Harnessing the Power of God’s Prophetic Personality
Function vs. Relationship
The commands of God before Jesus were referred to as the law.
…became a practice and a religion that eroded and did not enhance people’s relationship with God.
…promoted a task-driven function that placed people in a pecking order based on their degree of performing the function.
The adjudication of how well you did the function was judged by an establishment of those who created the function.
And all this was done under the guise of obeying the law and God.
In many instances, only a little has changed. We still claim relational elements of our faith, like grace, mercy, and forgiveness, but we walk in function and judgment.
When we walk in obedience to function alone, we are walking in disobedience to how our relational God created us.
The most profound form of disobedience is not disobedience to law or function but disobedience to the wonder of the personality of God.
Example: Speeding ticket vs. treason
The Fall Of Man
Genesis and the fall of man demonstrated not disobedience to a law (eat of the fruit) but to a relationship (when God sought Adam, he hid).
Disobedience to our relationship with God breeds dysfunction in our lives.
Here is why…
In John 4:24, Jesus states, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
We respond to God through His personality, not His laws.
Our worship is based not on a set of laws but on divine personality traits.
John 14:6
Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one may come to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6
“Man’s way to reach God is religion, but God’s way to reach man is Jesus.”
Jesus is the very expression of God’s personality – “the Word became flesh.”
Obedience to his commands as a function vs. obedience to His commands as a relationship.
Romans 8:6
So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.
Function is Flesh – Man made (death), but relationship is spiritual – God’s personlity (life).
Being spiritual is simply being in love with and expressing the personlity of God.
Religion is our way of taking authority over our eternity.
We are expressing authority in a space where we do not have charge.
Eternity is not a function of living forever; it is a relationship with a God who is eternal.
We don’t get to be the divine personality that governs the universe; we get to mirror it.
Our authority comes from displaying His personality, not expressing our own.
The world will tell you that’s a human rights infringement.
The balance of our faith requires us to be in a relationship with the unseen and to embrace the unknown with confidence in Him and who He is. (FAITH)
Faith vs. Religion
Operating in religion is operating in knowledge and not faith. Faith is trusting God in the unknown. Religion is about limiting the unknown through control.
Romans 4:4-5
“Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.”
God wants us to pursue Him and His personality. Religious function kills this life-giving intimacy.
Relational Obedience
We are obedient to Him because it’s what fits. It makes sense at a level we can not explain. It’s because it is more familiar to our psyche than what we think.
We were made by Him to be like Him.
We are made by a God with life as a personality trait, not a function.
The highest level of obedience is allowing His personality to become our guide and to allow that expression to have the greatest volume in our lives.
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord . “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Plans are tangible, but we should long for the elements of His personality.
His personality expressed brings hope and a future – that is the plan!
He made us in His image to become an expression of that image.
His prophetic personality has been placed within each one of us. Christians are called to carry God’s prophetic word and personality.
The gift of the prophetic is our expression of His personality in our everyday lives.
His personality speaks to our future and not our past.
His personality is about what is yet to come (assured expectation).
To express His personality, we have to operate as prophetic people. This is what the church needs to be. A collection of people expressing God’s personality in every area of life.
The prophetic gift is not simply something we express from time to time when the spirit moves, but rather something that is lived daily through every one of us – the highest level of worship.
Gossip is about what someone HAS done, not who they are becoming through Jesus. Gossip expresses not God’s prophetic personality (spirit) but our flesh (function).
Self-doubt is about what you think you can not do and not what you can do through Jesus. That’s not an expression of God’s prophetic personality (spirit) but of our flesh (function).
We must admit we have become trapped in our personality flaws and not the wonder of the prophetic personality of God.
THE INVITATION
It is a divine invitation to partner with God in speaking life, truth, and transformation into the lives of those around us.
OUR RESPONSE
- Understanding Our Identity as Prophetic People
- Created in the image of a prophetic God: We are made in the image of a God who speaks and creates through His Word. The expression of His prophetic personality is a reflection of this divine attribute.
- Receiving the indwelling of the Holy Spirit: Through the Holy Spirit, we have access to the mind of Christ and the ability to hear God’s voice. This empowers us to prophesy, encourage, and edify others through our expression of what the Holy Spirit reveals to us about His personality.
II. Cultivating Intimacy with God
- Prayer and Worship: Intimacy with God is vital for developing prophetic sensitivity. Dedicate regular time to seek His presence, pray, and worship. In His presence, we learn to discern His voice more clearly.
- Studying the Word: The Bible is God’s living word and the foundation of our prophetic understanding. Study and meditate on Scripture to align our hearts and minds with God’s truth.
III. Hearing God’s Voice
- Stillness and Silence: In the busyness of life, we must create moments of stillness and silence to hear God’s voice. Silence distractions and tune our hearts to the gentle whisper of His Spirit.
- Confirmation and Discernment: Test and discern the prophetic words we receive through Scripture, godly counsel, and prayer. Seek confirmation from trusted spiritual leaders before sharing prophetic insights.
IV. Speaking Life and Encouragement
- Edifying Others: Let our words be filled with love, encouragement, and affirmation. The prophetic personality is not about predicting the future alone but primarily about building up the body of Christ.
- Exercising Prophecy with Humility: Share prophetic words (words that display God’s personality) with humility, recognizing that we see in part and that others may have additional insights. Prophesy in love, allowing room for God’s timing and wisdom.
V. Stepping Out in Faith
- Boldness and Obedience: Step out in faith to share the prophetic insights we receive. Trust in God’s leading and timing, even when it feels uncomfortable or uncertain.
- Expectant Faith: Believe that when we release God’s prophetic word, it carries the power to transform lives, bring healing, and release breakthroughs. Expect God to work mightily through our obedience.
Conclusion:
Expressing God’s prophetic personality is not limited to a select few; it is an invitation extended to all believers.
Let us embrace this divine calling with humility (the greatest enemy of religion), seeking to be vessels through whom God’s voice flows.
By cultivating intimacy with God, hearing His voice, speaking life, and stepping out in faith, we can harness the power of His prophetic personality, and He will bring about transformation in our lives and the lives of others.
May the Holy Spirit empower us to walk boldly in His prophetic identity for the glory of God and the expansion of His kingdom.
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