Letter to a Reluctant Prophet

by Chip Brogden

Note: This is not so much a prophetic word, as it is prophetic counsel for all who would prophesy. I don't believe the letter is new, but it is encouraging, and it is profitable (no pun intended), and for those reasons, I share it with you. --Editor

Dear Friend,

It is with a certain fearfulness that I respond to your inquiry, for I am not an authority on such things. I can certainly relate to your reluctance at being identified among the company of the prophets when so many false apostles, prophets, and teachers abound. I wish I could point you in a proper direction, but I can only point you towards the Lord. It is He who selects His messengers, and I have nothing to offer you by way of what to do.

At most, perhaps you can look upon me as an example of what NOT to do, and take some word of counsel from a weak brother who has made many mistakes and endured many failures along the way. Perhaps you too will have to make even the same mistakes in order to learn, yet following my advice could perhaps help you to avoid the unnecessary heartache and cruelty inflicted upon yourself and others when thinking that you are doing God a service.

I would counsel you, first of all, to be a Christian. Do not spend too much time focused on that which is prophetic. Do not come to others as a prophet, but as a child. Let Christ be your obsession, not the prophetic word. For “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” There need not be turmoil in your heart about your calling; it is clear that you are among those that are “the Called, according to His purpose.” And what is His purpose? That you be “conformed to the image of His dear Son.” That, above all, is your first calling.

Many are eager to wear the Prophet’s mantle, but are reluctant to bear the Christian’s cross. This cannot be. Given the choice between Christian or Prophet, choose Christian. Serve God as the earthen vessel you are, in the place you find yourself to be. Perhaps the Lord will indeed use you in some prophetic way, but if not then at least you have been faithful with the “one talent” you have been given. God will not give five talents to those who cannot be faithful with one, and will not give ten to those who cannot be faithful with five.

If you are a Christian first you will remember that you should walk softly, with meekness and humility, while esteeming others as better than yourself. Then the prophetic word, when and if it comes, will be seasoned with the appropriate amounts of mercy and grace. Remember that without love you will inevitably become as sounding brass – all judgment. If we cannot or will not stay in Love, God will set out to humble us shamefully before our brothers and sisters that we may know the depths of our hypocrisy and self-righteousness. That is evidence of HIS great love for all of us.

Now, concerning the prophetic word itself. God will give you the “what”, but the “when” and the “how” are left up to you. “The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.” You can be right on target with the “what”, but if you screw up the “when”, and especially the “how”, you do yourself and others unnecessary harm.

Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you (this speaks of RESTRAINT on the way WE want to go) and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly of heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” What then? He gives us liberty to speak, but allows us to suffer for speaking out of ourselves. He bids us to be restrained, to take our liberty and give it back to Him, knowing that we can do nothing of ourselves. He does not force us to wear the yoke, but invites us saying “take My yoke.” By giving up our freedom, we will receive it again.

No, we cannot just do what Jesus did, because Jesus bore the yoke of His Father at all times. We cast off the yoke so quickly. We are untrustworthy, but He is faithful. Let us not just imitate Him, but let us learn of Him. Let us not only be familiar with His Word, but let us become acquainted with His Ways. It is not enough to memorize what He said, we must take His yoke upon us and walk in tandem with Him.

Since Christ bids us to “learn of ME”, beware of those who will try to gain access into your life with an inordinate desire to mentor or shepherd you. We may certainly seek the advice, prayers, and counsel of other mature believers. Even the little children in the Kingdom of God can teach us much. But people can only carry us so far, and there is a certain human pride which results in the teachers trying to form the students into their own image. This will not do. The Anointing, Who is the Christ, will teach you all things. His Spirit will lead you into all Truth. His grace is sufficient. There is no man or woman who can give you anything apart from what you have already in Jesus, for we have been “blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ”.

Do you see dear friend, that God is more concerned with the messenger than the message? Do you see that the minister is more important than the ministry? If the messenger is wrong, the message will be wrong too. If the minister is wrong, the ministry will be wrong. And do you see that the Lord of the work is more important than the work of the Lord? Meditate on these things.

There really is no famine of the Word of God. If God is able to find the right vessel the Word will come forth in abundance. Therefore, He takes much time to mold, fashion, train, refine, purge, break down, build up, discipline and create His prophets. Yield to that process. It cannot be rushed, but it may certainly be hindered. We cannot force the Spirit, but we may certainly quench Him.

