PROPHET

Volume II
 IN DEDICATION
This book is lovingly dedicated to my daughter, Bethany Maranatha Jordan,
for she shall carry the prophetic legacy to her generations.

The School of the Prophets

Volume II

Copyright 63 1995 by Zoe Ministries.

Published by: Zoe Ministries

4702 Farragut Road
Brooklyn, New York 11203

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, in whole or part, without written
permission from the publisher.

All Scripture are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible unless otherwise noted.

Printed in the United States of America.

Graphic Design / Page Layout: Alexander Enterprises, Ricardo Black
 Mle of Contents
THEMATIC TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................. V

IN GRATITUDE ............................................................................. IX

PREFACE ............................................................................. X
SECTION I: Chapters 1-4 ............................................................................. 1
Bishop E. Bernard Jordan, biography

SECTION 11: Chapters 5-6 ............................................................................. 43

Prophetess Debra Jordan, biography

SECTION III: Chapters 7-11 ............................................................................. 63

Prophet Devon Thompson, biogrnphy

SECTION IV: Chapters 12-15 ............................................................................. 103

Prophet Frank Webster, biography

SECTION V: Chapters 16-18 ............................................................................ 127

Prophet Bert Williams, biography

SECTION VI: Chapters 19-21 ............................................................................. 147

Prophet James Duncan, biography

SECTION VII: Chapters 22-26 ......................................................................... 173

Prophetess Deborah Jones, biography

SECTION VIII: Chapters 27-30 ........................................................................ 219

Prophetess Faye Thompson, biography

SECTION IX: Chapters 31-33 ............................................................................. 253

Prophetess Denise Baize, biography

SECTION X: Chapter 34 ........................................................................... ,275

Prophetess Phyllis Williams, biography

SECTION XI: Chapters 35-36 ............................................................................. 285

Prophetess lonie Reid, biogmphy
-
CH. SUBIECT -
PAGE
I PROPHETIC CONNECTlON ........................................................................................................3
Yotcr propheHc co~t~tectio~t ?oil1 ntnke the impossible possible. Tltis cltnpter gives vnltrnble
itlfor~ttationon ltoru to effectively nttnbt nttd innbtfnin relntionships zuitlt tlte propltet.

2 DREAMS AND VlSlONS .............................................................................................................11

Dreams and Visiotts are cltnttttels of conttttn~ticntio~~behuee~tGod ntzd His people. Tltis
cltapter provides n forindntiottfrom rulticlt tltese aspects of the propltetic ininistnj cnn be cont-
preltettded.

3 PROPHETIC EMPOWERMENT .................................................................................................. 23

God is runtcltbtg Itow yoti treat tlte prophet. Soruittg btto n propltet sti~tttilntespropltetic
etrtpowentteitt. Tltis cl~npterprovides Scripttirnl evidettce tl1n1propltetic etnporuertttettt rvill
bring wenlilt: spirittinl, pltysicnl nnd entotiotml.

4 PROPHETHOOD ...................................................................................................................... 31
Disctisses NIP t ~ t i t and
y diversify of tlte n m ~ t ytypes of prophets nttd discusses tlte develop-
ment of the propltetic order.

5 THE PROPHETESS .................................................................................................................... 45

A tiniqlie perspective 011 ilte
m i ~ t i s t n of
j tlte propltefess. Addresses flte qtiestiott tlrnt ltns
plngtied tlte churclt nbotit tltefiittctio~tnttd role of w o ~ n e nbt ntittistr!/,.

6 PROPHETIC TIMING ................................................................................................................. 55

Denls wit11 the necessity of totdersin~tdittgthe tintittg nttd sensons of tlte Lord it1 order to
experience tlte grentestflow of His Spirit. To e ~ e n j t h h t gtltere is n seas011 nttd n tiltte, rind
this chapter will teaclt you how to discern tlte clock ruitltin yotir temple.

7 AND IT CAME TO PASS: THE METAMORPHOSIS OF PROP HE^ ............................................ 65

Addresses tlte predictive tmture of prophecy n ~ t dtlte variotts stages of cltntlge nnd trn~tsitio~t
tltnf are experienced before tlte propltetic word corttes to pass.

8 THE LANGUAGE OF PROPHECY ........................................................................................... 73

Denls with propltetic ter~ni~tologtj,ottd ettnbles yoti to deciplter tentts tltnt arefreqtiently used
durbtg propltetic delivenj. Tltis cltnpter will be iiwalunble for nttyone 7 1 ~ l l has
0 tlto~igltttltnt
n propltetic word wns "bt error," rolte~ti n acttinli &.....itruns Nte Word of tlte Lord.

9 PREPARATION FOR THE PROPHETIC MINISTRY: THE MENTORING PROCESS ....................... 79

Evenj "Elislu" ~tttrsffind their "Elijnlt" tltat sltall slupe tltetn ittto tlte diarno~tdtllnt sltnll
benr flte rueigltt of tlte propltetic ntnntle. Tltis cltnpfer will disctiss tlte pninjrl, yet ttecessnnj
process ofdeuelopntent tltnt ~tttcstbe experienced before o1te cnn t n i l y wenr the clonk of tlle
propltetic.
 -
10 PROPHETIC CALL PROPHETIC CHOICE ................................................................................ 87
Each propltet is called, yet obedience andfttlfilll~tentntttst be a daily cottsciotts cftoice. This
chapter will provoke yo11 to excellellce in ntinistnj.

Being aware oftlte things of God, we are not merely spirits, for even after we are saved, we
still have bodies. Tlte body is Iteir to all sorts ofhtt~tmnweaknesses., pail1 nlld sttfferirtg,
wltile the sottl is subject to vanji~tgand clta~tgi~tg e~llotiortsa~tdfeelittgs. Oftell, these affect
our spirihtnl otttlook. 111 order to ltnve victonj, these dispositio~tsmtrst be nmde subject to
ilte new nattlre, zultich is tlte conscions~lessof God.

12 THE PUSH AND THE PULL OF THE PROPHETIC OFFICE ..................................................105

Wftileon one f m ~ the
~ d prophet brings abottt clmllge, 011 the other lta~td,lte directs God's peo-
ple illto their purpose. Tltis clmpter explores this process.

13 PROPHETIC REFORMATION ..................................................................................................... 109

Explores tlte role of the propltet in refonnhtg the oppressed, and expresses the process of
refon11 tftat God ltns set.

14 PROPHETIC CHAOS OR PROPHETIC ORDER? ........................................................................ 115

This chapter disctlsses ftoru people are affected rultelt tlte i~ttproperuse of the prophetic ofice
exists. Wlte~zthis aspect oftlte propltetic miltisty is totderstood cotlfilsion will be avoided.

15 THE PROPHET AND SplRITUAL WARFARE ............................................................................. 121

A shtdy in the i~rtportartceof the propltetic i?t tlte cu~tflictsbetween tlte kktgdont of dnrktless
and the Kiugdo~?lof Light.

16 THE SCIENCE OF PROPHETIC A n w C T l O N .......................................................................... 129

Wltnt yott respect you will attract! This i~tsiglttfltlstudy addresses the ~tniqttetopic of
ATTXACTIONfrolir a proplietic perspective.

17 THE PROPHETIC POWER OF WORDS TO FORM AN IMAGE ................................................. 137

Words are ]tot cheap! And words /lave pictures co~tnectedto tlte~tt!lit tltis chapter yott will
be given principles tfmt will assist yott to proplteticnlly bttild your self,fatnily, and imtiotl.
You will also Rave cleverly used tltis to clta~zgean it~tage. You ruill lennt horu tofor~ltnit
intage 7uithbt yonr fa~~tily
through God's Word to proplteticnlly lnttnclr t1te111into greatness.

18 THE SCIENCE AND POWER OF RAISED IDOLS ...................................................................... 141

In this cltapter, tlte hidden knoruledge of Satan's t~toder~t
Idols wltich ltave been raised higlt i n
our socieg will be operted artd exposed. Pri~tciplesiltai reveal tlteir power and show h07~
they are ,,lade roil1 be shtdied. Yott will understa~tdthe two reahtts in zul~iclttltey are seen
and horu to idellt$j their spirit and flssiglt~~tent.

19 GIVING BIRTH TO PROPHECY ................................................................................................. 149

Designed to help the recipient camj tlie propltetic word and to prevent a nziscnrriage so tltai
the pttrpose of God will be i~mdettmnifest.
20 THE OFFICE OF THE PROPHET ........................................................................................... 159
This chapter will define thegovernmental role of the prophet, both in Church and within
. society. Clmllenging in its approach, the tremendous responsibility for integrity and charac-
ter is clearly defined.

21 THE PROPHETVS. THE PSYCHIC ........................................................................................... 165

This chapter is designed to assist in rinderstanding that the prophet is God's servant, and the
psychic is the devil's counterfeit.

22 THE PROPHETIC HYPOCRITE: A STUDY I N PROPHETIC DRAMA ....................................... 175

The prophet as actor becomes evident as the Word of the Lord isfreq~ientlyportrayed while
spoken. This chnpter will explore tlte imagey and creativity utilized to bring forth the Word
of the Lord with greater impact.

23 PROPHET~CEMULATIONS: THE ORIGIN OF A PROPHET .................................................... 185

The prophet's life is a prophetic stateinent. This clmpter will discltss the thought of God and
its development in tlre life of a prophek

24 THE ALCHEMY OF ILLNESS: THE PROPHETIC MESSAGE WlTHlN YOUR TEMPLE ..................191
In understanding illness as a condition of disorder, often there is a ntessage of wisdonr to be
discerned. This chapter will explore this uniqtie topic.

25 PMS: PROPHETIC MOOD SWINGS ............................................................................................ 199

The pendrilriin of emotions experienced by tlre prophet must be rirrderstood in orderfor sta-
bility and nratttrity to take place. This cfmpter will bring clarity to tlre ga?nut of attittides
tlmt intist be lmrnessed whetrfunctioning in ~ n i n i s t y .

26 PROPHETIC CHASTISEMENTS ................................................................................................. 205

Disobedience is never ignored by God. This clmpter is for the serious student who wishes to
deepen their rotderstn~zdingof God i n all thi~tgs.

27 PROPHETIC PRESERVATION ...................................................................................................... 221

This chnpter will assist in understanding the ability of the Word of the Lord to brill8 preser-
vation rotti1 the appointed time.

28 PROPHETIC ECONOMICS ....................................................................................................... 229

This chnpter will expound ripon the impact of tlte prophetic visitation upon the economic
state of horiseholds.

29 FOOD: A PROPHETIC MESSENGER ......................................................................................... 237

This study expozo~dson the sensitivity tofood and the recognition of its i~nporfancethat
needs to take place bl the life of the prophet.

30 THE SILENT PROPHECY OF MIME .......................................................................................... 245

Tkis chapter brings clarity in understanding the power of image while in motion.

31 PROPHETIC [NTERCESSlON ..................................................................................................... 255

Prophetic intercession is the sap of tlre vineyard. When itflows, life will manifest itself, but
when it ceases toflow, the leaves brown and fall 08; ffzefithefnritwithers on the vine and the
plant goes into tlrefonner stage.
 32 YOUR MIND MATTERS .............................................................................................................. 263

- The mind is the master control center of the body. It receives informationfrom existing con-
ditions, inside and outside. It rapidly analyzes this information and then sends out impulses
that controls thefunctions and the action to either change or maintain the condition. As we
allow our complete mind to obey God's direction, He will keep us in perfect peace, whose
mind is stayed on Him. Don't lose your mind, because your mind matters.
33 PROPHETIC MOVEMENTS ......................................................................................................... 269
This chapter discusses God's standard that He is raising up prophets and prophetesses to
expose and overcome theflood of deinonic activities in this still existing racial war.

34 PICTORIAL NAVIGATION OF MAN THROUGH THE

THREE REALMSOF IMAGE RELATIONSHIP ............................................................................. 277
In this study the fhree relative realms of image that navigate your life towards purpose will
be explored. Afurther parallel of these truths with God and His Kingdoin will be made.
Through this study you will be able to determine who and where you are heading as well as
measure others around you.

35 UNDERSTANDINGTHE PROPHETIC MINISTRY ........................................................................287

The purpose of the prophetic ministnj and its boundaries arefrequently misunderstood as
many reduce the prophetic to the ungodlyform of fortune telling. A unique perspective to
the prophetic ministnj will be presented in this chapter.

36 PROPHETIC EVANGELISM ......................................................................................................... 297

Propltetic evangelisin can be described in various ways, such as the use of fhe prophetic
anointing (mantle) to give evangelical messages; causing a revival of souls through the
preaching of the gospel prophetically; winning souls; bringr'ng to salvation by revealing
God's judgments and purposes for a given people; causing conviction of sin through evange-
lism by a pmpltef.
 We'd like to express our sincerest gratitude to the following individuals for their support of the
publication of this book:

Theon Allq~ie E Lorrair~eJorres Theresa Robirisori

Dotberi~~e
Broiwi Thomas Matztor~N Stella 1.Scott
Doris ilfoterl
Adrierirze ~If~trray

Carla Coles & Gerald IVatkins . iMyms

iblotorber Dorotl~]~. Fmrzblitz &RoseSrrzitl)

Jobri & Hope Craluford Jobrz K Obueak~uatzg-Frarice Gold I'olar~daSpniti

Roxatztie Davis iklother Helerr Parker & Aley Parker &Joanlleudoftieh
Alverla Dreiuy-Sit~ipsott PastoriProphetess Cystal Parrisb Colleerr Van Honze
Denise "Queen"E~r~arz~tel Janies & Betl~Pery Karl & Lorie Vorl S Brotun GFami1)r

iblelonee, iWark, Chrisropher arzd \Veridy Patricia Po~tipey Cleola \Villiarris & Fa'nnil]~
Kaelal~Gilbert a t ~ dthe Jesse & Gail IYlirzle]:J,:
Eagle Soars, Ibic Mark Popli
Deborah Porlee it?lovitig Debrn \Wright
Dale Goggi~is
nrenioy of nryparenls
Artl~ur& iktzica Xavier &
Mark & Stuette G1t.y Xauier Travel Services
iblilrister Pat Portelli
\Wesley &Barbara Itrgram irz louirig iS,illie Piigh T / JCor~ipa~zy
~ of Propl~etsof
nzemoy ofMv Brother Zoe ministries
James I~zgrani,Jr. A~ziiieR. Reed
Caro(ynJackson iblotber Ionie Reid
EdrzaJobtison-S~ieed Lois Robinson
Yoti are to be cortzmended, for ns sotzs atzd dauglrters of Issachar, you \rave knowledge of the ti~ties
and have developed a n eye for destbzy. M a y God richly reward yo11 for your gerterosity, artd cause your
eyes to see thefruit of your fnitlr.

In Love and Liberation

Bishop E. Bernard Jordan &
Prophetess Debra Jordan
 The School of the Prophets, founded in 1986 by Bishop E.
Bernard Jordan, is a comprehensive ministerial synod that is
designed to impart foundational principles of effective opera-
tion of ministry, and prophetic ministry in particular. Those that
desire a deeper understanding of the prophetic component
found throughout Scripture, will find that the validity of
prophetic ministry is clearly determined to dispel the inordi-
nate degree of skepticism, unbelief and prejudice that perme-
ates the Body of Christ.

The School of the Prophets specializes in establishing an

ethical foundation of servanthood leadership to impact the lives
of students during their crucial season of preparation for and
maturation of ministry. Through the reiteration of the necessary
balance between authority and submission, Bishop Jordan's
perspectives will compel the student to assess their motives and
attitudes as well as their performance and giftings. The School
of the Prophets leaves a significant imprint on the lives of all
who attend, for one does not have to be called to be a prophet
in order to benefit from this course.

Internationally received, The School of the Prophets is a

unique, intensive course of study which will clarify essential
points of conflicting theories applicable to the function of a
New Testament prophet.

This textbook is the second level of the School of the

Prophets, which was developed from the auspicious Prophetic
Congress-The Summit, which was held in February 1995. The
Prophetic Congress was an unusual session, utilizing over 20
prophets teaching in excess of 40 workshops that all dealt with
various aspects of the prophetic ministry, many of which are not
commonly taught. The Prophetic Congress also marked the
unveiling of Zoe Ministries' Prophetic Cabinet; consisting of
eight resident prophets who have been appointed to serve as
the Bishop's Seers in Zoe Ministries. Bishop Jordan, having
assessed their characters and the prophetic giftings in their
lives, has released them to function as his board of advisors and
speak the counsels of the Lord to the Body of Christ, both local-
ly and at large.

Pastor James Duncan, Prophet Devon Thompson,

Prophet Bert Williams, Prophet Frank Webster, Prophetess
Denise Baize, Prophetess Deborah Jones, Prophetess Ionie Reid,
Prophetess Faye Thompson, and Prophetess Phyllis Williams,
form a prophetic coalition that stands to bring forth the Word of
the Lord with dignity, accuracy and integrity. They stand as a
unique company whose individual expressions and anointings
bring a complimentary and diversified flavor to the prophetic
ministry here at Zoe Ministries.

The level and depth of their various workshop topics

during The Prophetic Congress became the catalyst to the
development of this manual. The topics chosen are comprehen-
sive, and will cause the student to enter new dimensions in God
as revelatory teaching impacts and unveils new levels of truth.

Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be

filled as The School of the Prophets Volume I1 is explored
through meticulous study of the Word of God.
Bishop E. Bernard Jordan
SECTION I

Zoe Ministries was founded in February 1983 by Bishop E. Bernard

Jordan in Westfield, New Jersey with 60 people in attendance. A thriving
prophetic church with a vision to impact the world with the gospel, Zoe
continued to develop the facets of ministry under Bishop Jordan's lead-
ership that marked it as a church in pursuit of destiny; called to fulfill the
will of the Lord.

In 1990, Zoe M i s t r i e s became a part of The Pilgrim Assemblies,

under the oversight of Bishop Roy Brown. Bishop Jordan was named as
District Elder of Pilgrim Assemblies, and in 1994, he was consecrated as
a Cabinet Bishop to Bishop Roy Brown and Pilgrim Assemblies. Zoe
Ministries touches thousands, both nationally and internationally. Noted
primarily for his prophetic ministry and revelatory teaching, Bishop
Jordan established the School of the Prophets in 1987.

The School is specifically geared towards those who are called to

function in prophetic ministry, yet is an invaluable source of ministerial
ethics that are applicable to any office of ministry. Noted for the uncan-
ny accuracy of the prophecies that he ministers, businessmen, political
officials, celebrities, and churches are numbered among the thousands
who have consulted Bishop Jordan for counsel and direction through the
Word of the Lord.

Bishop Jordan and Zoe Ministries were awarded proclamations of

recognition from Governor Mario Cuomo, former Governor of New York,
and Mayor David Dinkins, former Mayor of New York, for outstanding
leadership and community service for establishing OPERATION HOPE,
designed especiaIly to feed the homeless community in New York. At the
feeding of the homeless mothers and their children for Mother's Day
1993, Zoe M i s t r i e s forged a relationship with the New York State
Correction Commission to help develop and guide the lives of young
women assigned to Rikers Island's Stepsisters Program.

He has traveled to Swaziland, South Africa, and delivered the Word

of the Lord to the Queen and the Royal Family. He has prophesied in
many nations, including Germany, Canada, Korea and the Caribbean. Ln
February 1988, he was invited to address a special assembly of ambas-
sadors and diplomats at the United Nations concerning the oppressive
racism in South Africa. He addressed the assembly again in February
The School of the Prophets

. 1992, and prophesied of the impending liberation of South Africa which

has come to pass.

Bishop Jordan has been featured on various telecasts recognizing his

outstanding commitment and service. He was recently featured in The
Daily News, The New York Post and New York Newsday with some of
his congregants as well as in an interview with Billboard Magazine on his
views concerning social issues. As an author, Bishop Jordan has written
19 books, earned his doctorate in Religious Studies in December 31,1991,
and on May 8,1993, earned his Ph.D in Philosophy of Religious Studies.

He and his beautiful wife, Prophetess Debra, are the proud parents of
five children, Naorni, Bethany, Joshua, Aaron, and Yakirn Manesseh.
Their vision of liberation shall shake the nations of the earth!
 C H A P T E R 1

PROPHETIC CONNECTION
Bishop E. Bernard Jordan

What happens when you connect to a prophetic voice? What happens when a prophet
appears in your life? Change begins!

Eighty percent of your success is showing up. Conversely, eighty percent of your failure is
showing up in the wrong place. You need to connect with the right people in the right place at
the right time!

And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great wonzan; and she consfrained him
to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. And she said
ttnto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by tls con-
tinually. Let u s nzake a little chamber Ipray thee, or1 the wall; and let tls set for hint there a bed, and
n table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shnll be, when he conieth to us, the he shall turn in thith-
er. And it fell on n day, that he came thither, and he tttrned into the chamber, and lay there.
I1 Kings 4:8-11

A Shunammite is a native or an inhabitant of Shunem. This Shunammite woman befriend-

ed the prophet Elisha. She made a prophetic connection. She connected with a prophet of God
and ended up with a series of blessings. Because of her hospitality, this man of God became a
friend of this wealthy family. The Shunammite woman displayed hospitality by regularly feed-
ing Elisha and building a room onto their house. She made room for the prophet.

When was the last time that you made place in your heart for a man of God, let alone build
a room on your house for one? Elisha repaid the childless couple by promising them a son.
When the prophet shows up in your life, God has some plans on the agenda. God will birth a
dream that you don't even expect! Because of this woman's position, she appeared to have
everything that money could buy. Yet the prophet uncovered a deep-seated desire that escaped
the power of all their money; she was barren, and carried an unspoken desire to give birth to a
child.

The Bible refers to this woman as being a "great woman." Her greatness was in her submis-
sion; she consulted her husband. She was a woman that was under authority, though she was
great. The Bible never calls her husband a great man, but we do understand that this was a
woman with great substance of character, as well as finances.
Tlie School o f tlze Prouhets

.ELISHA'S SERVANT GEHAZI ACCOMPANIED HIM AS HE VISITED THE SHUNAMMITE WOMAN.

And he snid to Gel~aziIris serunfzt, Cnll tliis Sliirnnfii~~~ite.And iuhefi lie hnd cnlled kel; she stood before
Izini. And lie snid lriito hiin, Sny noiu i r f ~ tIiel;
o Behold, fholr hnst been cnrejrl for its ioitli nll tlzis cnre;
zolint is to be dofiefoforthee? iuoirldest thou be spoketi for the king, or to tlie cnptniti of the host? Alid
she nlzsiuered, I dwell nniong lfzifleoiu~ipeople. 11Kitigs 4:12-13

In other words, she said, "I don't have need of anything. I dwell among mine own people,
and they will take care of me."

"Gehazi" actually means "valley of vision." Isn't it interesting that God would give a man,
Gehazi, a vision to travel with a man of God, Elisha, who has vision? Yet Gehazi began to miss
his purpose and lose sight of his focus. Instead of Gehazi becoming the vessel that God had
ordained to possibly become Elisha's successor, he let greed shipwreck his purpose. It is possi-
ble that just as Elisha received Elijah's mantle, perhaps Gehazi was to receive the mantle of
Elisha. But, just as you can have the right attitude to receive the mantle, you can have the wrong
attitude and abort a mantle. It is all about how you handle your prophetic connection.

Gehazi was a servant of the prophet Elisha. Gehazi was first mentioned when Elisha want-
ed to reward the Shunammite woman who had welcomed hm into her home. Gehazi suggest-
ed that the childless couple be given a child. A son was eventually born to the couple, but after
a few years he died. Elisha was able to bring the child back to life. Again, the prophet was able
to do something for them that they thought was impossible. When you connect with a prophet,
the impossible becomes possible.

In this hour, God is about to bring about some things that are about to explode in the people
of God. But, He is trying to connect you with a man or a woman of God who has the word of the
Lord in his mouth so that you can be launched into the next season that Father has ordained for
you.

Gehazi walked with Elisha, but he did not have his mentor's spirit. In an attempt to show
Gehazi that faith heals and not magic, Elisha sent him to lay the prophet's staff on the dead
child's head. Nothing happened. And I believe that nothing happened because Gehazi did not
have the spirit of his mentor. When you don't have the spirit of your mentor, you cannot carry
out the same functions as your mentor. You'll mess it up every time.

Gehazi had a different spirit. When you have a different spirit other than the spirit of the
leader, you will not come into your inheritance. The children of Israel did not go into the
promised land because ten of the spies had a spirit different from that of leadership. Joshua and
Caleb had the spirit of their leader; and they were able to eventually possess the land.

If you don't have the spirit of a winner, you're not going to succeed in life. If you don't have
the attitude that you are victorious, you will not be an overcomer. God has ordained you to be
a winner. You are victorious; you are the head not the tail, above only and not beneath. But He
. wants you to connect you to the right individual so that you can go up when the individual goes
up in the things of God.

Gehazi's different spirit was evident when Elisha instructed him not to take the garments
from Naaman. Gehazi lied, defied Elisha's instructions, and took them anyway. The spirit of an
opportunist will desire to connect with men of God that are on their way up. People will begin
to serve for selfish motives to build their own name and reputation instead of the Name of the
Lord. Gehazi represented that kind of servant; a hireling. He walked with the man of God to
see what he could gain by being connected with the man of God. He abused his prophetic con-
nection. Do not connect with people for what you can get out of the relationship!

We must begin to question the motives of our heart. Are we doing things to be seen or do we
really have a heart of a servant? Are you an "Elisha" to an "Elijah or are you a "Gehazi" con-
necting to an "Elisha?" The Shunammite woman was a woman of hospitality. We've got to learn
to serve without letting our service be seen. If you serve to be seen, God is going to let your back-
side hang out. You may say " I'm not a hireling because I don't get paid for what I do." Yet you
serve for recognition. You are still a hireling. God is calling for individuals who are serving for
the sole purpose of serving.

When I began to study the art of hospitality, I found a couple of epigrams. One was written
by Saint John. He said "The bee is more honored than other animals-not because she labors, but
because she labors for others." Another proverb was, "Less advice and more hands." Have you
ever found people who had a lot of advice but no hands?

Another principle by L.S. Hammocker says, "Always remember that the soundest way to
prosper in any organization is to help the man ahead of you to get promoted." That is one thing
we lack as a race of people: we're in the business of tearing other folks down. This tendency
shows up in one of our nationally televised black talent shows; we'll boo each other off the stage.
Yet the show's ethnic counterpart never boos anyone. Though everyone gets scored, everyone is
encouraged in their pursuit of greatness. God wants us to promote others. If the individual
that's ahead of us gets promoted, then the entire deparhnent moves up. If we promote those that
are in leadership within our race, when they get elevated, the race is elevated. When you go up,
we go up. But we are so busy competing with each other that we're not completing each other.
We do not understand connection.

We've obeyed the Willie Lynch letter to the law; we don't trust each other. We must begin to
empower and support our own. Our race is messed up. WHY? We do not understand connec-
tion. We have "white flight." We have blacks who flee to the suburbs and do not bring their con-
tribution back into the inner city. People are selfishly trying to get what they can to get ahead
and not reach back to pull up the rest of the community. But it's time to come together!

Elisha rewarded the woman for her hospitality. In those days, it was a common practice to
entertain strangers graciously. Hospitality was a very important custom in those times. In the
Greek, the word "hospitality" literally means "the love of strangers." We can't love strangers
Tlle Sclzool o f tlze Provlzets

because we don't even love our own. This woman said "I know I'm among my own people,"
which meant that her own people loved her and she loved her own people. But now she was
able to love Elisha, a stranger. The Bible says

"Be ?lotforgetfir1 to e ~ z t e r t n strn~~gers,

i~~ for thereby some have entertnilzed nllgels tc~mrunre."
Hebrezus 13:2

Some of you had angels pass your way but you refused to entertain them. You missed your
blessing.

