1. WHAT DO WE MEAN BY THE PROPHETIC ?

The term “prophet” and “the prophetic” these days has come to mean virtually the same
thing – something to do with giving correct Words to encourage and build up. But there
is a vast difference between the two terms.

Prophet quite correctly has a fairly narrow term of reference, but the prophetic
covers a much greater area. It basically means an anointed ministry, which in
revealing divine direction during a given season, points you to new life in God.
It may not even include a single Prophetic Word! And the person giving the counsel of
God may not even hold the office of Prophet!

Rather, it is a person who is open to the voice of the Holy Spirit and who knows how to
offer a Rhema Word of counsel from the throne room of heaven without taint.
Note that I say counsel and not advice . Avoid Christians who give you advice . That
is man’s view of a matter, and it may sound reasonable, logical, sensible and even a
little spiritual . But it s still Man and not God.

So the Prophetic Person speaks from God’s mind, thereby avoiding the advice of the
human mind and experience (Prov. 16: 1 and 9).

2. THE ROLE OF THE PROPHETIC PERSON

Let’s look again at my definition of The Prophetic (1)an anointed ministry, (2)that in
revealing divine direction (3)during a given season (4)opens you to new life in
God.

There are four points in this that are vital to understand:

1 an anointed ministry
2 revealing divine direction
3 during a given season
4 that opens you to new life in God.

First, the ministry or person needs to be Anointed. The word means to be
enchristened and refers to being Christ-like. [Strongs G5548 chrio it has the idea
of contact, to smear or rub with oil, and by implication to consecrate].

In other words the person needs to be in contact with The Christ, to be smeared and
covered with the same anointing that Jesus had, and to be set aside (consecrated) to
that calling and work. We need to look for such a heart attitude in the person we are
intending to trust, minister or allow us to lead.

Second, the prophetic person will not give advice, but reveal to you God’s direction for
that moment or next stage of your life. They will reveal ( take off the cover, disclose )
what God wants you to see and know.

They will not add their bit to it nor attempt to direct you they will take off the cover
over your mind, life and spiritual eyes, allowing you to see what God alone wants.
The Prophetic Person must never be tempted to give direction or voice their own
opinion, but must allow God to speak, and God alone.

Third, the revealing of God’s ways comes during set seasons, and rarely as regular
occurrences. The Lord has given us the natural seasons, the season s of one’s life, and
even the seasonal feasts of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles, as parables of how
He works in us.

He uses seasons or stages to instruct us because the in-between times are meant for
us to learn how to apply the teaching and lesson presented by Him.
A wise person will take advantage of these seasons of God and draw as much as
possible from them. To ignore them brings us into disobedience and stunts our spiritual
growth.

Each season has its own spiritual character just like the natural seasons can be
identified by how much heat, cold, rain, snow etc is in them.

The Prophetic will speak revelation into these seasons of our life. It s vital that we listen
to the Rhema Word and act on it. We will not advance to the next season of our
spiritual development until we ve lived through the season God gives at that appointed
time. We cannot short circuit God’s dealings with us!

Have you noticed that prophetic ministries have the knack of turning up at just the right
season and imparting a Word that brings change? This is a noticeable feature of their
calling.

Fourth, the ministry of  The Prophetic will always lead you into a new realm in God. It
imparts life and it transforms.
This is one way you can gauge the validity of a prophetic ministry have they
deposited truth and change?

3. LEADING WITH THE PROPHETIC

Don’t be tempted to see the prophetic as some sort of wonder tool that will bring instant
revelation and guidance to those you re shepherding. Keep your eyes on Jesus, not the
prophetic no matter how anointed and effective it might be.

Allow others to see that you model this lifestyle by sharing your own experiences of
how the prophetic has helped you. They need to know they can trust this type of
guidance.

Once a person has received counsel from you on a matter, you will need to re-adjust
them from time to time as they begin to apply the Truth in their situation. This may
happen a number of times before it clicks . Be patient.

Keep humble in all this. Often those you re shepherding will perceive your prophetic
guidance as great wisdom, and may be tempted to idolize you.

Some pointers from my own experience:

*Speak and minister with authority
*Try to bring the person to a place of accountability regarding the counsel you’ve
given
*Be wary of their words as they’re often couched in spiritual jargon, but behind it
can be self-interest, ambition and a hasty spirit
*Look for the motives behind their heart.
*Don’t be afraid to be bold in declaring what you know God is saying to the
person.
*Check your own spirit so you know it s not your advice you re giving but what God
wants to say.
*Use the occasion to teach and impart God’s ways to the person (Psa. 25:4)

May the Lord and His teaching Spirit guide us into ALL of His wondrous ways!
Blessings and grace to you,

Peter McArthur
The Issachar Ministry

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HEARING THE VOICE OF GOD

So many times believers have difficulty in discerning the Voice of the Lord. Over the
years I have noticed some fundamental principles that can prepare our hearts to hear
His voice. There are many fine books and teachers that can offer deeper insights than
outlined here, but I feel the following principles can be helpful in establishing a pattern
or grid upon which we can build. May they prove beneficial to you!

