and instill faith. Last year it was Bird Flu. This year it’s something else.
Tenth, don’t be thin skinned. Write down and transcribe what you are told to, it’s not about you. Even if people poke fun and discount what you have written, you are safe. Besides after you have done this for several years in a row with a high degree of accuracy you begin to have more and more confidence. Those who throw stones miss.
What’s interesting to me is looking at the 10 areas above which include waiting, hearing, praying, knowing his word, seeking God and being full of the Holy Ghost with all the manifestations was a normative operation after Pentecost and after the outpouring of the Spirit in the early 1900s. We as believers have begun a slippery slope drift away from the purity of faith and it’s disciplines that allow all believers to hear and prophesy as was intended. Teaching and preaching has replaced the prophetic in most churches today. People hear about God, but they don't Hear GOD. A Form of Godliness, no power.
People in most churches don’t accept prophecy. They don’t embrace it. They fear it. I understand that with the unbeliever. BUT, It is dangerous for a believer to discount prophecy as some crackpot activity. The proper approach is to say, HMMMM that’s interesting and just ponder it in your heart like Mary did. For the unbeliever, nothing you or anyone could say or do will change their mind or help them understand. They are blinded by the devil and lost. They rely on human understanding and reason, which is a dangerous place. When a “Christian” does the same thing they have been blinded by tradition and fear as well.
You may have read the Prophecy I posted, you may understand it, and you may not. You may disagree with it. You may find it all silly. To a believer this is a serious endevor that must be paid attention to.
Many highly noted prophets are less specific and less accurate than lesser-known prophets. They have a reputation to preserve. That makes them cautious and conservative. I’m OK with that. I don’t have a TV show. I’m neither cautious nor conservative. I want to hear from the famous prophets. But I also want to hear from the “common” prophet without a platform but who really hears from God. I find the lesser prophets who are specific and more accurate than the notable sometimes more helpful. God will deal with the hearts of those who have become timid. A timid prophet is an oxymoron. God will use even a donkey to get his word out if they back off and make it palatable. That is a word to me, I have backed off sometimes. My fear in backing off is that God will stop using me. I teach the Word of God because I must. I know that if I go inactive in this area God will withdraw the gift. If I back off prophesing because I fear rebuke God will withdraw that from me too. Worse, like Samson I may not even KNOW that the gift has left. That's why I try very hard to keep myself in places where the gift flows.
The Devil HATES prophets, Jesus condemned the Pharisees because they killed the prophets, Ultimately even HIM. Why should any prophet think he or she would get any better treatment at the hands of the Enemy today?
2007 will be an interesting year. I could show you where to read all the headlines in advance. But that would take all the fun out of it. Some of us won’t be too surprised when God does what he has said he will do. God does nothing unless he tells his prophets first. Then there’s the proof of the two or three witnesses which is in a previous post.
But then, you can hear God for yourself IF you just pay the price. It’s not Rocket Science. As the apostle Paul says: So, my dear brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and don’t forbid speaking in tongues. But be sure that everything is done properly and in order. 1 Corinthians 14:39-40 NLT
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