Please keep in mind that I am sharing my experiences and perspectives of the prophetic, but other prophetic people may experience these differently. Just as the Lord made us all unique as people, and our experiences in life are all unique, our experiences in Him are all unique, too. Every prophet in Scripture was different and seemed to receive revelation in different ways. There are common factors and characteristics, but we must also be open for the Lord to do the unique. After all, He is the Creator, and He likes to be creative!
Not understanding this one important element of the way the Spirit moves can be a major stumbling block to maturity in our gifts and ministry. Many are successful in praying for someone, but then tend to think that it was the actual phrase or method they used that brought the success. These have little to do with our successes, but rather it is the faith we have that moves God. Even so, after such a success, some will try to duplicate the method, and then tend to develop more faith in the method than in God as a person. This will lead to a departure from the true works of the Holy Spirit.
I do not mean to be crass, but the Spirit is not like a dog that we train to respond to certain commands. The Lord knows our hearts, and we can get the words and the method all wrong, but He will respond because it is the faith in our hearts that moves Him. Think about it. Did He do any two healings or miracles the same way when He walked the earth? It seems that He used a different method each time because the power was not in the method, but in seeing and obeying the will of the Father.
This is crucial for us to understand because there can be a thin line between the prophetic and sorcery. Sorcery is witchcraft, which Paul actually listed as one of the works of the flesh in Galatians. Witchcraft is counterfeit spiritual authority that seeks to use other spirits rather than the Holy Spirit. Witchcraft relies on patterns and formulas, and will always ultimately lead to manipulation, a control spirit, hype, or other carnal ways of using people rather than loving people and being used for the sake of people.
A certain dignity and class that is above manipulation, hype, or control, comes with knowing the King of kings. When the King of kings moves, you feel elevated and ennobled, not pressured or manipulated.
I have pondered one verse in the Bible for forty years in order to try to fathom the ways of God, and that is Revelation 3:20. Here Jesus is knocking at the door of His own church to see if anyone will hear His voice and open to Him. Think about that. He is the King of the universe and our Creator, yet in this age, He will not force Himself on anyone. He will not come where He is not wanted, even if it is His own church!
This is one basic way that we can recognize Him—He is the ultimate Gentleman and does not force, pressure, or control us. Instead, He calls us, entreats us, and beckons us to follow Him. This is also the nature of the New Covenant prophetic ministry that carries His message in this age.
In the age to come, obviously the Lord will come with a rod of iron, and the nations will be compelled to bow the knee to Him. However, this is the age when He is not seeking those who can be pressured into obedience, but those who have hearts that want to follow Him and obey Him. Even in the age to come when His rule will be sure, we can be certain He will rule with such dignity and class that there will be no slavery, but the purpose of His rule is to set His people free.
Again, many prophetic people tend to fashion their ministry after the Old Covenant prophets, which is a wrong model for New Covenant ministry. The Old Covenant prophets were harsh and often intolerant because they were representing the covenant that they were operating under, which was harsh and unforgiving. New Covenant prophets are messengers of the covenant of grace and truth. This does not mean that we are tolerant of sin and iniquity, which God still hates, but rather than condemning, we have the truth that can set people free.
I share this because we are still on the revelation that comes through impressions. This is the most basic level of prophetic revelation, but it is one of the most important for us to learn the ways of the Lord. It is by becoming sensitive here that we learn to reject those messages that come with force or pressure. The Spirit has a certain class that we must become sensitive to and learn to require of any impression we would act on. It takes experience to learn this. Often, we will have mistakes along the way, but it is by learning how forgiving He is, even with our mistakes, that we come to know Him better. To mature, we must walk in the faith that knows we can make a mistake and not be condemned for it, but rather instructed. This sows liberty in our hearts, which is crucial for all New Covenant ministry.
