The prophet's handbook

Appendix A The Ministry of Personal Prophecy

A Q & A Forum Amid all the controversy surrounding the prophetic, another issue that may be greatly misunderstood is personal prophecy. Opinions range from viewing it as being unnecessary to deeming it entirely biblical. When God first restored the prophetic, He introduced it through prophecy so that people could relate the fastest. Initially, prophetics centered on the gift of prophecy, essentially predicting the future. The negative side of the coin is its extreme, merely fortune-telling. Over time, prophecy matured to include the prophetic’s other functions. However, the most beneficial side of prophecy is what God says prophets and prophecy are to do for us. That is, they are to profit and prosper us according to Jeremiah 23:32 and 2 Chronicles 20:20. Both passages make a good case for personal prophecy. After all, who would not want profitability and prosperity in life? Historically, Scripture shows that God uses prophecy to predict the future, reveal the past, announce impending world events, and direct our life paths. Through prophecy He appointed leaders, installed and dethroned kings, fertilized barren wombs, and established kingdoms. With prophecy, God waged and won wars and transformed fearful souls into courageous giants, even using it to bring His only begotten Son to earth. As you can see, prophecy is an indispensable tool for God and mankind, and no era really existed without it, despite its abuse from time to time. Moving past puberty, the prophetic today motivates many to learn it. Now what remains is understanding how to receive personal prophecy and to recognize and respond to genuine prophets. People are asking very probing questions about it. Below are some answers to these questions that address personal prophecy’s major concerns. Question #1: What is prophecy? The most succinct definition of prophecy, used in The Prophet’s Dictionary, is “God’s communications media.” Prophecy is God’s means of talking to us to reveal His mind and actions. Question #2: Why is prophecy needed? Prophecy allows our invisible and inaudible God to publicize His thoughts in our world through people.