You miss the gold by reaching over it. You thought that dirty, nondescript rock was just what
it appeared to be; dirty and nondescript. You didn't recognize the diamond in the rock! The thing
thatiou need is sitting in your lap but you're reaching ail over the world for it. We miss the trea-
sure that is in our hands for the reach of the treasure that's in the hand of the multitude.

Because of what the Shunammite did for the prophet, a dream that she was not looking for
came to pass. She made a Divine prophetic connection with a man of God.

In most cases, we're only one connection away from a miracle. One Divine link from the
individual who is capable of blessing us, for someone who is capable of blessing you is contin-
ually watching you.

The New American Standard version translates verses 16 and 17 of 2 Kings 4 as "the
prophet promised her that' at this season next year you shall embrace a son"'. In the New
International Version, it reads "about this time next year Elisha said you will hold a son in your
arms." "Oh man of God," she exclaimed "don't lie to me like that." But it was true. The woman
soon conceived and had a baby boy the following year just as Elisha predicted. Your prophecies
are working! This time next year you're going to hold the things that God has promised you in
your arms. Why? Because you successfully made a prophetic connection that brought the
necessary change into your life! There are some things that God has already predicted in your
life. He has given you the Word of the Lord that will come to pass. You're about to give birth to
a miracle!

The first word in I1 Kings 4:8 is "And ..." This indicates that the incident here is closely relat-
ed to the preceding miracle. Sometimes the Holy Ghost will place two stories together side by
side for comparison that we may observe the resemblance between them. At other times, it is
for the object of pointing out contrast that we may consider the points of dissimilarity.

The previous story was about another woman who made a prophetic connection with Elisha.
She was a widow of a prophet.

Norv there cried n certni~lzuonznn of the ?vines oftlte so~zsofthe propltets Z L J I ~Elishn, O snying, T h y ser-
un~ztJJJIJ lzi~sbnizdis dead; nlld tlzoll k~zoruesttlznt tlzy s e r v n ~did
~ t fenr the Lord: nlzd tlze creditor is coilze
to tnke J L J J ~hi771
O JJzy ~ Z U OSOJJS to be ~ O J J ~ J J 11
J ~ Killgs
J ~ . 4:2
 Proplzetic Co~zrzectiorz

. In Israel, a creditor's demand could be satisfied by enslaving one of the children. "If thou
buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for noth-
ing." (Exodus 21:Z) Serving, therefore, was a form of wages. This was how Jacob was able to
"purchase" his Rachel. Instead of working seven years, however, he had to work fourteen
because Laban deceived him.

The widow cried. A cry is a signal that deliverance is needed. The purpose for your existence
is that someone is crying. A mother would not be necessary to a baby if the baby never cried. It
cries because it is looking for some type of compensation. That baby wants milk. You say, "I'm
not giving you milk." The baby says, "I'm not giving you peace."

The prophet will show you what law you are breaking. The woman went to the prophet with
a need. And Elisha said unto her "What shall I do for thee?" He asked her a question. Usually
when God speaks to you, He speaks to you in the interrogative tense. He speaks to you by ask-
ing you a question, "Adam, where are thou?" You begin talking to God and God starts asking
you questions. "Adam, who told you that you are naked?" God is Omniscient, so why is He ask-
ing questions? Because he is awaiting your response. Your answer is going to determine what
kind of harvest will come in your life.

Questions have the ability to provoke answers. The prophet comes to turn on the light of
revelation. The Divine connection comes to turn the light on. God sends prophets in your sea-
son of famine. You must to seek out the Voice of God.

The widow answered, "Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house, except, or save a pot
of oil." God wants to get into your "only." "I want a financial blessing." "How much money do
you have?" "Only five hundred bucks." "Give it here." Miracles begin when you give up your
"only."

Elisha instructed the widow what to do to arise from her dismal situation. He told her to bor-
row to generate wealth. If borrowing causes increased indebtedness, it's evil. Only borrow if it
will generate more than what you presently have. She had to fill empty vessels. God is in the
business of filling empty vessels.

A person with the mindset of this widow will have a mindset of lack; a mindset of deficien-
cy. The widow also represents total feminini@...there could be no productivity until there was
contact with masculinity. She needed a male to initiate the process. It is the law of life: you need
male and female in order to connect. As it is in the natural, so it is in the Spirit. To birth a vision
or dream, you need both a giver and a carrier of seed.

The widow's prophetic connection gave her a key: you can't let your left hand know what
your right hand is doing. When the outpour comes, you have to shut the door. Have you noticed
when a Woman gives birth, it isn't before all of nature? Birthing is something that needs to be
done behind closed doors. Your miracle takes place behind closed doors. That's why you're the
only one that can really appreciate your miracle.
Tile School of tile Prophets

- By following Elisha's instructions, the widow prospered. One relationship can put you in the
right place. One wrong relationship can make your boat sink. All you need is a "Jonah" in your
life. You don't need a whole army to destroy you. One "Delilah" is enough.

Growth demands change. When you grow you will change, and your relationships will
change. There will be some people you will want to remain with you, but they will say, "I can't
hang out with you anymore." Sometimes your success will intimidate others. Your success tells
them it's achievable. When you begin to achieve, you become a witness to someone that it's pos-
sible. You also become a witness to the one who said it was not attainable and that you believed
the lie. Poverty is the result of the lie that's existing in you.

Whatever area you don't have victory in declares that a lie is present. The prophet must
locate the lie and expose it so change can come. The widow woman had a lie existing in her. She
had a vision of nothing; she had a vision of "no things." The thing that will make you millions
is existing in you but you are looking outside of you for the answer and the answer in you. Jesus
Christ in you, the Hope of Glory, has placed a treasure in your earthen vessel, but you're so busy
looking at the externals that you are not witnessing what is in the internal. The prophet helps
you to see what is locked within.

The widow got her miracle because she went to the man of God. But, notice the man of God
did not give her a handout! He gave her a key; an answer, but she had to go and work the mir-
acle. In I Corinthians 12:lO it says, "To another the working of miracles." It is not the working
of God. You work the miracles. The miracle is God speaking. "Come" to Peter was all Jesus said.
Peter had to work the miracle by standing on the water.

To maximize your prophetic connection, just do what God says to do. The dilemma you're
in today came because you missed an instruction; you did not do what He said to do. God will
not expand you beyond your faith. If you have a vision of a Toyota, He will not give you a Rolls
Royce. God wants to increase you, but you must do what He tells you to do.

And there cnlite n iltn~zfroinBnnlshnlisltn, n~tdbrolrgltt flte iilnll of God brend of fltefirstfrltifs, tzoetlty
loaves ofbnrley, n1tdfirll enrs of corn it? the htrsk tilereof. Aitd he snid, Give irnto the people, tlznf tiley
iuny ent. And his servitor snid, Wllnt, shozrld I set titis before ntz hl~lldredinei~?He snid ngnilt, Give
tile people, thnt titey i71nyent:for tlttls snitlt the Lord, T l q sltnll ent, nltd shnll lenve thereof.
II Kiitgs 4 : 4 2 4 3

Usually, what God tells you to do won't make sense. I was looking for property in a partic-
ular state and God told me to call the insurance company -not a real estate agent - and ask
them for property for sale. That was unusual. I called the insurance broker. The receptionist
picked up the phone, and I did just what God said. I asked, "Do you have any property for
sale?" She answered, "Yes, I have property that I'm selling." In a land locked state, I was able
to buy land because I obeyed the Voice of the Lord.
 Prophetic Corlllectiort

. So he set it before thelrl, n t ~ dthey did ent, ntid left tl~ereof,nccordittg to the zuord of the Lord.
11Kings 4:44

When you think God is multiplying one thing, He is actually multiplying many. I've always
look at I Kings 17 as just this widow's bread being multiplied. Not so. "For the jar of flour was
not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by
Elijah." (I Kings 17:16, NIV) God multiplies everything that is connected with the process that
needs to keep the substance intact. That's why you need to be watchful with whom you con-
nect.

Some of you God has blessed and He blessed those who are connected with you. Others of
you are in sin and still blessed because you've been hanging with the blessed. Pharaoh's house
was blessed because he received Joseph. And that's why you need to be watchful how you treat
a man of God; how you handle the prophetic connection in your life. I've seen people abuse
men of God. I've seen individuals overcharge men of God. When you understand and are able
to discern anointing5 and discern proper placement you will be blessed. Sometimes because you
bless your prophetic connection, God will cause the rain to pour in your direction for many
years.

The woman in I Kings chapter 4 also got her miracle because she was an initiator. She initi-
ated a miracle because she perceived the prophetic connection. "And she said unto her husband,
Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually." (I1
Kings 4 9 ) Only at the very end of the story did she fully realize Elisha's identity. She perceived
but she really didn't know. Nonetheless, she offered him hospitality.

Notice that every man or woman that came into the Presence of God had to give something.
A key: you must pay an extraordinary price to get into the presence of great men. The queen of
Sheba paid a great price to get into the presence of Solomon. Ruth paid a great price to get into
the presence of Boaz; she worked the field. Abigail paid a great price to get into the presence of
David, though she had a husband who was a fool. Men and women of wisdom will pay a price
to remain in the presence of great men.

The Shunammite was not a fool. She was a rich woman, but perceived that this was a man
of God so she wanted his presence in the home and in her life. She did something to keep his
presence in her life. She made an active decision to initiate and maintain her prophetic connec-
tion.
Tlre Sclrool of tlre Propliets

.
 D S AND VISIONS
Bisl~opE. Benlnrd Jordan

Arid it slrnll corlre to pass nftenonrd, tlint I will pour out niy spirit tlpolt nllfleslr; nlld your sons nltd
your cin~lgliterssltnll prophesy, yoilr old inel1 sllnll rlren~itdrenl~ls,your yoillig titen shnlI see visions:
Joel 2:28

Dreams will play an important part in your life, for they can serve as a key to understanding
the real you. There are things that will come forth in your dreams that will supersede your nat-
ural actions. The dream will speak to your potential; to what is lurking inside of you. The dream
may also be speaking to your fears. God will also use dreams to minister deliverance unto you.

Our spirit never deeps. The inner man is never asleep, but is always awake. And because the
inner man is always awake, God will never cease teaching. He will do so while you sleep. Joseph
was asleep when God spoke to him in a dream and instructed him to go to Egypt to hide him-
self, Mary and Jesus.

In our lifetime, we are likely to have many dreams. But what is a dream or a vision?

A vision can take place while one is awake and alert. Paul had a heavenly vision (Acts
26:12-19). A dream is a series of thoughts, images or emotions occurring during sleep. When you
are dreaming, you'll see many images. A story was told of a dream where a mother was lying
down and she dreamt that her son was drowning under a lake. She immediately got up and ran
to the lake. She found her son, who had fallen in the lake, he became trapped under the ice and
was drowning. She was able to rescue him because of her dream. This was a literal happening.
That type of dream only occurs about 2% of the time. Usually, about 90-98% percent of the time,
we have to figure out the symbolism of our dreams.

According to Webster's Dictionary a dream is an image or idea present in the sleeping mind,
while a vision is the act of seeing or the ability to see. Young's dictionary defines "vision" as "a
means by which God transfers to men information which otherwise would not be available to
them." It describes a "dream" as "a vision usually received at night while the recipient slept."

The Hebrew noun for "dream" is "lwloni." It refers to ordinary dreams during sleep, but is
used more significantly to identify prophetic dreams and visions. Prophets -both true and false
- claimed to receive direct communication from God in dreams and visions. Dreamers in
T/le School of tlte Proplrets

Scripture include Jacob, Joseph (the Old Testament patriarch), Job and Joseph (Mary's husband).
The patriarch Joseph and the prophet Daniel were renowned for their ability to interpret dreams.
God even gave Daniel the unique ability to reveal and interpret unspoken dreams.

The Hebrew noun for "vision" is "hnzoit." According to Vine's Complete Expository
Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, "lmzon" is used in three distinct methods in the
Old Testament. It (1)always signifies a means of direct revelation, (2) represents the message
received by the prophetic vision, and (3) represents the entirety of a prophetic or prophet's mes-
sage as it is written down. Greek terms include "cl~nzot~,"which means is "a mental sight, a
dream, a vision, a revelation, an oracle, a prophecy." Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the Apostle
John, the Apostle Paul were among those whose visions were recorded in Scripture.

When I begin to lay down at night, I submit my dreams unto God. I know that God is con-
tinuing to educate me even while I'm asleep. In my dream, I prophesy, speak in tongues and
dance. I talk about the things of the Lord in my dreams because that's what my whole being is
centered upon.

The importance of meditation will affect the way that you dream as an individual

Tlzis book of f l ~ lnzu

e shnll !lot depnrf out of f l ~ ~1zollfh;
y but fhorl sl~nlt~ ~ ~ e d i thereill
t n f e dny n~tdi~igllt.
Josl~trn1:8

How is it possible to meditate day and night when you sleep at night? Because as you med-
itate on the Word of God, it is rolling over on the inside of you. Thus, when you go to sleep, that
word will come alive in your dreams. Your subconscious and unconscious mind are being filled
with the Word of God. If you meditate upon soap operas you will dream about them. If you
meditate upon your business, you will go to sleep with your work and business on your mind.

For example, prior to ministry, I used to be employed by the U. S. Postal Service. I remember
the first time I worked during the Christmas rush. I had never seen so many letters in all of my
life!! I worked ten to eleven hours a day, seven days a week. I would see nothing but mail most
of my waking hours. When I went home and went to sleep, I dreamed about mail....loads of it!

Dreaming can bring direction and convey the mind of God. Dreams have an inherent lan-
guage. They are usually a type and shadow of reality, presenting universal symbols that must be
understood.

It is said that any individual which appears in your dream actually represents a part of your-
self that is seeking expression or fighting repression. For example, you may dream about a very
conniving individual. Upon awakening, you may have a vague sense of uneasiness, and you'll
usually find someone with whom to discuss your dream. You'll say, "I had a dream last night
and the pastor was doing something very underhanded." That dream does not have to mean
that God is telling you that your pastor is doing something underhanded. Actually, it is showing
you a shadow of an individual to whom you could relate. God is exposing a part of you that
needs to be brought under control. He wants to address that part of your character.

Have you ever dreamt about something that just didn't make any sense? To you it was just
so stupid! You need to try to understand the symbolism, for there's a message hiding behind
what you have named "stupidity."

Attd Joseph drenttred n drenirz, ntld he told it his brethren; ntld they hnted hinz yet the iflore. Alrd Ire
snid 11izto them, Henr, I pray you, tlzis drenm zuhich I hnve drennred: For, bellold, rue zuere bilrdiirg
slrenves irt thefield, nird, lo, illy shenf nrose, ntzd nlso stood ilpriglrt; ntzd behold, your shenves stood
rotltzd nbout, nrzd ilrnde obeisn~zceto illy shenf.
Genesis 375-7

The Bible tells us Joseph said he saw his sheaf stand up and bow to him. How do you draw
a picture of a sheaf bowing? Have you ever seen a sheaf bow? But in the dream, the actions
occurred and appeared real to him, though they defied logic.

God will speak to us through the symbols that we relate to. Joseph, no doubt, was one who
spent his time in the field. So God spoke to him with what he dealt with in the field. If God was
going to communicate the same message to me while I was working at the Post Office, my
account would be a little different. I might get up and tell the dream like this, "I saw letters
standing up, my letter stood up and all of your letters bowed down." God uses you in the field
that you're familiar. Why? Because He uses the familiar to initiate understanding of the unfa-
miliar. He uses the language, imagery, and culture that you are in to insure that you can grasp
what He is attempting to reveal to you.

Joseph wasn't seeing natural sheaves bow down. But he had to understand the symbolism.
He knew when his sheaf arose and he knew when the other ones were bowing down. He had
understanding of the symbolism of his dreams.

That is the same way your dreams and visions will begin to relate. In Joseph's dream, the
sheaf was the shadow. Joseph, undoubtedly, was in the dream. He was actually watching the
sheaf because he knew that it represented him. He didn't jump to a hasty conclusion and start
saying "The Lord showed me I'm a sheaf now." No! He knew what the shadow was saying, and
he understood its symbolism. Usually, someone else really cannot interpret your dream. You
have to be the one to interpret it. They can only try to probe to see what it means to you.

Years ago, I had a situation where a woman called me up and said, "I had a dream that I was
pregnant but I wasn't showing that I was pregnant. All of a sudden a baby boy came forth." So
I asked her, "What does pregnancy mean to you?" She said, "It means new life, or a new begin-
ning." I asked her what she thought the little boy meant to her. She said, "The only thing I can
think of is my son." But, her son was grown. And I said to her, "Your son is grown, but the
dream shows the birth of a son. What happened when your son was born?" She said, "I was so
happy when I had this child. I must have been carrying this baby without knowing it, and yet
it came forth. I was happy and I embraced it." And then I asked her, "Is it possible that your son,
The School of the P~ouJlets

w h o is somewhere else abroad, desires to return home and you have suppressed the knowledge
o f it all this time and have not accepted it, but he's going to show up anyway?" She answered,
"It's funny you said that, because just last week he called me and told me he wants to come u p
to New York and live with me."

To gain understanding, w e had to find out what the symbols o f her dream meant to her, such
as the pregnancy and her lack o f knowledge concerning the pregnancy. There was something
she was trying to suppress. She saw something coming forth that she didn't want. Yet, when it
came forth, she was happy anyway. Now that was her interpretation. You might have the same
dream and it might mean something totally differentto you.

Sometimes a woman could desire to become pregnant so badly that in her dreams she
becomes pregnant. And so w e have to discover the significance o f pregnancy in the mind o f the
person having the dream. This is how w e learn.

Eastern people, in particular the Jews, had a very great regard for dreams. They observed
them and related their dreams to those who professed to explain them. W e see this custom
among the Egyptians in particular. Pharaoh, the butler, and the baker all had dreams. Joseph
was an interpreter o f dreams and Joseph credited his ability to interpret as only coming from
God.

W e must understand the origin o f dreams. I used to feel that dreams were from the enemy.
I f a dream depicted activity or desires that were against the law o f God, I used to think that all
you should do is rebuke them in the Name o f Jesus. But I've discovered that i f they appear to be
demonic, it is an indication that you have given place for demonic activity to pervade your mind.
For satanic dreams o f degradation to surface, it means that God is exposing a thief in your tem-
ple.

I also used to think that dreaming stemmed from the food that w e ate the night before,but I
discovered differently.One particular minister w h o did a lot of studying about dreams said that
when you eat a heavy meal before sleeping, you become more body conscious. Thus, you can
easily recall what that dream was about.

It's almost like it prompts an alertness. You may physically feel more sluggish but you're
mentally more alert; you're not in a deep sleep. There are times where you can just wake u p out
o f a dream and remember it immediately.

You dream every night, but you usually don't remember what you've dreamt. Have you
ever dreamed the same dream a couple o f times? I f so, there is something God is trying to get
across to you. There is an area that needs to be dealt with in your soul; the subconscious is cry-
ing out for a release in that area. Once it is dealt with, the dream will no longer repeat itself.

Occasionally, your dreams may take a progressive course. It might start o f fwith a thought as
a small seed and then build u p in detail and influence within your mind during your waking
 Drenr~tsnttd Visions

.hours. Again, God is showing you something that must be dealt with. Years ago I had a dream
in which I actually saw some people doing some negative things in relationship to me. While
they were doing it in my dream, the dream came to pass exactly as I saw it. Dreams can occur
like that. You can tell whether it's a literal dream where something is happening, or if it's sym-
bolic.

Another individual had a dream while I was a member of a particular local church. She
dreamed that I was the ring master of Barnum and Bailey Circus. Upon awakening, the dream
appeared silly and particularly amusing. While telling me the dream, the individual laughed. All
I replied was, "Evidently, God is trying to convey a message." When I mentioned this to a par-
ticular prophetess, she began to discern the Word of the Lord. She said, "You don't understand
what that means. God is showing you that there's a ministry that's going to arise. The circus is
something that's worldwide, which means God is going to launch you into a worldwide min-
istry. The circus not only operates in democratic countries, but it even goes into communist
nations." When she said that, something clicked on the inside of me.

One thing that is true about an interpretation; whenever you are discussing the interpreta-
tion of a dream, you'll know when you hit the right spot! You'll say, "Wow, that's it!" It is almost
as if you were looking for a lost key. When you find it, you'll know, and you'll experience a great
sense of relief!

All dreams come for preparation. When Joseph saw his brothers selling him into slavery, he
understood what his dream meant. Yet the purpose of God caused him to be persecuted through
a series of trials. While Joseph was in prison, the Word of the Lord was actually being tried. The
only thing he could do is hold fast to the dream that he was going to see his family one day and
they were going to come and bow down in his presence. He knew that his dream had not come
to pass.

Sometimes, God sends warning in the dream as to what to do to maintain life. Such was the
case Herod gave the command to kill all the male infants in his attempt to destroy the newborn
Messiah. The Lord appeared unto Joseph in a dream and said, "Get the baby and get out of
here." It wasn't a thing where He told Joseph, "They're going to kill the baby. You just stay right
here." No! Joseph had to take Mary and Jesus and flee!! The dream was for presemation. Joseph's
obedience saved their lives.

If a parent has a dream about his child in which they were involved in something that was-
n't right, the parent should pray. He should go before the Lord for counsel or direction to, earn
how to intercept the situation. Is the Lord trying to speak to you to take him out of a school? Is
the Lord trying to speak to you concerning his friends? The possibilities are endless. But, all of
these things are for preservation so that the will of God can be established.

Death has a certain significance in a dream. It actually means "resurrection or a new begin-
ning, passing over from one stage to another." Every dream about death is not always literal. It
could be a signal that there's a new life coming forth or that there's a rising into the next stage
T l ~ eScltool o f the Prophets

bf things.

Vision means "something seen otherwise than by ordinary sight." It is a vivid picture creat-
ed by the imagination. When one is having a dream, God will open your ears and instill His
instructions within your spirit. (Job 33:15-16)

Daniel was an interpreter of dreams. When King Nebuchadnezzar needed an interpretation

for a dream he could not remember, Daniel sought God for the symbols and interpretation of the
dream. Daniel made known the secret. He sought the Lord, who explained to him the symbol-
ism.

Sometimes, I'll go to an individual and say, "Does that symbolism mean such and such a
thiig to you?" And they'll say, "Yeah! Yeah! Now that you said that, I can see it!" God has just
imparted to me at that time what that symbolism meant to them. We know interpretation comes
from God. Frankly, we could save ourselves a lot of time while we're trying to find someone to
interpret our dreams, because we can work with those dreams ourselves.

Dreams and visions will be part of the last day visitation of God. When there is an outpour-
ing of the Spirit, the Lord will visit His people in dreams and visions. (Joel 2:28, Acts 2:17)

It is interesting that when the Lord was coming, there were a series of dreams and visions
that were given. The angel appeared unto Mary, and the angel appeared unto Joseph. So it
seems as though every major move of God will be marked by a significant increase of dreams
and visions.

You must discern your dream. If any dream or prophet brings the Word of the Lord and it
brings you away from the Lord, then you know that thing was not of the Lord (Deut. 13:4-5). All
things that come from God leads you to Him.

Ifthere be n prophet nnloltg yo11 I the Lord zuill ~ t ~ n ~nyselfk~tozun

ke nltto hill1 in n visio~lnlld 7ui11spenk
zlnto hill1 in n drennz.
N~llllbet'~ 12:6

It is said that one doesn't really dream in color, but in black and white. Though there may
be colors that will stand out in the dream, science has proven that you're really dreaming in black
and white.

It is also said that a person can dream up to five to eight times in one night. And, I think they
said that every forty five to fifty minutes you go into a dream change. You have periods of rest
and then periods of dreaming. They have actually experimented by awakening people who
were about to enter their dream cycle. They found that people who dreamed a complete dream
all the way through are better rested. But when a person's dream patterns are broken, they're
tired and lethargic. The assimilation process of their subconscious that was ordained to take
place while they were sleeping was not completed. It is almost as if they didn't sleep.
 Drenins nitd Visioits

. If a person doesn't remember a dream, then there's evidently nothing of great importance on
the agenda of God to be dealt with in their being. But when there's an area that's really got to
be dealt with, the soul and the imagination really have ways of getting that message across to
you. Have you ever dreamt that you were falling? If you had checked your spiritual state at the
time, you'd have found that your commitment level had fallen. That was a very real dream. Your
subconscious was getting your attention and saying, "Hey! You're getting far away from the
Lord." Have you ever dreamt that you were flying? At that time, you were probably moving in
the things of God, into new ventures or there were new heights to which you were attaining.

Whatever you fear will surface in your dream. It is a signal that you need to confront and
conquer that fear. You must learn to run to and not away from the fear in the dream. Once you
can conquer that fear in your dream, you have conquered it in your life.

A dream was told to me by a trustworthy friend who knew the dreamer quite well. For three
consecutive nights, the person dreamt of seeing a pool of dark water with leaves floating in it.
Under the leaves was a body. On the third day, she was working in her kitchen. Suddenly, for no
apparent reason, she ran across three front yards to an abandoned fish pond. There was a body
floating under dead leaves. It was the body of her small son. Thanks to the dream, which her
inner being understood even though her outer consciousness did not, she reached him in time.
He was saved by artificial respiration and suffered no harm. Had she not been warned by God
in a dream, her son would have drowned. On the other hand, if she had known someone who
could have helped her interpret the dream, she could have seen to it that the pond was protect-
ed by barbed wire or fenced in some other way. Then, her son would not have fallen in it at all.
She was an example of someone who had a dream, but did not know what it meant at the time.

The Holy Spirit will quicken a dream to address a situation. Many people have similar expe-
riences in which they do not quite understand their dream, yet they appear very realistic. Then
a situation arose, and that particular dream was quickened back to them, and they said, "Oh, this
is what the Lord was trying to tell me." Sometimes you may feel, "If I would have taken extra
precautions maybe it could have been averted or better received." Maybe, or maybe not.

Some researchers feel that dreams originate from the center of the personality. It's fascinat-
ing to ponder what it is within us that devise these nightly stories that pinpoint the needs and
directions of the soul. Certainly we do not consciously design our dreams. I know a lot of us
would like to, but we cannot. If we deliberately tried to conceptualize our dreams, we would not
be capable of devising such intricate, clever and unexpected narrative as our dreams present. It
is as if there is a casting director within us who plans the drama, selects the actors and directs
the story being told.

Every detail in a dream is there for a purpose. Therefore, every detail is important! And there
is always a reason why the casting director selected a particular figure rather than another. This
is not to say that the dream does not contain some mixture of the consciousness. A dream is like
a bit of the unconscious reaching consciousness. The conscious must reconsh.uct the dream for
memory. It is always possible that in this process, some of the original dream may be altered or
bst. We have to trust that enough is accurately recalled. The mixture of consciousness in a
dream also accounts for the fact that people occasionally say that they wake themselves up from
a dream at will. You can wake up at wili during a dream, especially if it becomes too frighten-
ing or disturbing at some level of thought.

"I told myself to wake up and I did," is something we sometimes hear from people. It may
even be possible to suggest to the unconscious what to dream about. I strongly surmise that in
some cases, the unconscious uses a free hand in constructing an original dream out of the sug-
gestion.

It would be unfortunate, however, for us to consciously direct our dreams even if this could
be done. We need our dreams to give us correct and compensatory information about ourselves.
It would be a great loss for us if we took away from the unconscious its autonomy in construct-
ing our dreams. That would be a little like telling God how to advise us. It would be like taking
over the autonomous breathing function from the nervous system with the vain thought that we
can consciously direct our breathing better than our subconscious mechanisms can.

How many of you have ever come out of a real good dream and you laid back down and
tried to continue it? Usually, if I try to return, it's not as good as the first time. It almost seems
that once the conscious mind becomes involved in a dream, the purity of the message is lost.

A figure may appear in our dreams that is weak or deformed, representing something with-
in us that is undeveloped or lacking maturity. It could be something that may impose fear or
dread and so it has not had enough light. A retarded child may appear to represent that part of
our own development that's been retarded. Or an injured man or woman may represent a psy-
chological injury within ourselves.

