All posts by : Joel Phillips

Misconceptions about “prophecy”

Generally, the misconceptions about prophecy stem from misunderstanding the difference between prophecy in the Old Testament and the New Testament. New Testament prophecy is summed up with these simple words…

“The one who prophesies speaks to men for edification, and exhortation, and consolation.”
(1 Corinthians 14:3)

From this passage we understand that the main purpose of prophecy is a positive one. Edification means “to build up,” exhortation means “to stir up,” and consolation means “to lift up.”

God’s love language

One could say that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are the love languages of God. When we prophesy over someone, that person should feel loved on by God.

The primary purpose of prophecy is not to direct or correct people, but rather to encourage them. New Testament prophecy encourages and builds up people; it doesn’t condemn or speak negatively to them.

The goal of the gift of prophecy is to bring out the best in people! If we see negative things in someone’s life that we are ministering to, we are to ask the Holy Spirit to give us the answer to the problem that we discern. Then we prophesy the answer—not the problem.

For example, if we are ministering to someone and discern that they are struggling with a specific sin, a prophetic word should call them to higher ground: “God is calling you to a new level of purity and holiness.” In this way, we have prophesied the solution without speaking about the problem. This releases grace to break the bondage of the specific sin in their lives!

Someone needs you

There are many people who are ready to give up. They feel hopeless. They feel unworthy. Demonic attacks bombard them. Confusing circumstance surround them. But a prophetic word spoken in season gives life to their souls.

Any follower of Jesus who has been baptized in the Holy Spirit can minister a prophetic word.

“For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted.” (1 Corinthians 14:31)

God can speak through you something that helps a person learn something vital, while stirring them up. This is the life-saving love language of prophecy.

Great loss

One of the most painful things I face as a Pastor is when people in our church go through difficult circumstances. A few years ago I received news that one of the dearest brothers in our church has suffered a severe heart attack and passed away. He was only 52 years old, and left his wife and two college-aged daughters.

My heart broke for the family, and for our church. We had truly suffered a great loss.

A friend you can trust

We live in a day and age that offers more assistance and resources then ever before. Advances in technology and communication give people instant access to information. Yet, in the final analysis there are still many situations which are beyond explanation. There are no quick and easy answers.

Our human nature wants to ask God, “Why did this happen?” We can even grow resentful and bitter towards God, after all, “How could a loving God allow this to happen?”

I do not claim to have a complete answer to these questions, nor would I trust anyone who did, but I read something that helped. It’s a quote of Martin Luther’s from a time when he faced immeasurable difficulties and attack. His words echoed in my heart and gave me strength, I hope they do yours as well…

I know not the way I am going,
But well do I know my Guide;
With a childlike trust I give my hand,
To the mighty Friend by my side.

Jigsaw puzzle of life

You have hopes and dreams that shape the vision for your life. You also have detours and disappointments in your life that defy that vision. You work hard to wrap your mind around the information you have, but the brokenness of unfulfilled dreams is like a mental jigsaw puzzle.

You place the pieces the way you think they should fit. Even if the pieces don’t fit, you try to make them fit, or look for another piece that will. You hope the puzzle will come together, but it seems to continue in cycle of brokenness.

God operates in wholeness

The wholeness that God creates is actually from the broken pieces in you life. He takes the pieces of your life that seemed pointless, confusing, and even hurtful, and makes something whole out of them.

So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together to fit into God’s perfect plan of bringing good into our lives. (Romans 8:28, TPT)

Perhaps you have become frustrated with your lack of understanding. You have attempted several times to receive some kind of clarification. You read the Bible, but the information also seems like a jigsaw puzzle that you have a difficult time putting the pieces together.

The secret is simple: ask the Holy Spirit to show you

Information is the depositing of facts into your mind. Revelation is the impartation of truth into your spirit. Information informs. Revelation transforms. The Holy Spirit doesn’t just give you information; He gives revelation and leads you into all truth.

This is why God wants you to trust Him. You may not think He really knows your desires, but this is far from the truth! He knows what you want and like better than you do—He created you. And He knows what you need to fulfill the very reason He created you for. He will bring this kind of wholeness to your life by putting all the pieces together!

The presence of God

David said that in God’s presence is the fullness of joy. As we draw near to God, he draws near us. We begin to sense his nearness and our hearts begin to overflow. We feel the warmth of his embrace and the hope of his power.

Jesus IS our Emanuel, which means “God with us.” He is the One who became flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we now find the joy that sustains, empowers, and brings fresh hope for breakthrough.

