God’s intention and desire is to have His people use the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the gift of prophecy. Prophetic ministry brings God’s perspective, releases calling and vision, and undermines the enemy by igniting faith and hope, thus giving inner strength to fight on and to bring breakthrough.

An important role of the prophetic ministry for today is revealed in Scripture as we read in (Ephesians 4: 13) ‘…till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…’

We have entered the end of the Church age and our focus needs to be on:

Unity in the faith

Knowledge of the Son of God

Whole measure of the fullness of Christ

The objective of the Prophetic ministry is not to only prophesy, but it is to reach the full maturity of Jesus our Lord.  

Fullness happens when we have communion with God (intimate knowledge) and community (relational connection) with others.  If the stated goal of God is to use the prophetic ministry to bring a mature expression of Jesus on the earth then it makes sense that for this to happen, we need mature Prophetic ministers to arise. For us to be mature in the prophetic, our personal relationship with God and inter-relationships with others must be a priority.

HINDSIGHT

When talking about ‘Hindsight is 20/20’ this is a known proverb that means it is easy to understand something after it has already happened.  The expression Hindsight is 20/20 is usually said in reply to an admonishment that the person should have known something would happen, or that a person made a bad decision.

It is easy to see what someone should have done, after the event or if a situation has already happened.  However as prophetic ministers I believe the Lord wants us to have foresight and insight to be more aware of His voice revealing the present and future to us.

FORTHTELLING versus FORETELLING

FORTHTELLING – tell forth or proclaim and seeks to reveal the present and can change the present.

Forthtelling exhorts, edifies, comforts and brings about a change.

We read in (Acts 21:10-11) “And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. ¹¹ When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ” 

What is forthtelling?

While forthtelling seeks to change the present and to reveal the present, this has to do with the use of the gift of prophecy for personal edification where you speak the Word of God by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit about your circumstances and all that concerns you and those people and things you are prophesying and ministering into.

We can also describe this as the spoken Word of God.  Let’s say certain things are not going well in your family or business or academics, you can prepare yourself with Scriptures from the Word of God.

You can then prophesy and declare the word over your family or academics or business or ministry over anything that requires a change. There is great power made available when we do this, we unleash the inherent ability in the word and Spirit as we prophesy over our circumstances and situations.

A classical example of this is in Scripture. We read this in Ezekiel 37: 3-10“And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.”

Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! ⁵ Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. ⁶ I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. ⁸ Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.

⁹ Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.”” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

We see here that Ezekiel prophesied as he heard from God into a seemingly impossible situation and it became possible“…. they lived, and stood upon their feet”.  So you, also, can direct the word against contradictory circumstances and situations and get a change every time.

The Three words used most often about Prophecy:

1.  Prophecy (noun) “propheteia”

Public exhortation

A prediction of future events

A gift of setting forth and enforcing revealed truth

A matter of divine teaching set forth by special gift

• Prophesy (verb) “propheteuo”

To show or make known beforehand

To reveal future happenings, which God has revealed

To publicly expound the truth of God in order to exhort

To bubble, gush forth.

• Prophet “prophetes”

A spokesman for another; spokesman or interpreter for a deity, (2 Peter 1:20, 21)

A seer (see-er)

A divinely commissioned and inspired person

A person gifted for the exposition of divine truth (forth-telling)

A foreteller of the future

FORETELL REVEALS THE FUTURE

Let’s look at foretelling as it is often seen in the gifts of revelation that operate in the Spirit which are:

Word of Wisdom

Word of Knowledge

Gift of Discernment and including Prophesy

These gifts can predict or reveal personalities, occurrences, circumstances, things to come that will happen.

1. The word for foretelling is: “Prolego” (pro,“before” lego,“to say”) “to declare openly” or “plainly,” or “to say” or “tell beforehand”

Translated in (2 Corinthians 13:2) “ I have told you before, and foretell as if I were present the second time, and now being absent I write to those who have sinned before, and to all the rest, that if I come again I will not spare—“

(RV)“I have said beforehand,” (KJV) “I told … before; I foretell,

2. A prophecy or a warning given before and repeated “To speak before, of prophecy,” as “foretelling” the future, (Mark 13:23 KJV), “have foretold,” (RV), “have told … beforehand”

Of the prophecy concerning Judas we read in Acts 1:16 “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus;”

We read in Romans 9:29 “And as Isaiah said before: “Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and we would have been made like Gomorrah.”

We read in 2 Peter 3:2 “That you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Saviour,”

We read in Jude 17 “But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ:”

We have these words to describe (foreshew) prokatangello “to announce beforehand” (pro, “before,” katangello, “to proclaim”), is translated “foreshewed” in Acts 3:18, RV (AV, “before had shewed”); in Acts 7:52, AV and RV, “shewed before.” (Vine’s Greek New Testment Dictionary)

Forth telling – exhorts, edifies, comforts and brings about a change while foretelling just reveals.  Both Forthtelling and Foretelling are acts of prophecy.  One has revelation of the future. The other has revelation about the present.

