PROPHECY & PROPHETS
Once again, not all who flow in a gift of prophecy are prophets. They can be gifted greatly prophetically, be able to give prophetic words to many people, but not carry the mantle of prophet. #ProphecyOrProphet
Can I be honest? I believe we have many people in the body (especially on FB!🤦🏼♀️), who think they are prophets, and even other people may think they are prophets, but they are actually simply highly gifted in prophecy. I believe there are way fewer actual prophets than we realize, who are called to walk out and live the words they speak, and have a mantle of prophet on their lives.
The scriptures say that any and all may function in the gift of prophecy, and we should even covet to prophesy. It is a wonderful and very useful gift in the body. But not all can be a prophet, nor does it tell us to covet to be a prophet. We should be very careful before declaring someone is a prophet, or before declaring we ourselves are one. Many can prophesy, but not all of those are prophets.
The gift of prophecy should be used primarily in the body to edify, exhort, and comfort, and in many cases, confirm what the person has already known or heard from the Lord.
That is not necessarily the guidelines with prophets. Prophets can bring correction, direction, and even protection, especially to others in the body, and other leaders. We see this demonstrated in the old and new testaments. There are protocols about how and when to do these, and it should not be done haphazardly or without much prayer and spirit-leading.
Many will ask me...
"I do prophesy, but how do I know if I'm called as a prophet?" And my answer is always the same. If you are a prophet, you will know it...and not only you, but many other prophets will see it and speak out and declare over you that you are called as a prophet.
This is part of the job of someone in the "office" or with the mantle of a prophet...to identify, call out, confirm, and raise up those who are called to be prophets, but are not yet. If this hasn't happened to you, but you feel you are called to be a prophet someday, ask the Lord to confirm it. Then make sure you get around other prophets, attend prophetic meetings, so there is an opportunity for this to happen. But until that happens, and you are confirmed (multiple times) and commissioned as a prophet, do not call yourself one...even if you prophesy frequently. You are simply operating in the gift of prophecy.
Let us be okay with where we are, and with the process that God is taking us on, to get to what He has for us to do. If He has more for us, then He will make that clear and confirm it.
Praying for #Reformation within the Prophetic,
Amanda Shiflett ~ Prophetic Reformer