But breakthroughs are not always kumbaya moments.

Things could get messy

Encountering the presence of God holds the potential of life-changing results. It also holds the potential of life-shaking events.

God warned Moses that no one could see God and live. When Solomon dedicated the first temple, God’s presence came in so strong that no one could stand. We are told that just the name of Jesus demands every knee (on earth and under it) to bow.

“The mountains melt like wax before the Lord.” (Psalm 97:5 (NLT)

While certainly there are tender moments in God’s presence, there are also moments of complete destruction, where mountains of demon oppression are flattened. Where fear, hopelessness, anger, and anything else that tries to stand in the way of what God has for his people melts like wax. That’s messy, but awesome!

God can move but…

Every Christian is in favor of a move of God’s Spirit. We like the sense of peace from God’s presence, or a stimulating word of prophecy. But when unfamiliar “manifestations” of the Spirit occur we get nervous. Strange body movements, ecstatic speech, shouts, laughter, etc. would make the list.

The default response to spiritual things we don’t understand is, “That’s weird.”
The default response to spiritual things we don’t agree with is, “That’s weird.”
The default response to anything spiritual we don’t like is, “That’s weird.”

Getting beyond it

The fact is there IS a lot of weird-ness when it comes to spiritual things. It’s weird that God chose us before time begun. It weird that God knew us before we were in our mother’s womb. It’s weird that we celebrate our new life by being dunked in water. It’s weird that we symbolically eat Jesus’ body and drink his blood at communion. It’s weird we talk to God like we know him, yet no one has ever seen him.

Most of us have gotten beyond the weirdness of these things. They have become familiar to us, even dear to us. We would even get offended at someone calling them weird. Let us also get beyond limiting what God is doing, or can do, by saying the “W” word.

A leper colony

A visitor was being shown around a leper colony in India. At noon a gong sounded for the midday meal. People came from all parts of the compound to the dining hall. All at once sounds of laughter began to fill the air. They were laughing at two young men, one riding on the other’s back, were pretending to be a horse and a rider and were having loads of fun.

As the visitor watched, he saw that the man who carried his friend was blind, and the man on his back was lame. The one who could not see used his feet; the one who could not walk used his eyes. Together they helped each other, and they found great joy in doing it.

A church like that

Imagine a church like that—each member using his or her strength to make up for another’s weakness. That’s what should be happening in every gathering of believers.

Each believer is given continuous revelation by the Holy Spirit to benefit not just himself but all…He has done this intentionally so that every member would look after the others with mutual concern, and so that there will be no division in the body. (1 Cor. 12:7, 25, TPT)

Paul likened spiritual gifts to various parts of the human body. Eyes see. Ears hear. Hands work. Feet move the body forward. All are essential, and when each fulfills its function, the whole body benefits. All of us have weaknesses, but we also have strengths. God’s Spirit has gifted each of us for the good of the church. We need each other. In the church, there are no “nobodies.”

God in and through you

One of the greatest blessings of God is that He lives in every believer. He does not sit passively inside us, He is active. God fills us with His Spirit so He can touch others through us.

Jesus said in John 7:38 that the Spirit would become in us like a flowing river. The Bible explains how this miracle happens…

“Each believer is given continuous revelation by the Holy Spirit to benefit not just himself but all.” (1 Corinthians 12:7, TPT)

The Holy Spirit gives gifts to each of us. These gifts are manifest for the sole purpose of empowering us to effectively minister to people. The Apostle Paul gives us a profound insight to what this kind of ministry looks like…

4 The message I preached and how I preached it was not an attempt to sway you with persuasive arguments but to prove to you the almighty power of God’s Holy Spirit. 5 For God intended that your faith not be established on man’s wisdom but by trusting in his almighty power. (I Corinthian 2:4-5, TPT)

Catch the Wave

If you aren’t counting on the Holy Spirit daily to empower your relationship with God and your encounters with people, you’re missing out on something very special! It’s actually possible to live knowing Jesus as Lord without experiencing the fullness of His power in operation. But God wants you to experience more of him—both for your own sake and for the sake of the people you come in contact with.

Ministering in the power of God is like catching a wave. Things start happening when you believe what God has promised, and then begin to move out in that authority. Somebody gets healed because you prayed for them. Somebody receives direction and encouragement because you prophesied over them. Or best of all, somebody comes into the life-changing contact of knowing Jesus as Lord because of you.

It could happen today. Don’t miss it!