In other words, that individual or that thing that you are seeing in the dream can be a shad-
ow of something that is within you that needs to be dealt with. In Stevenson's novel, Dr. Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde, Hyde represents Jekyll's shadows. His personality is described as incredibly
strong and full of vital energy but also curiously deformed in appearance. Stephenson had the
lawyer Uterson say of him "There is something wrong with his appearance. Something dis-
pleasing; something downright detestable. He must be deformed somewhere, for he gives
strong feeling of deformity."

The highly deformed appearance reflects the fact that Jekyll's shadow personality has not
had much chance to live. Dreams invite us to make friends with such rejected or deformed fig-
ures and find ways in which the unlived life can find suitable expression or at least reach an
acceptable level of consciousness. And because consciousness is so crucial in psychological
development, the role the dream ego plays in the dream is exceedingly important. What are you
doing in your dreams? What is your attitude towards what's happening? How did you feel
about what was happening?
. Someone could be having a dream about a boss getting killed. How did you feel? One per-
son might say, "I felt real sad that I couldn't help him. I felt helpless." Another person might say,
"I felt real glad it was happening." These are two different types of interpretation depending on
your interaction and relationship with those in the dream.

Like any experience, a dream tells us much about our strengths and our weaknesses. It sheds
light not only upon what is going on in the unconscious but also upon the state of the develop-
ment of the ego.

It is possible to recall dreams by meditation. First, in the morning, sit down and be still. A
lot of times, if you would just be still before moving around during the day, you would remem-
ber your dream. Secondly, begin to write down the dream or jot down the thought. A lot of times
if you jot down just that one scene or that one person that you remember seeing in the dream,
during the course of the day, that dream will begin to unfold again. Thirdly, take a moment to
understand the purpose God was conveying in your sleep. The Bible says, "He giveth His
beloved sleep." One translation states, "He gives to His beloved in their sleep." Could it be pos-
sible that there are things that God is trying to give us in our sleep?

Man, like God, is a triune being; having a spirit, soul and body. The cycle of dreaming will
arise from one of these areas. Some dreams are highly spiritual. There are some dreams that deal
with the soul or emotions. Other dreams may deal with some aspect of the body. Learn to dis-
cern which area the Holy Spirit is addressing.

Dreams should be interpreted on the basis of the area they cover. An individual might have
a dream of bathing. It has to be determined whether that's talking about a spiritual cleansing or
just simply telling one to bathe. Sometimes a dream is given to change something in a person's
diet.

There will also be times where God uses dreams as a vehicle in communicating to His peo-
ple. The Bible says, "Be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of
your mind, that ye might prove what is that good acceptable, and perfect will of God." The
renewing of the mind will take care of the renewing of both the conscious and the unconscious.

I like something else that was stated in a book I read: the purpose of God is locked up in
every individual. Jews believe that an individual's spirit is with God and is waiting for a time
where that spirit can come to the earth into a body. They actually believe that their spirits are
resenred in heaven being taught until the set time for that spirit to come into the earth in a seed.

This line of thought could possibly be very true. When God spoke to the prophet Jeremiah,
He said, "Before you were in your mother's womb I knew thee and I ordained you to be a
prophet to the nations." I believe the purpose of God is locked up in every individual and locked
up in the heavens. But it takes a man of understanding, according to Proverbs, to begin to draw
it out. Deep calleth unto deep. Could it be possible that our dreams could also unveil aspects of
the purpose of God?
Tlte Scllool o f tlze Prophets

- Every seed has its purpose locked up within itself. You don't have to tell an acorn what it's
supposed to be. It is preprogrammed. It is just waiting for the right situation and then it will
come forth in its true identity. Could it be possible that our dreams are bringing direction into
our lives to bring us into the ultimate purpose of God? Are there things locked up in our spirits
waiting to be expressed?

It is also helpful to remember that the unconscious reflects the face we turn towards. For
instance, hostile figures in our dreams also represent rejected elements of our personality. If our
attitude towards them change, their face towards us changes. A man had a series of dreams in
which the same hostile figures repeatedly pursued him. At last, he underwent a change in atti-
tude in which he determined to face himself. Then he had a dream in which he stopped running
from his pursuer and turned to face him. Again he dreamt, "I was in a war-like situation. My
enemy again approached me with a knife. He wanted to kill me. I started to run, but then I
stopped. Facing him, I said, "All right. Kill me if you want to." The enemy also stopped and
paused, but then he smiled, turned around, and walked away."

The dream reminds us of the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:25-26:

"Agree zuitlt tkitte ndversnry qttickly, zultiles tltoil nrt iit the zuny zuitlt ltii?z;lest nt nlty tiiite tlze ndver-
s n ~ ydeliver tltee f o tlze jlrdge, ntzd tlte judge deliver thee to tile oficer, nitd thoil be cnst into prisoiz.
Verily I sny lritto thee, Tlto~rshnlt by no iltenlts cotlte ozrt theitce, till tl~ozrItntlt pnid the niterntost fnr-
thiitg."

In other words, any fears that creep up in your dreams need to be confronted. Run to them.
If you have a fear of a wild dog coming at you, stop yourself, turn around, and face that wild
dog.

Once the Word of God really begins to take root in your life, you'll begin to say "God has not
given me the spirit of fear, but of love, of power and a sound mind." When you dream, that
word will begin to bubble up. It's up to you to begin to act and respond to it. So the renewing
of the mind not only takes place in the conscious but also in the unconscious. It can be demon-
strated in our dreams. When things that used to plague you in your dreams maybe a year ago
no longer trouble you, it shows that you have overcome a level of fear and immaturity.

A nightmare signals a child's fear. Through this " b a d dream, God wants to bring deliver-
ance by removing their fear and ministering to their insecurity.

Dreams are rich in symbolism. Their meaning varies from person to person, but here are
some ways they can apply to your life. BAPTISM represents a new beginning or a rededica-
tion; bathing, and cleansing mentally or spiritually. It may be saying that this is what you need
to do. Sometimes we can know something and not respond to it.

CIRCLES represent eternity, spirit, no beginning and no end, symbol of God, a circular
movement getting nowhere aimlessly. So, your dream might mean that you are in a situation
 Dreatns attd Visiotts

that is going nowhere; therefore you need to change something.

CLIMBING means moving towards a goal or escape from a current problem. When I was
in high school, a person asked the teacher what would happen if a person went to see a psy-
chologist and fabricated everything. The teacher replied, "Well, that's good because if they are
making it up, all they're doing is living out a fantasy." If a child had a dream of climbing they
might equate it with playing. So again, the level of interpretation varies.

Dreams often give details about timing. A clock without hands denotes time is running out.
It is said that a clock with still, non-moving, hands signify death. An alarm clock in your dreams
represents a warning.

DANCING is usually a spontaneous expression of an inner feeling of happiness. It can be in

step or out of step. If you were having a dream and everybody was in the way and you could-
n't get in step, it could possibly mean that your life is out of timing. Adjustments need to be
made.

A DOLL represents a desire to return to the carefree days of childhood. If it is a substitution

for a child or a baby, it may mean an aspect of self needs to be brought to life.

FUNERALS, a death symbol, can mean death of an old part of self or an awakening to the
new.

Because HAIR come from the head, it stands for thoughts. Different types of hairs represent
different types of thought. Kinky hair: kinky thinking. Curly hair: something to make you hair
curl. Blond hair: golden thoughts. Black hair: negative thoughts or mysterious thoughts. White
hair: wisdom. Red hair: temper. Golden red hair: constructive, active mind. Bald head: lack of
thoughts. Hair cut: a new way of thinking.

If a YOUNG, LONG-HAIRED PERSON is asked to cut her hair, it could mean she is asked
to cut her ideas. Hair styles can also indicate types of mental activities. For example, a forward
sweep: too forward. Dishevelled hairdo: mental confusion. Wig: false thinking. New hair style:
new approach.

HANDS represent different kinds of senice. If you dream about the right hand, it represents
control. The left hand is negative control, or influence. Hands folded in prayer are issuing a call
to prayer.

KEYS represent power or authority or a solution to a problem. Mud usually means a depar-
ture from or a neglect of a moral way. Pregnancy denotes nourishing or to bring forth something
new and precious. Shoes often represent spiritual foundation.

SNOW may mean a cold nature, for a spiritual area needs thawing. If someone dreamt about
a snow job, that means that they can be involved in something deceitful. Or, if you entered into
Tlie Scl~oolo f the Provliets

-adeal with someone, and you had a dream that you were digging up snow all night long, check
the situation again! You might be getting a snow job! Snowball means rolling downhill. A storm
can mean a stormy life, difficult times or troublesome times.

The symbolism of dreams is endless. These are just a few examples. I encourage you to pur-
sue the understanding of the language of your dreams. Seek after God, and allow Him to bring
the interpretation as you continue in fellowship with Him.
.
PROPHETIC EMP
Bisltop E. Benznrd Jordn11

He titnt receiveth n propilet in tlte tlnnle of n propilet shnll receive n prophet's rezunrd; nlld he thnt
receivetll n riglzteoirs nmil in the 1zn17teof n rigltteoiis lttnli sllnll receiven rigitteotis iitnlz's rezonrd. Mntt
10:41

In the Old Testament, there were diverse offerings. Special instructions were given to ensure
each was properly given unto God. Blessings came with obedience in giving the offering in the
specified manner at the specified time. A blessing can actually be considered a reward, or illis-
thos. The Strong's dictionary defines reward as to pay for senices (literally or figuratively), good
or bad. It also denotes wages. In essence, a reward is rendered in exchange for services.

In Matthew 10:41, Jesus actually suggests that there is a special reward for those who receive
a prophet in the name of a prophet. The prophet is not being blessed out of compassion or
friendliness, but because of the office to which he is called. The recipient is clear that a prophet
is in his midst, and therefore, makes a decision to bless the prophet. The prophet is esteemed
because of his office. He is entreated because of the mantle. "He who receives and welcomes
and accepts a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward." (Matt. 10:41,
AMP)

Many times, people meet me or write to me and say, "Prophet Jordan, please take this." The
"this" is usually money. Even after being consecrated to the bishopric people still entreat me as
"Prophet." They understand and celebrate the calling of God on my life and bless me financial-
ly. Because of their actions, they will receive a prophet's reward. That's the Bible! The widow
at Zarephath received Elijah and was given provision to sustain her through three years of
famine (1 Kings 17:lO). Because she embraced Elijah, she and her son went from famine to feast,
from death to life in just a matter of minutes. God is watching how you treat the prophet! Are
there some near-situations in your life? Maybe you need to seek out a prophet.

"But all my needs are being met through Christ Jesus." Great! You still need to connect with
a prophet. There is some dream within you that only the prophet can make happen. It may be
something that you thought "impossible. God will never do that for me." Try him and see. The
wealthy woman in Shunem graciously welcomed Elisha in her home and received a dream come
true: a son!
Tile Scltool of the Prophets

I1 Ki 4:14-16
14 And he snid, Wltnt tlzen is to be donefor Jter? And Gehnzi nlzszuered, Verily slze lint11 no cltild, n~td
her lttebn~zdis old.
15 A~tdhe snid, Cnll her. And wltelz he hnd called her, she stood in tlte door.
16 And lte snid, Abottt this sen so^?, nccording to tlze tinte of life, tltotr shnlt eitlbrnce n son. And she
snid, Nny, ~ntylord, thoti nznn of God, do not lie itnto tlti~teIzn~td~~mid.

One woman gave out of her lack, the other out of her substance. Both received a prophet's
reward. The reward was proportionate to their giving. Elijah did not ask the rich Shunammite
to make a room for him. But her gift made room for her, and she also received something she
did not ask for.

The prophet's reward is very vital for a person if they want to experience promotion within
the Kingdom of God. If we don't understand the proper use and value of money we can be mis-
led and deceived that money is some kind of evil force used of the devil to pull us away from
God. In reality, it is a tool that is designed to be used to bring men into a meaningful purpose in
this hour.

The prophets produce prosperity. If you ever help a prophet, you will be rewarded. There
are many individuals that can testify of what happened when they sowed a seed in the prophet.
Sowing into the prophet stimulated prophetic empowerment in their lives. In Scripture, it was
so customary to bring an offering to the prophet that Saul was reluctant to seek out Samuel
empty handed.

1 Snnz 9:7-8
7 Tlten snid Snttl to his servnftt, But, behold,. ,if zue -go, -
. zulznt sJmll zue bring the ~ ~ t nfor
spent in our vessels, n~tdtltere is not n present to bring to the ntnlt of God: zultnt hnve zoe?
~ ttlte
? bread is

8 And tlze servant nlzszoered Snzrl ngnilt, n~ldsnid, Behold, I lznve here nt hn~zdthe fotirilt part of n
shekel of silver: thnf zoill I give to the ntn~tof God, to tell tis our zuny.

Saul understand prophetic empowerment. He knew the prophet could empower him to find
that which was lost. But, he had to observe protocol and bring an offering with him. Imagine,
Samuel was a seer who had the answer to Saul's problem yet Saul did not want to seek out the
answer without a gift. Why? Because money answereth all thiigs. The silver he gave Samuel
was a drop in the bucket for what he received: a kingdom. Often after I prophesy to people, their
expression tells the whole story. You can tell that they are glad that they parted with their money.

I1 Ki 8:7-10
7 And Elishn cnnte to Dnnzasczis; ntzd Ben-hn'dnd tlze king of Syrin runs sick; nrld it zuns told \lint,
snyi~tg,Tlze n m ~ otf God is co~itehither.
8 And the king snid ltnto Hnznel, Tnke n present in tJtitle hnttd, n~zdgo, nzeet the nzn11 of God, n~td
i~zquirec$ the LORD by him, snyittg, Sltnll I recover of titis disense?
9 So Hnznel zuettt to ?fleethinl, n~zdtook n present ioitlz him, eve11of evenj good thing of Dn~ltnsctts,
forty cnmels' bzirden, nnd came n11d stood before ltinz, rind snid, Tlty sort Ben-hn'dnd king of Syrin hntlt
sent nze to tltee, snyi~tg,Shnll I recover of tltis disense?
 Prophetic Einpowemeitt

. 10 And Elisha snid lrnto hinl, Go, sny llttto hilt:, Tltotr nlnyest certniilly recover: hozubeit tlte LORD
hnth sheiued nze that he shnll surely die.

Like Saul, the king of Syria would not go to the prophet without a gift. He, too, had an emer-
gency that needed divine intervention. Although he did not have a covenant with God, he knew
how to touch Him. God respects two things: faith and offerings.

Sometimes, people complain that I charge a fee for private consultation. (They ask, "You
mean I have to pay you for a prophecy?" "No. You are paying me for my time.") You wouldn't
think of going to a doctor, dentist or lawyer empty handed. Why? Because you know that in
order for them to treat you, you have to pay them for their counsel. Now, you know the $100
you pay the doctor, is not paying for the service rendered. How can you put a put a price on
healing? You can't. It is priceless! What you are really paying for is the professional's time and
for the wisdom imparted unto you.

Wisdom should always be celebrated. Make it a habit to celebrate the wisdom among you.
If pastor so and so, or prophet so and so, or evangelist what's his name has poured something
in you, then invest in them.

Luke 16:l-9
I Atrd he snid nlso lcnto his disciples, There runs n certni~zrich ttmtz, wlticlt hnd n stezunrd; nttd the
sntne runs nccltsed tllzto 11i1t1tlznt he had wnsted ltis goods.
2 And he cnlled /tint, nlzd said lrtzto hint, How is it thnt I henr this of thee? give ntz nccotltzt of thy
stezunrdship;for thorr nmyest be no longer sterunrd.
3 Tl~ettthe stezunrd snid ruithill hiillself, Wltnt shnll I do? for iiry lord tnketlt nrunyfionl file the stezu-
nrdship: I cntlizot dig; to beg I ntil nshnnted.
4 1 nltl resolved zuhnt to do, that, zultetl I ntil put olrt of the stewardship, they itzny receive rile illto
their ltollses.
5 So he cnlled every one of his lord's debtors uilto him, ntzd said trtlto thefirst, How mllclt owest tltotr
tlilto nly lord?
6 Atzd he snid, A n huildred ltzenslrres of oil. Attd he snid lrtlto hinl, Tnke thy bill, nttd sit doroll quick-
ly, nnlzd iuritefify.
7 Then snid lie to nnother, Aitd how ntllch ozuest tho~t?And he snid, A n hu~tdrediizenslrres of zultent.
And lie snid llilto lzinz, Tnke thy bill, nlld zurite folrrscore.
8 And the lord conlttlended the tlitjtrst steward, becnlrse he hnd dotie wisely: for the children of this
zoorld nre in their getterntiolz wiser tltntz tlte cllildreiz of light.
9 Aitd I sny trtzto ?/OIL, Mnke to yot~rselvesfuiei~ds of the ntn~tzttto~z
of ~ltzriglzteo~lsness;
tlznt, iuhett
ye fnil, thaj tizny receive yolr into everlasting lznbitntions.
(KJV)

The steward was the manager of the household or the manager of the estate. He had wast-
ed his master's goods. When you find wasters around you, eliminate them. There's someone in
your life right now that is making continual withdrawals and if you let them hang around, you
will become bankrupt. The master of the house had to take account of his possession. A wise
man will always look at the present and see if the past has increased him or decreased him. The
The School of the Prophets

.church sees this man as being hard but the Bible doesn't seem to condemn this man for his
action. The Bible also refers to the steward as unjust. He seems to be unjust because he was not
profitable to the institution he was called to serve.

It was only when he came to himself that he was in a dilemma that he altered his mindset
and set out to become productive. After becoming productive he became a wise servant
although he was considered unjust. The reason for the change is that we see wise action now
taking place.

And the lord conunended the unjust steward, (this was a wicked man) becniise he had done wisely: for
the children of this world (or this age) are in their generation wise than the children of light.
Luke 16:s

Generation is derived from "genea;" which is "a generation; by implication, an age, the peri-
od or the person," "age, generation, nation, time." According to Vine's Expository Dictionary of
Biblical Words "age is connected with ginomai, 'to become,' primarily signifies 'a begetting, or
birth'; hence, that which has been begotten, a family; or successive members of a genealogy."

Here, however, the word "generation" is not limited to a period of time. It also means "pro-
ducer, productivity." You can't produce on your job if you have a habit of being continually late.
You don't generate, so what do they do with you? Cut you off, right? Not so in the Church. We
embrace the wasters and the non-productive. The reason why the Church is in trouble is because
of the way we produce.

So Jesus was saying that the children of the world are wiser producers than the children of
light. Entrepreneurs who are non-believers rise early and began their day before sunup. Many
Christians lay around "in the Spirit." "I'm just spending time with the Lord." Meanwhile, it's
noon and they haven't done a lick of work. "I'm just fasting and prayer." That is commendable.
But, God never instructed anyone to fast from work. Work is honorable. People who under-
stand the principle of productivity make their money work for them - continually. While the
stock market is closed in New York, they're making money in Tokyo. When people in California
are just waking up; wise producers are making a killing on Wall Street in New York. They are
wise in their generation. They create wealth.

Poverty is at the doorstep of many churches because of the laziness there. There is no pro-
ductivity; no life is emanating from those places. The Bible says if a tree beareth not fruit cut it
off. Some of you have sat as a dried up tree. You don't have any more testimonies. You don't
have any more praise reports. You've gotten out of fellowship with God.

You've lost the life that you had when you were first born again, when you would say, "Lord
I give you my all, I'm ready to go; I'm ready to do what You tell me to do." But now you've
become dried up in the House of God. You sat in church and began to backslide. That is why you
need to connect with a prophet. He can bring new life into your dead situation.
 Prophetic E~itpoweriiteizt

Pain is a signal that change is needed. If I take your arm and put it around your back into
the other, what do you think will happen? Pain will come. Why? Because it doesn't belong in
that position. It will feel better if you were enabled to adjust your position. "I don't want to make
the adjustments, I want to be a love bug." Because of that mentality, Jesus is not coming back
anytime soon.

Now listen, if you had your bag packed and you expect Jesus to come tomorrow, I'm here to
tell you: the flight is cancelled! The Church is not going up until we grow up. And the Bible
says "the government shall be upon his shoulder." We've got to get the whole agenda of the
church straightened out. And we need prophets and teachers -mentors - to lead us.

When God started moving me into Kingdom theology, I became nervous. I said, "What is all
this stuff you're showing me in the Scripture?" I went to one of my Bible teachers that taught
me in Bible school, a doctor, and said, "I am seeing some things in the Scriptures about the
Kingdom of God I've never seen before."

I associate with men that will anchor me. Because a prophet by nature sees images and
visions and symbols and you can get off into some things where you can perceive a typology
incorrectly. I've seen people build messages around the Holy Spirit as a Dove. The Bible never
said the Holy Spirit was a dove, for it says the Holy Spirit descended as a dove, not comparing
the nature of a dove, but assessing the action of a dove. A dove has speed. If the same Scripture
was being written in 1995, the writer would have said the Holy Spirit came like a jet airplane.

And I sny t m f o yorl, Mnke to yorlrselvesfrielzds of tlte ritnnrntolz of ~litrigltteotrs~zess;

Lrtke 16:9

Dirty money is my friend. Some people erroneously think, "I really don't need money."
That's absurd. Money is just like oxygen. You don't worship oxygen but you need it every sec-
ond. You need money every second. Don't buy into the devil's lies and say you don't need no
money. Yes you do, you can't do anything without money.

MONEY MUST BECOME YOUR FRIEND.

A fensf is liinde for lnllglzter, and mirze rrtrrketh rrrernj; btrt riloizey nrrsruer.etlf nll tltiirgs.
Ecclesinstes 10:19

IF JESUS WAS AROUND TODAY, HE WOULD DESTROY ALL OF OUR DOCTRINES.

I know we went around singing "Jesus is the answer for the world today." Jesus is Lord. We
believe Jesus is Lord. But you can have Jesus and not have answers to the situations plaguing
you. You love Jesus, yet you are poor, overworked, and tired. Your family is falling apart. Why?
Because you have not sought the right answer.

The Bible says that money answereth all things. We are not worshipping money. We're
understanding its use. Jesus tells us to make friends with this stuff that we called evil all of our
life. He said make friends with this evil stuff. Then Solomon tells us that this same evil stuff is
your answer to all stuff. If you don't have money, you don't have any answers.
Tlie Sclzool of tlie Prophets

- Offering is one of the most important times in church service. Yet, we say, "Hurry up, ush-
ers! Go get the buckets! Let's get the offering out of the way." Giving is worship. And worship
is never in the way. The giving of the seed is the thing that will change your destiny.

The reason why some of you don't have any money because you're so busy calling it evil. If
you call your friend evil will your friend hang with you? No! I had people come to me and say,
"I tell you I'm not into all that money stuff. You know money is just the root of all evil." They're
wrong. It's the love of it in a way that has not been ordained of God that is evil. When lust
begins to drive your thoughts of money, then you have entered an evil realm. If they say, "I'm
not into all that money," I just say "Excuse me, I've got to go." "Why are you leaving?" "You
were just talking about my friend and I don't want my friend to leave me."

Get out of any church that talks negative about money. If you don't, your friend will. That's
why you're broke; you don't know how to treat your friend. You call your friends every day. So
when was the last time you called Money? If you had more money you could do more things.
Jesus never discipled the poor, but He only discipled the rich.

Mnrk 10:17-27
17 Alzd zuhen he runs golieforth illto the zuny, ttkere cnlfieone rltlzning, niid klzeeieli to hilfl, nlzd asked
Itilli, Good Mnster, zolint shall I do tlznt I nmny illherit eter~mllife?
18 Arid Jestrs snid i~litohilll, Why cnllest thot~]lie good? tliere is lzolze good but orie, that is, God.
19 Thou k~zozuestthe co~nffinlidnlelits, Do not coilirllit nditltenj, Do ]lot kill, Do lzot stenl, Do lzot benr
false zuitlzess, Defrnttd not, Holzoitr tlzyfnther rind Illother.
20 Alzd he fllzszuerednlid snid tozto hirn, Mnster, nll these hnue ~ ~ b s ~ ~ e dlny f ryoltfli.
~lll
21 Tlien Jestis belzoldilzg hi111 loved Iiinl, nnd snid ~tlztoIzim, Olie tlzilzg thou lnckest: go thy zuny, sell
zulzntsoeuer thou hnst, alid give to tlze poor, nlzd tlzoit shalt hnue trensitre ilz henue~z:nlzd co~?ie, fnke rtp
tile cross, fllld f0ll~wllle.
22 And he runs snd nt tlznt saying, and zuelit nzuny grieved:for lie hnd great possessiolis.
23 Avd Jestts looked roulzd about, nltd snith tinto his disciples, Hmu hnrdly shnll they tlznt linue ricli-
es enter into the kingdoni of God!
24 Alzd the disciples were nstolzished nt his zuords. But Jeslts nlzszueretli agnill, nlid snitli itnto thelll,
Childreti, how hnrd is it for tlzeln tlznt trust in riches to enter into tlze kingdolll of God!
25 It is ensierfor n cnlliel togo thro~tglitlze flje of o ~zeedle,tlznrt for n riclz 111n1i to enter in to the king-
dom of God.
26 Alzd they zuere nstolzished out of mens~~re, snyiizg ai~io~zgthenlselues, Wzo the11 cn~zbe snued?
27 A~zdJeslrs looking tlpoii tlte~fz snith, Witlt liteiz it is impossible, bt~t]tot with God:for zuitll God nll
things are possible.
(KJV)

Most of us were taught that the disciples were poor. When Jesus called the rich young ruler
to discipleship, he said "I've kept all the commandments from my youth up. I've been a good
Christian. I'm ready to be discipled." Jesus said, "Are you really ready?" He says, "Yes." Jesus
said, "Sell all that you have and give and then you'll be fit for My Kingdom." He took an offer-
ing when the guy was asking about coming into the Kingdom. You're really not in the Kingdom
until you're ready to give. Wherever your treasure is will reveal where your heart is. Tell me
 Prophetic Etnpowennent

.where most of your money has gone and I can tell you where your heart is.
And fesus looked round nbout, and snith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that !have riches
enter into the kitlgdom of God! And the disciples were nstonished at his words (they were upset). But
fesus nnswereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for then1 that trust itt riches to
enter into the kingdotn of God! Mark 10:23-23

The key word there is "trust." You can have money but don't let money have you. It's just
as easy to get just as it is to depart from you. Money magnifies what you already are. If you are
a giver, you'll be able to hear God say "empty your bank account" and you'll do it although there
are thousands in it. If you are stingy, you'll still be saying, "I don't have any money, pastor"
when offering time comes. If you have a poverty mindset you'll still be taking the bus instead
of being chauffeur-driven when you are a millionaire.

So what did Jesus mean when he said, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a nee-
dle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God?" In Jerusalem, there was a gate that
camels went through called "the eye of a needle." They had to unload everything off the camel's
back and squeeze through. Then they would have to pick up their luggage on the other side. In
order for you to come into the Kingdom, you've got unload everything that you are.

See God was pleased, when the Bible says that David danced until he was naked; he danced
until he came out of his kingly authority. His wife got mad and said he's supposed to look a cer-
tain way. That's why he was a man counted worthy for the Kingdom because he was able to
unload in order to come into the Kingdom. Verse 26, "And they were astonished out of measure,
saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?" Which evidently means they were rich.

The disciples were empowered by their connection to Jesus. They expected to be continual-
ly empowered through their relationship with Him. so it is when you connect with a prophet.
The resulting prophetic empowerment will bring wealth: spiritual, physical and emotional.
Look for it!
The Scl~oolof tlte Prophets

.
 C H A P T E R 4

PROPHETHOOD
Bishop E. Bernard Jorrln?~

"Hood" is a covering for the head, and neck and occasionally the face. "Hood" is a state, con-
dition, quality and character (boyhood). "Hood" is an individual sharing a specified state or
character (brotherhood).

