The prophet's handbook

between the victim and his or her problems or crises. Prophets, as God’s intercessors, first and foremost accomplish exploits of this kind in their prayers and wage combat for the churches they cover. (See Jeremiah 15:1 and Ezekiel 14:14. Both passages show God’s regard for the prophet’s intercessory prayer on behalf of His people.) In addition, practically and economically speaking, the high intercessory duty of the prophet disburses God’s economy, as we have seen from 2 Chronicles 20:20, and dispenses His covenant provisions. Thus, the prophet’s powerful status in the realms and spheres of God authorizes the release of the resources and possessions hidden in His treasuries and those of other creatures. An interesting fact about this mantle attribute is that every worker in God’s kingdom has his own treasury in eternity from which streams the supernatural supplies of his service. Each minister is given a storehouse of weapons, finances, abilities, talents, and skills with which he or she serves God and meets the needs of His people. Prophets’ treasuries are usually quite stocked. This is because they are to release and deal out great portions of it to those who come to them. Loaded with more than material blessings, the prophet’s mantle contains spiritual and miraculous resources that overturn everything the devil and his angels may throw at those they surround. Likewise, Elijah and Elisha were both so endowed. Elisha knew that Elijah’s mantle was both powerful and wealthy. Therefore, he understood that he was getting more than a cloak or a uniform. He recognized that all the power and benefits that ever streamed from Elijah were resident in that hairy garment. When he asked for the mantle, he knew that it would more than just cover him; it would transform, empower, and enrich his life and service to God as long as he lived. Had he only gotten a word from Elijah or the laying on of hands, he would not have been nearly as potent in his ministry. The power that remained in that mantle is revealed through the Bible’s record of Elisha’s early exploits in 2 Kings. Prophets as Agents Like all the fivefold officers of Ephesians 4:11, prophets are officers, and that makes them agents. The prophetic as a divine agency makes those who stand in the position agents. By now you understand that an agent is a representative of a principal, usually a sovereign land, monarch, or government. Agents and their agencies serve as ambassadors, consuls, delegates, intermediaries, and the like. When you think of the prophets and the prophecies that come from the messengers’ mouths, recognize that their position with the Lord authorizes their