The word says in James 3:1 that not many should desire to be teachers because they are held more accountable. I am surprised that it did not also admonish us that not many should desire to be a prophet. Jesus said that prophets are without honor in their own country.

 Prophets lead a hard life.  There are many who admire prophets, think it's the greatest thing to be and desire to be a prophet themselves without knowing the problems and hardships involved. Prophets certainly deserve our respect and gratitude but I'm not so sure, in veiw of all that it entails, that anyone should covet their position unless they definately know they are called to be one.

   One thing that we need to understand is that most of the people that we call prophets are not prophets at all but are prophetic people moving in spiritual gifting. There is a tremendous difference in the two. Prophetic people are divided into two groups. The first are those who move in prophecy or various gifts of the spirit sporadically as the Holy Spirit moves and directs them. Usually this happens at a church service or in a gathering of Christians where the Holy Spirit is present such as prayer groups etc. In this case the Holy Spirit will either give someone a word or shows them something about the situation or person that will bring comfort and encouragement. This is not done at the discretion of the person being used but is directed by the Holy Spirit through a willing vessel. This is subject to happen any time anywhere by anyone where there is a need and Christians are open to being used by God. This is called the spirit of Prophecy.   But they are not prophets. This is probably the least burdensome of all prophetic jobs.

   The second group consists of those who have one or more of the nine gifts of the spirit mentioned in 2Cor:12. Those who operate in this manner are usually operating under the gift of word of knowledge or word of wisdom or gift of discernment.

  The main difference in this prophetic action and that of the first group is that the Holy Spirit has given this gift to them and it can be used at their discretion anytime anywhere. It is like a water supply line that remains full of water all the time and the gifted person simply has to turn the faucet, in the spirit, for a prophetic word to come out. This gift is without repentance, in other words God has given them this ability and He will not take it away even if they misuse it.(Rom 11:29) God may admonish them for misuse but He does not remove the gift. That is why we sometimes see a person whose life doesn't seem to be what it should and they still can give words from the Lord, or see people take advantage of their gift to bring money into their ministry. Doesn't mean God approves of their method just means He allows them to operate in the gift He gave them regardless. But these folks will have to give an account for their use or misuse of their gift.

  Many who have this gift can prophesy from dawn to dusk and never miss a beat. They can prophesy to every one in the building and have an accurate word for all. They bring much joy and greatly encourage the saints and are mightily used by God but these neither are prophets. They are often called prophets but are not. They are gifted prophetic people who may indeed be on their way to being a prophet but are not there yet.

  With this ministry comes much more responsibility and a heavier burden than the spirit of prophecy. With this one you must discern what to say and what not to say. God often gives much more information than needs to be revealed. The gifted prophetic person must use wisdom when giving words. 

They must know how to encourage or admonish without revealing sin and embarrassing the recipient. If adultery has been revealed a good way to speak would be; "The Lord wants to renew you marriage but you have by choice brought in some "externals" that you must make the choice to remove before He can do this for you. Or in case of embezzlement revealed; "Some one is taking advantage of your firm in the financial area and He wants you to watch this situation and remove the problem so your firm can progress".--etc. The object of the use of these God given gifts is always to lift up edify and encourage, never to rebuke or correct.

  With these gifts come more responsibility and a greater anointing but they are still not Prophets. In fact it is never a good idea to accept accolades until they are deserved-A good example of this rule is the man of God in 1 kings 13:14-26 who responded to being called a prophet and let it lead to disobedience which in turn led to a lion killing him.

  What are prophets

  Most Prophets are called to be prophets from the womb but with the exception of a few biblical ones such as Jeremiah, are not full-blown Prophets until they have exhibited a Godly character and have a firm record of accurate prophetic ministry for 20 or 25 years. Then God has to make it clear to them and to those around them that they have arrived at this point.

 Prophets are often not respected or heard even by the church, but are certainly not received by the world. In the bible almost all including Jesus, were rejected, abused and despised by the majority. Unlike prophetic people prophets have the unenviable duty to very often give harsh words of rebuke or words of repentance or bring words of correction that may take us in a direction that we did not want to go. Most people even Christians and especially the world do not want to hear words that do not edify. The great thing about moving in the spirit of prophecy or in the gifts of the spirit is that all the words should be for edification, encouragement or comfort. But prophets don't always have that luxury. They often have to give words of correction or of direction or of repentance that we often don't want to hear. Another big difference is that when giving encouraging words to Christians we usually get a great reception and excitement about receiving a word from the Lord. A typical response is " I'm ready I want my word" Not so in the world where the mature prophet often operates. The words many prophets get is not so much for individuals as it is for the church at large or for nations or national leaders who are the movers and shakers of their times and often not Christian and most often not inclined to listen to someone claiming to be a prophet. They are many times rejected and ignored. Even in biblical times most prophets were considered by kings and leaders of the religious community to be pests. They were often told do not prophesy here go some place else. In other words get out of my face, get lost! Amos 7:12&13

  Things haven't changed that much today, a portion of the church respects prophets but many in the church even deny their existence and therefore miss out on the word God has for them. Most in the world do not even know what a prophet is, A physic yes but a prophet no! So they disregard their words.

  The contribution these people have made to the Kingdom of God is tremendous but only God knows the extent of their obedience and God will undoubtedly reward but their lifestyle is often less than desirable unless you like rejection. Yet one fact remains, if you are called to be a prophet, nothing else will satisfy you except to be that which He has called you to be and your reward is great.

Ray Cleghorn

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