The prophet is the voice of God to the earth to bring men into redemption. It was the
prophet's job to bring man back into Divine connection with the Creator.

THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS IS THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY.

Alzd Ifell nt hisfeet to zuorshiy hi111. And he snid iiilto tne, See tho11 do it not: I n l n thy fellozu serunlrt,
nnd of thy brethren that knve the testitnony of Jesus: worship God: for tlze testinzo~zyof Jesus is the
spirit ofprophecy. Revelntiolz 19:10

Whenever you are moving in the spirit of prophecy, it will produce the testimony, or it will
bear witness, that Jesus is Lord. That's why we know the psychics are not of God because they
do not testify of Jesus. The reason the world and the Church have run to the psychics is because
they could not find any prophets in the Church. Whenever the prophets would begin to emerge,
the Church would begin to ask the question "Who made you a prophet? We don't believe
prophets are for today."

We were among some of the few who had the nerve to go on some of the national circuits
and use the title "Prophet" E. Bernard Jordan. Some folks became extremely upset and angry
saying, "Why don't you remove 'Prophet' from your name?" We replied, with all due respect,
"We will when you remove 'Pastor' from in front of yours."

In this hour, God is sounding the alarm that this is a prophetic call to a prophetic generation.
Whenever God begins to raise up His best, satan tries to imitate and raise up his best. The world
never questions the psychics by saying "Who made you a psychic?" You never went to the
gypsy and said, "Who made you a gypsy?" But you sat in expectancy and handed her pour
palm.

She told you "I see more, but I need another twenty." You compensated her and you reward-
ed her for her wisdom, though it was devilish. And then we came to the prophets of God and
The School o f the Prophets

had a problem with the prophetic offering. We have problems with folks bringing gifts to the
prophets. "I don't understand why they prophesy while folks give money." Read your Bible.
Whenever they came to the man or the woman of God, they never came empty-handed. You
always compensate someone for their wisdom.

THIS TESTIMONY WlLL BRING PERSECUTION THAT IS ORDAINED FOR THOSE WHO CARRY THlS
WITNESS.

I ]ohn, zuho nlso nil1 yollr brother, nlzd coizljvn~lio~t nlld yntiellce of
iiz triblrlntioll, nlzd ilz the ki~zgdol~r
Jes~rsCltrist, runs i n the isle thnt is cnlled Pnt~nos,forthe word of God, nltd for the testilizolzy of leslrs
Clzrist. Revelntioll 1:9

You will be persecuted once you begin to identify with the prophetic. Prophets are perse-
cuted creatures. The Bible says that the Church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and
prophets. In the earth, you walk on foundation. You spit and stamp upon foundation. If you're
not willing to be walked on, spat upon, or sat upon, then you're not prophetic material.

The prophetic temperament demands for you to be assertive on one hand. Yet, you must also
have the ability to understand that this is my lot in life because I am building material; I'm a
foundation.

The greater the rejection the greater the anointing. Notice that God uses rejects. He raised up
a Joseph; a man with a dream that was rejected by his brothers. He raised up a David, who was
the least of his brethren. He was out in the field tending the sheep, minding his own business,
yet rejected.

Jesus is the Stone that the builders have rejected and has now become the Chief Cornerstone.
I want you to know that you've got to pass through some rejection in order to become chief.

YOU WlLL OVERCOME IF YOU HOLD FAST TO YOUR TESTIMONY, FOR THE WORD IS A SWORD.

And tlzey overcnlire hi111by the blood of the Lnillb, nild by the zuord of flzeir testil~zolzy;nlzd they loved
ltof their lives ntito the death. Revelntiolt 12:11

If you're going to really go forth in this ministry and in this anointing, you cannot love your
life. If you're going to walk in this anointing you've got to get to the place where you don't care.

Do I need to go through the testimony of how many churches I've been kicked out of? It's
not a good feeling. I almost lost my mind over one. I was prophesying, moving forth in the Word
of the Lord as the recognized resident prophet of the House, but they kicked me out. It was a
Divine entrapment because if I was never pushed out of the nest, I would not be where I am
today. Eagles are forced to fly. When you are an eagle and God is training you, you're kicked
out of the nest. He only gives you two tries to flap your wings. The third time you either fly or
die. Visitation is not kind to procrastination.
. Whenever a season of visitation comes, don't stand there and say, "Well, let me pray about
it." I'm not sure that all this stuff we say we're "praying about" is really Scriptural. You have a
"Urim" and Thummin" on the inside of you. If you have peace, that's the umpire; flow with it,
go with your heart and not with your head.

We use prayer as a scapegoat. We've lied to folks. If someone said to me, "Would you come
to my church?" if I didn't want to go, I'd say, "Let me pray about that." But then, when there
was a church that you've been believing God to open for you to go into, you just knew you had
a word for that congregation! When they invite you to come, you say, "Yes. What date is that?"

When folks tell me they've got to pray about something I know what it means. I say, "Thank
you, anyway. I understand. God bless you."

Usually when there's a crying out, there's a struggle between the flesh and the spirit. Jesus
was crying in the garden of Gethsemane. He prayed until He began to sweat drops of blood.
When He said, "Nevertheless, not my will but Thy will be done," the sweating stopped. When
you flow with God the sweat will cease.

THE DRAGON WILL SEEK YOU OUT TO MAKE WAR BECAUSE OF THE TESTIMONY THAT EXISTS IN
YOU AND BECAUSE OF YOUR INHERENT ABILITY TO REPRODUCE IT WITHIN YOUR SEED.

And tlie drngoil ions zurotll zuith the iuoninil, nnd iueilt to 111nkeiunr iuitlz the reniiznnt of her seed,
iuhich keep the coiiziiinndii~ei~ts
of God, nizd hnue the testh7ioity of Jeslls Cllrist.
Reuelntioil 12:17

Whenever God gives you a prophecy, it is not only for you but it's for your children and your
children's children. You thought God was stopping with you because you're so limited in your
mind. You're busy looking at the apple seed when God is seeing the apple orchard.

That's why you've got to watch who you're connected with. Because of who Elijah was,
Elisha was. Discern the individual you're serving and ask them, "Who are you? Because I am
who you are. Where are you going? I'm headed the same way." In order to go from one anoint-
ing to another, or from one season to another, you will need the hand of a man.

You've been busy on your knees saying, "Lord, pour out Your anointing for breakthrough.
Send it Lord." You're looking up and God is saying to just look among you. Your deliverance
is in the hand of a man. To a Moses, God instructed, "Set forth thy hand." To a widow who was
about to eat her last meal, He said, "Go feed that man." To a Saul who needs a conversion, He
said, "I'm sending you an Ananias."

When the angel went down to the house of Cornelius, it seemed as though the angel would
have preached to him the message of salvation. He couldn't, because angels can't preach salva-
tion. He had to disturb Peter. In order for you to come through any season, you need a man that
God is working through to take you there.
Tlte Scl~oolo f the Prophets

. Every miracle has a human element involved. Many of you miss the human element and
you miss the miracle. Sometimes you don't even understand it. God may say "Go wash the man
of God's car for the next several weeks." You don't understand and begin to protest saying, "I'm
not going to wash his car. I'm going to spend time in fasting and prayer." If you do, you're going
to miss your miracle. Why don't you go on down and clean up the church? The apostles would
have missed God if they had said, "We're not taking baskets of food to folks. God called us to be
apostles. We're not serving any food to folks and breaking any loaves of bread and fishes, and
we're not seating any folks anywhere. We're not ushering, and we're not going to be no chauf-
feurs, either! Jesus, Who do you think You are going to sleep in the boat and have us up dri-
ving?"

God is busy trying to connect you to a man to get your miracle to you. You're missing it
because you're trying to eliminate the human element.

When I receive a prophetic word I have my sons and my daughters in mind. I think about
my five children because that means that they'll be forced to complete what I'm not able to fin-
ish. God's Word doesn't return to Him void. He spoke to one generation of the children of Israel
and told them they were going to take the land. Did they see the fulfillment of prophecy? No.
Did God lie? No, but He waited until they died out and raised up the next generation of chil-
dren. Why? Because God speaks to nations. Even if the first seed doesn't catch it, their offspring
will fulfill it.

Prophethood is a work that is governmental. God is raising up the prophets to speak to gov-
ernmental institutions in society. Prophethood is a work that will demand for you to bring
change to the environment to which you are assigned. Every prophet has to go into the center
of their expertise and redesign the very environment they're in. If it's music, redesign the sound.
If it's a garment, bring forth a new design. If it's finances, do it according to God's ways, and
God's standards. God wants the prophets to become models of His Word.

Prophethood has a responsibility to bring redemptive thinking to the people to which they
are assigned. Whenever God raises you up as a prophet, He raises you up as a prophet to indi-
viduals or to a people. Most prophets don't know to whom they're called. God raised up
prophets to nations. Usually, He raised up a prophet to speak first to his own home and his own
nation. When I discovered that, I became nervous. Some folks around me became nervous. I
woke up in 1993. God said, "That prophetic stuff you were prophesying that people were get-
ting houses they wanted and the car they wanted was just your rehearsal. Now, let's get ready
for the real deal." I said, "Okay, Lord." I thought that meant He was going to start quickening
the gift to include names and addresses and Social Security numbers. I thought it meant read-
ing the serial numbers off of the twenty dollar bill that was placed in the offering basket and say-
ing, "B15. Everybody take a twenty out. Let's see if that's your number. You're up next. Come."

That wasn't the case. He took me back to the Old Testament and said, "The prophets dealt
with social issues." He said, "Go to your own." He continued, "You want to know why certain
black leaders are doing what they are doing?" I said, "Lord, why?" He said, "Because the
prophets in the church are afraid to touch the issues."
.
This will shock the old group who sees injustice, but just sit within the comfortable walls of
the church and says "Why can't we just love each other?" Love doesn't have anything to do with
liberation. Moses did not go to the house of Pharaoh and say, "Now we're going to talk about
love." He didn't go to his people and tell them to love their oppressors. He did talk to them
about economic empowerment. He showed them how to get the wages of their ancestors and the
reparation for the work that they had done in Egypt which remained unrewarded. And when
they came out, they came out with resources. You cannot have liberation without wealth.

The reason you're in the mess you're in today is because you don't have any money. The rea-
son why our women are singing out in the world looking like whores is because we don't have
any money to stop it. So there is no liberation unless you have a system of economic empower-
ment. Someone says, "Why don't you leave the past alone?" I can't, for I'm connected to it.
Someone was sharing with us sometime ago. They said, "We believe that we should just treat
everyone fairly and blacks shouldn't get any special privileges." That sounded real nice, espe-
cially with the Republican parly. You know the thought; blacks need to pull up their own boot
strings.

That's nice, but you have to look at a race. If you're running and I'm running and we've been
running for four hundred years, and I was forced to wear a ball and chain to restrict my move-
ments, yet you're running free, is it fair for you, 400 years later, to just take my chains off and say,
"Keep up"?

No. We've got to look at the four hundred years of how we had to drag while you were
already on the next block. No, we can't leave it alone. And because the Church wouldn't address
it and call the nation to repentance, God has raised up the prophetic voice in America. You'll
be able to go before the Congress and the Senate and say, "Thus saith the Lord: If you pass such
and such a bill that is an injustice. God would say that your children will begin to fall dead and
cancer will begin to cleave to your loved ones if you persist in oppressing the poor." The Word
of the Lord through anointed men and women of God will come forth in power and in demon-
stration.

We won't be confined to marching talking about how we shall overcome "someday." We've
heard of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thu~sday,Friday, Saturday and Sunday "Someday"
doesn't exist! When Jesus came, He said, "This is your year of jubilee." He was specific; "Now."

PROPHETHOOD IS DEMONSTRATED IN THE SCRIPTURE THROUGH THE SCHOOL OF THE PROPHETS.

THE PROPHETS HAVE SOMEONE INSTRUCTING AND LEADING THEM.

Attd Snzil sent nressetigers to tnke Dnvid: ntzd rulteiz tliaj snzu the co~tlpniryof tlfe proplrets prophesy-
ing and Snniziel sfnndilzg ns nppointed over the, the Spirit of God zuns lipon fhe n~essengersof Snril,
nnd thflj nlso prophesied. I Snnz 19:20

Samuel was appointed over them, which means they were guided. If you read some of the
history on the school of the prophets, they not only dealt with poetry but they dealt with histo-
 The School ofthe Prophets

'ry and social issues.

We need to have our own lobbying group - call it The Prophetic Order or something.
Everyone else has their lobbying group in Washington. We should have some prophets on pay-
roll just to be down there prophesying. We'll have a Prophetic Congress and let them know
what's on the agenda and let them know who's doing what. Let the prophets go on television
telling folks "Listen, this is what the politicians want to do, but God said that it's supposed to go
this way. How many of you are voting for God? Give us the finances so that we can vote the right
people in. God said this one is supposed to be in office next. Bring them to the meeting. Tell them
come on up here. We're going to anoint them. Tell them don't worry about it but go home and
go to sleep; they're going to be in office in November." That's the way the prophets moved.

God would tell them, "Anoint so and so to be king over Israel and anoint this one to be king
over Judah and anoint that one he's going to be the prophet in your place." God raised up the
political order. He also raised up the spiritual order. God is stirring up the spiritual order that is
supposed to provoke the political order and tell them when they get out of order, "Thus saith the
Lord, 'Your agenda is incorrect."'

Let's see what the church is going to do concerning their treatment of the poor. God always
took an attitude against folks when they mishandled the poor. Let's see if the same individuals,
the right wing Christians, will become a prophetic voice now and tell them to repent or let's see
if they will eat chicken with the oppressors and grin. Will they say "You know, things look real-
ly good. We've been really fighting those abortion folks." Now the folks you told not to have an
abortion are having their babies based upon help that they were told would be available to
them, and now they're being cut off the welfare role. Where's the balance? Where's the answer?

IN THIS HOUR GOD I S RAISING UP A N E W ORDER.

THE PROPHETS WERE LOCATED AT THE HOUSE OF GOD.

And the sons of the prophets tlint were nt Bethel cnnieforth to Elislzn, and said ziizfo him, Kiiozuest thou
that the LORD will toke nway tlzy i~znsterfioiizthy hend to dny? Aizd he snid, Yen, I kizow it; hold ye
your peace. 11 Kings 2:3

THE PROPHETS WERE AT JERICHO, THE PLACE OF FRAGRANCE.

And the sons ofthe prophets that were nt Jericlzo cniize to Elisha, nizd said unto him, Kizowest tlzozi tlint
the LORD will take nwny tlzy innsterfioin tlzy hend to dny? Aizd he niiswered, Yen, I knozu it; hold ye
your pence. II Kings 2:s

At each one of these places, Elijah told the prophet Elisha to stay there. An "Elisha" can dis-
cern what a leader is going through. And even when the leader beckons the servant to leave
him, he says, "No, I will not leave you." I am finding that in the House of God, there are very
. few marriages. Many of you are not married to leadership. You're just dating them. You don't
want to get married, for that means the stench and offense of dirty socks. You love the dating.
You love the convenience of the open car door. But, when there is marriage, now you've got to
see their other side; you've got to endure their early morning bad breath.

TO BE EFFECTIVE I N CARRYING THE PROPHETIC FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT, YOU MUST
OBTAIN THE SPIRIT OF YOUR MENTOR.

And zulte~tthe sotts of tlte prophets zuhiclt zuere to view nt Jericllo snzu ltint, they snid, Tlte spirit of
Elijnh dotlt rest oiz Elishn. And they cnute to lrteet hint, n ~ t dbowed tltentselves to tile grotr~tdbefore
ltint. I1 Kings 2:15

Your mentor is going to inflict the greatest amount of pain in your life. I've had individuals
say to me, "I want to be mentored by you." I said, " Are you really ready?" "Yes, Bishop, yes!
Yes! God has shown me you're my mentor." "Okay, come on son." "Okay, Dad." The first time
you hurt their feelings through a correction, you'll hear, "I feel like the Lord is speaking to me to
move on now." "I thought you were ready to be mentored?" "Well, um, I thiik God is speaking
for me to move on somewhere else." Has He really told you to move on to somewhere else or
are you just wounded through the mentoring process and you're jumping off the table before the
operation is complete? So now you go into the next environment all cut up with your organs
hanging out because you did not stay in the place called "There."

THE PROPHETS PREPARED TO EAT TOGETHER, AND DETERMINED THAT DEATH WAS I N THE POT.

38 W h e n Elisltn retzrr~ledto Gilgnl, ltltere runs1 n fnntiite in the In,td. A s the sons of the prophets zuere
sitting before lti~lt,1te snid to itis serirnltt, "Pilt on tlte lnrge pot niid boil stezu for the salts of the
propl~ets."
39 Tltelt o m zuellt out into tltefield to gntlrer herbs, n ~ t dfor,lld n zuild vine nttdgntheredfiont it his lnp
fir11 of wild go~rrds,nnd crime nlzd sliced tlze~ltinto the pot of stezu,for thaj did not k~zozulzullnt they
zuere.1
t the men to ent. Altd i f cnnle nbout ns tltey zuere enting of tlre stezu, tlrnt
40 S o they poured [if)o ~ rfor
thflj cried out rind snid, "0 111n71 of God, tllere is dentk i n tlie pot." Altd they zuere trltnble to ent.
2 Kings 4:38-40

THE PROPHETS MOVED TOGETHER TO BUILD TOGETHER.

A n d tlte sons of t l ~ eprophets snid trtzto Elishn, Behold nozu, tlte plnce zultere rue dzuell zuith thee is too
strnit for us. I1 Kings 6:l

God is raising up the prophets in this hour to build together. I believe there are going to be
prophets that will be able to prophesy to the valley of dry bones and begin to cause the bones to
connect. It's going to take an Ezekiel anointing to break the slave mentality in African-American
people.
The School of the Prophets

But the prophets are going to have to begin to prophesy and say, "Now the foot bones are
connecting to the leg bone, the leg bone is connecting to the knee bone, and the knee bone is
going to connect to the thigh bone." Why? Because there's no networking. Why? Because they're
waiting for the prophets to prophesy to a disjointed community. When you begin to prophesy,
then you're going to be in trouble because you're going to be labeled a nationalist. Ezekiel saw
a great army. You know what happens when an army is standing on its feet - they're ready to
take the spoils of war.

WHEN THE SPIRIT OF A SENIOR PROPHET RESTS UPON YOU, IT WlLL CAUSE YOU TO MOVE I N THE
SAME ANOINTING.

And the LORD cniile dozon in n clot~d,nltd spnke zrltto kiin, nizd took of the spirit that zons up011hiill,
nnd gnve it l~lttothe sevelthJ elders: nlrd it cniize to pnss, thnt, zoheiz the spirit rested l~poltthezit, they
prophesied, ntld did not cense. Nunzbers 11:25

THE LAYING ON OF MOSES' HAND UPON JOSHUA CAUSED THE SPIRIT OF

WISDOM TO COME UPON HIM.

And Joshzrn the son of Nuif zunsfi~llof the spirit of wisdonz; for Moses hns lnid lzis hnnds z~poizhinz:
nlzd the children of Israel lzenrkened tiitto him, nnd did ns the LORD conzntn~tdedMoses. And there
nrose not n prophet since iiz lsrnel like tozto Moses, whoiiz the LORD knew fnce tofnce, 111nll the signs
nnd tlze zuo~tders,zohich the LORD sent hint to do izz tlze lnnd of Epjpt to Pharaoh, rind nll his ser-
vnizts, nizd to nll his lnnd, Det~terononzy34:9-11

Joshua was the second man. His ability to relinquish his authority, personal ministry, per-
sonal dream, and his personal desire is the thing that made greatness in him. When you are able
to walk in the shadows of your mentor, elevation is automatic. Samuel was established to be a
prophet of the Lord. And God raised him up when there was no open vision.

And nll Isrnelfuoiiz Dnn even to Beershebn knew thnt Snmz~elzuns estnblished to be n prophet of the
LORD. And tile LORD nppenred ngnin in Shiloh:for tlte LORD revenled ltinzselfto Sn17zz~elin Shiloh
by the zoord of the LORD. I Snnzllel 3:20-21

WHEN THE PROPHETIC ANOINTING COMES UPON YOU, IT WlLL CAUSE YOU TO FEEL LIKE A
DIFFERENT PERSON.

And the Spirit of the LORD will coizre rcpoit thee, nnd thot~shnll proplzesy zuitlt thent, rind shnlt be
tlrrlted into nnother nznn. I Snntccel 1 0 5

THE MINSTREL WlLL INDUCE THE LABOR PANGS TO INDUCE THE BIRTH OF THE WORD OF THE
LORD.

But lzow bring Tile n i~ziltstrel.And it cante to pass, zuhen the ~~tiizstrel
plnyed, thnt the hnnd of the
LORD cnlzze ~~polz him. 11 Kings 3 2 5
.
THE PROPHET WILL OFTEN TIMES SEE I N AREAS WHICH THE SERVANT CANNOT SEE UNLESS THE
PROPHET BEGINS TO PRAY THAT YOUR EYES BECOME OPEN.

Aiid Elishn prayed, nltd snid, LORD, I yrny tliee, opeii llis eyes, tllnt Ire iiiny see. And tile LORD
opuied tlie eyes of tlle yolrng limn; nlid lie snzu; nltd, behold, tile iiloi~iitniitzunsfirll of ltorses niid chnr-
iots offire roi~itdnboirt Elisltn. 11 Kiiigs 6 2 7

Prophet David Ireland said something that was so powerful. He said that you cannot choose
who you will see for. He says that when you are a seer, you have to wait until the leader points
at you and says "See for me." That's w h y Gad was known as David's seer.

They were the king's seers. They were appointed to see for the king. In other words, a wise
man doesn't want everyone looking in his window. I don't know i f you can handle what you see,
so you just stay in a place o f intercession and w e can see i f you can keep your mouth closed when
you see sin in m y life and know how to just tell m e about it and not go out and broadcast it say-
ing, "Thus saith the Lord, audience, the man o f God has done such and such a thing." No, you're
not anointed to be a seer.

W h e n you're anointed to be a seer, you know how to cover the leader and go to the man o f
God and say "God says there's sin in your life." What do you do when you see sin in someone's
life? Number one, you have to find out i f you are appointed to see for them.

God never sends a prophet to you and says "God says I'm to be a prophet to you." No, God
sends a leader to search you out. That's w h y in the church, w e have prophets running around
and saying "I'm going to such and such a church." They didn't call for you. And i f you were not
invited, you're really out o f order. On Sunday morning, you really should be at your o w n place.
God is sending a message to your place o f assignment. Many folks, especially those that are
church hoppers, are guilty o f reading other folks' mail.

THE PROPHETS OF GOD ARE HOUSE BUILDERS.

T11eii rose rep Zeri~bbnbeltlte son of Shenltiel, nlid Jesl~iintlte so11 of Jozndnk, nlld begnil to bilild tlle
house of God which is nt Jeri~snleiil;nizd iuitli theiii zuere tlle proyhrts of God lielpiiig tlieiir.
Ezrn 5:2

God doesn't call you to be a prophet to just sit in a seat. You're called to help build. Help us
hammer the nail i n this wall. I f you don't know where to drive the nail, then w e know you don't
have an accurate word in your mouth. "Would you help us to sit folks down in seats?" "I'm
called to be a prophet." I f you can't help usher folks to where to sit, you can't usher a person into
their destiny. "Can you assist us in the kitchen in fixing the plates for the servants o f the Lord?"
"Well, God has called m e to prophesy. He called m e out o f the kitchen." Well, He's calling you
back in because i f you don't know how to sit the vegetables in the right place, or know how to
follow instructions, then you are not fit to handle the lives o f men and women.
Tlte School of flie Prophets

. Many of us miss the season of preparation. That's why we never enter into visitation. You
want to sit in the seat and look cute. That's not where the caUing is. The calling is in the "busy-
ness." And through your work and labor, God calls you out of the midst of that into another
level and says, "Now come and follow Me."

THE PROPHETS ARE CALLED TO PROPHESY TO THE VALLEY OF DRY BONES.

Tlie ltn~tdof tlte LORD runs upon nre, and carried me out in tlte spirit of the LORD, nlld set ?liedow~z
itt the ~iiidstof the volley which wnsjiill of bones, Ezekiel 37:1

GOD SPEAKS TO THE PROPHETS BY MULTIPLIED VISIONS AND IMAGES.

I hnve also spokelz by the prophets, ntzd I /inve ~llultipliedvisions, nlld llsed si~nilifudes,by the ~ t t i ~ z -
istry of the prophets. Hosen 12:10

The word for similitudes is AMAH IDAW-MAW'); a primitive root; to compare, by implication,
to resemble, liken, consider; KJV - compare, devise, (be) like-(n), mean, think, use similitude.

Whenever God speaks, He speaks to you in pictures. You don't hear words. No! God gives
you a picture and you use your best way of describing what you see in trying to communicate
to the people. Jesus lived a life of imagery. He said, "I only do that which I see the Father do".

You use the words "imagery" and "visualization" too much and people will call it "New
Age." Understand that "New Age" is nothing but a perversion of truth. Let me tell you what
"New Age" has done. They were so interested in the realm of the Spirit that they found the sci-
ence of how to operate within it outside of Jesus Christ. They've come in through the way of the
window and they are a thief and a robber because they refused to come in by the way of the
Door.

We like to try to say, "Well, you know we just move by the Spirit." You didn't understand
when you were laying hands on some folks heads that it was a place of power. You didn't know
why you laid hands on their belly or on other various parts of the body that you were touching
places of power. You were too lazy to study it because someone told you that it was "New Age"
so you just stayed away from it all together. There's a whole science of color therapy. Some of
you have confusion in your life because you're in the wrong colors. Yet, in the Scriptures, God
gave the priesthood certain colors that they were supposed to minister in. They weren't sup-
posed to get up with pink on one week and ivory the next week. They had a specific look, a spe-
cific dress and God gave them specific colors.

They didn't get up one week with plaid and just start ministering before the Lord. There's
nothing wrong with plaid, but find out the purpose of plaid. If our minstrels would get into the
Presence of God and do some studies, God would teach them that sound and light go together
and certain chords produce certain type of vibrations and create certain light in the place. That's
why prison walls are painted a certain color to evoke a mood of depression and lethargy. I was
. talking with a doctor. He said the first thing to be done for a person that has AIDS is get them
out of black. He said the first change that was made for people that got cured was wearing the
color white. I said, "Why white?" He said, "That's light."

There are individuals that study people; that's why blacks were placed in projects. There are
people who have systematically studied the movement of black folks. But you're too lazy to
study the system because you want to get in the "Spirit." God says, "I've already given it to you
through human elements." If you get the knowledge watch how the Holy Ghost will begin to
empower it.

GOD WILL NOT DO ANYTHING IN THE EARTH REALM UNLESS HE FIRST SPEAKS TO HIS PROPHETS.

Sllrely the Lord GOD zuill do itothitzg, bnt ite reuenletll ltis secret rl~ttoi7is serun~rtsthe prophets.
Amos 3:7
Tlze Sclzool of the Prophets
Pnahetess Debra Jordan
SECTION 11

Prophetess Debra Jordan is a highly anointed vessel of the Lord. She

is the wife of Bishop E. Bernard Jordan and is the mother of five beauti-
ful children, Naomi, Bethany, Joshua, Aaron and Yakim Manasseh.

She, along with her husband, co-founded Zoe Ministries in June 1983.
Though she stands alongside her husband in the pastoral aspects of min-
istry, Debra Jordan is a prophetess in her own right, being used in realms
of prophecy since the age of 12. She has ministered nationally and
internationally, and is noted for the accuracy and depth of the prophetic
word that flows through her.

Prophetess Jordan is also a skilled preacher and a dynamic teacher

who can rightly divide the Word of Truth. She is also a powerful inter-
cessor, and is noted for her understandig of the various levels of prayer.
She is also blessed with a healing anointing, and has been greatly used of
God to work miracles of healing in many individuals.

