“I will raise you up as a leader, a leader to prophets and to those who see and discern,” were words I heard in my heart over and over again over the course of years. In a nutshell, many people hear the voice of God, but they hear His voice differently.
Some hear His voice more as a defined word or phrase, while others see various kinds of visions or dreams. And then others might feel or sense His voice within their own emotions, which is more abstract and bewildering to those who are uninformed of this possibility.
Those I’ve mentioned here have unfortunately felt a certain level of rejection from God’s church on the earth, but especially those prone to see or discern the prophetic word of the Lord.
Effectively communicating prophetic words in an understandable way is challenging enough, but those who have more mystical prophetic experiences do invite higher scrutiny. My confirmation came at a private apostolic retreat, however, when a well-known prophet and pastor spoke by the unction of the Holy Spirit over me. He said in summary, “You will lead the seers and bring them from revelation to intercession. You will equip them and bridge the gap they’ve had with the church.”
What I heard spoken to my own heart, having been confirmed through another prophet, would be categorized as a directional prophetic word, which is a prophetic word directing you into what God intends for your future. Just to clarify, a prophetic word can be defined as communication from the Holy Spirit either directly to a person or to a person through another person.
A prophetic word will supernaturally emerge when the gift of prophecy is in operation, and this gift is one of the nine supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit that we see listed in I Corinthians 12:7-10. Generally speaking, the nature of a prophetic word is this:
—It is revelatory in nature.
—It reveals what is concealed.
—It declares the future.
Still, there are different kinds of prophetic words. Some will be highly comforting and encouraging, addressing the most discouraged and broken areas our heart. We read, “But he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification and exhortation and comfort” (1 Cor. 14:3). Other prophetic words might come as a warning about the future. “One of them, named Agabus, stood up and prophesied by the Spirit that there would be a great famine throughout all the world, which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar” (Acts 11:28).
And then there are prophetic words that direct us into God’s intended future. For example, “During the night a vision appeared to Paul: A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ After he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them” (Acts 16:9,10). This was the kind of prophetic word I had received. I had been supernaturally directed towards my future, namely, to help redeem a prophetic expression that needed validation and heavy instruction, in order to be received back into the body of Christ.
A prophetic word, especially when it is directional, also needs prophetic wisdom in order to come to pass. Have you ever received a prophetic word that you knew without a doubt was from God? And then after you received it, did the opposite happen instead? Or, nothing at all?
The apostle Paul provides us with clear insight about this. We read his firm instruction to Timothy saying, “This command I commit to you, my son Timothy, according to the prophecies that were previously given to you, that by them you might fight a good fight” (1 Tim. 1:18).
Notice how he connected Timothy’s ability to wage a good warfare through the effective use of his prophecies. Apparently, you can have a prophetic word—a crystal-clear communication from the Holy Spirit about something in the future—but still lose what God intended for you to gain if you don’t make use of your prophecies. This reveals our intimate partnership with the Holy Spirit. He releases a prophetic word to you, but our response to the prophecy will often determine the final outcome.
This is why we need prophetic wisdom. Prophetic wisdom involves the steps and strategy that escorts us through the process that accompanies a prophetic word. And this kind of wisdom is clearly not from human origin, but a supernatural wisdom that comes from the Holy Spirit.
When Abram received a prophetic word from God about his future, that his numerous descendants would possess an inheritance of land that God was leading them to, he needed prophetic wisdom to guide him through. What God promised was clearly impossible. He and his wife, Sarai, being 75 and 65 years respectively, were told they would have a child. God assured him in this manner, “He brought him outside and said, ‘Look up toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them'” Gen. 15:5a).
And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be'” (Gen. 15:5b). Ten years passed, and they still had not conceived a child. Sarai then took control and created her own solution. “So Sarai said to Abram, ‘The Lord has prevented me from having children. Please go in to my maid; it may be that I will obtain children through her.’ Abram listened to Sarai” (Gen. 16:2). She then gave her maid, Hagar, to Abram and hence Hagar conceived a son and named him Ishmael. This was not prophetic wisdom, however.
This was human wisdom, and human wisdom comes with consequences. When it was time for the prophetic word to come to pass, God clarified that Abram and Sarai would, without a surrogate, have a child of destiny together. And to prove His point, He renamed them from Abram and Sarai, father and mother of a multitude, to Abraham and Sarah, father and mother of nations.
Everything God spoke to Abraham and Sarah happened. Together, they brought forth their son, Isaac, at the shocking ages of 100 and 90. The consequences of human wisdom emerged when Ishmael treated his younger brother Isaac with contempt and was forced out of the home by Sarah along with his mother Hagar. Many have suggested that Ishmael’s descendants (most likely Arabs and other Middle Easterners) have continued original contempt over the centuries and to this day towards Isaac’s descendants, the Israelites.
The story of Abraham and Sarah illustrates how a clear prophetic word from God about the future still needs to be shaped and finished off with prophetic wisdom. The good thing is God promised to give us His wisdom. The apostle James taught us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men liberally and without criticism, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).
God doesn’t withhold His wisdom from us, but He does stipulate that we need to ask Him for it. Now armed with this understanding, when we receive a genuine prophetic word then we should ask for prophetic wisdom too. We need to pray like the apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesians, that we would receive the “Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of our hearts enlightened” (Eph. 1:17,18a, ESV).
I began this article by sharing how I had received a prophetic word that was directional, namely to lead the prophets, seers and discerners and to help bridge the gap they’ve had with the body of Christ. This prophetic word would require prophetic wisdom in order to come to pass.
As I sought the Lord for wisdom, I was then prompted by the Holy Spirit to create a common language for this kind of prophetic expression that not only would validate the unique experiences and struggles of this community, but also provide solid, biblical instruction simultaneously. I began very simply on social media, then moved on to books, videos, Institutes, mentorships and more. If there is one testimony I’ve heard over and over, it is this, “Thank you for your teaching! I finally feel normal instead of crazy! I am hearing God after all.”
My prayer for you: Holy Spirit, You’ve promised to show us the things to come. I ask for personalized and directional prophetic words to be released to the hearts and lives of those reading this right now. At the same time, I ask You to provide a surplus of prophetic wisdom. Show them how to partner with You, Holy Spirit, so as to fully step into the future You intend for them. In Jesus’ powerful name. {eoa}
Jennifer Eivaz is a minister and international conference speaker with a heart to equip the church in the supernatural and for raising up passionate and effective prayer. She is a regular contributor to Charisma Online and The Elijah List, has been featured on several Christian television shows, hosts the popular podcast Take Ten With Jenn and authored several bestselling books including Seeing the Supernatural and Glory Carriers. Jennifer will release her fourth book, Prophetic Secrets, in August 2020. Jennifer lives with her husband, Ron, and their two children in Turlock, California, where she serves as an executive pastor at Harvest Church.
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