Steve Shultz: "HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR PROPHETIC GIFT--PROPHETIC QUESTIONS ANSWERED"

I hear that God is more interested in character than gifting. I don't know if I'll ever have enough character to be qualified to prophesy.

When people make this statement, "God values character over gifting," it's like saying He values one quality that HE has given as a gift over another gift which HE also gave.

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There is no Scripture that states this. It's one of those "sayings," but it's not supported in the Bible. God values BOTH character and gifting--since both come from and through HIM. He will be growing both character AND your gifting throughout the rest of your life. So, it's like saying God values Marriage over being Holy. One is not related to the other. Both are clearly true.

In your case, since God will be working on your character for as long as you live, you might as well start using your gifts that were freely given while you also work on your character. We are aware of children who were given a very high level of prophetic gifting at the age of four or five. Which was God valuing most? The gift He gave the child? Or the character that the child would grow up to display? The answer, of course, is both! So start prophesying! Make mid-course corrections as you learn.

People say, "You're just as close to God as you want to be." So if I'm not really intimate with Him, it's all my fault--because I must not want to be close to Him. Is that right? And if I'm not close to God, I can't hear Him or prophesy for Him, right?

Again, this is another common saying--another good-sounding statement made by the Church, of which we are all a part (and which we love)--yet this statement is without support in Scripture. In fact, in the Bible, the Apostle Paul, toward the end of his ministry said just the opposite: "For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing…"--Romans 7:19.

Paul discerned that after many years of serving God, he still had to depend on the Blood of Jesus, because even with Christ living inside him, he--Paul--could not be good enough--or as close to God as he wanted to be.

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As an encouragement to you, you should press on into Holiness but nevertheless realize something. Just a few verses later than what I just quoted, Paul penned the famous Scripture:

"Therefore, [because of the above] there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death"--Romans 8:1-2.

I know this person who seems to always prophesy correctly about almost everything in my life. But this same person gives prophecies about things that will happen in the future in my nation or the world and is almost always wrong when he prophesies this way. What's up with that?

There is a fundamental misunderstanding about the nature of prophecy. God has as many versions of prophecy as He has persons and personalities in the earth. For this reason, it only makes sense when you read the Scripture: "For we know in part and we prophesy in part..."--1 Corinthians 13:9.

God has so set up the giftings in the Body of Christ such that normally, one person prophesies well over individuals. Another prophesies best over their own nation or other nations but doesn't do well prophesying over people. Very few prophesy well over both individuals AND nations. I know of only three or four people myself who are able to (or at least seem able to) equally prophesy over nations and individuals. It's almost an exception to the rule that a prophet or a prophetic person can equally prophesy over both individuals and nations.

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Several of my friends and people I know have all these supernatural experiences and visitations. So, since I don't see angels or have visions like they do, how am I supposed to prophesy to others like these people do?

This may be one of the most frequently asked questions we hear. The bottom line is that some prophetically-gifted people have all kinds of supernatural experiences and visions, feelings, and dreams. Yet others are expected by God to prophesy according to their faith.

So let me remind you of one of the most common instructions you'll hear from us:

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith." --Romans 12:6

In my own case, the most common way I "hear," for instance, is "by faith." That is, I practice and learn to just--at times--"know things" about people. I practice discerning by faith. So rather than by a great experience, I often get things by the gift of faith which I constantly practice. That gift comes only from Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit.

So keep practicing.

Blessings,

Steve Shultz

The ElijahList & ElijahRain Magazine
www.ElijahList.com
Prophetic TV
www.Prophetic.tv

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