Exercising The Gift of Prophecy
I have been talking about the gift of prophecy in my homilies and promised
to share with you the three steps in exercising this gift for the up building of
the Body of Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:4).
Revelation: You start by praying in the Holy Spirit for a word from the Lord
to comfort, encourage, and edify. For example, as I was praying for
someone, I received the Scripture passage from Isaiah 65, which says the
Lord wants to do something new. Please note that you don’t have to
receive a Scripture passage; sometimes the Lord will give you an image or
vision.
Interpretation: After receiving the revelation, you then begin praying to the
Holy Spirit to help you interpret what you received. What does what I just
received mean for the person I am praying with, and how can it help them
in their journey with the Lord? Take time with this step and remember you
are stepping out in faith and trying to show forth the goodness of God. If
you don’t achieve 100% clarity, that’s okay. The Lord will bless and honor
your intention to reach out and strengthen a fellow brother or sister in
Christ. Faith, love, and humility are essential for exercising the charisms of
the Holy Spirit.
Application: The last step involves “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians
4:15) and seeking a practical way to help the person receive and integrate
what you have received through this gift. For example, when I did this
exercise with a woman and received the Isaiah 65 passage about the Lord
wanting to do something new, I said, “The Lord gave me Isaiah 65, and I
would invite you to prayerfully consider that God wants to do some new
and exciting things in your life. The Lord makes all things new! Also, if there
are past events (trauma, sin, etc.) that are holding you back, ask the Holy
Spirit to help you move forward and let go of any self-condemnation so that
you can embrace the new things the Lord wants to do in your life.”
One last thing to remember is that whether or not you receive immediate
affirmation for what you shared, a seed was planted, and you reached out
to a brother or sister with the intention of encouraging them. Scripture says
that we should encourage one another while it is still today (cf. Hebrews
3:13).
Think about how this gift can help people struggling with depression and
doubt, or those who find life difficult and burdensome. Consider how
parents can be a wonderful source of encouragement to their children in
turning to the Lord for help with all of the challenges they face if they seek
this gift. Many of our young people experience putdowns from their peers
and on social media. The Holy Spirit is the Lord and giver of life and always
brings hope to us and confidence in God’s plan for our lives.
Our world is filled with toxic and harmful words that tear people down rather
than build them up (cf. Ephesians 4:29). Through the gift of prophecy, we
can speak words of comfort and edification to strengthen each other,
trusting that God is working all things for our good!
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