1. PREPARING TO HEAR

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In order to clearly hear the Voice of God we must clean up our inner thoughts and
take control over our mind. We need to take captive our own thoughts and
imaginations. (2 Cor. 10:5).

The best preparation to hear the Lord’s voice is to stop the incessant chattering
away in our own mind first.

This can be done by having a single-minded focus on the Lord and eternal
things. Learn to prayer without ceasing (1 Thess 5: 17) and by beholding the
Lord . This will quieten the wandering thoughts of the mind.

Next, learn to act immediately on a convicting word from the Holy Spirit. Whenever
you feel a conviction of sin, deal with it immediately. Do not allow it to fester into
something worse particularly apathy. Rebellion follows!

We need to acquire the habit of allowing our actions to link up with our thoughts.
Harmony of spirit and soul is an important step in clearly hearing the Voice of
God.

2. IS THERE ANY PATTERN?

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Experience and history shows a clear pattern of how men and women through the
centuries have come to know the voice of God without confusion, struggle or
deceit.

The most common denominator of all such mature Christians has been this:
spend at least one uninterrupted hour a day sitting in the presence of the
Lord.

This is apart from a time of intercession or supplication when you might be asking
God for something. And it’s apart from your time of devotional reading time or
study time.

Having given prime time to sitting in the presence of the Lord, these mature
Christians then practice the art of on and off praying , speaking to the Lord
throughout the day in short uncomplicated prayers (often called arrow prayers).

This kind of prayer was used often by such men as Wesley, Moody and Finney.
The fruit of living in the Spirit like this is seen in their lives and ministries even
down to the present day.

Doing this will make you very receptive to the Holy Spirit and you will begin to find
the Voice of God to be much more distinct.

This is a two-fold approach in preparing to hear His Voice. First, spend some time
(perhaps one hour) in which you quietly focus in on the Lord and just learn to sit
and relax at His feet. Second, learn to extend that atmosphere of being with Him
into your daily life. This is done by continually keeping your focus God-directed.
Both of these will gradually prepare your heart to clearly hear the Voice of the
Lord. It does work!

I would warn you here that what I am talking about is NOT to be confused with mysticism, or passivity.

There is a growing tendency even amongst Christians to use this practice. Beware!

3. LEARN TO IDENTIFY THE VOICE

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Think back on some occasion when you thought you heard God speak, and when
you then saw the situation come to pass. Think now: what were you feeling at the
time when you thought you heard God speak? Learn to pick up the sensations you
were having when the voice came. Next time you think you hear God’s voice use
this past experience as a kind of litmus test. Was the feeling or sensation similar to
your previous experience? If it was it’s most probably God speaking again.

I’m not saying you are to simply go by feelings, but they can assist you to make a
correct diagnosis when attempting to identify His voice. You know the past
experience proved to be of God’s making, thus validating the voice you had heard.
So when that “sensation” comes again accompanied by a similar voice it may well
be the Lord speaking to you.

This might seem a strange way to identify His voice, but it’s surprisingly common.
It’s just that a lot of people don’t link the two God’s voice, and what they were
feeling or sensing at the time. My own experience has proved this truth over and
over.

Eventually you become so fine-tuned to the Lord’s voice that you no longer pay
attention to the sensation that accompanies it. This is a sign of spiritual growth.
Identifying the sensation is solely to help you be confident about what voice you’re
hearing.

Remember too that God’s voice might be urgent but never pushy. The Lord might hasten
you to do something, but Satan will drive you! Learn to know the difference.

4. A RECEPTIVE HEART

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While there is no formula for hearing God’s voice or making Him communicate with
us, there are some basic ground rules that will make us more sensitive to His
voice.

First, love Him more deeply and intimately.
Second, desire to know Him more intently and personally.
Third, seek Him above everything else and spend time with Him.

If we keep these 3 attitudes in our heart we ‘ll become much more sensitive to the
voice of the Spirit. Taste and see!

5. STEPS THAT WILL IMPROVE YOUR SENSITIVITY

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Approach Him with an open heart, willing to listen to whatever He might speak.

• Don’t approach Him with your mind already imaging what He might say.
• Don’t ask God to speak to you about something that’s already quite clear in
  Scripture. He’s already spoken in the Word. So read it regularly.
• Don’t limit God to your viewpoint. He’s not confined to answer you according to
  your view. It might be quite different! It usually is I find.
• When you do hear God speak, obey Him quickly. God works in seasons.
• Show your love to Him through worship and serving others.
• Work at deepening your trust and faith in the Lord, no matter what. A genuine
  Spirit-led lifestyle is the greatest asset in knowing His voice. (Gal. 5: 25 and 1 Cor.
  10: 31).
• Live a holy (separated) lifestyle. “In the world, but not of the world”.
• Honour and love God above everything and everyone else.

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Blessings and the Lord’s favour upon you,
Peter McArthur

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