Tag Archives: Prophecy

Even the Great Ones Struggle!

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1 Kings 19: 3 ‘Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.’

Elijah is one the great men of God in history and one of the greatest prophets that ever walked the planet. He operated in such a high level anointing and saw many mighty miracles unfold in his generation. He was a man who had angels appear to him. He called down fire from heaven. He prayed and the rain stopped for 3 years. He prayed again and the rain started. His anointing enabled him to outrun a chariot. His cloak parted the waters and a heavenly chariot of horses swept him up and transported him to heaven. The dude had some serious game and he walked a higher path, and yet…

Elijah still struggled with fear and fatigue. In fact his fatigue post Mt Carmel caused him to behave in the most uncanny and uncharacteristic way. He made a mockery of the false gods of Baal. He slaughtered Baal’s false prophets. He challenged the people of Israel to stop vacillating between 2 opinions and take ownership of their faith in God. And yet…

When Queen Jezebel heard the report from her intimidated husband, Ahab, she sent Elijah a death threat and he ran for his life. Why? Cause even the great ones struggle.

Elijah ran off into the wilderness, left his servant behind, slept under a broom tree and pleaded with God to kill him. Fatigue in life and ministry will make you do weird and wacky things. When you are tired, you respond out of character to whom God has called and anointed you to be.

Elijah perceived that he was the only one standing for God and yet his own gross over-estimation of himself blinded him to those whom God had established as a remnant amongst his people. His moment of weakness caused him to see his own pride and comparison to his forefathers. The real issue was he was tired and his weariness caused him to run away in fear.

Someone reading this wants to run away from the frontline of what God has called you to. You are weary and fatigued and you are considering a course of action that will prove catastrophic to God’s purposes in your life. Don’t run away from the battle. Seek rest and refreshment in the presence of God but don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. God’s bigger than the threats coming against you and can help you see through the obstacles that stand in your way. Recognize your state for what it is and don’t fall prey to the lies and deception of the enemy. God is with you and just like Elijah experienced, He will sustain you miraculously.

The Oracle!

The Greatest Revelation!

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Mt 22:37 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind.

Prophecy is a revelation of God’s heart and mind. The OT prophets became the message before they delivered the message. On the revelation of the OT prophets and the Law depends the greatest revelation God could ever give to us.

We often hear about how much God loves us and for good reason. Our flesh and the enemy of our souls tries to pull us away from this profound and central truth but there is no greater revelation and commandment than God’s call to us to love him with all of our heart, soul and mind.

The sort of love God is calling us to is characterised by sacrifice. Jesus said, ‘Whoever would save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life will save it.’ True love is demonstrated by what you are willing to give up for it. Every time God’s called me to embrace something, he’s asked me to let go of something else. You can’t go up in God, if you don’t give up something.

The greatest act of love is what Jesus did for us on the cross. Jesus left heaven. The word became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus lived a sinless life. He was persecuted even though he was innocent and he was ultimately killed for his obedience to his Father.

The tragedy is in the last days the love of many will grow cold. Our affections have become more for this temporary world than for eternal things. The western church says, ‘What’s the least I can do and still follow Jesus?’ It doesn’t work like that. That’s an oxymoron.

Following Jesus requires everything. Empowerment comes from dependence upon him. Dependance comes from attempting that which only the Holy Spirit can achieve. The more out of depth you are, the more dependant you are and the more dependant you are, the more empowered you are.

You can’t clock on and clock off with God. You’re either all in or you are taking up space. God wants to be God alone in your life. It’s not God and my career or God and my hobbies or God and my house. It’s just God.. period. He’s a jealous God and he wants you and the affections of your heart.

All the Law and the Prophets depend on this one primary thing = Love God with all of your heart, soul, strength and mind. This speaks of whole-hearted devotion. How much we love God will be determined by our level of sacrifice, the affections of our heart, the passion of our soul and the content of our thinking.

The Oracle!

What Time Is It?

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Ecclesiastes 3:1 ‘For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.’

God has ordained a time and a season for everything. There are seasons in the natural and the spiritual. Each season carries value and purpose. Winter seasons are about what’s happening under the surface, rather than what’s above the surface. Are you as animated and engaged in the winter seasons of life as you are in the summer seasons?

