In Old Testament times, the watchman on the city wall had a mandate to warn of any dangers that approached. This was his only duty. To carry it out, staying awake and alert was mandatory. If the watchman fell asleep and failed to warn the people, their blood would be on his hands.
Similarly, the Lord has provided a prophetic mandate to those men and women who are called to the prophetic ministry in our time. This age is unique in the sense that it is considered “the dispensation of the fullness of the times,” or, “the last days.” The prophetic mandate today is not to keep watch over a city, but to keep watch over the Ekklesia (a “heavenly city” if you will) to ensure that the Eternal Purpose of God in Christ is fulfilled.
Scripture acknowledges that while everything is technically under the feet of Christ today (since Jesus is Lord), the fact remains that “we do not yet see all things put under Him” (Heb. 2:8). The word yet indicates that one day we will see all things put under Him. In the meantime, most of us just wait for the fulfillment of that Eternal Purpose.
But the prophetic person does not passively wait for anything. The prophet agonizes over the condition of the world, wrestles with God, sees His Purpose, declares it to others, and rises up daily to pray, fast, and fight to ensure that the Purpose is fulfilled. The prophet watches over the Ekklesia, helps it grow, keeps it from drifting off course, weeps when it does, and endeavors to set it right again. The prophet discerns the spiritual enemy working behind the scenes, warns of its dangers, challenges it, and demands its submission to the preeminence of Christ. The prophet observes the ebb and flow of things in the world and evaluates what impact this could have on the Ekklesia and the Purpose of God: are things moving towards God’s Purpose or away from it? The prophet seeks wisdom and understanding and works in harmony with the Holy Spirit to help, encourage, strengthen, warn, and prepare the Ekklesia for what lies ahead. One need only read the Book of Daniel to find Scriptural support of the life I have just described.
To see and hear clearly, the prophet has to remain “above the fray.” To climb down from the wall and become immersed in the minutia and trivia of the day is to invite disaster: “I sent messengers to them, saying, ‘I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?’” (Neh. 6:3). The prophetic mandate requires the prophet to be on duty, before the Lord, watching and waiting at all times: day and night, holidays and weekends, in every season, in every place, and in every condition. This is not usually possible outwardly; but inwardly, it is an indispensable necessity.
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It’s a tough job! Father, give us wisdom & courage and STRENGTH!
Great!
And thank you.
And… I am sure looking forward to kindle edition. 🙂
I just checked amazon for the book on kindle and I did not see it . Will it become a E-book?
Hopefully soon, we will let you know.
Brother, I like you thoughts on the above mandate, bless you..
I hope a kindle edition comes out soon, too! You just described my odd little life to a tee! Such a blessing to know I also am understood by a brother and sister in Christ!
The past year my life has been drastically pruned.Old dead wood, branches of it,literally lopped away, never to appear again I believe.Challenges coming my way,which forced me to make decisions I never thought I could or indeed would have to make.Some events of this time have felt positive, such as the release from a serious chronic illness I’d endured for 28 years. The results and consequences of these changes have been massive, whilst I thank God for his dealings in my life, I feel I’ve been put through a mangle. It feels good to be out the other end but whew!…what a year. Looking back so much of the past has lost the confused picture it posed at the time. It’s been hard and lonely, but what a privilege to be walking in truth, and anticipating with awe and wonder how He will lead me on from this point.I love him for so many reasons but right now I am overwhelmed with thankfulness to be led by Him and to be walking in truth. Thanks be to God, and thanks be to you Brother Chip for being obedient to His call on your life.
Paula Harries
Thank you for reading!
I have the book and its a great read–thanks
Thank you for this today. I want to lay aside some distractions an get back into this book!
Hi Chip!
Great post.
I have a question for you. I recently listened to your series on the prophetic ministry and I have a question. Do you think a woman can be called to the prophetic ministry or office? I’m asking you because I can relate to this article and a lot of what you said in that audio series. I have lately been shown the many ways in which I must make my surrender more absolute, and have a strong urging to lead our brothers and sisters to a revelation of the preeminence of Christ in all things, and a more radical obedience. A lot of passages I have been led to after prayer and fasting have been about prophets (especially Jeremiah, Ezechiel and John the Baptist). I have received strong impressions from the Holy Spirit (for instance, once I distinctly felt He wants me to anoint His Body for death, just like Mary of Bethany appointed the physical body of Jesus; prepare the ekklesia to surrender and die to fleshly desires and sins).
How would one confirm whether one has the calling to be a prophet (meaning ministry, not just the occasional gift)?
You don’t really need confirmation of a particular calling. Just obey the Lord and love the people. Do what He says to do and it is enough.
What I am sensing in my Spirit:
An enemy is fast approaching the “Gates”, but I can “tell by the stride” that it is not the One that we would expect…It appears to be Apathy along with Complacency, Compromise, and Procrastination…It is time to sound the call and rally the Troops!! The Troops are not awake! They are not clothed in their proper Armor of Christ’s Righteousness!!
They think they are!
They hope they are!
They have been told they are, but they are deceived!
It is time to strip off the imitation armor of Self-defense, Pride, and Outward Appearance…It is no Defense at all against this advancing enemy!!
The Victory is ours, but we MUST be awake and aware, so that we can STAND in the Power of the Lord’s Might!
“It’s not by might, it’s not by power; It’s by MY SPIRIT says the LORD”. But not if you are laying down asleep! Only if you STAND in Victory that is already yours! A Victory I have already given you!
Forget your circumstances!
Forget your losses! Just count it as seed sown and face forward!!”
The war is won, but the battles go on…We must take our victories one by one…and advance…No weapon formed against us can prosper ‘if’ we lay down our own armor and “Put on Christ”…
“Watch and pray, says the Lord to us”…that the day will not come upon us as a thief…
He is calling All Who will STAND…all of us who are willing to be stripped of our own coverings…clothed only in Him!!!…
“Lord, it is only by Your Grace that we are able to Stand…Only in the Power of the Holy Spirit! We are not able to stand against any foe (including Self), “but our eyes are on YOU!!!
You are our Victory unto Victory!!! Amen!
Brenda Brown
A great description of the prophetic call, to which we could all give time and attention to. In the book ‘O Jerusalem’ it describes a Czech man, who came from that nation to Israel, during the Second World War as a refugee. It was 1948 and he was standing astride the real wall of Jerusalem, on watch for the Arab army invaders. As he stood there, gun in hand, he recalled a time in Czechoslovakia as a young person attending his Sunday School. One of the memory verses he used to recite quite a lot was “I have set watchmen upon thy walls O Jerusalem……” and here he was several years later fulfilling that very memory verse. The prophet works with God in His vision, as did the prophets of old. Spiritual discernment is vital, as is much waiting upon God. We develop our own personal prophetic insight for our lives, as well as the knowledge of the Biblical prophecies pertaining to Israel and the Jewish people, their covenants, end time world events, etc. We are to stay alert and stay close to God. I recall a time in 2009 -I was in Libya, walking around one of the archeological sites. I heard God say to me
out of the blue …”A time will come when this nation (Libya) will become as these ruins of this past civilization that you walk amongst–a pile of rubble in the desert, just ruins in the desert landscape. Their religion is built upon the precepts of men and not of me. Their (Islamic) pillars of wisdom will fall heavily”. I was surprised but it enabled me to ‘warn’ people I knew in that country and pray for others I could not reach. So it is important I sense to embrace the fullness of what Christ offers us, to be able to help others and keep on track ourselves.