Revivals seem to end

If you study revival history you’ll quickly discover that in spite of the spiritual impact they have, they are not long-lived. Some implode from within through disharmony and schisms. Others succumb to intense theological pressures from without, opposing factions that cause a general loss of trust among leaders.

Notwithstanding the worldwide impact that results from great revivals, many of them ended in disappointment and heartbreak. How is it that these once vibrant places where God’s Spirit was moving and people’s lives were being indelibly changed could dwindle to such lackluster conclusions?

Influence

One of the most crucial factors to revivals sustaining their movement is matter of influence. Unfortunately, great moves of God are often measured by how many meetings they had/have, and how many people they had/have. While this isn’t entirely bad, it’s incomplete.

A kingdom culture must be built in order to sustain the present move of God. There must be a culture of revival that by nature positions itself for future advancements. It is this approach that enables and empowers people to invade society instead of waiting for them to come to us. This is beginning to happen!

Many argue and complain that the best days are behind us. But now, more than ever before, all over the world there are people rising out of revival fires that God is sending back into the world system. These “cultural transformers” often don’t fit in the standard church mold, but they are influencers. Things may look, sound and feel different, but one thing remains steadfast—the message of great God’s love. That’s one good thing that will never end!

Got a secret?

A secret is hidden knowledge. It could be a surprise birthday party, or maybe a special announcement that no one else knows about.

Did you know God has secrets?

“The Lord our God has secrets known to no one.” (Deuteronomy 29:29, NLT)

God’s secrets would include that He knew us before we were created (Psalm 139; Jeremiah 1:5). Or, that He knows how long we are going to live (Job 14:5).

Revealed secrets

While there is a lot we don’t know, there are things the God wants us to know. There are secrets—REMARKABLE SECRETS—that God wants to tell us. There are deep things that reveal His love to and through us.

“Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.” (Jeremiah 33:3, NLT)

A “word of knowledge” is a supernatural revelation about something that’s a secret. It’s something revealed about a person or situation that’s in the past or present that no one else knows except God. And rather than simply knowing information about someone, a word of knowledge reveals God’s heart for a person.

Creating space for secrets

Secrets are whispered, privately shared, and never yelled. It’s really challenging for someone to whisper something to us when we’re in the middle of noise, people and other distractions. We have to create the space so we can hear and listen to what they have to share with us.

There’s a private place reserved for the lovers of God, where they sit near Him and receive the revelation-secrets of His promises. It’s in this quiet place that we are able to put our focus on God, and be in tune with what He wants to tell us.

Don’t miss out on what God wants to share with you. Create the space and silence in order to prepare your heart and mind to experience the remarkable secrets God has for you, and for those around you.

Stay in touch

Humans have an innate need for contact—for physical touch. We have many expressions that convey the importance of touch. We speak of friends and acquaintances “staying in touch.” We describe some people as being “out of touch.”

The most basic element of love is physical touch. Typically, the first action a mother takes toward her newborn is to pick up her infant and hold it close. This is vital to the baby and triggers the crucial bonding process for the newborn.

Studies indicate that physical touch reduces stress. A simple touch—a hand on a shoulder, an arm around a waist—can reduce the heart rate and lower blood pressure.

The Hand of God

Even more important than the touch of human beings in our lives is the touch of God. He does not physically touch us in the same way people do, but His hand of intervention and comfort is available to those who need it.

The concept of touching is so significant to God that He instituted a specific ceremony—called the “laying on of hands”—for certain special occasions.

YOUR hands

The primary purpose of placing hands on a person was to impart a blessing. It is one of the foundational doctrines of Christianity. It’s interesting to see how the Bible directs God’s people to perform this ceremony at key times in human lives.

• Healing the sick (Mark 5:22-23; Mark 6:5; Mark 7:32-35; Mark 16:17-18; James 5:14-15)
• Releasing those called to ministry (Acts 6:1-6;13:1-3)
• Spiritual gifts being imparted (Acts 8:14-20; Acts 9:17; Acts 19:1-6; 1 Tim 4:14; 2 Tim 1:6)

In the instances listed above, the laying on of hands is an act of faith by a believer, which results in the impartation or release of the supernatural powers of God in a situation. It is an activation of God’s divine enablement in the life of a person on whom hands are laid.

Understanding this foundational principle not only positions you to receive a supernatural blessing from God, but also opens the door for you to exercise your faith to be used by God to be a channel of blessings to other people as well.

While observing the admonition in 1Tim 5:22 not to lay hands suddenly on no man, step out in faith to allow God to use your hands to touch a person’s life!