Prophetess Jordan is very sensitive to the needs of women. Out of

that compassion, she founded The Queen's Chambers, Zoe Women's
Fellowship, which meets to address issues that are critical to the maturi-
ty of Christian woman everywhere. She also co-founded the newly orga-
nized OPERATION HOPE, which feeds homeless adults and their chil-
dren and mentors women in the New York Prison System. The women
receive motivational teachings, and gain work experience in shipping
and handling, computer literacy, etc.

Prophetess Jordan can be seen frequently on the Power of Prophecy

telecast.
The Sclrool of t l ~ rProphets

.
 THE PROPHETESS
Prophetess Debra Jordait

The prophetess is simply a female gender of the prophet. She is a declarer of the Word of the
Lord. Webster Dictionary indicates: "The prophet is an inspired teacher, a revealer of truth, an
interpreter; someone who interprets God's will, one who foretells events." Simply stated, the
prophet or prophetess is one who speaks forth the mind of God.

WHEN GOD CALLS FORTH THE PROPHETESS, SHE IS CALLED FORTH FROM HER MOTHER'S WOMB.

Before I forriled thee iiz the belly I kizezu thee; nild before thou cniilest forth out of fhe ruonlb I snizctified
thee, nitd I ordained thee n prophet ti~ztothe izntioizs.
Jerenrinlz 1:5

The Lord called Jeremiah to be a prophet of the Most High God. God has called many of us
from our mother's wombs to become prophetesses of the Most High God. When the call comes,
there is a preparation period included within the call. Many, however, don't quite make it
through that phase.

Many times people don't understand what is happening to them. This is especially true
when one is in a ministry or church where it seems that everytime they get up and say, "Thus
saith the L o r d or they indicate that they sense God is speaking, they hear something negative.
Someone who is hying to cut them down states, "God didn't say that."

Women of God: it doesn't matter what anyone says! The only thing that matters is that if
God said it, it is settled! If God says that you're to speak forth as an oracle of God, you are to
speak forth and fear not. God said to one prophet, "I'm going to make your head harder than
theirs, and make your eyes more fierce than theirs. When you have to go face to face with them,
what they say, how they act and how they look won't bother you. You are going to speak forth
My Word."

Many of us need some holy boldness. This is especially hue for females and for those in tra-
ditional churches where they say, "God didn't call any woman." I beg to differ. If God can plant
His seed in a woman and allow that woman to carry His Holy Seed for nine long months, allow-
ing a woman to rear that Seed up; then why can't we speak His Word?

I have determined not to argue with man anymore! I know that God is going to stand by His
Word. He said that before He allows one jot of His Word to become void, heaven and earth will
pass away. Heaven and earth is still here, so God's Word is still standing big and strong! You
mustbe determined and know that once God has said a thing, you're not to doubt. Even though
you may find yourself against the wall, declare that you are standing on the promises of God and
that you're standing because God told you to stand. Even if your pastor does not believe in
prophecy, you have to know that you know that God has called you and He has given you that
Word. Once you realize that, nothing else matters. They may talk about you and say, "She does-
n't know what she's doing." It doesn't matter! Nothing matters but to obtain and to do the will
of God on planet Earth.

I got saved at the age of 12. To date, I have known the Lord 22 years, and all of my life, I've
just wanted more of Him. I got saved in a church that did not believe that women should be
teachers and if they did teach, they couldn't do so in the pulpit. They were sticklers for tradition.
"How dare you come to the House of God without your head being covered." They didn't
believe I was a prophet. As a youngster, I didn't understand and would just say, "Well, I just
heard God say that you should begin to get your house in order because He's getting ready to
visit you." The response to me would be, "Who are you to tell me that?" But I just knew.
Sometimes the pastor would get on my case. I remained obedient and submissive, but I knew
what God said to me. I would get on my knees unto the Lord, "Now, Lord, you said for me to
deliver the word and there's nothing else for me to do."

When God begins to speak to your heart about things, you're just the messenger. It doesn't
matter whether they rip it apart or throw it away. You do your part. The only thing that God will
hold you accountable for is what He called you to do. Did you do it? Did you deliver? Did you
speak what He told you to say? You can't tell Him, "Lord, the people said. .." We can't have that
Saul syndrome. Saul was a people pleaser. If you're going to be a people pleaser, you cannot
stand as a holy oracle of God. You'll be too easily swayed by what people say and do. So, if that's
your problem, get rid of it!

If you believe everybody's going to like you because you're hearing from God, forget it! Get
rid of that mindset! "They know that I'm the prophetess of the Most High God, for the angel
came down and spoke." Get rid of that theology because everybody's not going to hear you!

Why? Because everyone does not want to fulfill the will of God. Everybody doesn't want to
hear you talk, just as everyone will not be amazed at your good looks. I think I look real good,
but I also understand that everybody is not going to be flabbergasted with Debra's good looks!
You can be prophesying, "Yea, the Lord is saying unto you, my daughter or my son . . ." and
some will not hear because they have determined that they won't hear anything you say -no
matter if God is speaking. Remember, if they won't listen to the Holy Ghost, they won't listen
to you. They are reprobate. They can't see because their eyes are closed. However, it doesn't
give you the right to say, "I can't do it because they aren't listening to me."

I am excited about the prophetic ministry because I know in whom I believe. Fifteen years
ago, there would have been a little doubt, a little shaky, "Well, I know God said it," and that
would be it. "Well, how do you know?" "I don't have to explain myself to anyone." Now, I'm
not saying that so you can get high minded and lofty thinking but there is a balance. As long as
you know, that you know that you know God is speaking and He is saying, "Now, it's time for
you to stand and speak forth My Word," then you do so. I found that God will provide the
 Tlze Prophetess

methodology He will even teach you how to go in and out of the enemy's camp, give the Word
of the Lord and before they realize it, you've been there and left. There is a way.

God is always speaking. "He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit of God is saying."
God is speaking twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. All we have to do is tune our ears
to what He is saying.

Many times I will see something, and God will speak to me. He will let me know if some-
one is in sin, fornicating or if someone has a lesbian spirit or whatever. But I begin to pray with-
in myself, asking, "Lord, is this something you want me to deal with on my own praying for
them or do you want me to give them a word like 'Daughter, you're in sin?' How do I go about
delivering this message that you have spoken unto my heart, and I have seen with my eyes?
How do I deal with this thing?" I go to God because He is the great Teacher. He is the Prophet.
It is Jesus, the Prophet, who is rising up and speaking forth on the inside of us anyway. So, I go
to the great Teacher, and ask "Lord, do you want me to deliver this message?" Sometimes God
will say, "No, just hold it and let it simmer on the inside of you."

Again, I came to the Lord at the age of 12. I have never drank wine, but there's an old say-
ing I've heard, that the older wine is, the better it tastes. And we've heard another old saying,
"Things get better as they get older." Sometimes you have to let a word ferment on the inside
of you. The longer you do so, when God tells you the green light is there, you'll begin to speak
that word. There will be so much power, strength and anointing that the listeners won't be able
to tune out the word. And all because you waited on God.

The purpose, daughters, is for you to begin to shine forth as light in the Kingdom of God.
Begin to go forth. Stop sitting there, waiting to be validated! It's not coming! Stop waiting for
permission! Allow God to exalt you!

The prophetess can be a single or married woman. We see that in Scripture: Deborah was
married to Lapidoth. Lapidoth means "a torch." Deborah's husband was a flaming torch of sup-
port in her life.

" A ~ z dDebornh, n prophetess, the zoife of Lnpidoth, she jtidged Isrnel nt tllnt ti~lle."
Judges 4:4
The Scripture reveals that (1)Deborah was a judge and (2) she was a prophetess of the Most
High God. She functioned in two distinct offices. But, she, being a married woman, was under
authority. What amazes me about Deborah is that she held the two offices. When we read about
Old Testament times, many women were not in any type of authority because men looked at
women as simply child bearers. It's interesting to note that Lapidoth gave Deborah permission.
She had the authority to go forth and fulfill her call in ministry. The Scripture also tells us that
Deborah ministered under a palm tree.

She ministered without restrictions. However, many women ministers, pastors, elders,
prophetesses or sisters, don't have freedom or liberty because someone is trying to hold them
back. The prophetess must understand her authority and placement. Deborah is a fine exam-
ple of this. She ministered under that palm tree. She ministered unashamedly and walked in the
The Sclzool o f the Provhets

purpose of God. She was not afraid to be exposed to the elements. She did not hide in a corner,
trying to prophesy in secret. She ministered in full view of everyone of her day.

When you look at a palm tree, you'll notice, it's very flexible. When the wind blows, it can
bend to the left, to the right, or in any direction. Unlike an oak tree, a palm tree can flow with
the wind.

We see that even in Deborah's ministry, there was flexibility. There were other things she had
to do. She had to fulfill her wifely duties. She was a judge, so she had to go forth and minister
and judge the people of God and give them wise counsel. She had to minister unto God and give
forth to the people what, "Thus saith the Lord." She was doing all of these different things, yet,
she was complete and fulfilled.

The palm tree also represents beauty and it shows that shade was a covering for Deborah.
The Scripture also shows that she was in a relaxed state; not trying to prove anything. Let us not
try to prove anything.
I am who I am by the grace of God. God made me this way and because of that, I am fear-
fully and wonderfully made. I don't have to get up and compete withmy husband. I don't have
to prove anything because I am complete. I know who I am. I like Deborah because she knew
who she was. Even though she had all those duties to fulfill, she knew who she was. She was-
n't afraid to demonstrate her abilities.

Women of God, stop being afraid to demonstrate your abilities. God has given many of you
giftings and talents, and you're holding them back. "Lord, I don't want to show it because they'll
say I want to be seen." If God gave it to you, He gave it to you for a reason. He wants you to
begin to let it come forth because someone needs what you have. How dare you! God gave you
something, and you're holding back, not giving it to the people of God. Peter said, "Silver and
gold have I none but such as I have, I give it unto you." You need to give forth those things that
God has given to you.

There are words that God has given unto many of you. But you're saying, "Lord, I don't
know I'm going to do it. I'm afraid. Look at me, I'm just a woman. Lord, I've got other things
that I have to deal with. I don't have a man by my side, so who am I going to lean on." Lean on
Jesus! God said He will be your mother, your father, your husband, your sister, and your broth-
er. He will be any and everything to you! He will be unto you what you want Him to be! God
said, I AM that I AM! Grab a hold of that so you can fulfill the ministry and the call of God in
your life!

You have to fulfil1 God's will. When Judgment Day comes, God is not going to allow you to
tell Him, "Lord, I couldn't do it because..." Jesus Christ was hung up for all of our hangups so
there shouldn't be any hangups in the Kingdom of God! We can't use anything as a crutch:
"Lord, I couldn't fulfill Your will because I didn't have anyone by my side. I had children that I
had to rear." No!

I tried to pull that several years ago; "Lord, I have my husband, and I just want to push him
forth in the ministry. Lord, I'm just going to stand in the background. I'll be happy and besides,
 The Prophetess

Lord, I do my best work in the background." That's what I told the Lord-trying to bargain with
God.

After I talked to God and laid all my cards on the table, God said, "Debra, I called you as a
child from thy mother's womb so that you may go forth and fulfill My plan." In my mind I'm
thinking, "If I rise up, they may say I'm trying to compete with my husband. In the church that
we're in, they don't think too much of women. They say a woman can't do this, and I'm so tired
of, the 'can't dos' and 'because you're a woman."' God said, "Debra, I'm still holding you
responsible."

Each and everyone of us are being held responsible for the ministry and for the call of God
upon our lives. There is no excuse, and crutch upon which we may lean. We must fulfill this
minstry. God said, "If I called Abraham, then I'm calling you." What is an "Abraham" without
a "Sarah?" Sarah had her faults, but I believe God used Sarah to help make and mold him.

Stop saying that you're not perfect. "But I'm not ready." You're never going to be "ready."
If you live to be 120 years on this earth, you'll never, ever be ready because they'll always be a,
"Lord I can't because ..." Even the excuse, "Lord I can't because I'm too old now." No, lay them
aside and begin to say, "Lord I'm here. I'm just a vessel. Mold me and shape me, Lord. Do what-
ever You want to do through me. I'm Yours. I realize and understand that I have been bought
with a price and titles don't mean anything to me. I know I've been bought, and I know I'm Your
daughter. Lord, I'm Your servant."

Titles don't mean anything to me. I've gotten to a place whether they call me a prophetess
or not, it just doesn't matter. If you call me Deb, Debbie, Deborah, Sister Jordan, or Mrs. Jordan,
it doesn't matter. Why? Because I'm not caught up in titles. I'm about doing the will of God. I
am at the understanding where I know there are places that God will allow me to walk into
where I will not be able to use Prophetess; I'll have to use Sister Jordan or Debra. So, some places
that we may have to walk into, we won't be able to use our familiar titles. Don't get caught up
in titles, for they mean nothing to Jesus. As long as my name is written in the Lamb's Book of
Life, that's all I'm concerned about!

God does not discriminate between male and female and that's in Galatians 3:28. There's no
male nor female; we're all one in Jesus. The prophetess is a delegated authority to an assigned
people. We can see that with Miriam, with the children of Israel. She was assigned to a Moses.

A prophetess is not a lone ranger, out there all by herself doing her own thing. God always
calls a prophetess alongside leadership to work, to be the eyes, and to be the steering. The lead-
ership is driving the car, but you're the steerer, helping him to turn left and right or to keep it
straight. Huldah was also a married woman. (2 Kings 2.214-20,2 Chron. 3422-28) She was the
wife of Shallum. Huldah and Deborah were not operating without covering. Women of God,
we have to be mindful not to walk out of our covering. My covering is Bishop Jordan. Not only
is he my Bishop, but he's my husband. If God gives me anything, I mention it to him and inquire
as to what he thinks about it.

Women are emotional creatures. God made us that way, and we have a sixth sense. A mar-
ried woman doesn't need the Holy Ghost nor the prophetic to come forth to let you know when
The Sclzool ofthe Prophets

;twoman is after her husband. I call it a sixth sense. We are very sensitive and it doesn't take us
all night to get a hold of God. It doesn't take us all night to get an answer from God. A man is
very logical and analytical. He is a thinker.

We have to be so mindful that when we hear God speak, we have to begin to discern, "Lord,
is this my human spirit, the Holy Spirit or is it the devil speaking to me?" Jesus said, "My sheep
know My Voice and a stranger they will not listen to." Satan does not care how busy we get for
God. We can be out on a mission saving the world for Jesus Christ but he does not care. The
only thing he cares about is getting us away from God.

There is a song, "I Miss My Time With You ..." We are not to ever miss our time or our
appointment with Jesus. Don't ever let a day go by that you have not had fellowship with the
Father. Satan knows if he can get you out of fellowship and prevent you from listening to what
God is saying, he's got you. The Holy Ghost might be telling you to do one thing, and you're
saying, "Oh, let me go and lay hands on Sister So and So. God said He put healing in my hands,
so I should go and anoint her." What you're doing may be a good work, but is it God? As
women of God, we have to be very discerning to know when it's God and when it's good.
Everything that is good is not God. We have to know when we're being led by our own spirit.

The prophetess can function in a leadership position. This is evident in Judges 4:4 with
Deborah. The prophetess can also function in other areas. Again, Deborah was a judge, a wife,
a counselor, and she prophesied. She was God's prophetess.

The prophetess understands the power of submission. True submission is an attitude of the
heart. Many may be in churches where the pastor does not understand that God is calling you.
Such was the case in a place where I was. Nonetheless, I still had to be submissive.

Wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as tinto the Lord.
Ephesians 5 2 2

The Greek word for submit is "Hupotasso." "Hupo" means "to go under" and "tasso" means
"to arrange." Also, "hupotasso" is a military term which means "to rank under." And because
we are women, we should understand our call to submission.

My husband and I communicate. I am also part of the leadership of our church. One day as
we were talking, he asked me, "What do you feel God is saying? Should we go to two services
or not?" I said, "I feel as though God is saying, 'It's now time for us to go."' He queried, "Why?"
And I said, "Because God said it. It's just like a plant. When it has outgrown the pot it's in, it
needs to be transplanted." After I have given him all the reasons why I felt it should be done,
he may not go with what I told him to do. That is okay. God did not call me to be a pastor. God
called my husband to lead, and I'm to assist him.

Remember, women of God, we are to be assistants, aides and helpers. A lot of times, lead-
ership might not take heed to or listen to us at a particular moment. Do not get an attitude!
Guard your feelings and your emotions! Do not allow them to get in the way of what God is say-
ing. What you're saying may be true and God may be allowing leadership to go that way for a
period of time so that they might see and know God is speaking to you. Don't get upset and
 27ze Prophetess
. high minded if they don't heed your counsel.
Deborah went to Barak and told him to advance because the victory was his. Yet, (and this
is a man) Barak said he wasn't going to go without her. She said, "I'm just a mail person, I have
delivered you the mail. That's it. My job, my obligation is finished. Case closed." But she looked
at the whole, the life of Israel. Israel was crying out, and Israel needed deliverance. Israel need-
ed help, and she knew what God said. So, she said, "I will surely go with thee ..." Barak did not
care that God would give the victory to a woman. God is raising up many of you as "Deborahs"
of our day. We will have to rise and begin to go to the "Baraks" of our day and give them the
word of the Lord. Many of them may be weak and might not be men of understanding or men
of excellence. God has still spoken a word. It is up to us to give forth that word which God has
called us unto.

The prophetess must not be given to independent thinking. The prophetess does not utilize
ministry as superiority over her mate (Ephesians 5:22). Rather, she must be under subjection to
her designated authority. The prophetess must understand God's Divine order.

For tlte itrntr is not of the zuonrnn; but tlre zuoitzniz of tlre nrnil. Neither runs the nrnn crentedfor the
zuomnn; but the woitrntl for tlre tnniz. For this cnzise oliglrt the zuottrntr to lznve power on her hend
becnuse of tlze ntlgels. Nevertheless tleitlrer is the itrnir zuithotit the zuonmir, neither flre zuontnir ruitll-
orit the iitnn, i n the Lord. 1 Cori~zt/zinns11:8-11.

We must not seek to usurp authority over our mates or over leadership. Give them the Word
of the Lord and stand back and see the salvation of God in the land of the living. The prophet-
ess must understand that God has the final word in every area of our lives. Either He's Lord of
all or He's not at all.

The prophetess is not called to surrender her femininity in order to accomplish the will of
God. You don't have to try to be like your leader. In other words, be unique. Be yourself. There
is no one in this vast world just like you. You are fearfully and wonderfully made by God
Almighty. We are God's workmanship, created for His glory. Out of all of God's aeations, God
took time out to form, to mold and to shape us. Let's stop trying to be like "Mr. So and So" and
"Pastor So and So." Be yourself. Say to yourself, "I am unique." Now believe that and walk in
it.

The prophetess must have an understanding of the seasons of time. Timing is everything.
You must have a keen understanding of seasons as they relate to yourself and those you minis-
ter to.

To evenj thing tlzere is a sensoiz, nnd n tilire to e v e y purpose riizder tlre heaven. A tiitre to love, ntrd n
tiitre to hnte; n time of wnr aizd n tinre ofpence.
Ecclesinstes 3:1,8

The prophetess' lifestyle becomes a prophetic statement to the community she serves. We
must be a living epistle being read of all men everyday. Whatever you're preaching and proph-
esying, let it be a demonstration in your lives. Don't allow your lives to begin to prophesy more
than what you're saying. If you're prophesying, "Be ye holy," then be ye holy in every area. If
Tlle Sclzool o f tlie Prouhets

.we're proclaiming, "No whoremongering in the Kingdom," let there be none within yourself
and within your temple.

The prophetess develops a relationship with the Lord that is marked by prayer. We must
pray. Don't allow a day to go by without spending time in God's Presence. Intercession becomes
an imperative thrust for the prophetess, for she is concerned for the lives of her people and her
nation. I believe that the prayer of every true intercessor should be, "Lord, give me children lest
I die." We must want to see lives being birthed into the Kingdom. We must be able to begin to
see lives being fulfilled in God's church. God is not a God of the dead, but He's a God of the liv-
ing. As females, God made us to be life givers. That's one of our characteristics. I believe even
when you have a word of death going to someone, in that death, God begins to resurrect life
because He's a God of the living. When the prophetess comes with the death certificate, in the
other hand is the birth certificate. It's a two-fold thing that is happening at one time.

The prophetess will never become a seeker of "her ministry." She will simply embrace her
purpose as it relates to her life. The prophetess must be a woman of character and integrity. Her
life must be above reproach. You cannot allow satan to spot you. We've heard so many nega-
tive things about women; we talk too much, we're flaky, we're nutty, we're fruity, and we go off
on the deep end very easily. Don't allow satan or man to deface the call of God that God has
given unto you. God has started a good work in our lives. He's still perfecting that thing which
concerns us. Become a woman of excellence in everything you do. If you can't go forth and do
it in excellence, don't do it at all. Don't you misrepresent God and His Kingdom.

The prophetess is a woman of influence. Power and influence go hand in hand. The
President of the United States holds power and although he has power, he is not the one who's
making the rules. There is someone behind closed doors that is influencing him. Let us become
as Esther and begin to go before the kings of our day and begin to influence them. I like to use
this example: the woman acts as the neck. She's not the head, but in whatever direction the head
wants to turn, the neck turns. Without that neck, the head can never turn.

Proverbs talks to us about the woman being a crown unto her husband. When you look at a
king, you don't look at that king's face, you look at that crown because it has jewels in it. That
crown has treasures in it. God has given women jewels and treasures on the inside of us and we
must bring them out.

God is raising up in these '90's a Deborah Generation that will heed the call of God. He's rais-
ing a Deborah Generation that will even be as a queen bee that will feed and nurture her people.
And yet, become a stinging bee that will go forth into the camp of the enemy and sting and
destroy all that is not like God. So, let us begin to rise up and become a Deborah Generation.
Become someone that is fierce; become someone who will say, "I don't care. God said it, and I'm
standing on it. I'm going before the kings and the enemies of my day and give them the Word
of the Lord!

Is there a word from the Lord? Oh, yes, there is! It's not old but fresh manna! God is pour-
ing fresh manna upon us and it is up to us to say, "Lord, give me manna so that I may feed a
nation. Give me manna so that I may feed my household. Give me manna so that I may feed
those that are dying."
 Tlte Prophetess

. Deborah Generation, go forth and give wise counsel. Deborah Generation, go forth in excel-
lence, yet, do not lose sight of her womanhood. There is a priesthood, a womanhood that is ris-
ing up. There is a holy priesthood of women who are rising up for the call. We're going forth in
fullness. We're going to give this dying world what it needs because God is saying, "Speak-for
now is the time, and now is the hour. Go forth in victory and proclaim and do that which I have
called you to do."

God is walking with a sword in His Hand to destroy everything that is not like Him. He has
the sword in His Hand to uproot that which the devil has planted. God is getting ready to do a
brand new thing in the household of faith and in the world.

There are some who are saying, "I'm not going to listen to what she's saying" and it seems
like you're just talking and talking and the more you talk, the less they hear. But God is saying,
He's going to close their mouths because He's getting ready to walk in the household. He's get-
ting ready to do this thing and all you have to do is stand and begin to see His salvation. Stand
and begin to see His detiverance because God is getting ready to clean house and to walk in there
because God said your day of visitation is, yea, even at hand. God is doing it!

THE WORD OF THE LORD TO HIS PROPHETESSES:

"l've coiiie to eircoirrnge yoir niid to iirnke yo11 zulrole. Wliere yoir ruere ruenk, I coilre so tlrnt I cniz brrild
tlrose tlri~rgsirp." I'iir zuorkiiig n iirirncle in yoir! It's not by clznirce tlrnt IJOIL'Xrendiirg tlzese zuords
todny. I broi~ghtyou this fnr to bring cllnirge. I see the lrrrrf, I see the tenrs nlzd tlre ziiglrf sensoir tlint
you cried oilt. But I zuns here nll flze tinre. I knve not forgotteir yoir Horu cnlr I? You're M y dni~glr-
ter, M y cltild. I nil1 El Slrnddni, Tlre Mmzy Brensfed One. Colire nird lenn 012 Me; nird I zuill irorrrislr
yoirr lfiriigerfor sntisfncfion. I desire tlrnt thoir nzny be zuliole nnd conzplete,for you sltnllfirlfill M y ruill
nnd M y pirrpose, iiriirisfnj. Yes,for I collie eveir nozu to nrnke yorr zulzole. I collie eveir izozu to briizg
n stirriirg oil tlze iirside of yoroll. I conre todny, not nmir, bilf I come; Jesrls, tlze Prop17ef, to lef yo11 kirozu
tlrnt I've coizze to ilinke yoz~zuliole. You're trot inconrplete, brrt y o i ~nre ruhole."'
The Scl~oolof the Prophets

.
 PROPHETIC TIMING
Propl~etessDebra Jordan

Prophetic timing is God's timing. God is concerned about time. He is the greatest Time
Keeper that I know. God sets up a nation and puts another nation down. He does whatever He
sees fit in His own timing. When God begins to move in His timing, we can't say, "Lord, hold
the clock; I'm not ready yet. I need more time." When it's God's timing, you have to move
whether you like it or not. Why? Because God is orchestrating and demonstrating His will and
His purpose in the land.

You need to ask yourself, what time is it? Are you in the timetable of God or have you some-
how fallen behind schedule? Or, are you running ahead of God? Many are believing for God to
call them into the prophetic or they are already prophesying. What time are you moving in? Are
you doing some work that you were supposed to do ten years ago? Are you playing "catch up"?
Are you trying to be God's wonder overnight? What time is it?

If you are going to be people called by God, the anointed ones of God, then you must first
understand the timetable and the time and season that you're in.

To evenj thing there is n sensoft, rind n tbne ..."

Ecclesinstes 3:1

Verse 2 lets us know there is "A time to be born, and a time to die." Interestingly, He never
speaks about a time to live. But He talks about a time to be born, to come forth in this earth.
There is a time to die and go on to be with the Lord. He never speaks about how we should live.
We, as people of God need to begin to teach people about how to live. Many times we get so
caught up with what's happening right now and what's going to happen at the end. But, what's
happening in between?

So tench trs to ntrnlber our days, tltnt rue nmy nyply our hearts 1r11tozuisdonr. Psn111t. 90:12

The Hebrew word for "days" is "mnnah" which means "to weigh out, to allot, to enroll, to
appoint, to count and to set." We have a set time in God.

A s for rnntt, his days nre ns grnss: ns nflower of thefield, so heflo~~rishetk.

Psnlnt 103:15

The Hebrew word for days is "yonte," meaning "from sunrise to sunset". It is a process of
time. What process of time are you living in? I don't want it to be said that "Debra started out
okay but, somehow, in between she went off." Or, "She wasn't able to fulfill and complete the
Tlze School of tile Prophets

Work that God had given her." I don't want it to be named among my brothers and sisters either.

God started a good work with the children of Israel. He led them by His own Hand, as a
cloud by day and a fire by night. However, something happened in the middle. They began to
continually look back and to murmur and complain and wound up missing their day of visita-
tion.

I don't want my children to have to do the work God has set before me to do. God has all
the time in the world -and then some. He is Alpha and Omega; the Beginning and the End.
He is the All. We have a limited amount of time.

In Webster's Dictionary it says, "Time is a limited portion." God has given each and every-
one of us a limited portion of time to work with. How you will work your time is up to you.
God has left that for us to decide. Webster's says, "It's a limited period which events follows.
It's divided into seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years, etc." Also, "Any period in the
history of time of the world; each occasion of a repeated action."

God started out in the opening of this century with Cush and He is going to close this cycle
with Cush. Somehow, some way, Cush missed it. Cush messed up and God raised u p other peo-
ple. Other tongues went forth and fulfilled the work. Now, it's a repeat. The cycle has finished
and it's starting over again. This is 1995, and God, once again, has turned His Face to us. God
is asking a question in this hour; "What are you going to do?"

