There is a prophetic company who are to prepare the way of the Lord. Just as John the Baptist prepared the way for the coming of Jesus in his generation. There are many different aspects to the prophetic anointing including personal prophecy, prophetic intercession, national and international prophetic praying and prophesying and much more. Yet, the primary purpose of the prophetic is to prepare for the way for the Lord. Jesus explained this as He spoke to His disciples through the following verses.
Matt 11:11-15
11 “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
NKJV
Jesus said that John the Baptist came with the anointing of Elijah. It was this anointing that broke the religious stranglehold of King Ahab’s day that Jezebel had forced. It was the anointing of John the Baptist that broke the religious stranglehold of the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus day. It will be the Elijah anointing that is breaking the religious stranglehold on today’s church.
Let us be careful not to reject the Elijah’s of our day, as those in religious authority did in the past. To do so will be to miss “seeing what the Lord is doing.”
Matt 17:11-13
11 Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. 12 But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.
NKJV(emphasis mine)
As the prophetic ministry matures, it will be less and less about the prophet and more and more about the Lord. In order for this to be accomplished, the prophetic of today will need to both mature and experience the fire of purifying. This purifying will remove all desire of the prophet to promote himself or his gift and will be replaced with a burning passion to reveal the glory of the Lord.
The Holy Spirit is even now searching for mature prophets and prophetic intercessors through which He can pour the revelation of the glory of the Lord. The glory I am speaking of is the glory Jesus spoke about in John 17.
John 17:22-23
22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
NKJV
Jesus is speaking of the glory that does not glorify a man or his gift, but rather is delivered with such love and humility true unity is the result. Elijah had to learn that the power of the public ministry must be replaced by the quietness of the “still small voice.” It is very difficult to make this transition and many of God’s budding prophets will not. Sadly, when the Lord calls them away to the cave of isolation where they can learn to hear his voice and multiply their anointing many will not heed the call and will try to “force an anointing that is no longer there.”
When I say “multiply their anointing” I say that in this context: That in the cave Elijah was taught that the things he desperately wanted accomplished for the Lord would not be done through him or his anointing, but rather through others.
The nature of the prophetic is often dramatic and for that, reason draws many who insist on this drama. If the Prophet moves from obeying God to performing for others, he will eventually lose his anointing. One of the problems through all of this is that most of God’s children cannot discern the difference of when a Prophet is obeying God or is performing for the people. The Prophet becomes so good at imitating the anointing he often fools himself.
1 Sam 18:10-11
10 And it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house. So David played music with his hand, as at other times; but there was a spear in Saul’s hand. 11 And Saul cast the spear, for he said, “I will pin David to the wall!”
NKJV
Notice that while Saul was prophesying that he was also plotting to kill David. How strange this sounds, does it not? When will we ever learn that godly character is more important than gifting? How we respond when another threatens our ministry or is more anointed than we are will reveal what is in our hearts. Jealousy and envy are deadly enemies of God’s purposes. Shall we not learn the lesson of Job?
Job 1:22
The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.
NKJV
When will we learn that our calling, anointing and positioning is in God’s hands? If He desires for us to continue, so be it. If He desires to remove us, so be it. I for one do not want a position that the Lord cannot protect and keep. How about you?
Ps 127:1
Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain .
KJV
When God removes us to from our position of influence, favor, or anointing what is He after? He desires to teach us to both love and to hate. What do I mean by this? God desires to teach us to love others, who in the past we judged, and He wants to teach us to hate the situation that has sent us to the cave (the sin of jealousy and envy). In the case of young David, God began to send him men who he would not have given the time of day to before. Not only did David receive them, but also he learned to love them and work towards making them into mighty men of God.
1 Sam 22:1-2
David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him.
2 And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them.
NKJV
Elijah too had to learn the lesson that it is God who chooses to use men and women of His choice. Not only did Elijah have to learn that God could choose to use whomever He wanted, but also that God required Elijah to cooperate with this choosing even if it meant Elijah was going to be replaced.
1 Kings 19:15-16
15 Then the LORD said to him: “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. 16 Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place.
NKJV
God is even now searching for His Elijah’s and David’s. Will He find them? Will you and I submit to the discipline and refining of the cave? Will we step aside when He chooses another? Will we prepare the way for the Lord or will we protect our little space?
MORE TO FOLLOW
Apostle Bob Rogers
Very good. Made me think . I really don’t know what my gifts or annointings are but I want what God wants for me and of me.
GLOIRE a JESUS qui nous donne la vie Eternel
Honestly, I am N tears. God is so wonderful. He is so good. I pray that what ever happens N my life I will only want what God wants for me. Thank You for teaching me these words.
What an awesome word from the Lord! I just stumbled across this message and I say, AMEN to the utterance of the Holy Spirit! AMEN! This has aided me in understanding the Holy Fire that literally fell upon my head. The flames of such fire that consumed every evil thought and intent; such fire that has circumsized my mind and have sanctified it for God’s work! Such holy fire that has refreshed the fear of the Lord in my being! & This Fire continues to burn – I must be about the Father’s business with the help of the Holy Spirit! I can only pray for this outpouring of the Fire of God upon the Body of Christ! Fire upon the heads of the leaders, ministers, deacons, every person for the work of the Lord!
Just stumbled across this, like the way you put this. Been praying for the fire instead got the oil which is good too.
Wow…
This is very informative. and thank you so much for breaking it down so that one gets the hard core information about the subject.