It’s so important to discern and identify the season you’re in. You’ve got to align the right expectations for the season you’re in right now, not the season to come. When I was a ministry intern, my church launched their first leadership conference. I was asked to speak at a breakout session and I wanted to sell some tape recordings (yes, a long time ago) of my sermons but my Youth Pastor at the time commented, ‘This isn’t your season to sell sermon tapes’. I was cut at the time but thank God now. I didn’t know back then, what I know now.

A lot of us are trying to do more than the season we are actually in. Every season carries certain restrictions. Too many of us over-project what we can do in 1 season and under project what we can do in multiple seasons. Paul said, ‘I have learned in whatever situation I’m in to be content. I’ve learned the secret… I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ (Phil 4:10-13). It’s your contentment in the season you’re in that determines people’s attraction to you.

There are 2 dimensions of time God has ordained: ‘Chronos’ and ‘Kairos’. Chronos time is the ticking of the clock and the turning of the calendar. Kairos time is the God appointed window of opportunity that you must see and seize if you’re gonna possess what God has for you in the season you find yourself in.

We know God is sovereign over the affairs of men and we often pray for God to sovereignly move on our behalf. He can and does but if God only ever moved sovereignly in our lives and ministries and never involved us in the process of what He’s doing, we would never learn his character, his heart and his ways. God wants a relationship with you, not a robotic automaton. When God includes us in the principle of what he’s doing and how he operates, we learn far more than if he just did it without us.

God is a God of seasons. Every season in God has a purpose and if you can discern the season God has you in, align your expectations accordingly and act in alignment with what God’s revealing to you now, you will not only maximise the present time but be prepared for the season to come.

The Oracle!

The Gift of Prophecy!

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I bumped into the prophetic ministry the first time I preached as a teenager. During and after my message, God showed up and revealed himself powerfully through the prophetic word with dramatic results. For me prophecy is very intuitive and for many years, I just had the ignorance and the boldness to share with people what I saw and heard God saying. Since those early days I have grown in my understanding and maturity in operating in the Spirit of prophecy.

Prophecy is a gift, not an award. The Holy Spirit distributes individually as he wills, not as we earn (1 Cor 12:11). The fruit of the Spirit is evidence of our spiritual maturity. The gifts of the Spirit are evidence of God’s grace lavished upon us.

Prophecy is to be earnestly desired. Paul exhorts us, ‘Earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy’ (1 Cor 14:1). Anyone who is saved and baptised in the Spirit can receive grace to prophesy.

The purpose of prophecy is to encourage the church. ‘The one who prophesies speaks to people for their edification, encouragement and comfort’ (1 Cor 14:3). Edification means to build up. Exhortation means to call near. Comfort means to cheer up. We’ve got to prophesy the answer, not the problem.

Prophecy is both foretelling and forth telling. Foretelling is to know the future  as in Acts 11:28 when Agabus prophesied a famine before it actually happened. Forth telling is to cause the future as in Ezekiel 37 when the prophet prophesied to the dry bones and a creative miracle took place. Prophecy has power within it to create that which has been declared. A word of knowledge is not the same as a prophecy as it is a revelation of supernatural knowledge about the past, or present or an unknown fact.

Prophecy reveals God’s heart and mind. Prophets are known as God’s friends because God shares his secrets with them. Prophets are associates of God, an active extension of Yahweh himself. Too many people look for a word from God, rather than a relationship. Look for a relationship with God and the word will take care of itself.

3 parts to Prophecy = Revelation is the first part. God’s revelation comes through a variety of ways (dream, vision, words, angels, creation, scripture, tongues, impression). Interpretation is the second part and is often the part that the prophesier won’t always get. The last part is the application, so what? What is the person to do with what they have received.

Revelation 19:10 The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy.

The Oracle!


The Calling of a Prophet!

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The office of a prophet is a life calling. Most prophets are called at birth or when they are born again (salvation). It is primarily the Lords choosing, not something you seek to become, however if called, you have a responsibility to develop your gift. Some notable prophetic ministries have identified that it can take as long as 14-15 years for a person to develop into a prophet after being called.