Prophetic timing is nothing more than God's timing. Are you in God's timing? I want to get
you to begin to think and ask, "Lord, what am I doing? I don't want to miss your move. Lord,
if I have to miss anything else, let me miss that. But I don't want to miss Your day of visitation
to my house. When you're knocking on my door, I want to open it and say, 'Yes, Lord, come on
in because I want everything that You've got for me.' Lord, I may miss the houses and the land.
I may miss the silver and the gold. I may miss wearing the fine clothes, and I might not ever get
to Europe or Africa. But Lord, don't let me miss Your day of visitation because I cannot afford to
miss it." The devil will tell you that you have time. But I'm setting the record straight and let-
ting you know that you don't have the time that you think you have. Why? Because God is
moving by His Spirit.

The race is not given to the swift. You might say, "Lord, I'm strong; I'm a mighty
man/woman." The race is not given to you. The race is given to those who endure to the end.
The way to do that is to continually have an open ear to what God is saying.

So tench ils to izi~inlterour h y s , tlznt zue limy npply our Itenrts lii~tozuisdoiil.
Psnlnz 90:12
When God is teaching you your days, you can apply yourself to be a wise person of God.
You don't have to be foolish. Go before the Father and ask the Great Teacher of teachers to teach
you how and what you are to do. Jesus said, "I must work the work of him that has sent me
while it is day." Why? Because "When night cometh, no man can work." Jesus understood that
principle. There's a night season that's coming into each and every one of our lives. We cannot
afford to miss out on what God wants us to do.
 Proplzetic Tirnirzg

. There are ministries that never were realized. Many people have died and went to their
graves with dreams, aspirations, and ministries locked inside of them because they thought they
had more time. They thought that they could not do it. They didn't go and apply themselves to
the Great Teacher.

God is not in a hurry. Man might try to get in a hurry. Man may want to just do it and get it
over with. "God told me I have to go, so let me just get it over with." When you're moving in
God's timetable, He's not in a hurry.

YOU MUST KNOW YOUR SEASON. AGAIN, TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON AND A TIME.
You must have a listening ear. When people go to pastors and leaders, you have don't just hear
them with your natural ear, but also with your spiritual ears. When they're talking to you, you
must hear what they're saying, what they're not saying and what the Spirit of God is saying.
When people come to you, they're not going to tell you everything and there's always another
side. So, when someone tells you one of the sisters said something about them, but they don't
know why, turn the book over because there's more to the book besides the cover.

Timing is essential to God's purpose. It is vital for every believer to understand God's deal-
ings. If you don't, then you're still a baby and need to be bottle fed with milk. Jesus came and
He finished the work. It is sad that while we're supposed to be mature people of God, many still
have to be bottle fed. God is saying in the '90's, "Come off the bottle. It's time for the meat of
the Word." You cannot live and be continually sustained by drinking milk. How would a grown
man or woman look with a bottle in his or her mouth thinking he or she is going to be nurtured
and have a balanced diet? The people of God must have a balanced diet. They've got to stop
saying, "I don't want the meat because it's going to cause me to have to chew. I'll have to pay a
price. I don't want to pay a price because it hurts too much. It will cause me to have the respon-
sibility of going forth seeking God for myself and asking of Him what He will have me to do."

GROW UP!
It's time for you to begin to come before the throne of grace. "Lord, here am I, what will You
have me to do? I desire to do the purposes of God in the land of the living".

Luke 249 describes what happened when the child Jesus went into the temple. He stated that
He must be about His Father's business. In the Greek that means "prophtnrzo," meaning "to get
an early start". Have you gotten an early start? I often think about the Army and how by 9 am
they have done more than civilians have done all day because they start out very early in the
morning.

You need to start out early in the morning to begin to prepare, plan and know what you're
going to do for the Lord in the natural realm. I'm not talking about a month from now or the
end of this month. We have to begin to plan. Bishop Jordan teaches us, "If you fail to plan then
you plan to fail." The church is comprised of some of the most disorganized people in the world.
Some pastors even state, "Well, I'm going to just let God lead me." No, no! As Bishop Jordan
stated recently, "God prepared the Last Supper thousands of years before it happened." God
prepared the Lamb for us to come and die for our sins thousands of years in advance. Do you
know your timetable with God?
Tlte Scllool o f tlte Pro~ltets

. You can have a right word but the timing can be off. When God is speaking to your heart,
begin to ask Him if it is the right time to speak. Many times I have had the opportunity to speak
a word to a leader or to the congregation, but I check to see if it is God's time. I consult Him to
see if He wants me to pray or fast about it. If our timing is off, we can do more damage than
good. Before a surgeon operates, he preps for it. We cannot do an operation without first prepar-
ing for it. If we do, the word we give will not be held in high esteem because we went about it
the wrong way. Whatever we endeavor to do, whether it's speaking prophetically or going forth
doing God's will, let's make sure that our timing is always on God's agenda and that it is always
right. God say, "Green light. Go." If you hear there's a red light, do not move.

We have to stop doing things haphazardly. Many people do things because they're being
"used of God." Wrong. If it feels good, they'll say, "It's God". We have to begin to be moved
and motivated by the Spirit of God. Stop going around proclaiming, "I'm being used of God."
Are you not aware that God uses the devil to perfect and fulfill His will? Be guided, motivated
and led only by the Voice of God.

The right timing will produce life. Esther is proof of this. When she went before the king, she
used proper timing, and prepared herself. She went before God in fasting and prayer, asking the
Lord for direction. She went to her covering, Mordecai, "How should I do this?" And she
received wise counsel from her mentor, enabling her to go forth and execute the plan of God
properly.

It is vital that we wait on the Lord. Waiting is ministering unto the Lord. People don't like
to wait because it's going to cost them. It may cause you to put your plate aside. It may cause
you to lose some nights of sleep, or cause you to fall upon your knees and cry out to God. You
know, when a child of God goes before the Father and cries out with everything within them,
truly and sincerely, God hears. But you must wait on Him.

We must not become time wasters. We must minister while waiting on the Lord, seeing what
He wants us to do. Not what we want but what He wants us to do. We must not become time
wasters. Many people waste time in their natural day, and God does not want us to be time
wasters because He does not waste time. God does not waste our time so we shouldn't waste
His time. In fact, we should not waste the people of God's time.

We must see timing as an appointment. You have a scheduled event in your life with God.
It is scheduled and orchestrated by God the Father. We cannot afford to miss our appointment
with Him. What has God said to you? What has He spoken into your innermost being? What
has God said to your spirit man; are you supposed to be moving left but you're going right? Are
you supposed to be standing still and seeing God's salvation? Are you busy doing whatever you
want to do?

We cannot afford to have the "Martha" spirit. Martha was doing a good work serving Jesus.
She was in the kitchen cooking, and she got an attitude in the process of her busyness. Don't
allow your busyness to take so much control of you until you lose sight of the better things in
life; and that is sitting at the feet of Jesus, and hearing what He has to say to you. The devil does
not care how busy you get. The thing he cares about is getting you away from God's Presence
so he can speak and rob from you. Don't ever become too busy to hear from God.
 Prophetic Titizing

. Procrastination is satan's tool. When you understand God's timing and prophetic timing, no
one can steal or rob from you. You'll understand when you have to go before the "Pharaohs" of
your day, and God begins to prompt you to declare, "Oh, Pharaoh, hear ye the Word of the Lord.
'Let My people go."'

It's time for you to release the things you've been holding. It is your time to go forth; your
time to speak a Word of deliverance unto the world. When it's your time, nothing and no one
can take it away from you because you know it's your time. God has been prophesying, "Cush,
it's your time." Many are still saying, "Oh, no it's not. You're being racist. That's not God, that's
a radical message; a racist message." If we would open our ears, we'll hear God saying, "It's
time for you to rise up. Stop taking the back seat." We can no longer afford to take the back seat
if we expect to enter the year 2000.

You see, the systems of this world don't have us on the agenda. We are not in their plans.
They're saying, "Forget about them, they cannot obtain." They say we have a learning deficien-
cy and there's no hope. I thank God our hope is not in man but it is in Jesus Christ. Man says
.
"No" but God says "YES'! When men turn their backs, God turns His face towards us and
begins to say, "Rise up, oh man of God, rise up." When man says you're weak, God says you're
strong. When you feel you're insufficient and can't do anything, God begins to encourage you
and lets you know that you can. You're not to see your own strength. You have to see God's
strength. See God moving and motivating, working in and through you to perfect and to do the
greater work. What time is it? It's time to rise and be about your Father's business when you
understand God's timing in the land.

No one can detour you from your purpose. God seeks to reveal Himself through you.
Procrastination causes you to negate His revelation in your life. Procrastination is nothing less
than when you delay. Stop putting things off. I'm putting things forward. When God tells me
to move, I just want to know which way He wants me to move and then ask Him what else He
wants me to do.

Life is so short and so valuable that we must learn to savor every moment of life that we have
because we don't know when God will let us know it's time to come home; when He will say,
"It is fulfilled, it is finished." When I arise in the morning, I ask God what He wants me to do;
which way He wants me to go. I found out if I acknowledge Him in all my ways -not just some
or when I want Him to come into my life; not when I feel it is convenient - when I begin to
acknowledge Him in all of my ways, God directs my path. He'll make a straight path for me to
walk in when the enemy decides to try and make my path crooked and desires to dig a pit. God
will tell him "No" because I have already acknowledged Him and because of that, He straight-
ens the path for me, and I walk right over the pit.

Learn to appropriate and appreciate each moment. This moment of time that we're in is so
unique, we will never see it again. We can capture the moment, but we won't be able to experi-
ence it in its totality because time is continually moving. Time has a movement of its own. If we
can begin to move with God's timing and begin to allow God to orchestrate that time, as time
moves, we can move. As time goes forth, we can flow with that time. We cannot afford to miss
the season. Seize every moment with everything you have on the inside of you.

God only raises up winners. Don't you dare say you're a loser, that you don't mean any-
thing. You mean something because if you did not, God wouldn't allow you to come here. Seize
The School of the Prophets

the moment! Now is the time! Now is the acceptable year! Now is the time that God is calling
us to walk in. Seize and grasp that which God is calling you into.

Time exists in the present, but it speaks into your future. God is prophesying to you as to
what you're going to be doing in the future. If your response is, "I'm just sitting here, not doing
anything," well, my message to you is, you'll be doing the same thing in your futu~e.Time has
a way of propelling you into the future. What time is it?

Time exists in the present, but it can also speak into the past. If you want to understand a
people or a race, just look at their past, then you will be able to understand their future and
where they're going. Prophetic timing can rewrite your history and your purpose.

Learn to prioritize your time. God is a God of order. Many of us go through our days in dis-
order and disarray but God is a God of order and arrangement. I'm married, and I work close
beside my husband. I go out to speak sometimes. I work ROO to 500 assisting my husband in the
church office. I have five children. I do a lot of things. Let me give a word to the wise. Those
of you that have children, you are ministering and have so many things but don't know what to
do; here's a quick solution: make time for God and He'll make time for you.

Once, I was doing so many good things that I was missing my time with the Lord. I cried out,
"Lord, I don't have time." God told me if I make time for Him, He'll make time for everything
else. Hear ye the Word of the Lord. You may have a hundred and one things to do but if you
put God first and have fellowship with Him, then everything else will begin to work out. I
sowed my time with the Lord and God sowed more time to me. I began to ask, "What am I going
to do with all this time?" I'd complete all I had to do and had time left over. I dare you to try
it.

Pastors, you're so busy feeding the people of God, administrating, going forth, doing this,
doing that. Give time first to the Lord and let Him know, "Lord, this is your time, and I don't
care how long it's going to take me to hear from you this morning." Prioritize that, and you'll
see your day will work smoothly. Prioritizing will bring greater discernment in your life. The
devil will not be able to bring distractions in your life.

Proper timing can bring peace to every storm. That's God's timing. If you understand tim-
ing, you can slay your giant. David knew it was his time. He was a young man and Saul nor
the other kings could not slay Goliath. It wasn't their time. They looked the part, but it wasn't
their time. Little David went to give his brother some food, looked at the giant and said, "This
heathen? Let me go out." When it's your time, don't try to be like "Prophet So and So" or "Sister
So and So." Be yourself, because God has already uniquely patterned you. When it's God's tim-
ing, there can be as many as fifty giants but you will be able to go forth and slay every one of
them. God will give you the victory. He will show you how to do it. How I slay my giant might
be different from the way you slay yours. I may just raise my hand and say, "Satan, in the Name
of Jesus, the Lord rebuke you." You might have to do a little dance with yours. Whatever it
takes, do it!

Improper timing can defer your destiny. Many of us have missed our purpose because we
did not rightfully discern the timing of God. Sometimes a person has a good word in his mouth
but something is not quite right. You can't put your hand on exactly what it is. But when you
begin to delve into the Spirit, you'll pick it up. I want you to know, every disobedient act that
. you perform takes you further and further back from the plan and purpose of God. Every obe-
dient act brings you closer and closer to fulfilling God's plan. You have a choice. The scales are
being weighed. Will you be obedient or disobedient? Whichever way you move, it will cost you.

Prophetic timing will release provision into your life. Elijah knew his time. H e stood up and
said it wasn't going to rain for three and a half years according to his word. He didn't say "Thus
saith the Lord." Those of you who have been called into the prophetic, you will find that some-
times you will not always say, "Thus saith the Lord." Or, "The Lord will say unto you this day."
As you begin to progress and go forth in the things of the Lord, you'll say, "I see this and I see
that and God is going to do this for you."

Elijah spoke judgment and it came to pass. It cost him because he had to run for his life but
God sustained him by the ravens at the brook. After the brook dried up, he could have gotten
an attitude and said, "Let me go back and apologize." He chose not to. God spoke and told him
about the widow woman that would sustain him. The widow woman didn't even know she was
ordered by God to sustain the prophet! Many times the prophet will come into your life and
begin to tell you things. If you have a listening ear, you will reap the benefits.

Prophetic timing will bring greater understanding to your life. Time is a commodity. You
can spend, waste, or invest it. It is very vital, very precious, and we must savor and take each
moment as it comes to us.

Don't let things and people cause you to miss your day of visitation. Don't let your children,
your husband, nothing; not even an angel from heaven allow you to miss your day of visitation.
Don't let the devil or even yourself cause you to miss your day of visitation.

The way you utilize your season of visitation will determine how you will deal with future
events. Your past is a prophecy of your present and future.

Prophetic timing will give you prophetic insight. The Spirit world is timeless. When you
begin to enter into the Spirit realm, time ceases. If you've ever had a visitation from God, walked
with Him or just spent time with God, it's like hours. It might not have been more than ten min-
utes but it's like hours have passed. It's so easy to step into that other realm just by spending
quality time with the Father. You get caught up into another realm with the Father.

Sometimes we are able to see the past, present and future happenings all at the same time
within the realm of the Spirit. The only way you're going to see that is when you begin to take
that step of faith and launch out into the deep and that is the Spirit realm. You want to know
where God is taking you? You want to understand why you do the things that you do? Then
you need to go into the Spirit realm with God the Father and allow Him to show you yourself.
God will show you what happened to your ancestors, your mother, and He will even show you
what happened to you while you were in your mother's womb; some words that were spoken.
God will take you back, but you have to apply yourself. You've got to want it.

Many are asking questions as to why they are in a state of stagnation. "Lord, why isn't any-
thing happening? Why is everything I put my hands to not working? I don't know which way
to go or what to do?" I dare you to go before God and begin to ask Him some things. He will
show you yourself and you'll have to go back into those events and rewrite them with the help
Tlle Sclzool of the Prophets

sf the Holy Ghost.

Let go and let God. Let go of your previous thinking. Let go of your traditional thinking,
what you thought God said to you, and what you thought the preacher was saying. Let go and
let God. You have to get fresh manna. Is there a Word from the Lord? Yes, there is fresh manna.
All we have to do is reach up and grab it because it's ours for the asking. God said there's no
good thing which He will withhold from us if we ask of Him. Ask of Him, and He will give you
whatever you need. Seek and ye shall find. Know that God is moving, and He's moving by His
Spirit. Let it not be named that we missed our visitation. Wake up, Church, and hear ye the
Word of the Lord! Wake up out of your slumber and know that God is speaking! Wake up and
stop seeing men as trees and begin to see men as men! Wake up and see and understand that
God is on the move!

What time is it? It's time for us to get out of our pews and get on the move!
.Prophet Devon Thompson
SECTION Ill

Prophet Devon Thompson is a unique member of the Body of Christ.

Oftentimes, he is referred to as being very deep because of the Word of
the Lord in his mouth.

Prophet Thompson credits hi mentor, Bishop E. Bernard Jordan,

with his growth in ministry, realizing that September of 1983 was critical
to God's eternal purpose for him. For it was at that time Zoe Ministries
planted stakes in New York City at the Dora1 Inn on Lexington Avenue.

Here at Zoe Ministries is where he acquired a greater level of charac-

ter development and he continues to effectually carry the Word of the
Lord to his generation.

Throughout his eleven years of service, he has served faithfully and

to the best of his ability as his mentor assigned: Book and Tape ministry
(production, distribution and sales), Parables Book Store Manager, Radio
Outreach Co-Host, Pastoral Care Senior Care Group Leader, an Instructor
at Zoe Ministries Bible School and in the School of the Prophets.

Prophet Devon Thompson also earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in

Biblical Education from Friends International University.

The reward of Prophet Thompson's faithfulness has resulted in guest

appearances on the Power of Prophecy Telecast, international appear-
ances with hi mentor in Trinidad and Africa; Captain of the Prophetic
Company here at Zoe Ministries and the Youth Department
Administrator.

Prophet Devon Thompson is married to Prophetess Faye Thompson.

The Scllool of tlie Prophets
 AND IT TO PASS: THE
ME ORPHOSIS OF PROPHECY
Prophet Devolt Tltolttpso~t

Genesis 4:3

In the prophetic tense, there are ways to unlock the mysticism of truth as we go from veiled
to unveiled, making it understandable for the believer.

We find that the King James Version states "And in the process of time..." But in the NIV and
Amplified versions of the Bible, the same verse is rendered "Within the course of time..." The
NAS reads "So it came about ..."and the TEV of the Bible tells us "After some time..."

Please note what the Scripture is saying; there is a time factor involved in the revelation of
the prophetic word. "In the process of time..." and "In the course of time" and "After some
time": so shall it come to pass. As you mix faith with your prophecy, there is a process allowed
by God to bring you into your experience. His word becomes the experience of your flesh as it
comes to pass, tabernacling with you. Above all, you enter into His rest. The prophetic word
grows from a seed to the fruit of His representation. You are transformed from witlessness to
become a witness.

In the Scriptures, especially when you look at the Old Testament prophets, as in 2 Kings 25:1,
these words are often employed: "And it came to pass..." This group of words suggests that
something came, happened, and occurred. It suggests something in the past tense; not moving
into the future.

In prophecy, the expression "and it came to pass" relates to the fulfillment of the prophetic
word. What was prophesied happened as was spoken by the prophet. It was fulfilled to the let-
ter.

In the prophetic discipline, oftentimes, when we receive the word, we do not know how that
word will come to pass. Many of us are ensnared by the fact that we're hying to depict how it
should happen, when it should happen and the combination thereof. Sometimes we get in the
mindset where we want to set the combination. Yet it is impossible to determine just how God
will fulfill that which was spoken to us. He has the choice of doing it any way He wants. It is
comparable to mathematics: you can use different formulas to arrive at the same result. For
example: four plus one, three plus two, five times one and ten divided by two all equal five. The
methodology used to arrive at the answer differs, but the bottom line is the same.
Tlie Sclzool of tlie Prophets

Arithmetically, the properties and relationship can be seen in the following equations: four
plus one, seven minus two, five times one and ten divided by two- all equal five. In complex
properties -example algebra - the distance from negative five and a positive five is equal to ten.
When you're moving from a negative state to a positive state it may seem to take a long time
However, know that you're moving from one state to the next over a period of time. Please note
the principle suggests that there are combination factors critical to the fulfillment of the prophet-
ic word. Thus, we must seek to see as He sees, hear as He hears, etc., while standing in faith till
the end. To go from a negative expression of the God-kind of life unto the real, you will have to
go twice the distance, being committed to the Lord until the set time.

In most animals, the young are very like the parents and become adults by a series of grad-
ual changes. In some, however, the young animals are completely unlike the adults and only
develop into them after they have undergone changes causing considerable alteration in struc-
ture and habits. Such development from the young to adult stages is called "metamorphosis".

The term "metamorphosis" suggests "transformation; to change in form or nature". When

the Word of the Lord comes to an individual, transformation must take place before they will
attain its fulfillment. The person who receives the prophecy is not the same person who fulfills
it. Look at a chicken. From an egg until it's hatched the chicken experiences development and
growth stages at 4 days, 8 days, 11 days and 21 days just prior to hatching. So it picks its way
into the new prophetic environment of the earth's atmosphere. After a process of time, it is fed
and nourished unto it's full stature, and becomes a potential meal for a table.

Metamorphosis occurs in the simplest things; a chicken from the store must go through a
process to become a meal on your table. Depending on the flavor you desire, you will add cer-
tain ingredients to season the chicken to suit your personal taste. In some cases, so is God with
us. He takes us through a process, a mode of preparation, to deliver us as a meal for the nation.
Look at Joseph, who became an answer to his brethren in famine! In fulfilling the prophetic
word, we will become as God in purpose.

Change is inevitable in the prophetic. There are times when God has to change certain things
in your nature, and mold your characteristics to bring you to the point of receiving His blessing.
There are certain things that have to be broken down before they can be built up - a metamor-
phosis is needed. The prefix "meta" denotes "after or between, among, to change in position."
God has to bring a repositioning to bring you to His desired end. God has to alter your form and
give you redefinition. You are transposed and transformed through the moving of His Hand.
Metamorphosis begins with a seed: the prophetic word. When a seed is planted, you cannot see
its potential with the natural eye. You have to take a look at it from something beyond your nat-
ural scope to perceive its full capacity to produce. When the prophetic word comes into your life,
you can't see it because it's a seed planted in your life to come forth at a specific time. After the
seed is planted, because of the replication factor, seemingly no one can identify your gender nor
your purpose. In natural life, when seed is planted in the woman and conception takes place,
there is a replication factor where the cell begins to multiply rapidly as it moves towards a defi-
nition.
 Aild i t Caine t o Pass: Wze Metainorplzosis of Proplzecy

. Sometimes God will allow your life to go through many changes, but it takes a person with
the eye of the Spirit to perceive what God is doing. Though your life is a mystery to a lot of folks,
yet in the eyes of God, He knows who you're going to become.

When the prophet speaks, there is a declaration of the end and the beginning. It seems when
the prophetic word comes, it announces the death of one thing and the new season of another.
It often brings confusion right behind the declaration. A person may get a word that God is
going to work in their family and how God is going to do so many good things. Suddenly one
day they begin to wonder if God really did speak because it looks as though things have gotten
worse!

Some transformation calls for combustion. When you deal with certain chemicals, some type
of burning occurs as they are formulated to produce another composition. When they speak, the
prophets are burning up certain things in our lives. They put a match to the area that needs to
be removed from us. The irritation of going through the fire is something no one wants to expe-
rience, but it is necessary. Controlled brush fires are necessary to maintain forestry.

We cannot get sidetracked by the things we feel during the metamorphosis process. Life is
not yet fully formed, thus, you're unaware of where you're going. Your hand is not involved in
your destiny at that point but the Hand of God is directing the action. Let Him mold you and
form you into His image.

The mystery of "becoming" the prophetic word is silent, clandestine and obscured from your
eyes. God is not going to let you "in" on what He is doing.

The four seasons of the metamorphosis process are: (a) fall, (b) winter, (c) spring, and (d)
summer. The prophetic word is given in the fall. Things start to be removed from your life;
they'll start falling off. You're unclothed of your identity In the winter season of a prophetic
metamorphosis, all one sees is a skeleton. Only the structure is visible, similar to the way a tree
looks during the winter months, bereft of its foliage that makes the tree easily identified. No one
can see the growth that is occurring with the naked eye. Actually, it looks barren, forsaken.
During spring time, a sprout shoots forth, giving a sense of new life. Finally, summer arrives.
You'll find there is a fruitfulness beginning to come forth. Your prophetic word comes to fulfill-
ment. Then you'Il be reaped in another fall to begin the seasonal passage of another word.

Every prophecy must go through seasons. But, the length of the season will vary from word
to word. That is why it is important not to compare the process. If you do, you will become dis-
couraged that some words happened immediately while others took months, and even years to
be fulfilled.

There is a genetic change produced by the Word of the Lord. It changes traits and creates a
pattern in your life.

Transformation is the process of going from the Word of the Lord to the manifest life of the
Lord. God wants glory from your life. The metamorphosis process will bring that glory out. In
reading about Abraham, you learn he received the Word of the Lord, but the course of his life
Tlze School of the Prophets

took him so far into the unfamiliar that the only thing he knew was to be faithful to God.
Sometimes in life, you may go through so many changes and so many obstacle courses, that all
you can say is, "Look, I don't know anything about what's going on right now. All I know is God
spoke. I'm just going to be faithful in all things."

The metamorphosis of your life might take you on a course like David's. You're in your
father's field watching the sheep without even a dream for a kingdom. You just know you've
mastered the art to do what has been placed in your hands. Through the mastering, in the full-
ness of time, God will call someone to begin to thrust you forth into your purpose. David's
metamorphosis included his learning how to deal with a lion and a bear in the field in order for
him to come into prophetic rulership. It involved him dealing with sheep, for he was destined
to become a shepherd to Israel.

... Conze, n~rdlet its go to tlte seer: for he that is ttozu called n Pi,opltet zuns beforetillre called n Seer.)
1 Snfilzrel 9:9

You may have received the Word of the Lord about being called to the prophetic ministry
and now you're seeing things but don't have an ability to speak. You haven't yet received the
opportunity to become a declarative personality to declare the mind of God. That process of
transformation is called mentorship. Samuel was a seer, and he learned how to rely on Eli, his
mentor.

And be trot conforitzed to tlzis zuorld: bzrt be ye frnnsforfiled by the reizezuiizg of your irziizd, thnt ye limy
prove zulrnt is thnt good, atzd ncceptnble, nizd perfect, zuill of God. R o n ~ .12:2

For the prophetic metamorphosis to occur in your life, you have to be willing to let go of the
"known" to embrace the "unknown." You must let go of the old in order to receive the new. Fear
of the unknown will short-circuit the process. It will cause you to go through a much longer sea-
son than that which was ordained. God wants you to be on time in movement, but there must
be a transformation. You cannot conform to the world or the known accepted system when He
is telling you to choose the new epoch. There has to be some mind change. When the mind
changes, there is also a change of heart. If there's a change in heart, it will also be seen in your
deeds. There are some things you'll have to do to "prove what is that good, and acceptable, and
perfect, will of God."

Wherefore? becnlrse I love yolr not? God kizozuetlt. Bzrt zul~ntI do, thnt I zuill do, tltnt I limy clrt off
occnsio~rJrorizthen1 zuhich desire occnsioll; thnt zulzereiiz they glory, tthq rimy be folllld even ns zue. For
strclz nre fnlse apostles, deceitfill workers, trflfzsfori~li~tg
theif~seluesifzto the npostles of Christ. Aizd no
fiznwel;for Sntnfz l~iiizselfistmnsfornted into nlz nzzgel of light. Tl~ereforeit is rto grent thing ifhis illin-
isters nlso be trnnsforined ns the ministers of riglzteotrs~zess;zulzose end shnll be nccurdiilg to their
zuorks.
2 Corinthintls 11:ll-16

Metamorphosis leads you to the place of incubation. If you don't move from your incuba-
tive environment, it will come through the natural channels. God wants you fully mature and
fully formed so that you do not come out deformed from that which God has declared.
 A n d it Carne to Pass: The MefnmorpJiosis o f PropJiecl/

. Whatever you're transformed into will be your focus. Whatever the mind can conceive, the
mind will achieve. The mind matters. Your mind is the foundation of your manifested life. We
usually think of the mind in the skull. However, when the Scripture deals with the mind, it's
talking about the Spirit. God lights the candle of the spirit of man, which can also be interpret-
ed as the mind. So, it can light you up and bring you into the understanding as to who He is. If
we shut off all the lights in a room, we will have no perception as to where anything is. But when
the light comes, it gives you the ability to perceive images and to identify that which is in the
environment.

