There is a perception among many who seek the gift of prophecy that it will come by a big download from heaven with little or no effort on their part. There are examples of this in Scripture; however, they are the exceptions, not the rule. Most who were called as prophets were devoted seekers of knowledge and understanding—they were lovers of the truth enough to seek it. In the case of the truly exceptional ones, such as Isaiah and Daniel, they excelled in their breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding beyond possibly anyone else in their times. It is a basic principle that those who seek will find, and they are the ones most used by God. It is a basic tenet throughout the Scriptures that God rewards diligence, faithfulness, endurance, and steadfastness.

     The exceptional prophets under the Old Covenant were well-educated in the Scriptures, history, and current events. This was a foundation that the Lord could build a message on. Most of prophecy is composed of keys that the Lord gives to bring understanding to the times and direction for God’s people in them. Because “the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God” (see I Corinthians 2:10), if we are led by the Spirit, we will be searchers, always wanting more understanding, especially in the purposes of God.

     There are exceptions to this principle of how to build a foundation for prophetic perspective and ministry. There have been simple, uneducated, and even illiterate people whom God gave a great gift of prophecy. Brother Klaus, who lived in the 1400s in Switzerland, is an example. Brother Klaus, who was sainted by the Catholic Church as Saint Nicholas of Flue, is sometimes confused with an Italian Saint Nicholas, the one we call Santa Claus. Brother Klaus did have many children, but he was far from the jolly, fat fellow we view as Santa Claus. He reportedly did not eat for thirty years, a fact which was verified by government agents who watched him day and night for part of that time. He did not claim to be fasting, but that his food was to do the will of the Lord, and as a sign of this, he did not need natural food. The only food he took in was communion, which he took once a month.

     Brother Klaus is considered by historians as the father of Switzerland because he gave a prophetic word to the seven cantons which were about to go to war with each other. Because of this word, instead of going to war, they united and formed a nation. No one knows what the word was that Brother Klaus sent to the cantons, but it accomplished something that all marveled about, and still do when they read the story. It is possibly because of this foundation that to this day Switzerland seems to have an anointing for brokering peace between nations.

     Brother Klaus had such a gift of a word of knowledge that people from all over central Europe would make pilgrimages to visit him for counsel, including popes. Often he would know they were coming and send word through a messenger to give them the answer they were seeking, saving them the difficult trek through the mountains to his place. This was in the 1400s, and to this day his little cabin is visited by a continual stream of pilgrims which has included almost every pope. Brother Klaus was illiterate and lived during a time when even being caught with a Bible would have meant execution. Even so, he had a remarkable grasp of the teachings of the Bible and knew God’s ways, most of which he seemed to receive during his long periods of isolation to seek the Lord.

     Brother Klaus is a remarkable exception, and there are others. However, they did not have access to the Bible and all of the resources we have today. To have the Bible, as well as all of the other resources available to us, and neglect them is a form of irresponsibility that the Lord does not reward.

     I have known people with prophetic gifts who eschewed study just to be able to say that what they received came by revelation, and I have seen many of these get off track and end up in weird or false teaching. When I hear someone say they do not read the works of others because they want to get the revelation straight from God themselves, it causes me to lose confidence in them, not gain it. It has also been a curiosity to me that these tend to be the ones most prone to borrow messages from others, which is obvious to just about everyone and erodes the trust required to be stewards of true prophecy.

     My point is that we must start by being honest with God and men. When we get things from others, we should acknowledge it when we can. I say when we can because it is not always practical. I love preaching and teaching and often watch so many others on television that I just cannot remember who I receive something from. I also read a lot and often do not remember where I read something that I may later repeat, so I understand this problem. However, this is a confession. I should do better. It would help prophetic people if they would give attention to correcting this, within reason of course.

     I have read direct quotes from some of my books in bestselling Christian books, and they did not acknowledge me. I honestly did not mind this, but was happy that the word I received was going out to others on such a scale. However, I lost respect for others who have read my books and let me know that another author was plagiarizing me. Some have read my books after reading the other person’s and thought that I was plagiarizing them, even though if they had looked in the front of the book, they would have seen that I wrote mine long before the other book was published. My point is that this does cause problems. John Wimber warned me about this twenty years ago, and I did not pay attention to him. Now I am sorry that I didn’t. I never purposely plagiarized anyone, but I should have had more respect for the word so as to be more careful. It may not be a big deal to many, but it is something I know I could have done better. Why not do the best we can packaging the words or revelation that have been entrusted to us?

     To keep some from stumbling like this, we should quote others when we can. If we quote our sources, it is borrowing. If we don’t quote our sources, it is stealing. I realize that it all comes from God, but this is a matter of integrity that is crucial for prophetic ministry. Again, I am confessing that I have been very poor at this, failing to record the source of material and forgetting where I got it. I have not been a good example, so do not use me as one in this. It is a regret that I have, and you can do better. In all things, let us seek to be honest and open about where we are getting our information. To be careful means to be full of care, and to be careful enough to quote our sources reveals a basic integrity and caring that builds trust. If we receive our information through research or as a download straight from heaven, either way it can be from God. If it is from God, then it deserves the best and most honest handling possible.