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men… And he gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry.” (Eph 4:7, 11)

The five fold ministry is outlined in the above passage and the office of the prophet is one of the ministries that God has established for the governmental leadership of the church. To be a prophet is a calling. To minister in prophecy is a gift. When a person ministers in the gift of prophecy, the gift is the ability to prophesy. The words themselves are the gift. When a person is a prophet, they themselves are the gift. A prophet is a gift to the church.

Apart from a foundation of character, there are actually 3 components to any mature and fruitful ministry. These are:

  1. Calling – Calling gives identity. Paul was called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God (1 Cor 1:1).
  2. Gifting – Gifting gives ability. ’As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God’ (1 Pet 4:10).
  3. Anointing – Anointing gives purpose. It was prophesied of Jesus, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to prisoners’ (Is 61:1).

The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable but the anointing of the Lord ebbs and flows according to the relationship we have with the Holy Spirit. The calling on your life describes who you are. The anointing of God provides you with your purpose in life and the gifts that God has given to you becomes the ability in which you accomplish his purposes.

The Oracle!

Determining the Strength of your Gift!

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Romans 12:6 ‘Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith.’

Through grace we receive the abilities of the Holy Spirit. These abilities equip us to work in the harvest. Grace is not just undeserved favour; it is also the operational power of God.

Ephesians 4:7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

I think we underestimate the power of impartation through the laying on of hands. Paul said to Timothy by way of reminder to ‘stir up the gift within you, which you received through the laying on of hands.’ Although the gifts are imparted through the laying on of hands, you still must receive them from the one who imparts them to you by faith. 2 key things will determine the strength and flavour of your gifts:

  1. The proportion of your faith determines how much grace you receive to operate in the gifts. The greater amount of faith you have inside you, the stronger the gifts will operate through you.
  2. The type and level of grace that is resident in the one who is imparting the gift to you will determine what gift is given to you.

Kris Vallotton shares, ‘Grace and faith works like bringing an empty cup to a coke machine. The coke machine determines the flavour of the drink, just as the grace on a person’s life who imparts the gift to us determines the grace we receive. The amount of the drink we are able to receive is determined by the size of the cup that we bring to the coke machine (our faith). ‘ (Basic Training for Prophetic Ministry)

It’s imperative that we stay within the boundaries of our own faith and not try to copy another person’s faith. When Peter stepped out of the boat, he operated in faith. If the other disciples attempted the same action based on presumption of Peter’s faith, then they would have sunk into the water immediately. Think soberly of yourself, according to the measure of faith that God has apportioned to you.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are not awards! We cannot earn them. Because the gifts are not a mark of maturity, we do not have to wait for our lives to be in perfect order to receive them. Nonetheless, we are instructed to earnestly desire which means, to passionately and intentionally pursue them.

The Oracle!

Weekly Wrap Up!

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book of the week

Michael Eaton has written an insightful book titled, ‘The Gift of Prophetic Preaching’. This book is unique in that it differentiates prophetic preaching from biblical teaching and lecturing. The author explores the characteristics of the gift in practical operation and highlights the important partnership between anointing and a thorough grasp of the bible.

quote of the week

Pray and let God worry. (Martin Luther)

moment of the week

I had the privilege of preaching at Compass Church in Melbourne last Sunday and observed a sick lady being healed and delivered by the power of the Holy Spirit as I prophesied over her. She walked in sick, she walked out fully alive.

news of the week

Prince Harry’s recent antics in Las Vegas show us that no matter who you are, be sure your sins will find you out. Keep your clothes on, unless you are married… and behind closed doors.

The Oracle!

Don’t Miss God’s Voice!

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Acts 13:27 ‘For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognise him nor understand the voices of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.’

Have you ever thought about how much of the bible is made up of prophecy? Approximately 50% of Scripture is prophetic literature. A lot of OT prophecy is contained within the Gospels themselves, with Jesus quoting the prophet Isaiah, more than any other OT prophet.