So when we speak of prophecy or prophesying, do not immediately think that we are predicting the future. We are primarily referring to speaking faith filled words inspired by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Also inspired through the Holy Spirit utterance to the congregation that edifies, exhort and comforts.  We speak faith filled words always; our words are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Our prophetic words can produce results.  The word of God should dominate our circumstances and situations.

DISTINGUISHING VARIOUS KINDS OF PROPHETIC UTTERANCE

There are different kinds of prophetic words for different situations.  The prophetic word can deal with past, present, and future.  The prophetic word is able to deal with all the issues that we face in life.

We read in (Psalm 40:5) “God has many thoughts toward us, and if we were to speak them, they cannot be numbered.”

We read in (Psalm 119:105) “God’s word is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path.”

1. NOW – (Forthtell) addresses issues that are currently happening in a person’s life.  This gives understanding on what a person is dealing with and helps eliminate confusion.

We can also call this a word in season (Isaiah 50:4) “The Lord God has given Me
the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned.”

2. CONFIRMATION – establishes and strengthens, builds faith and removes doubt, an example is in Isaiah 30:21 ‘Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.’

3. PAST – these are words that deal with past issues, often bringing understanding and resolving things from the past. We read in Isaiah 43:18 “Do not remember the former things,
nor consider the things of old.”  These words help launch us into our future. There are many people chained to the past, and they need to be released.

Read this in Genesis 45:4 ‘and Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt”’. Joseph understood his past was necessary for his purpose, to be with his people, as a redeemer.

4. FUTURE – (Foretell) speaks to a new season and or phase and stage in you life. Many map out their directions and areas of preparation for the vision needed for their future tasks.  This can include instruction on what to do. God’s words lighten our paths, so we know where to go.

We read in Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

5. NEW – a new word is something completely new.  It may often surprise the recipient receiving a prophetic word when it is something they were not thinking of or planning to do, a revelation or insight. We read in Luke 24:45-47  ^“And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, ⁴⁷ and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

We also get encouraged when we read in (1 Cor. 2:9-10) ‘But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”¹⁰ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.’

6. WARNING – these words warn of dangers that may be ahead, and what to avoid.            Read in Proverbs 8: 13 “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.”

7. DELIVERANCE – these words deliver people from things such as hurt, rejection, fear, sickness and release healing and restoration to the recipient.  We read in (Psalm 107:20)  ‘He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.’

8.HEALING – Prophets speak words of healing. (Acts 3:6)  ‘Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” ⁷ And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.”’

9. REVELATION – These words give us insight and revelation into the plans and purpose of God for our lives.  We read in (Deuteronomy 29:29) “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

10. POTENTIAL and IDENTIFICATION – these words identify and help people understand and know who they are and what God created them to be. The angel spoke to Gideon’s potential.  We read in (Judges 6:12)  ‘And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valour!”’

11. CORRECTION – these words correct us and cause us to make the necessary adjustments in our lives.  We read in (Proverbs 3:11) “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest His correction…”

12. COMMENDATION – God commends us when we are doing what is right. Each church, in the Book of Revelation, was commended and then corrected by God.   We also read in (2 Corinthians 10:18) “For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.”

13. EXPOSURE – these words expose and identify the works of sin and darkness.  We read in (Hebrews 4:13)  “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”

14. CONDITIONAL – these words are conditional on our obedience. We read in (2 Chronicles 7:14) “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” Then God will move you into a new level of breakthrough and blessing.

15. IMPARTATION – “metadidomi” meaning: “to give over; share, impart” or “to give a share of” (Young’s).

In (Romans 1:11) “For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established –”

The Apostle Paul makes this statement: “For I long to see you….” The word “long” reveals to us how deeply Paul wanted to meet the Roman believers. The Greek word here is: epipotheo, which has its root potheo, meaning desire.

The word epipotheo is prefixed ‘epi ‘ which gives more emphasis to the word, describing a person who wants something very much that they intensely longed for it. This word describes “an insatiable appetite or a craving”. — Paul used this word to portray his longing to come see the believers in Rome shows us that he was “intensely yearning” to be with them and to see them.

The Bible gives us a number of examples for the purpose of the laying on of hands.

1. To Commission (2 Timothy 1: 6-9).
2. To Impart Blessing (Genesis 48:14-20); (Luke 6:37-38)
3. To Heal the sick (Mark 16:18)
4. To Receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-20).
5. Impartation for Service (Acts 6:1-6).
6. Impartation for Spiritual gifts (1 Timothy 4:14-15)

The words spoken over individuals and congregations with impartation from trusted leaders has a lasting impact and can move individuals and churches to another level of Christian ministry and maturity in the Lord. We need to be open to allow God to speak to us in different ways in the season ahead as I strongly believe The Holy Spirit is positioning many individuals in their God given call.

 Eagle Ascend Ministry – ZOOM School Meeting – 6 May 2020