I don’t know anyone who is prophetic who isn’t interested in sharpening and maturing their gift. However, while many have taught on this, often it’s in the form of general, obvious, advice such as: “practice prophesying, read the bible, and hang around with others who are prophetic”! All good, but if you’ve done all that… is there more?
Let me weigh in on this and offer some of what has worked for me, and how I’ve seen new places of health and growth in my life. These are practices you can definitely apply as well.
1. MAKE SURE JESUS IS CENTRAL
When Jesus returns and we finally come into the new creation, when heaven fully comes to earth— Jesus will be absolutely central. He is the Temple in the centre of the New Jerusalem and He is the light that shines from there that is so intense and radiant, no sun is needed. All we will see will be by His light (Rev 21:22-25, 22:4,5). This is where we are going, Jesus at the centre of everything, His pure, blazing, light revealing all things so that there is full revelation.
If this is where we are going, let’s line up in that direction now! Jesus brings light.
Through Him and His light, we see clearly and accurately.
Sadly, I’ve been in many prophetic settings where Jesus is scarcely mentioned, and honestly, that should always be a red flag for us. Don’t follow that trend. Rather, remember that Jesus is the greatest of the prophets, not Elijah, Samuel, or John the Baptist. He perfectly brought the message of God in what He said and all that He embodied (Heb 1:3, Rev 1:5). He actually IS the Word of God, remember? (Jn 1:14) So with that in mind, don’t seek to be like any of the Old Testament prophets, don’t use them as your role models, use Jesus. Seek to be like Him, learn His perspectives, His priorities, His vulnerability, accessibility, and humility. Learn from how He trusted and surrendered Himself continually into the Father’s hands daily throughout His life and so naturally, at His death.
Don’t just read the gospels, study them, meditate on them, learn how the Old Testament themes and promises are fulfilled in Christ, allow your understanding to deepen, and your awe to increase. Be impressed with Jesus.
If you set Christ at the centre and make becoming like Him your goal, your prophetic words will begin to mature into more accurately reflecting His heart and His ways. You will prophesy with Jesus in mind, you’ll be asking “What does Jesus want to say to this person or situation?” That in itself will save you from getting swept into some of the wacky, unbiblical practices being foisted upon the Church as “prophetic”. While there are times when God asks people to do really strange things, being weird shouldn’t be the hallmark of the prophetic anymore than it was in Christ’s life.