Ah, your gifts are given to you in a moment’s time, but your fruit, your character, YOU, develops over many seasons of God’s dealings. Do not be thrilled with your gifts, only observe if you are fruitful in Spirit, bearing much fruit, abounding in love, joy, peace, faithfulness, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, and self-control. You can be sure that there are more gifted people in the world than you, yet the fruit is what will remain when the gifts pass away. Never neglect the place of abiding in Him, and you will remain a fruitful branch in the Vine.

Expect misunderstanding. Expect persecution. Expect ridicule. Expect mistreatment. Expect suffering. Expect rejection. Then, you won’t be surprised when it comes. And when it comes, shut your mouth, go to the cross, and die so you can live. Learn to kiss the hands that nail you to the cross, for as you are decreased, He is increased. It is not a better living we need, but a better dying. We cannot reach Pentecost but by way of Passover. There can be no resurrection without a crucifixion. There is no crown without a cross. To live, is Christ: to die is gain.

So if you want to boast, take pride in the things that make you weak, for when you are weak, you are strong – in Him. Be afraid of the praise and acceptance of others, for they are the fertilizer for the self-important and grandiose thoughts that are yours by nature anyway, which spring up in the shallow ground of your carnal mind. Carry about the Death of the Lord so you may have the Life of the Lord. Be ready to suffer with Him, that you may reign with Him.

And now, some practical advice:

As much as possible, stay away from money. Freely you have received, freely give.

Have no part in foolish and unlearned questions, either in the asking of them or in the answering of them. Give up your opinions and go to the cross.

Refuse to promote yourself, “your” word, or “your” ministry. If God gives you something to say, let Him see to the promotion of it.

The loftiest spiritual service will never take away from the most mundane earthly responsibility. Take care of your family, your pet, your lawn, your business, your neighbor. Keep your teeth brushed and your hair combed.

Don’t be afraid to make tents. If you want to eat, work.

Be slow to anger and quick to forgive.

Before, you would never apologize even when you knew you were wrong. Now, be willing to apologize even when you know you are right.

This is my counsel, dear friend, and perhaps something I have said in this brief letter will bear witness with you. With these words then, I commit you to the care of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is able to complete the work which He has begun in you and see you through to maturity, as you are rooted and grounded in Him, being thoroughly equipped and strengthened by His Might which works in those who have taken up the cross to find power in weakness.

Of course, if I may serve you in any way, I hope you will call on me without hesitation, for

I am your brother,

Chip Brogden

from Chip's website, The School of Christ; used by permission.

Testimony: Man Healed While Swinging Him Like A Bridge

In the Spirit of Revelation 19:10, "...the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

By Dawn Richardson

Last week a friend of mine asked me to come over to his flat because he had friends in town and they wanted people to pray and prophesy over them. Well, I went over. We prayed and prophesied over 4 of the 5 people and when I turned to the last one to ask if we could start praying for him, he said, “well, first, could you pray for my head? I have a horrible migraine. It’s the fifth time today and I’m actually planning to go to the E.R. after this to get it checked out.”

“What?!?” I replied. “Well, that’s going to stop right now!” So, we prayed for him. And I asked him how he felt. “A little better, yeah,” he answered. “On a scale of one to ten, what is the pain?” I asked. “Probably an eight,” he explained. “Okay, we’ll keep praying. God, thank you that the pain is going down! Let’s see it totally leave!” In the moments following the pain went to a “7.5″ and people began giving him prophetic words as we prayed. We were recording the prophesies on an audio recorder so, I said, “stop the recording.”

It stopped.

“I have a picture,” I said, “we are swinging you like a bridge, holding your arms and feet and just swinging you and when we swing you, you are going to be totally healed.” Faces in the room turned to shock and wonder. I explained that God likes it when we step out of our comfort zone into faith and I mentioned the story of my friend’s foot being healed. “Well,” the man turned to me, “I would let you swing me, but the thing is, I actually can’t.” “What do you mean?” I questioned. “I have titanium in my back and movement like that would hurt my back.”

“What?” I exclaimed, “well, let’s get that taken care of! that’s easy! Titanium can dissolve just like that!” My friend Sam piped up with a story in which he saw titanium dissolve in a man’s forearm when he prayed for him. So, Sam prayed for the titanium in this man’s back to dissolve. And most of the rest of us popped into praise and prayer exclamations. haha! The Presence of God was in the room like a net pulling in a load of fish, we were being yanked up into the Lord’s boat. haha. After a bit of hot sauna Presence prayer, the man said we could swing him. He was coated in God’s goodness and ready for the next step of faith. Two men took his hands, two men took his legs, and they swung him. And I about fell over in Holy Spirit tornado laughter. haha. I LOVE GOD!!!! I love co-operating with Him!

