Born to Prophesy

by Hakeem Collins

  Just imagine what you and I can accomplish and create in just one day when we access and discover our prophetic nature, ability, and culture. The prophetic or prophecy sets order, arranges, births, fashions, makes, frames, structures, establishes, affirms, confirms, validates, authenticates, mobilizes, releases, thrusts, shifts, imparts, stirs up, heals, delivers, changes, builds, exhorts, comforts, encourages, edifies, strengthens, constructs, supports, and accelerates. I know that not everyone is called to be a prophet, but everyone should learn and be trained, equipped, and activated to develop their voice in the prophetic, supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit.

  72 Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005). See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omniscience.

  Chapter Seventeen

  STIRRING UP THE PROPHETIC GIFT

  Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

  —2 TIMOTHY 1:6, NKJV

  PROPHECY IS SOMETHING that any believer can do. It’s a spiritual gift. (The office of prophet is something rather different, even though some of the function is the same.)

  The apostle Paul said he wished for all of us to prophesy. We may be weak or fragile as human beings, but we are conduits of the power of the Holy Spirit. God wants us to stir up the gifts of God on the inside of us. The prophetic gifts specifically can be stirred up or ignited. Second Corinthians 4:7 (NKJV) says, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” There are treasures of God hidden in our earthly bodies, and those gifts are valuable and are to be discovered by you.

  It is every believer’s job to find their spiritual gifts, purposes, and callings. One of them should be the prophetic gift. I challenge you to search within by the Holy Spirit to discover your own prophetic voice, gift, nature, and identity in God. Below are just a few ways of developing a foundation to stir up, activate, and launching into the prophetic.

  Training is necessary first to be able to really hear the voice of the Lord, to be able to paint the picture He’s painting into words through people who see visions or perceive things. Often people have trouble with how to speak it, to be able to discern God’s timing for speaking these things, and, for many of us, to simply have the courage to prophesy.

  Some reading this book may question how this gift is different from a psychic, medium, ESP, clairvoyance, divination, and witchcraft. Let me be clear: there are two sources of power, God and Satan. God’s power flows from Him; we’re able to move in His power because of the Spirit of God within us. It’s no power of our own, and it brings glory to Him. Satan’s power is a counterfeit, a corruption of God’s laws and His powers. Satan’s power can be accurate in the same way that a con artist can tell the truth in order to advance a lie. His power is rather akin to cut glass, whereas God is diamonds.

  The ministry gift of prophesying is simply God conveying His intention, will, plan, and eternal purpose to mankind. We have gone over many foundational scriptures on the gift of prophecy, the office of the prophet, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit as they relate to the Christian believer. The prophetic gift not only is beneficial for the building up of the church, but Spirit-filled believers can also benefit from being trained, activated, educated, and developed in the gift. The fivefold ascension ministry officers are called to equip and perfect the saints to do the work of the ministry. We are told to fan the flames that are within us. We are to stir up the gift. Moreover, there are those who have come to be asking how they can active the gift. The simple answer to that question is to just do it!

  In other words, when gifts are imparted into a person, they are imparted so that they can be activated and utilized. For example, I was out eating with my church and Dr. Bill Hamon prophesied over me, then he imparted the anointing to father and to reproduce myself to the next generation and laid his hands on me. Months later, I felt an unusual anointing and power in the prophetic. I found myself prophesying more than usual in one meeting because what he imparted was a grace to prophesy more and to start equipping, training, and raising up other prophets. God wanted me to go beyond the comfortable and be stretched. Bishop Hamon, a prophetic general, imparted into me the ability to prophesy with a greater measure, father others eagles, and reach nations. It was my responsibility to keep the gift stirred up and activated.

  There are a lot of Spirit-filled believers in the local church sitting on their gift, call, and ministry. It is the Lord’s idea that the church become a training center and spiritual hub for mature leaders to be developed, activated, and commissioned. We must be sharpened so that we are not dull. The Bible says iron sharpens iron. It would be wise to surround and build a working relationship with different types of iron in the body of Christ. Everyone has a specific edge and part that they can contribute. I have learned the best way to become stronger in your gift is to surround yourself with masters, strategists, experts, professionals, and leaders in their area of gifting; it causes me to be challenged to reach greater depths. I have provided six simple foundational ways to sharpen or stretch yourself in the gift of prophecy, but it is not limited to these below:

  1. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT OF YOUR PROPHETIC GIFT (HABAKKUK 2:1–3)

  As a beginner or one seasoned in the prophetic gift, one way I have learned to hear the voice of God was first through prayer. A consistent prayer life will fine-tune one’s ability to hear what the Lord is saying. Before I ask for a word for someone, I pray in the spirit or in tongues. I have developed a good habit to get in the spirit. Praying in the spirit gives a believer access to God’s throne room. While praying in the spirit, I would seek the counsel of the Lord in regards to an individual, city, group, leader, etc. Meanwhile, I am waiting on the Lord for a message, mental pictures, insight, and any expression on my five senses. God will use your five natural senses to get a word or message through. The Lord can also bring to your mind Bible verse, stories, or even situations that remind you of something that can speak specifically to a person.