Your life revealed is your life concealed. It was first concealed before you were revealed.
Transformation is first invisible, then becomes visible. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Your mind must first perceive the image in order to focus. The complete adorning of the
mind is essential for the flow of His life. That's why the Scripture speaks about being trans-
formed by the renewing of your mind.

And hnue ylrt on tlte Jtezu J ~ ~ Jzultich

I , is re~teiuedin k~toiuledgenfter the ii~ingeof hill1 thnt crented lti~n:
Wlzere there is iteitlter Greek ?torJezu, circ~l~ircisio~t
nor lr~zcirc~l~~lcisio~t,
Bnrbnrinn, Scytltinn, boltd 1101.
free: but Christ is nll, nfzd it? nll. Put on therefore, ns tlte elect of God, holy nlld beloved, bozuels of nter-
cies, ki~tdlzess,hlllllb~ellessof ntiltd, ~~teeklless,loltgsztfferi~tg;Forbenring one nnotlter, nlld forgiuing
one nnother, f n i t y i ~ t n hnue
~ t n qzmrrel ngninst nny: eveit ns Christ forgnue yell, so nlso do ye.
Colussin~ts3:lO-16

You'll find that even in the process of your going from the word prophesied to the word man-
ifested, there are some character qualities that you have to maintain. You can't let folks frustrate
your emotions when they say something to you which could cause you to lose your brotherly
love. But you have to remember you're not yet formed and realize that you're still on the
Master's table; still on the Potter's wheel. He's working in you that vessel He wants; that vessel
of honor. You know that you can't be moved. If you slap a dead man, he can't slap you back.
Just as you, in the natural, don't want to have anything to do with the dead, there are certain
folks who don't want to do anything with you but don't let that be a problem to you.

Transformation comes as a result of isolation. When one is going through the process of
being made by God, it is a lonely road. Some prophets try to push themselves into position to be
respected, honored and exalted before their season. Thus, they set themselves up to be prosti-
tuted. And because the gift and call of God is without repentance, they figure they can flow in
their gift. They do, but without the anointing and perception of Christ, the Anointed One, being
revealed.

Environment is critical to transformation. Every species has an environment in order for

reproduction to occur properly. The base things of nature teaches us that!! If we're going to come
forth in the things of God, we need to be in a specific environment so that Christ can be fully
formed in us according to His purpose. If you place yourself, you become unf?uitfuI to that envi-
ronment. Some folks are in the wrong environment trying to be formed, and they're crying out
in frustration. If they will only obey the Voice of the Lord, go back to where they missed the
mark and get in the right environment, something supernatural will happen and their frustra-
The School of the Proyhets

tion will be over!

As you develop the servant's heart in every environment that you go in, God opens the eyes
of His leaders to perceive your position for that season. When I got saved in 1977, in Jamaica, I
stayed in one church for years. When God directs me to the church I'm to be in, I'm not inter-
ested in running around. When God moved me to New York, He assigned me to a place, and I
stayed there. When He told me to move, I moved. I didn't tell them what I did, I sat and eleva-
tion came. When God said move again and I got to Zoe Ministries, I didn't tell Bishop Jordan,
"I feel like I have the call of God on my life." I sat and he bore witness to what was in me and
encouraged me in the way of the Lord.

Transformation is the Hand of God in action, not the strength of man manifested.
Transformation activates the potential of the prophetic word. We are quickened by the Word of
God.

M y soirl clenvefl~llllto the dtrst: qzricken tholr lite nccorditzg to thy roord
Psnlilts 119:25

The prophetic word has quickening power in it. Its nature is to make you come alive into
what God has said, but there is a process of time that must pass before its fulfillment.

For the ~uordof God is quick, n l ~ dpozue$rl, nlzd shnrper thntl nny tzuo edged sword, pierchtg even to
the dividing nstllzder of sotrl nlzd spirit, n l ~ dof the joints and t~mrrozu,ntrd is n discerner oftlte fhotlghts
nttd intents of the henrt.
Hebrews 4:12

The Word of God that comes to you will pierce you. Sometimes you'll feel like you're being
ripped apart. But God isn't ripping you apart to kill you, but just to make you.

Impurities of the heart will surface during transformation. When blood goes through trans-
fusion, the impurities that are there will surface to a certain level. I want you to know that God
will take you through a blood transfusion just to get you into good health to perpetuate His life.

He who releases waste daily facilitates his renewed life. You know, if you're physically con-
stipated you will die after a while. God has given you a law of elimination in order for you to
get rid of waste. When God is bringing you through transformation, there are some dead ele-
ments God will get from around you, for it is part of the process. As a tree in the wintertime, the
leaves fall off after they die. Some folks put them in a bag and throw them away as trash.
Without the dying process, there would never be new green leaves on that tree. There are some
things that God has to allow to pass out of your life.

Delay doesn't mean denial. Sometimes our winter runs over into the spring season. It may
be April, but it may feel like Februaly. And inevitably, summer comes. It's very warm, and we
all enjoy it. Spiritually, when the seasons of time come into your life and they're working in a
certain fashion, you just need to bask and rest in the Lord. God has everything under control
as long as you remain faithful to the way which He has ordained. Remain faithful, because if
 And i t Carne to Pnss: Tlze Metnritorultosis o f Proalzecv

.
you switch tracks, when God brings the answer for your life at the appointed place, you'll be
found out of place. Thus, you will not inherit the blessing.

Cultivate your earthen vessel by sowing seeds. Sowing your time is a seed. Sowing money;
sometimes you can sow money to the point where you wonder if you're crazy. But God brings
you to the point of pouring out. When you think you can save, God starts to make a demand on
your money, or time. You'll start arguing with God about how you're trying to save to do cer-
tain things but He brings you to the point of pouring out because He's getting ready to do a sig-
nificant pouring in.

The prophetic word will bring great conquests in your life. There will be battles and spiri-
tual warfare you will go through because of the prophetic word. You have to deal with the ele-
ments; you have to deal with the sun, the rain, the wind and the hurricane. But if you don't
uproot yourself and move, you will come through. You'll bend, and you'll rock. It might even
seem like you're going to the ground, but someone will know how to put you back in position
so you can stand straight.

God has a way of hiding you so you can come through your changes until the time of the
manifestation scheduled for your life when He exposes you to all the other elements.

Put your trust in the Lord and not in the arms of flesh. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart
and lean not unto thine own understanding." When things are in your way, just acknowledge
that He is God or whatever you need Him to be in your life for that moment. When you do that,
God opens your eyes to see Him and His Hand moving on your behalf. He is the I AM THAT I
AM. During times when you can't see His Hand, there will be a peace that passes all under-
standing that shall rule in your heart and mind. It will give you the comfort to know that God
has not left you alone, but He's right on the inside of you. Prophetic consciousness helps us to
understand that we are made in the image and likeness of God and He is not going away and
leaving us. We are not separated from Him, but He's walking with us through the process. In
the fullness of time, His glory shall be revealed.

Sometimes, when you're going through the process, you might not even have a word of
prayer that you can pray in your own language. Sometimes all you can say is, "Mercy....J esus,
have mercy!" There are no words to explain why you're going through what you're going
through. But take courage in God. Know that you have Someone that you can rely on. When
times become challenging, recognize God has not left you alone.
Tlze Scl~oolof the Prophets
 THE GUAGE OF PROPHECY
Prophet Devoiz 77zoipsotz

The llenveizs declnre the glory of God; nitd tlte firiiznnteizt shoiueth his handiwork. Dny unto day
zlttereth syeeclt, nitd itigltt zmitto izigl~tshoiueth knoiuledge. There is no speech, itor Inngzmnge where
tlteir voice is izot ltenrd.
Psnliits 19:l-3

Every discipline has a language. Every discipline can be considered a subculture and every
culture has its own communicative mechanism. When you look at it, in life, language is a bridge
or a barrier to cornrnunication. Differences are profound, even among language groups that are
similar. If you take a plane and travel south of North America, you enter into South America.
Every Hispanic country speaks some form of Spanish, but they all have different dialects. These
dialects are what distinguish one group from another.

When prophets are communicating the Word of God, their speech will be toned based on
their cultural element or environment. Thus, the message must be received in the cultural con-
text in which it is uttered. If you compare a British dictionary with an American dictionary, some
words may differ in meaning. This is also applicable to the language of prophecy.

The Language of Prophecy is not limited, but may be expressed in various ways. God will
use different times for prophetic expression. When the church fails to become prophetic, He'll
use the world around us to become prophetic.

When it comes to prophetic terminology, God wants you to lock into discerning His Hand
and ways as He ministers to your life so that you can come up with the interpretation. In the
past, we have tried to go to Tom, Dick and Harry and tried to get them to interpret for us. We
fail to realize that there are times that even when a prophet is ministering to us, that the prophet
may be in the dark - unaware of what God is saying. But between you and God, you know
what He is actually saying.

God doesn't always say what we want Him to say, especially when you go shopping for a
word. When folks do not want to embrace the Word of God, they'll always walk around trying
to find a confirmation. They already know what God is touching in their life; even if the prophet
used terms that might not be the proper word but they understand the context of the Word of
the Lord that came for them. When you walk around shopping for a "grocery bag" word that is
filled with your heart's desires, and you don't get it, you'll always reject the true Word. You'll
try to push it off, and attempt to find some terminology that will fit your own mind so you can
Tlte School of the Prophets

.
sooth yourself in your rebellion.

Warning: Don't shop around for a word, ever! God might put a lying spirit in the prophet's
ear, just so you can hear exactly what you want to hear. And it will put you further off course
than you were before you saw the prophet.

God speaks to you in your heart; but do you listen? Sometimes an individual will get dreams
and the first thing they'll do, instead of entering into prayer and worship before God, is pick up
the phone and try to call everybody to gain their interpretations. Before you know it, they're
walking in unbelief and acting like God is schizophrenic. I want you to know that the Lord
whom we serve is a Deliverer. He's the Lord that will open the eyes. He's the Lord of the open
eye. He's the Lord of the foundation of prophecy.

In the Scripture, when God speaks to a man by a dream, somehow the interpretation comes.
What your posture is will determine how you perceive what God is working out in your life.

Basically, there are three methods by which the prophets deliver their messages: (A) orally;
(B) in the scope of the written Word - the Scriptures; and, (C) through dramatization.

The Bible is filled with examples of oral deliverance. In Genesis 1:l we see God with the
prophetic Word in His mouth. And in Jeremiah 26:l-2 the Lord directs the prophet to speak -
oral delivery - as God's mouthpiece.

111 the begilt~~ing

God created tlte lzeni~enntzd the enrflt. And the enrth ivns zuithozlt forln, nlzd void;
ntld dnrkness ivns z ~ p o the
; ~ fnce of the deep. And the Spirit of God ~tzovedzip011 tltefnce of tlte iunters.
And God said, Let there be light: ... Genesis 1:I-3

111 the beginning of tlze reign of Jehoinki~nthe sort of Josinh king of Jzirlnk cnllze this iuordfrvllt tlze
LORD, snying, Tl~zlssnith flle LORD; Stnfzd ill tlze coz~rtof the LORD'S hoztse, nltd speak I L I I ~ O(211
the cities of Jlidnlz, iolzich covte to iuorship ill the LORD'S hozrse, nll tlze zuords tltnt I conrl~tnlzdthee
to speak 111zto tltenz: dil~zitzish?totn zuord. Jerelninlz 26:I-2

If you flip through all the prophets, you'll find, from an oral perspective, that their languages
differ. It has to do with the generation that they represented. They had to be able to speak the
current "lingo" in order to be understood and heard.

Every generation needs to understand the Word of God. There are those who state they use
no other Bible but the King James Bible. That may be fine for them, but others may need a ver-
sion that utilizes modern terminology that is understandable today. So, you find that those who
use other translations are also speaking from a generational position. They might not have
known the "thees" and the "thous". As a matter of fact, they didn't speak like that but the per-
son who put together the King James Version spoke like that. Therefore, they wrote it in the
English standard for the hour in which they were doing interpretation.

But this is tlznt zuhich zuns spoken by tlte propltet Joel. And it sllnll conte to pnss irz tile Inst days,
snith God, I iuill pozlr olrt nty Spirit 11po11 nllflesh: nlld yozir sons ntzd your n'nngltters sltnll proplzesy,
 The Lalzgrrage of Prophecy

and yo~iryot(11g111e11 shall see visiolis, nlid yotrr old ]lien shall drea~lidrenllts: And 011 ?ftyserva~?tsa11d
011 nty hn~idllinide~rs I will pour out in tliose clnys of 111ySpirit; slid t l t a ~shall prophesy: And I zoill
sltoro zoonders i ~ zhenuell nbove, nlid signs in the enrth be~ientli;blood, nnlldfire, nlld vaporrr of snioke:
Tlfesurr sltnll be turned into dnrktiess, nfld tlre fnzoon illto blood, before tl~ntgrent ntrd nofnble day of
the Lord co~lie:And it sllnll conre to pass, tltnt zohosoever sltnll cnll oiz tlte lznllle of the Lord shall be
saved.
Acts 2:16-21.

In reading these verses, you'll notice that Joel began to explain a riddle because this was
another generation, another time period, and he was taking something that was spoken by the
prophets that seemed to be a dark saying at that time. He began to pick up the Word and bring
it into the now to bring clarification to a new generation. His purpose: to help them to under-
stand how the prophecy was coming into manifestation that the Name of the Lord be glorified.

A present day oral demonstration is Bishop E. Bernard Jordan's prophecy to the Prime
Minister of Trinidad and Tobago before the coup. A second example is his visit to the U.N. where
he addressed the situation with the Sharpeville Six. The Word of the Lord was spoken in such a
way that those who knew the Lord understood what God was saying. Those that were in the
world was trying to figure it out; "Who is he?" When they looked at the Word and they com-
pared it with what they knew about the present situation concerning those individuals, in their
minds they had decided nothing was going to happen. The Word never basically said, "And
they shall be free." But it talked about "the Hand of God will move on their behalf."

Oftentimes, the prophet talks about the Hand of God. You need to study Scriptures con-
cerning the Hand of God. Take a look at the Finger of God. When it talks about the Finger of
God, it talks about God moving by His Spirit.

When you start to realize that you're truly made in His image and likeness, you'll see God
differently. The fact that you have a face, two eyes, a nose, mouth, feet, hands and fingers,
reflects that God is in the same image. Most people, when they think of God, are looking for
smoke, but God didn't say, "Let us make man in smoke form". He said, "Let us make man in
our own image and after our own likeness."

God also has feet. There's a footstep of God. You must learn how to hear His footsteps. In
the Book of Genesis, it talks about Adam knowing God was coming because he could hear God
coming. Moses knew God face to face. God has a face. There is something about meeting God
face to face. It causes you to check the way you are.

In Acts 2 we saw the written word of prophecy from the Old Testament being fulfilled. And
in Joel 2, it talks about how the outpouring of the Holy Spirit will come and sons and daughters
shall prophesy and young men shall see visions and the old men shall dream dreams. However,
in Acts 2, it started to manifest. Did it manifest before then? Yes. It happened in the Old
Testament but in another era, God takes up the same Word of the prophet and throws it forth
into manifestation.

In Mark 9:ll-13, there is an example of the written word being fulfilled in the New
The School o f the Propllets

Testament.
And they asked ltiiiz, saying, W h y say the scribes thnt Elins ~izl~stfirst coi~~e?And he nlrszuered nitd
told thenl, Elins verily conlethfirst, and restoretll nll thiizgs; n~zdhozu it is writte~zof the Son ofinniz,
thnt he must sliffer iiznny things, nnd be set nt izollght. But I sny 11ittoyou, Tlrnt Elins is iizdeed collie,
nnd they have done lint0 hinz whntsoever they listed, as it is writtell of hinz.

In the language of prophecy, there is always a declaration and the fulfillment. Oftentimes,
when you look at declarations, because the time is not yet, there are those that will look at it with
blindness.

In Written Judgments, Vol. 2, page 82, written by Bishop E. Bernard Jordan, the following
prophecy was given:

"Tlze nngel oftlze Lord begnn to poiilt illy eyes towards the Bnhnnlns nlzd the voice of tlze Lord colztiii-
tied to spenk, 'Look nt the Bnhniims! Behold n lnizd thnt nppenrs plensnizt llpolz its stufince, yet zuitlrilz
its structure there is grent eco~lonzicteizsiofz seetlziizg ns i~lolteirlnvn nzunitilzg its tiiize to explode into
view.' A s I stood gnzi~zg,there zuns an enrly clniizor thnt begnlz nbove lily hend, nizd I snzu a strnirge
crenttlre hovering i n the shj. A n engle sonred infronz the izorth of tlze crentlire, nild begait to screech
n song of urgency, 'Tlze tifile is izozu! Tlze tinre is izow, the tinze is izozu!' I spoke zlirto the engle nird
asked, 'Oh engle, oh engle! what tiiile is it?' The engle refused to nizszuer, nizdfIezu nzuny in disgust.
The crenttlre begniz to scrennl out, 'Clznizge! Chnizge! Clznizge! Prepnrefor chnizges iiz c~lrreizts011 eve17
level, for tlze Lord God Alii~iglztyhns spokeiz it."'

That was the Word of the Lord. It did not provide the process by which change would come;
it just gave the word. There is a law of manifestation and the law of becoming. Oftentimes,
when God declares the Word, He declares His Word and doesn't tell you the sequence of events
that will result in the manifestation of the Word. And there are times, as individuals, we will try
to become involved in the processes wherein we become the orchestrator of the process. In the
process of doing that, oftentimes, we will fall on our faces because the specifics that would have
given you the way is absent from the language.

As you begin to become pliable in God's Hand, He takes you through a path on an hour by
hour basis. These are not hours as we know it as 60 minutes, but in t e r m of time because there's
a season of time and there is the fullness of time. God takes you through processes; the multi-
plication factor, and the breaking down factor.

The Word of the Lord to the Bahamas came to pass when the party that ran against the rul-
ing party, ran under the slogan for "change" because they had gotten the book, read it and real-
ized what time it was. It became a song in the people's ear, and the people voted them into office.

In the language of prophecy and its terminology, you have to be watchful for interpretation
and application. The way you interpret and apply prophecy can determine whether you'll fit in
the right season to be manifested. Oftentimes, that Word which was spoken in our lives, that
was seemingly delayed for a season of time, has nothing to do with the prophet missing it at all.

It has to do with how we responded to the Word of the Lord. Read Jonah. He didn't have
. to go through all of that whirlwind on the sea, nor did he have to go through a big fish's belly.
His attitude caused him to end up in those places. Your attitude determines your altitude.

You need to read Written Judgments, Volume 1and Volume 2. When the Word of the Lord
was spoken about Desert Storm, it was vague to all of us. But when you read and begin to under-
stand, you will see the format of how it unfolds. Even in the part where it talks about "the eagle,
the bear and the sickle will come together to bring liberation." At the time it was given, it didn't
mean anything to a lot of people. But in that same crisis it came a point wherein those three
countries had to come together to keep a certain country free.

Looking in the Old Testament, you'll find there are all kinds of prophetic dramatizations.
One prophet had to marry a prostitute; a whore. He had to marry her to make a statement. It
was a dramatic statement he was making to Israel. He was saying to the people of God, "You've
gone whoring after other gods. You need to come back home." We can become so religious that
God can't even use our lives to make a statement to save a community; even just to save one fam-
ily member. We're so "righteous", God can't use us. Yet, we want to be prophets.

I heard a story about a man whom God just called to run through the street naked. And all
God wanted to do was to get one person's attention. So, He used a naked man to prophesy to a
clothed man and got him saved. God will do the thing that boggles your mind.

Paul was in a place where a man came home and said, "Who owns this coat?" and started to
prophesy the Word of the Lord. There's something about dramatization. Even in dramatization,
God is aware of our culture. And in dramatization, even though a person may not be too famil-
iar with our cultural protocols, seemingly they are able to do the dramatization within the pro-
tocols so you are not blinded by the message of God.

We need to come to the place where we become flexible in God's Hand because the Holy
Spirit is learned by God concerning the cultures of the world. There are certain things God will
do that will bring glory unto His Name.

We had a prophetic conference back in the '80's at the Dora1 inn even before our Chief
Prelate, Bishop Roy E. Brown had even thought about the Pilgrim Assemblies. There was a rad-
ical prophet on the platform with the Bishops and pastors. He had a Word and calied for the
washing of their feet. They had taken off their shoes, and he called for a candle to be lit. The
lights were out and as he stood there with the lit candle, all you could see was their faces. He
took the shoe and tossed it against the wall, prophesying the Word of the Lord about the pass-
ing of the torch from Bishop McKinley and Bishop Brown to the younger men and that as the
torch was passed, their ministries were going to blossom and become fruitful in the city.

Now, God never gave us the process through which this dramatization would be accom-
plished. However, in that season of time, we watched how the Word of the Lord came and then
Bishops McKinley, and Bishop Brown and now, Bishop Jordan, began travelling together and
God began to changing the worship in these churches.

When God says who you are to be connected with, you have to watch that you uphold the
The Sdzool of the Prophets

eovenant. Oftentimes, it's just a minor situation that will occur that will break the relationship of
the network. Sometimes you have to determine not to let offense become a thing in your life
because if an offense does not desecrate Christ, or offend the principles of the protocol of the
Kingdom of God, you can work beyond that.

I listen to black talk radio daily and I am grieved when "blind" people call the station to com-
mend certain muslin leaders on the "tremendous" things they do for the black community.

Let me alert you to the prophetic message that God wants to send to our youth. When God
numbered Israel, in the New Testament when they went to see Jesus, they numbered them by
the number of men present. Any nation is as strong as its men and not as its women and chil-
dren. So, the prophetic message that God is sending to the church is that we must reach for our
men. They will determine our strength to go forward and to cause the Kingdom of God to be
seen on a wider plane and Christ, the image of God will be revealed. this does not mean that
women do not have a place in ministry, it's simply means that men need to find their place in
the House of the Lord. We have become so content with the fact that the Church was missing its
men, that we never really reached for them.

Every occultic group reaches for the men. They don't reach for just any kind of men either;
they reach for men with serious potential. It's a prophetic statement. That's part of God's
dramatization, but if you look at the drama and misinterpret it, you will still sit in the dark. I
have changed my concept about the term "occult". I just use them as hidden secrets of God for
me to find out and realize that God has a key to unlock and free their souls.

The Jehovah Witnesses call themselves a kingdom. The principles they practice have
brought them to a certain level of multiplication. They are not looking to "Fly away," but they're
looking to occupy and maintain. Brooklyn has become the fastest growing area where they own
an abundance of property. I find it interesting that their language is the same throughout the
world. Whatever message preached in one place is the same message all over and there's no dis-
agreement.

We want to be so independent, we don't learn to speak the same things, although Scripture
admonishes us to do so. God will use them as a prophetic dramatization and if we start to repent
and realize that they're not the ones to be expressing this aspect of God and start to realize the
call, God will give us the key to freedom.

When God can't get us to dramatize things, He'll use whatever is available because he cre-
ated everything that's on the earth. Christians talk as if the devil has the ability to create things.
But I want to you to understand that he has no ability to create -never had, never will. God
did not give Him the ability to create. Some give him the same level of status as Adam. Adam
named things, so many think satan has the same ability but it's because they have not become
acquainted with the Scriptures and what God declares in His Word.
 C H A P T E R 9

. PREPARATION FOR THE

PROPHETIC MINISTRY: THE
MENTORING PROCESS
The mentoring process never begins when you get saved, but it started once you emerged
from your mother's womb. In the Book of Hebrews, the Scripture states that you have many
teachers. When you came out of your mother's womb, the way your parents dealt with you laid
on a primary foundation of process as to where God wants to take you.

I was not raised with my mother and father. I was raised with a grandmother who only had
a third grade education, but she loved the Lord. When I was a child, there were some things that
I saw her do which I knew, after I got saved, were critical pointers that helped preserve me from
being devoured by the elements. She always got up at 5:00 o'clock in the morning to pray; set-
ting an example. She always beat me to read the Word before I went to bed, stating it was bet-
ter that I read it before I went to bed than when I woke up. She instilled the necessity for a rela-
tionship with God to be established in my life.

Life has not given us the same training. After you've grown up and it's time to go to school,
you had certain teachers and certain impartations that they made in your life. These are not sep-
arated from the fact that God has His Hands in your life. God is going to use whatever deposit
made by those who enter your life in order to make a molding of what He's shaping you to
become.

While in school, you encountered various mentoring processes. You were able to deal with
some of your mentors, but had difficulty dealing with others. When you look at the word, "men-
toring" in Webster's Dictionary, it states, "a wise, loyal advisor, a teacher or a coach, an instruc-
tor. "

Give iltstrnctioll to n wise ntnn, nizd he tuill be yet zuiser: tenclt n just 111n11,nild ite zuill iltcrense ill
lenri~ing. 111 Proverbs 9:9

God gives us mentors throughout our lifetime. Some of us were raised in the church, so we
knew nothing but the church. Some were out in the world, heard the gospel message, came to
Christ and had to go through a transitional period to become adjusted to Church protocol.

Mentors are like parents; the same way each parent doesn't use the same method of training
for every child, neither do they. Although parents love their children, a wise parent will discov-
er what the child's area of strength and weakness is and work with them to foster development.
Parents realize that there's a time when their children will have to leave the rest, for adulthood
fast approaches. Therefore, you will find that they will work to develop that child to prepare
Tlze School of the Prophets

them for where they need to go. This development or training process is what we all fear.

You may recall when you were younger, your friends would want you to go with them to do
something but you couldn't. Well, I found in my Christian experience, when people were going
around the country to different meetings, God always had me sitting in one place, listening to
one voice. It might have seemed to me then, that the person who was running from meeting to
meeting was really happy. But, God did not release me to follow them. I had to stay close to my
own "house." You know, when someone is sculpturing, they sit and take their time because
they're carving out a particular piece. They can't just cut it any way, it has to have a certain
dimension; a certain depth. So, when God has specific assignments for you, it takes some spe-
cific sculpturing to take place in your life.

Aizd the LORD was with Joseph, and he zuns n prosperotrs iizait; nizd he zuns iit flze Itotlse of his iims-
ter the Egljptiatz. Genesis 39:2

Whose house are you in? Is it the house of your master? A lot of people are running to other
people's masters for their mentoral training. This is not to be!

The mentoring process is in session at your master's house. Who is your master? Discover
that person and dweU at his house. You must be someone's minister -as Joseph to a Potipher,
Joshua to Moses, Samuel to Eli, and Elisha to Elijah. Whose minister are you? There are many
who might say, "I've never been to Bible school. I've never been to anybody. God just raised me
up." That may be true. But, even Jesus had to be mentored by the Father.

There's a place of training for all. It is not the same environment, yet the same source. God
is working that which is pleasing in His sight. God uses men to create an image in you because
He knows He can use that vehicle to form the end product.

We are called by the side of one person to express his call. We are called by Jesus to express
the call of the Father. In the Book of Acts, when Saul got the call, God sent him for a period of
training. Oftentimes, you might have to go to the place of training in a state of blindness
because it is there that God has an assignment for the opening of your eyes. When they heard
Saul was coming, it was said, "You mean the one that was killing the saints? I don't want to
work with him because he might kill me."