Well, after some swinging, he stood up and I asked what level the pain was at. He said, “it’s a six. really. it’s going away.” I screamed and lept. Also, in the midst of all this he mentioned that his father recently was told he has brain cancer and that this man was scheduled for a brain check-up soon. Someone immediately said, “we break those words off of you. You have the mind of Christ. There is no cancer in you and we break off any anxiety or fear related to that.” It was becoming clear that much more than a series of headaches was being healed and set free.

Well, as we stood there, he said, “it’s a four.” And I yelled and jumped up and down, all the while laughing insanely in red-cheeked, blushing love for Jesus! “YES YES YES!!! Thank you, Jesus! haha!” And then, he paused in a sort of slow speed moment of evaluation, “It’s gone. It’s gone. Really. All the pain is gone!” HAHAHAHAHA! He was in shock. We all began to laugh and celebrate and he simply stood there in utter shock. Then he smiled and chuckled. He asked if there were magnets around so he could check to see if the titanium left his back. Someone looked, but the magnets weren’t large enough to work, so he said he would let us know after he went through the airport Thursday. He always sets off the metal detector on account of the titanium, so he was expecting to not set it off and therefore know the titanium was gone.

AWESOME!!!!!!! Healed of migraines while being swung like a bridge!!!! HILARIOUS!!!! I love it! God is definitely my favorite AND ONLY God to follow! haha! He’s the Creator! And He’s creative!

And wow, is He normal.

from The Healing Herald

Battle Formations

I saw a formation of battle ships steaming towards the war zone, which was still some miles ahead. The battle group consisted of fifteen or twenty

ships, surrounding a large aircraft carrier in its center. The other ships were support and protection for the aircraft: supply ships, fuel carriers, guided missile cruisers, anti-aircraft warships, submarines, anti submarine frigates, and a couple of large battleships. There were also cargo ships & troop ships traveling with the battle group. I was aware that all together, this formation carried an amazing amount of firepower.

The formation is the church, and she is going to war. She's moving slowly, but she's headed to the theater of war.

As I watched, the carrier at the center of the of the formation launched dozens, if not hundreds, of aircraft. Squadron after squadron swarmed off the flight decks, formed up their positions, and headed off towards the field of battle. The air around the battle group was thick with them, and with all different sizes, shapes and configurations. There were hornets and super-hornets, tomcats, raptors, corsairs, and many other fighters filling the skies and heading towards the horizon. There were also support aircraft: early warning radar planes,electronic warfare planes, anti-submarine helicopters in the air, watching over the battle group. Supply aircraft flew back and forth from the ships' base behind them.

The carrier deck was constantly busy as fighters returned from raining destruction on enemy strongholds, bringing down enemy aircraft, or otherwise completing their missions. Occasionally, a fighter would return slowly, trailing smoke, and the decks would be cleared so she could land safely. The fighters were constantly returning for resupply, new orders and refreshment before launching on another mission. The battle group was involved in a war, but the field of battle was a long way off, over the horizon. The reality was that if the battle ever came to this formation of ships, it would have already lost; a substantial number of the ships and not a few of the aircraft were dedicated to exactly that: preventing attack on the ships that were launching, retrieving and supporting warcraft.

After this had gone on for a while, some of the crew of the support ships and others not directly involved with the aircraft and their missions began to notice, and they began to ask questions about the aircraft who were always coming and going. Why were these people leaving the safety of the formation and heading into dangerous places? Didn't they know that life is safer on the ships than flying into battle? And when the fighters came back injured, or didn't come back at all, fingers were pointed: See! You shouldn't do such dangerous things!

The fighters became aware of the the conversations and it confused them. Don't they know that we're a battle group? That's our purpose: battle. But some of them listened, and wouldn't fly into battle anymore. Others flew towards the battle, but veered off for other destinations, imagining a community of only fighters, forgetting that the fuel and ammunition both came from the support ships. And a few threw themselves into the battle so completely that they no longer had fuel enough to make it back to the ships, and when their tanks were empty and they spiraled towards the earth, they imagined their deaths as glorious.