  For example, I remember ministering to this woman and she kept reminding me of my aunt, but she didn’t look anything like her or sound like her. So I asked her, “Who is Lisa?” and she said that was her name. I was just as shocked as she was, because at eighteen years old that was my first time receiving a word of knowledge. My point is that God will give you symbols, colors, facts, information, and whatever He desires so that He can get His word across. We must pay attention to it.

  In addition, we must maintain a consistent study habit in the Word so that we can articulate accurately what God is saying. A good habit to adopt is learning how to write down what you hear, see, feel, and sense in the spirit. I have also learned that writing down prophetic words is a good start. You can pray in the spirit and then wait on the Lord’s prompting, then you can start out writing by saying, for example, “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, son or daughter, _______________________” This is an excellent start to prophesying. This is what I used when I started prophesying when I was very young, and this has helped beginners. What one will discover is that God will fill in the blank. Activation is just launching out and doing it and make it a habit to grow in it so that it will become second nature. Moreover, prophetic books, manuals, DVDs, CDs, the Internet, and other resources are great tools to educate and bring clarity to your gift. A person must know what they are operating in and be able to teach others.

  2. MENTORSHIP TO DEVELOP PROPHETIC GIFT (1 KINGS 19:19–21)

  Another way to develop the prophetic gift is to find a mentor. Don’t just find anyone, but someone that has many years in that specific area. Ask them to help you sharpen your prophetic gift. I’ve had many emerging prophetic minister request for me to mentor them in the prophetic gift. I enjoy helping people to grow, develop, and excel in the things of God. A mentor can give great feedback, challenge you to become better, protect you from burning, and give wisdom, insight, and support. Even if the person you want to mento
r you is very busy and unable to give you the time, then you can glean from them by observing them. I always say that some things are “caught” then “taught.” So that being said, you can watch how they operate in the gift and find out their study habits.

  Paul said, imitate me as I imitate Christ. What the apostle was saying is that we should model, copy, or follow him as he become like Christ. There is nothing wrong with having mentors and even spiritual parents in the faith to love, nourish, protect, adjust, align, impart, and bless you. We all need someone in our lives that has more experience than we may because someone has taught us something. Make sure that your mentor is accountable to other leaders and plugged into a local church, whether they are the senior leader or a part of the leadership team. Moreover, God will send you different types of “irons,” as I call them. Iron sharpens iron. Mentors will come and go depending on the season of maturation, but you still should have access to them when you need them. Never put all of your eggs in one basket. In other words, don’t allow one person to be all or do it all in your life. Allow other people to speak into your life and help cultivate that prophetic work in you.

  3. PROPHETIC TEAMS TO DEVELOP PROPHETIC GIFT (1 CORINTHIANS 14:29)

  Being on a prophetic team is an excellent way to develop one’s prophetic ministry. Even though many churches don’t have prophetic teams, you can still find others to partner with as a team to minister with. If you have located a church that has a team of prophets leading them, I would recommend speaking to the leadership of that church to see if there is any way to be a part for training and development purposes. I have been a part of and have been privileged the opportunity to be a leader over one of the prophetic teams in my local church. In addition, we see that “team ministry” is a concept of God. Even in the Bible Jesus sent His apostles out two by two. My brother and I travel together as a prophetic team sometimes when we are ministering in churches. People love to see us prophesy together, which is unique itself being that we are twins.

  Teams are not limited to the local church; there are home churches, cell groups, and others that develop prophetic ministers. One of the benefits of team ministry is that it will eliminate pride, selfishness, division, and haughtiness. Everyone in a team can contribute when ministering a prophetic word. If a person doesn’t want to work with a team then I would check his or her motives for ministry. Team ministry is a safeguard against those who want authority and power and will not submit to others.

  When prophesying on a team, a person can receive healthy feedback and will notice that they are not alone. Team ministry is also mutual accountability. Moreover, when a person is prophesying they are prophesying according to the measure of our faith. So in a team we can see the diversities of expressions of God’s Word and gift being released toward someone. In a team, a person doesn’t have to prove himself or compete, but is able to draw what others are receiving from the Lord and build from that place prophetically. Also, joining prayer intercessory teams and praise/worship teams is a great way for prophets and prophetic people to grow and hear from the Lord.

  4. LOCAL CHURCHES TO DEVELOP PROPHETIC GIFT (1 CORINTHIANS 12–14)

  The local assembly can become a wonderful environment for cultivating, training, equipping, and developing the prophetic gift. If your church or churches that you know of have prophetic teams, evangelistic teams, or prayer teams, it would be beneficial to consult with the leadership team of that church to see how you can join. If you have a prophetic word and would like to share, then it would be wise to ask the pastor of your local church the guidelines of releasing the word publicly. Guidelines are in place for the sole purpose of order and to protect the prophetic minister and the congregation (See 1 Corinthians 14:26–33).