For believers who are planted in a local church and hearing God’s Word regularly preached, are we really hearing God’s voice and obeying it or are we so distracted by our own stuff that we, like Israel, miss His voice?

There is ‘The Voice’ in the prophets which may be missed, a meaning not apprehended. The ‘voices of the prophets’ in Acts 13 implies something just beyond mere words but the very voice of God. It’s the ‘VOICE’ of the prophets we need to hear. Big things hang upon hearing God’s voice above all the other voices.

Failure to hear may lead to irreparable loss, such as it did for the Jews when Paul announced in Acts 13:46 that he was turning to the Gentiles, due to the hardness of heart in Israel. The Gentiles response in Acts in V48 to Paul’s announcement is indicative of that fact that it is a great thing to hear and obey God’s voice.

I personally believe that the most important word in the bible isn’t love, faith or grace but ‘HEAR’. Everything in the kingdom is predicated upon how and what you HEAR. The Parable of the Sower emphasises the central importance of HEARING God’s Word.

Are you hearing his voice or are you present bodily but absent spiritually when the prophets are being proclaimed from the pulpit? I pray that God would give us an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church in this generation.

The Oracle!

Flesh vs Faith!

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Hebrews 12:1-2 ‘Let us lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.’

God can accomplish in a moment what man attempts to lay hold of in a lifetime. When God speaks, don’t add to what he has said and don’t try to bring to pass in the flesh what God has promised he will do by his Spirit.

The bible is littered with reams of examples where individuals and people groups tried to bring to pass in the flesh, what God had determined by his Spirit. Abraham is a classic example of this but Israel in the wilderness is the example that comes to mind. When Israel had rejected Gods call to possess the promised land, they were rebuked and judged by God to spend the next 40 years wandering around the wilderness. In response, a band of the Israelites decided to take matters into their own hands and attempt to force their way into the land, only to be defeated in battle by some of the occupants of the land. Moses told these men after the flesh, ‘I told you so’.

The flesh is immature, insecure, impulsive, impetuous and ill discerning. Faith is mature, secure, measured, patient and discerning of who God is and what he wants in any given situation. Faith is obedience at the point of risk to yourself. There is always a measure of risk in taking a step of faith but the alternative is not an option. Someone has described FAITH as:

Forsaking All I Trust Him!

I wish I could say that I demonstrate the dynamics of faith in every area of my life but the truth is, I ocassionally give into my fleshy impulses. Your flesh is like a shirt coloured green, representing a work of the flesh and little faith. You and I need to take it off and put on a garment of faith. The works of the flesh are in direct opposition to the spirit of faith in our lives.

What has God asked you to do that you are trying to bring to pass in your own flesh? Don’t birth an Ishmael when God has an Isaac waiting for you. God’s best is always worth the wait but it will only be possessed by the spirit of faith, not by the arm of the flesh.

The Oracle!

Pregnant with Gods Purpose

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Someone gave me a word of prophecy the other day about seeing me in pregnancy pants with a huge tummy ready to give birth to Gods purpose and promises in my life and ministry. Apart from the humor factor, the word resonated in my spirit and confirmed again the season I find myself in.

Seeing my wife give birth to our 3 beautiful kids gave me an up close experience of what a mother to be goes through in the 9 months leading up to the birth of their baby. The body changes, appetite changes, stretch marks, fatigue, planning, education and finally a temporary episode of turets. The pain is present, the process is needed but the outcome is well worth it all. When you hold that baby in your hands, it makes it all worth it.

The natural often reflects what happens in the spiritual as well. Giving birth to the promises of God can feel like giving birth to Godzilla. It’s painful, exciting, scary and an adventure. Walking with God feels like you are running for your life through Jurassic Park. But you must stay the course because where God is taking you is more important than what pain you are presently experiencing.

I know someone reading this is presently pregnant with Gods purpose. You feel it percolating in you, growing in you, stretching you and preparing you. You are in a transition season and you are about to give birth to the build up of what’s been prophesied, promised and imprinted on your heart.

Don’t check out, sell out or run out of the season you’re in. Let God do his work in you and at the right time, God will release all that he’s planned and prepared you for.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 ‘For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.’

The Oracle!