Brothers and sisters, our purpose is to expand a kingdom. The command is to "make disciples of all nations." Some of us are called to direct action, and are launched toward distant cultures or unfamiliar populations. Others have a primary responsibility in the realm of support, or early warning, or defensive action. But the ultimate reason for our existence, all of our existence, is "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done."

I believe that our present position as the Church is steaming our way toward the field of battle with a focus that I don't believe we have had since the birth of the modern missions movement early in the last century. Some from among our number are flying high enough to see the field of battle, a few are already engaged there, while many others, perhaps the majority of the Church, aren't even aware that we're on course for a very big war.

This war won't be fought with actual aircraft or literal guns; it is to be fought with weapons of prayer, of mercy, of relationships, all as fierce expressions of love.

David McLain, February 2008

The Spiritual Readings Tent!

In the Spirit of Revelation 19:10, "...the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

As an intern with Campus Christian Fellowship on Western Washington University's campus, one of my assignments was to do some sort of public outreach event on campus (in addition to our more ongoing outreach) at some point during the year. I had the urge to do...something you don't see every day! I got the idea from a campus we send one of our missions trip teams to each spring break (California State Stanislaus). I'd heard the stories and figured we had to do it on our campus some time. So what did we do?

We got a big tent, made walls with bed sheets and put it out in Red Square (the busiest most central part of campus) with a big sign across the front of it that said "FREE SPIRITUAL READINGS". The idea is that people are hungry for something spiritual...anything! So they stop by... God gave us a great day of sunshine in the 70's and the tent was full (with two visitors at a time) from 10am-3pm!

When people stopped by, we'd ask them if they were a "spiritual person" to get an idea of where they were at. We'd then explain that (to one person's great disappointment!) we weren't going to read their palms or use a crystal ball. But, we would say that we believe God is real, knows them personally, and can speak to us! Some would be surprised at this. Then we would say we'd start by praying for them. I was surprised that nobody had a problem with that! We would then ask God to show us things about their lives to encourage them and to show His love to them. As we prayed for people, God would always give us things to encourage them with and reveal to us things about their lives. 1 Cor. 14:24-25 says that if all prophesy and an unbeliever enters, the secrets of his heart will be disclosed and he will fall on his face and worship God and declare that God is really among you! And we saw this happen...

We prayed for Grant and Shelby together in a 2-for-1 spiritual reading session. They said they believed in a creator, but were not involved in a specific faith and had never really encountered God. God gave us images and words for Grant about a difficult but rewarding journey he was on to Oregon, that he was a person very respected by others and that he had a gift of leadership in his future career. Surprised, he told us that he was planning to move to Oregon after college to start a business! We then prayed for Shelby. God showed us about her gentle heart, and her love for music (turns out she played at least 5 instruments!), and how she likes to dance. She was also shocked at the accurate words. Grant then asked, "So, wait...how did you say you know this? Can anyone hear from God like that?" We told him that God speaks to all that know Him! I then felt the need to tell Grant and Shelby that God can also heal people. "Wait, like, broken leg healed?" he said. I then shared with him some testimonies of healings I've seen, including God growing out short legs. Grant was fairly excited at this point to tell us that his leg was about 1/4" shorter than the other and asked if we'd pray for him. Of course we did!

We had him sit around the fountain and hold out his legs. Sure enough, one was barely shorter than the other. I prayed for him and then asked him what was happening. He said he wasn't sure if he was making it up or not, but his leg was tingling! We didn't tell him that he may feel anything beforehand. I then had him hold both of his legs out again and they were completely even! Praise God for loving Grant and Shelby so much to encounter them like this!

Overall, it was a packed day and the grace of God was so tangible. We had SEVEN people accept or recommit their lives to Christ! Thank you JESUS!!

Jim & Shaaron Coleman heard good things about a recent Outreach at Western, so they asked Jonathan Taft to write up a testimony about it.

A Great Visitation – Time to Wake Up!

A Great Visitation – Time to Wake Up! February 10, 2010 The Spirit of God was heavy upon our 11 year old daughter, Destiny, as she came to us and said.“Mom and Dad, God just spoke to me, and told me to come and tell you something.” This really caught our attention, as this is not something she normally does, so we asked in anticipation what God had said. She was trembling slightly, and we all felt the presence of God as she shared a vision she had of a great harvest, and that God instructed her to tell us the following: “Prepare your fields for rain, for I am coming!” Wow! This was a very meaningful word to us, as it came from our precious daughter (Joel 2:28), and also reminded us of the prophecy called “A Great Visitation” we received two years ago, January 20th, 2008.