  Within the local church, if there is a prophetic team led by a prophet or pastor, I would suggest that you take notes and observe the flow of the team. Each team may function differently from other local churches depending on the leadership criteria. One good way of developing your prophetic gift is attending prophetic and apostolic conferences that will stir you up, where you can be imparted into by other ministry gifts, and relate with others who share the same passion, heartbeat, call, and DNA as yourself. I am affiliated with an apostolic company of IMPACT network under Apostle John Eckhardt and ICA (International Coalition of Apostles) under John P. Kelly, where I am a network leader. Being affiliated with other like-minded people will cause a person to be accountable, relational, and in covenant relationships with kingdom people.

  5. OUTSIDE PROPHETIC TRAINING CAN DEVELOP YOUR GIFT

  There are conferences, seminars, schools of ministry, prophetic and supernatural training that a prophetic minister can consider. I have been to several over the course of my prophetic career, which provided me the necessary impartation and training. I never limit myself in who can upgrade me and cause me to be cutting edge. As I stated before, everyone can enhance his or her prophetic abilities, and no one person has it all and knows it all. Receiving outside training is not walking in rebellion or being disobedient to your local leadership, as long as it doesn’t conflict with what you are doing locally. One piece of advice would be to run your desire to get more training across your senior leader or leadership team. There is a saying that practice makes perfect, and I will go on to say that if you practice prophesying then you will be mature (perfect) in it. There is so much information out there on the prophetic—and anything, rather. Modern technology has given us the opportunity to enlarge ourselves and become effective in our gifts and call.

  6. WISDOM IS KEY IN DEVELOPING YOUR PROPHETIC GIFT (PROVERBS 11:14)

  The Bible says that there is safety in the multitude of counselors. When developing and operating in the prophetic gift, feedback must be welcome. It is imperative and necessary only for the purpose of being properly assessed by those whom you want to mentor or train you. Throughout my prophetic journey I had the opportunity of being around some great men and women in the kingdom. Spending time with them over lunch or dinner has literally revolutionized my life. Having someone willing to take you under their wings and help you is hard to come by these days. Much of what I had to learn, go and grow through in the prophetic gift and ministry was through trial and error. I had to learn a lot on my own; but I thank God that He sent spiritual fathers and mothers who believe in what God put in me.

  Sometimes embracing a prophetic gift can be risky, but over time God will bring understanding of the relationship and each will value the other. There are those who think that constructive criticism is negative and even demonic, but actually it is to build you. There is criticism that is aimed to be negative, but constructive criticism is to build the area that needs work. It is good to ask others, even your peers, for feedback when you prophesy. When I was younger I would prophesy every chance I got. I would ask people if I could pray for them, and then I would give them a word and ask them what they thought about the word, or if they had anything to say. You want people to be honest with you so that you will know the areas that need a little work privately and personally. It doesn’t matter how seasoned one may be in the prophetic ministry or gift; no one is exempt from needing to receive feedback. There has been a time where I had people ask me questions about a word that they were not clear about or wanted me to bring understanding. To reject wisdom and feedback from those you minister to or those you allow to mentor you will cause you to stunt your own development. Do not allow pride to keep you from walking in the prophetic ministry. Surround yourself with leaders that will love on you while at the same time correct you in love.

  As you launch out in the prophetic gift, the most important principles of the prophetic are below:

  • Prayers, praying in the spirit (tongues);

  • Studying, reading, and speaking the Word of God;

  • Meditation on the Word;

  • Journaling what you hear, taste, sense, feel, and see in the Spirit from the Lord;

  • Fasting and consecration;

  • Worship
, singing, dancing, and through anointed music;

  • Connecting with other prophets and prophetic people;

  • Finding a local church or ministry that embraces the prophetic;

  • Impartation, activation, and receiving spiritual gifts from godly leadership;

  • Humility, teachable, and meek;

  • Faith, confidence and boldness;

  • Love, unity and sobriety;

  • Accountability, transparency and submission to local church;

  • Writing down your dreams and visions and learning through the Word, symbols to interpret;

  • Spiritual fathers and mothers, mentors and leaders who are experts in the prophetic field of interest.

  PROPHETIC RESPONSE AND PRACTICE

  Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

  —1 TIMOTHY 4:14–16

  The apostle Paul was admonishing his spiritual son, Timothy, not to neglect the gift that was within him. There were gifts that were imparted into him by the apostolic presbytery. Timothy was given charge to give himself to the calling and be diligent in the matter of it. In addition, he was told to watch his teaching and how he conducted his life. As the laying on of hands and prophecy following was a continual practice in the early church, it should be in the twenty-first century church. Prophecy and laying on hands by the leadership team of the local church was for the benefit and purpose of equipping of the saints, direction, edification, exhortation, comfort, confirmation, affirmation, learning, judgment, and setting and establishing people into their ministries. As we see the importance of prophecy partnering with the laying on hands allows ministries gifts to be identified, recognized, and released into ministry before the church. So Timothy was told, in other words, to put these things—such as the gift and call—into practice.