The prophet's dictionary guide to the supernatural

utter a predictive word at the unction of the Lord. Saul’s ability to prophesy, however wicked and perverse he behaved, is one example. On the other hand, a prophetic operation is a functional appropriation and exercise of the prophetic from God’s creation resources. The gift may present itself intermittently at the behest of the gifted but until the person enters the sphere of the prophetic as an agent of the office, power and competence are wanting in their prophetic expressions. The gifted must be educated, trained, tried, and refined before they can hope to operate their gift, prophetic or not, as a skill. Without that training and pruning, the best the prophetically gifted can provide is sporadic brilliance with consistently dull prophetic outcomes. They repeatedly fall short of the prophetic span they need or are called upon to reach. This distinction is important to the question of why and how some prophets are multi-tasked and others are simply prophesiers. While Samuel the prophet no doubt exhibited a strong prophetic gift as a testimony to his call, it was not until his training was complete that what he did naturally became what he was to do skillfully. Once the shift of power that merged the priestly with the prophetic succeeded, Samuel’s apparent ability to prophesy was elevated to the office of the prophet with the other major features of prophetic service besides, those of leader, judge, and militarist. See Gift of Prophecy. 564. Gifts of the Spirit—A native endowment or talent granted by God to facilitate one’s call to work or ministry. These are found in Romans 12:1–8 and include prophecy, which is really more inspired preaching that may include some element of revelatory insight but is often without the strong predictive features of the official prophet’s spontaneous utterances from the mouth of the Lord. In addition, other aspects of the prophet’s mantle are absent as well. The prophecy gifting often lacks the actuating, invoking, and mobilizing power of their prophecies that the official exercises routinely. Compare Agabus, Elisha, Elijah, Moses, and many others throughout the Bible. Often erroneously confused with or used interchangeably with the manifestation of the Spirit as discussed in 1 Corinthians 12:3–9. 565. Girdle—A belt or waistband signifying reproduction, preparedness; a readiness to perform or fulfill, complete for action or duty. Also means a carrier of weapons, provisions, and resources. Ephesians 6:14 talks about God’s girdle of truth. 566. Globe—An orb or circular object symbolizing world dominion, absolute authority. It is a power symbol that dates back to the Roman Empire. Globes also