Today, we believe God would have us share “A Great Visitation” once again. It is hard to believe it has been two years since God gave this to us, and yet our hearts are stirred today as never before with a sense of urgency, for the Church to prepare and make herself ready for this Great Visitation, and His Glory to be seen (Isa. 40:5), even this year!

When we look at the many prophecies in God’s Holy Word, we rarely find specific dates or times given regarding their fulfillment. The prophets of old would speak into the future under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, then confidently released the outcome into the hands of an amazing God, who always performs His Word at just the right time, just as He did on the day of Pentecost.

God instructed us at the beginning of the year to Wake Up His Church, to Shake Her Up! It is time for the Church to Awake from her complacency and slumber! It is time for her to prepare herself, just as this word says.

Prepare Everywhere – He's Coming to Visit!
We need to keep in mind, this Great Visitation, His Glory is not coming to entertain us or just to make us feel good, but to transform and change us, His Church! This will be a time of great change in His Church! A time to set His house in order! A time of great cleansing, purifying, unifying and making ready the Bride of Christ to rise up and Be Glorious in the earth! Preparing us for His great end-time work – to bring in the harvest of souls, and for His return! (Also see the "End Time Vision: 7 Doors" here)

Pray, Listen, and Pass it On
Below is the prophecy “A Great Visitation” God gave us during a time of deep intercession for His Church. We pray it brings encouragement and also a sense of urgency of what is coming as this new decade unfolds. It also includes an audio reading from a previous message introduction. Please prayerfully read, listen to it, and pass it on to others as the Holy Spirit may lead you.

Prophecy: A Great Visitation January 20, 2008 – Cindy deVille (Read by Pastor Jeff Baldwin, Heartland Church, TX) Listen to the reading of "A Great Visitation" (3:12) "There is coming a Great Visitation to the earth. A Great Visitation by My Spirit. A Visitation such as the earth has not seen or heard. I will move in unprecedented ways! I will visit MY HOUSE I will visit the WHITE HOUSE I will visit your HOUSE, oh man of God! So prepare, oh man of God prepare! Prepare everywhere, prepare. For I will come with great power, and I will cleanse and I will purify this hour. I will separate the precious from the vile, I will remove all things from My house that defile! I will, I will, I will says the Spirit of God, I will fulfill ALL My will in the earth and in My Church, all My plans shall succeed. I will have a GLORIOUS CHURCH, and she will rise up and do great wonders in the earth! Man has made his plans but it is MY PURPOSES AND PLANS THAT SHALL PREVAIL for I cannot fail! Tell Me, who can stop or stay My hand when I decide to move throughout this land? There is No power, No force, No government, No man that can stand against My Spirit or My plans! So I am calling you Oh Man of God! RISE UP, Rise up and take your place. RISE UP and seek My face. It is a Day of Visitation so prepare, RISE UP and come to the Holy Place! It’s time to cast aside every weight and sin that would hold you back and pen you in. Remove every impure and unclean thing before your eyes, the enemy has sent them for your destruction and demise. Arise Oh Man of God, it is your day of visitation. I am calling you to be Holy as I the Lord your God am Holy. You must turn from and hate your sin, Only then, I can begin to commune with you again! RISE UP out of your confusion and disgrace! RISE UP oh Man of God and SEEK MY FACE! RISE UP out of your SLUMBER! For the enemy of your souls, he knows, he knows, he knows his days are numbered. He has planted snares everywhere. With a violence and a vengeance he has unleashed strong spirits of seduction, delusion, and deception upon My Church and My people. Spirits to draw you away and to devour you as his prey. It is the Day of Visitation so Rise up, oh man of God and draw your sword. Wake up its time for war! It’s time to fight for your life! We are nearing the final round and now starts the count down. You must get up off the floor, you must get up and draw your sword! I Am here, and there is a great cloud of witnesses cheering you on. Don’t give in, Don’t give up, we are so close to the end – so RISE UP, RISE UP, RISE UP!”

We encourage you personally, and all the Body of Christ to be ready and waiting, anticipating this great thing that God is about to do! We close with a reminder of the word our daughter shared:
“Prepare your fields for rain, for I am coming!” Amen.

"I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy..." Joel 2:28

'The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,' says the LORD of hosts..." Haggai 2:9

"The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.".Isaiah 40:5

Cindy deVille. Shekinah Today. February 2010.