Sometimes when God sends you to certain leaders, they are saying, "I really don't want to
be with them, for they have a track record." I want you to know that God will put you in the life
of someone, not only to deliver you, but to liberate them and bring them into the next level of
their own life. Oftentimes, when you're being mentored, even your mentor is getting a devel-
opment training by God.

God uses man as the vehicle through whom His call is expressed. The call comes in a vision,
action or by prophecy. As a youngster, one day I heard an audible call. I looked around but saw
no one. I was so frightened, I went home and prayed for the first time and went to bed. This is
the same thing that happened to Samuel.
 Prepnration for tlze Prophetic Minisfrtt: The Metztorirzg Process

Sometimes God will call you, and you don't know it. It takes another frame of time for you
to understand that it was the call of God all along. For the longest time, I couldn't understand
why there were many times I was supposed to be caught in trouble because of the friends in my
life, but everything happened after I left. After Christ was made plain to me through the salva-
tion message, my eyes were opened to the Hand of God. I saw how He divinely saved me from
tribulation. Many times God doesn't allow your eyes to be opened until you start to come into
the place of your assignment for training to begin in you.

You may have received a prophetic Word about God calling you to the ministry. Now you
must want for your assignment, or you'll go with the flow and miss God. I notice that every
reformation seemingly can't see beyond the reformation. So, when it was popular to be an evan-
gelist, everyone that moved in the Word could only see the ministry of the evangelist. Likewise,
when there was a reformation and establishment of pastors, if they heard that God called them
to the ministry, they only saw being a pastor. God is going to raise up men who will have hiid-
sight and foresight to see exactly what dimension and area they're going to be set in.

Your level of servanthood will echo the quality of your depth of mentorship or training. It
makes no sense to tell the Holy Ghost to make you a servant. It does help you, however, to sub-
mit yourself to the process of servanthood. You have to choose to serve because you have every
opportunity not to serve. You see it all around you. It's easier to try to run in the forefront and
try to be seen rather than to stand in the background and try to do the menial things where no
one sees you.

I've observed many times in various places, that when a man of God is prophesying, he may
have more of an unction to give those that are sitting in the front a prophetic Word. I began to
understand how, God sent Samuel to anoint the next king, he couldn't find David because all his
brothers were up front. God is going to cause you to get through the mentorship process so that
when you walk into a house, God will give you a Word of knowledge abut a person who may
be in the back room, and specify their name and where they are in the building. He will cause
you to prophesy a Word into the lives of people who are not always in the forefront; people who
are working the audio room, and those who are outside cleaning up. After you've been by the
way, you know there's someone God raises up on the backside. He will give you hindsight and
foresight.

God is saying to you, "Choose to become a servant." I received a prophecy some years ago
regarding the many natures of the various disciples of Jesus, and he said, "Son, God has given
you a unique nature and temperament. You must learn to cultivate that ..." That Word hugged
me, and I understood that I was not to try to be like anybody else. We must learn how to abide
in what we are. They might say you're "deep," but don't go over the edge because when Jesus
showed up it was said, "I never heard it like this before." In other words, they were saying,
"Man, you're deep."

God doesn't make a prophet, but calls a prophet. The prophet's level of servanthood releas-
es that spirit of prophetic life within. Place a value on the prophetic call. What value are you plac-
ing on the prophetic call of God in your life? How are you prioritizing it in your life? Are you
handling it without any sense of value, mistreating it like somebody getting a beautiful piece of
jewelry and just throwing it down on the floor when you get home? Are you getting caught up
The Scltool of the Prophets

u i t h the glitter of the gift rather than the qualiiy of your life? Are you getting star struck or sun-
burned?

W E DON'T WANT TO BE BURNED BY GOD, BUT HE'LL TAKE YOU THROUGH THE FIRE.

Sometimes, when you're yoked to your mentor, you feel like you're the one going mad.
Undergoing the mentoring process is not easy! Some people pretend to be yoked and when the
real hammer goes down, instead of them hanging on, they flee. They easily use the famous line
of most Christians, "The Lord said to move on." They go to the mentor and say, "The Lord spoke
to me." They get to class and receive their first correction and they say, "The Lord said to leave."
Can you imagine if we did that in natural school? Until now, we'd still be in the first grade!
Some Christians have never graduated because they have never stayed through the entire cur-
riculum. God can't move you on because if He did, He would be shaming Himself because
you're not built up to properly represent Him. The mentoring process is not easy.

Learn your responsibilities and become a student of protocol. There is a prophetic protocol!
There is a protocol of developing character and how to carry yourself. The final analysis is, you
do not minister your gift, but you minister who you are. Gifts without character are dangerous;
they're wild and out of control. "I'm the only right one around. My mentor is wrong, and I'm
right. He just doesn't know it. He doesn't have the anointing like I have it." So many have ship-
wrecked their lives and ministries because of this foolishness. God is saying, you must find the
house of your master. If you're in school, stay there until the semester is over, and don't leave
until you graduate.

Gain release from natural ties and develop a trained ear for one man. So many people have
their ears open to every Tom, Dick and Harry over the globe. It's confusion and frustration.
You're so divided, God has to restore your soul to lead you in the path of righteousness for His
Name's sake. God is saying that we must come to the place where we know how to hear one
voice. There is no true development until you come to hear one voice. In order to hear one voice,
there is a hearing of the outer ear and there's an inner hearing. You need to let the two line up
together for eternal purpose.

When Elijah told Elisha he could turn back, his inner hearing heard the heart of the Father
but understood that his time with the father/mentor had not yet ended. It was necessary for
Elisha to see Elijah when he went up. Now, there was a full school, but everybody didn't believe
that they needed to see Elijah when he went up. Notice whom the mantle fell upon; it fell on the
one that saw him when he went up. The one that stuck it out, the one that got whipped bad, the
one that had the harsh words, and the one that people told, "If I were you, I would leave." He
said "I know that my purpose is locked in with this man. I'm staying."

Wherever there is training, there is testing. What will you do when inconvenience comes?
Will you get up and walk away or will you stay? I want you to know, while you're in the men-
toring process, every test will come for you to leave and some of them will look so good, that it
will take a discerning eye to know that it's just a test.
 Prevnrntion for the Prophetic Mittistvy: The Mentoring Process
. Every now and then the FCC displays a testing emergency operation on television. They'll
say, "What you're about to hear is just a test." When you're going through the mentoring sys-
tem, sometimes there's a tone that comes on; no signal, and no communication going on between
you and your mentor. But I want you to know that it's just a test to see what you're going to do.
Will you switch channels and try to find something else? Wherever there's training, there's test-
ing.

Then, there is the question of loyalty: Are you following for the glory or for a changed life?
That is the question you need to answer. Why are you following? Is it so you can say, "I came
out of this house and these are my credentials. That's why I'm grand and I'm a diva." God is
saying, the deeper you go down in humbling yourself, the more He will raise you up.

Sincerity is another aspect. Idols will lead you astray, but a pure heart will give you power
to cleave. If you've come to idolize the prophetic movement - and some have done it - you can
be led astray. Not because it has the power to lead you astray but because you misplaced it in
your walk with God. If your heart is pure, understanding the placement of prophetic ministry
and the necessity to understand seasons, time and order, it will build your life and cause you to
move on in God.

Your faith will be tested. Which is greater; your love for the process or your fear of being
rejected? Your gift is shaped by your character, thus, your ministry will be the sum of who you
are. Whatever you do today will adversely affect your tomorrow and vice versa.

Stewardship is essential. Your ability to arrange a simple assignment creates steps for greater
achievements. In the mentoring process, assignments that you call insignificant are important.
But if you can take a small assignment and master it, big assignments will not be a problem.
David was able to deal with the lion and the bear in the field, so when it came to Goliath, it was
a piece of cake. Wherever you are in the mentoring process of whatever God is doing in you,
embrace the way of the Lord. As you learn to rest in Him and know that your life is moving
along, you will fulfill your course in life if you're patient with the process.

There are four seasons of mentoring: Joy, pain, sunshine and rain. Joy is when you're happy.
"Wow! God calledme! Hey!" During the season of pain, you are cut off from all kinds of con-
nections. "Why are you taking this, Lord? Leave this chair, I need it. I need this table, and I
need this flower. I need this person." During the season of pain, everytime you turn around,
something will be wrong. It's as if your mentor is breathing down your throat because you
haven't developed an ear to hear. "Lord, why doesn't he leave me alone?" Pain. But no pain,
no gain. Everything goes through pain. When a plant is cut from the garden, it feels pain. If you
endure, your will see sunshine. This is the season of energy; the season of new life. Everything
looks brighter. Then, suddenly, another season comes which is cloudy and it's raining problems.
But if there isn't a rainy season, you'll never have a joy season again.

Beware of your feelings. Those who wear "their feelings" on their sleeves will experience
mental burn. If you're so alive that you move on your feelings everytime they arise, you'll be in
an institution. You have to develop a "duck" mentality; "Water on my back, flap! flap! And keep
moving, quack! quack!" Then God has to snap the "turtle" nature out of you from the "snap,
snap; always want to talk back." I find the greatest pain is getting rid of the "I've got a better
The School of the Prophets

idea" syndrome. When you can't hear your mentor's idea, then you still haven't realized that
you're dead. You need to hear one man's voice.

In the mentoring process, some things are caught rather than taught. There are times you
have to look at your mentor and read his facial expression and understand the full book or sen-
tence that he doesn't verbalize. There are times when mentors communicate and times when
they don't, to see how much you've learned. Jesus said to his disciples, "How long shall I be
with you?"

Various tests will come. Every wise pastor tests those that he is raising up in leadership. You
have to test their honesty. Some money might be left around to see if you will find it and turn it
in. Money might be given to you; you ask for $100 and received $300. Your reaction should be,
"Pastor, you gave me two extra one hundred dollar bills." Honesty is the only policy. Or will
you say, "He just blessed me out of love." Beware, it's a test.

How much can you keep confidentially? Your mentor takes you around certain environ-
ments, and you hear certain things repeated. Can you keep your big mouth shut? Were you deaf
to the conversation or were you so in it that you can remember everything he said verbatim? Are
you able to repeat it without a command? Are you quick to expose your mentor because you
don't like certain things about him or will you be quick to cover him?

When you look at Joseph's situation, the mentoring process might even cause an opportuni-
ty to enter into fornication with your leader's spouse; will you flee?

What will you do when what might seem to be a great opportunity presents itself? And what
will you do when you feel as if you've been thrown in prison; everybody forgot you? You were
the first one around when everything started and it seems when everybody else came in, they
were elevated. Are you insecure, asking, "Where's my elevation?" Will you grow bitter? If you
have bitterness and anger raging in you, you have an agenda, and you're only bitter because
your agenda has not been met.

Ultimately, in the mentoring process, you want to aspire to become a wise servant. Wise ser-
vants cultivate the ability to discern God's purpose in action. You look for the Hand of God and
won't be caught up with actions all around you. Wise servants become deaf to popular opinion
and are focused on discerning the way of the master. You have to forget what everybody is say-
ing and thinking and reject that in which they glory.

A wise servant studies to be a great servant. God doesn't raise up leaders, but He raises up
servants who become leaders. Master the way of servanthood, and the servanthood that you
master will launch you into God's call.

The mentoring process cultivates wisdom in you and wisdom will bring honor to all who
embrace her. Every dreamer will have an opportunity for a distraction. A lot of you may be func-
tioning in a realm of ministry, but you are still in the mentoring process. Perhaps the time frame
in which you started ministry made it popular to be a pastor.

God will give you mentors for your life in the now, and I want you to know that God has put
 Prepnrntiolz for tlze Prophetic Ministn~:Tlze Me~ztorilgpProcess

. you in a place to be mentored. You might be in the process of mentoring someone but you'll find
that God will even start to speak to you about somebody else speaking into your life.
Sometimes, they'll start to recite some hard sayings that will make you ask yourself, "Why in the
world did I bring myself to this place?" You had nothing to do with it. It was a n assignment of
God to help to develop you. And if you do not submit yourself to whatever environment into
which God wants to bring you, He will allow the environment that you are more comfortable in
to become the schoolroom of your training.

God is saying there are some pastors going through certain tests with their congregations
because they won't submit to the environment the pastor want to create; certain aspects of train-
ing and development in their characters. So, God has given them a people that will force them
towards what He wants them to do in their lives. I hear God saying, "although you feel as if
you're going to die under the stress of the pain, I have given you an antidote that will preserve
you until the end."

I serve you notice that the mentoring process is on, and God is going to see you through to
the end if you will only commit yourself. Know that the Lord is with you, and He's on your side.
The Sclfool o f tlfe Proplzets
 C H A P T E R 1 0

PROPHETIC CALL
PROPHETIC CHOICE
Prophet Devon 'I7zon1pson

111 the begintzi~tgGod crented the l~enve~z alzd the enrtlr. Arid the earth zuns zuitholct for111,nlzd void;
alzd dnrkrzess zuns icy011the fnce of the deep. And the Spirit of God i~zoved~cpo~z the fnce of the zunters.
Alld God snid, Let there be light: alzd there wns light. A ~ z dGod snw the liglzt, that it zuns good: a11d
God divided the liglztfronl the darkness. A ~ i dGod called the liglzt Dny nild the linrkfzess he called
Night ..." Gelzesis 1:1-5

The l~envelzsdeclare the g l o y of God; nntid tlie firi~mllzent shezueth his hnndyzuork. Dny ir~ztodny
lrtteretlz speech, nlzd ~ziglztlrfzto 11igl1tshezueth k~zoruledge. Psnlms 19:1-2

In Genesis 1:5, we find that God called the light Day and the darkness He called Night. But
let me submit this to you. Is it a possibility that the firmament that shows His handiwork called
unto God for something new? Every generation has a voice and every generation calls unto
God.

What does it mean "to call?" Call means "to speak aloud with a distinct voice so as to be
heard at a distance, especially in order to attract the attention of someone or to make a request
of another. " Call also means "to cry and to shout." What is the prophetic call? Simply put, the
"call" is God's instrument to propel us into His purpose. When God calls out to you, though
you will hear it in the atmosphere, the call is actually happening on the inside of you. The
Scriptures say that God suddenly made an appearance in His temple, and we know our bodies
are the temple of the living God.

When God appears in His temple, there is a cry that comes to you, and you start having a
need to change; you can no longer be like you used to be. We hear God speaking out of the heav-
ens of our minds because that word "heavens" means "to be heaved out," which opens us up
to the prophetic consciousness or coming to the purpose and the awareness of what God wants
to do. The lackluster pattern of life as we knew it is "heaved out" of our minds. Though our reli-
gious dogma and teaching state that it is out of the heavens to which we attribute to the outside
world and things around us, He comes into His temple to make the call which we hear that then
connects to our minds.

God made Adam and set him over the garden. In the cool of the day, God came calling say-
ing, "Adam, where art thou?" "Thou art called Adam," and gave him specific instructions. It
was a prophetic call. Before Adam, the earth wasn't the way it is now. God called Adam, and
gave him dominion because God had a call to change the earth from the way it was. So He said,
Tlte Scl~oolo f the Prouhets

"'Let us make man in our own image and after our own likeness." When Adam became God's
choice, God gave him authority.

Sometimes the call of God will bring you from the place of your familiarity and comfort and
cast you into a place of uncertainty wherein you have to rely on God for your day-to-day situa-
tion. Sometimes you don't know what tomorrow will bring but you know Who holds the future,
and you're certain that He holds your hand! Sometimes the call of God will come from those
that you know; your family and kiends.

Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt - it was a call of God to separate him from his fami-
ly. Sometimes you will find yourself in situations beyond your control that will move you out
of your place of comfort from among your family and friends. You're calling it the devil, but it
was the call of God to move you to a new geographical location. God may not paint the picture
and show you what the end is going to be like. The only thing you're aware of is the "bad situ-
ation" in your life. To you it is bad, but to God it is good! That's why you can't get emotional
and disturbed by the change. God wants you to stand and see His Hand and know that because
He is God, He has the complete picture and will show it to you in due time and in season.

The lack of understanding concerning the complete picture will cause us to move in fear and
credit the wrong source. We have given the devil credit for more things than is necessary. But I
want to challenge you: if you start reading the Bible, you'll find that the Bible teaches more about
what God does in what we call, "negative situations" than it does about satanic activities.

Joseph was sold into slavery. Have you felt like you were sold into slavery? So who are you
blaming? Joseph was sold into slavery; the call of God overshadowed his life. It built character
in him to the point that when his family needed food, he was able to become the source of God
to feed them. When it was in his power to kill them, he fed them. When you start to have an
understanding of pain and suffering from God's perspective, you will find it's a joy to feed your
enemy. God will set a table before you in the presence of your enemies. He will anoint your
head with oil, make your cup run over and surely His goodness and mercy will follow you all
the days of your life.

The prophetic call comes while one is diligently working, and usually emerges just when you
have become comfortable with what you're doing and have made a decision, "This is it. I'll stop
living in tents and set up a permanent structure." The call strikes against the self-inflicted
boundaries and limitations of complacency. The call comes to move you along.

So he departed tlzence, and fou~zdElishn the son of Shnphnf,zuho zuns plozuitzg zuitlz tzoelve yoke of oxett
before hint, and he zuith the tzuelfllz: nnd Elifih passed by hint, nttd cnst his ntn~ttle~ipotzhint. And he
left tlze oxen, nnd rnrz after Elijnlz, n~tdsnid, Let nre, I pray tltee, kiss my father rind 111yinother, n~zd
tlzen I roil1follozu tltee. A ~ z dlte snid zitzto hint, Go back ngni~z:for wltnt ltnoe I done to thee? A ~ z dhe
retzrrned bnckfro~nhi~tz,and took n yoke of oxen, n~tdslezo tltein, n~zdboiled theirflesh wit11 the instrti-
17teiztso f tlze oxen, n~zdgave ti~ztotlte people, rind t l t q did ent. Tlze~the nrose, n~zdzoe~ztnfter Elijnh,
n~zdmirtistered tc~ztohinr. 1Kings 19:19-21

Elisha was not seeking Elijah. But the Lord, led Elijah to him. The call of God comes to us
for things we're not really running after. For some of us, ending up in ministry wasn't the thing
 Proplzetic Call - Proplzetic Choice
. that we really wanted to do but somehow the call of God propelled us into His purpose.
When you hear the prophetic call, you will seek the direction of authority in your life.
Samuel and Eli are perfect examples of this principle. I believe that, within the womb of
Samuel's mother, the call of God was present to bring forth a son that would be a prophet to
restore the nation. It's interesting that when she went to pray to the priest, it appeared as if she
was drunk because of the cry that was in her. It caused her to do something unfamiliar; she
touched God to get what she knew was in the mind of God. When she gave birth to Samuel, she
offered him back to God. When you're offered back to God, there are some things you can't
escape.

After I got saved, I began to recognize one thing. Somebody did something with me before
I was born because up until age 15, I was supposed to die on three distinct occasions. Each time
I knew it was a miracle. Twice I should have drowned; and once, I should have been shot and
killed. God was the miraculous One that preserved me.

When you offer up your children, and it seems as if they've gone haywire, just know the call
of God is resting upon their lives. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid but hope
thou in God and know that He has everything in control. God will keep that which you've com-
mitted unto Him against that day and no day of evil shall overcome that which you have com-
mitted unto the Lord!

Samuel went to bed one night and while falling asleep, he heard a Voice. It was the voice of
his mentor. When you are plugged into your purpose within the local house and busy serving
the man or woman of God, God will begin to speak, and you will hear Him in the voice of your
mentor.

One of the tragedies of the church today is that most people, when they claim to hear God,
always seem to be hearing some other ministry call. Yet they can never hear where they've been
planted. But the call of God will drive you to seek your authority out to discern what it is that
you're hearing. It bothers me when someone is going through a struggle and they say, "I can't
talk to my pastor, that's why I'm calling the hot line to get a prayer through." Now, it seems hard
to tell them that they have to go back and try to talk to their pastor, but I think that's the way of
God.

You might be in a situation where seemingly even the leader has grown fat. "Fatness"
denotes that you've grown so rich that you've gone after the carnalities of life. They've become
your primary motivation.

The prophetic call will result in a drastic change in one's manner of living. It will take you
from one state to the next. Sometimes the prophecies of God may seem hard but if you know
Who called you, you can stand with dignity knowing He has a day of reward.

"And he had n son, zuhose ilnilre zuns Snlil, n clloice yolrng 111nlz..." I Sni~~trel
9:2

The prophetic call helps us to understand that each prophet is called by God. Yet, obedience
unto the fulfillment must be a conscious choice. Sometimes hearing the call may not only
The Scltool of the Prophets

.involve you alone. Someone may be talking to you, and they may not know God is using them
as a vehicle to propel you where you need to go.

The prophetic call requires a separation for purpose. Prophets and teachers were gathered
together in the Book of Acts and while they were fasting and praying, the Holy Ghost said,
"Separate Me." (Acts 13:2) The separation process is painful. If you could hear the voice of your
plant, you would be able to hear the painful cry of agony emitted when you cut it out of the gar-
den because it's been taken out of the place where it would always be nourished and now it's
going to be placed into a different environment; it's not sure it can do a proper job. Seemingly,
God separates you and brings you into an environment you absolutely rely on for survival and
success. The unfamiliarity fosters a total reliance upon God.

Wise men embrace the prophetic call. The gift and the callings of God are without repen-
tance. Read about Jonah. God called Jonah and gave him instructions to deliver the prophetic
Word but Jonah wanted to make all kinds of changes. There are a lot of people who end up in
all kinds of religious and occultic activities. The gift and calling of God is in them, but because
something happened in their life that interrupted where they should have been planted for their
upbringing, it caused them to end up in something that does not purely manifest the Hand of
God.

Some psychics are seers but they're in the wrong environment. Some of them were hurt and
wounded by churches who were quick to judge and condemn their gifting yet lacked under-
standing of the prophetic expression of God. Those who displayed clairvoyant abilities drifted
into areas of the occult because their churches lacked the discipline to nurhlre their growth.
These seers, rejected by the church, found acceptance within the walls of the occult, and devel-
oped there. As a matter of fact, some of the occultic fields keep a greater level of discipline than
there is in the church. There's a greater millieu for the development of what they would refer to
as "paranormal giftings." Though they may name the rose a different name, God's purpose for
these giftings still rests within the walls of the prophetic. When utilized for any other purpose,
the gift becomes as the rose's thorn, and will prick the hands of those that will embrace it.

I hear God saying that we need to recognize that He has put gifts and abilities within us.
Some of us are rejecting the gifts of God that are in us. You have pastors that stand in the pulpit
and hear God say "Prophesy", and they'll tell God, "I'm not a prophet. I'll bring a prophet in
next week and let him prophesy."

Let me encourage pastors today. You may be pastoring now but that may not be your ulti-
mate destiny in God. It might be locked up into something else. Now, break out of the box
which you've placed yourself in because God wants to make you a prophet of His own right.

I am tired of believers telling me, "Oh, my pastor does not have the Word." Be for real! Why
would God put him there? If you would rely on the fact that the gift of God lies in him, and you
would respect his gift, he will come forth with the revelation and food that you need. Sometimes,
believers develop an appetite for spiritual food that they're unable to digest. If God placed you
in a particular church, and under the authority of a particular pastor, then your diet has already
been established.
 Prophetic Call - Prophetic Cltoice

. Turn your faith towards the direction of your leader. If your faith believes that you can only
be healed if someone else other than your pastor lays hands on you, then that's an indication that
you need to work on your attitude towards your leader. Running around trying to find a camp
to deliver you from a demon when your pastor has the same anointing is foolish. Too many dis-
credit the anointing upon their leaders who have labored, toiled and fasted in the vineyard of
the Lord. So many will write a thousand dollar check to ministries of another culture but won't
put a thousand dollars in your own pastor's love offering for his anniversary. If God set you in
a house, and you're harboring this type of attitude, then you will not receive the nourishment
that you need, and you'll miss the impartation and transference that He ordained to take place.

When God calls you, the fact that the gift is there is not enough. You must recognize that you
need to be somewhere where it can be developed. Every plant comes in seed form first, but
needs a pot and some herbs for it to come forth in the image of its fullest potential. You must
come into the full bloom of the call of God so that you can be chosen, taken from the garden and
placed somewhere beautiful for others to recognize and partake of what you are. The gifts and
the callings of God are without repentance. Though the gift lies in you, there are some things
you're going to have to repent of in order to walk in the way of the Lord. God laid that to your
charge.

The prophetic call liberates you from the place of birth to the place of training where God's
purpose in you is discovered. Ask Abram. God dealt with Abram out in the wilderness, while
he was travelling trying to find his land. In the meantime, God is training him and giving him
character. Abram had a focus that relied on God, so he was still looking to God for this place.
While God was developing character in him, God gave him specific strategies of development.
The Scripture says that Abram had his own military; he had men that were in his own house.
Lot got in trouble in that land and when he needed help, he called for Abram. The Scripture says
Abram took men to deliver his nephew. That's character because he could have said, "Well, I
told you before not to go there." But the character developed in him caused him to go and bring
liberation to his own.

God wants you to watch how you come out of relationships that went sour because you'll
never know when God will raise you up to become a deliverer for someone that is caught in a
thicket. We must know that it is the Hand of the Lord that's with us and rest in Him.

Moses had to be thrown in the river just to be saved and ended up in Pharaoh's house. He
received some of the best training. But one day something happened on the road that changed
his future. God will put you into places where you're up there and all of a sudden- it's like the
rug was pulled from under you, and you have to be on the run. Moses ran from the men that
sought to expose him straight into a buming bush. It was part of the call. If God had said to
Moses, "Meet me at the burning bush," he probably would not have gone. But God allowed
something to happen in his life to force him to flee and while fleeing, he ran into the purpose of
God. Some of you ended up in ministry that way. You were running and ended up in the bum-
ing bush that got your attention.
Tlte Scltool o f tlte Plauhefs

of the LORD by
Btrt Jeltosltnphnt snid, Is there ?tot here n prophet of the LORD, tltnt zue tttny i~~qtrire
hir~t? A n d one of tlte king of Isrnel's setwnltts nt~szuelednnd said, Here is Elisl~nthe son of Shnpltnt,
zohiclt polrred zunter on the l t n ~ ~ of
d sElijnlz. 2 Kings 3 3 1

When you minister as a prophet, you don't just minister a gift but you minister your char-
acter. If you have a howling spirit, your ministry will howl. If you have a servant's heart and a
pastoral heart, you won't try to rip the sheep apart so bad that they can't be mended. You'll
know how to make a decent incision so that right after the su-gery, you can sew it and bring
them to a place where they can be healed and made whole. God is raising up prophets these
days that won't just rip people apart. They'll have that tender ability to just put them back
together and place them under the counsel of a pastor that will minister back life to them like a
nurse in a hospital.

The prophetic call creates father-son relationships. Elijah was a prophetic father to Elisha.
As Elisha saw Elijah going up he called out, "My father, my father." There's something about a
father that's very interesting. A father will turn your heart towards God. (Malachi 4) There is
something about the heart of a father; he can spank you and then turn around and know how to
minister to you in the area you need to be ministered in.

There are some prodigal sons God wants to deal with. The ones that couldn't wait for the
fullness of time of development and maturity before they took the inheritance and went out.
Notice, God didn't rebuke the prodigal son when he decided to go. He allowed him to go
because He knew the fullness of time would come, and something would happen that would
make him return home. God allowed him to go out and spend all. He gained friends, fame and
recognition but when he came to the end of his rope, God let him remember that he had a father.

God is saying to someone, "I'm going to cause you to remember that you have a Father."
Although it seems as if you're stripped, naked and eating out of the garbage bins of life, God
says, "I'll cause you to return home." He's going to turn your captivity around, put a rope over
your body and a ring on your finger and welcome you home as if you never departed.

Prophetic call may connect you with a rejected man from the mainstream of a religious sys-
tem. John the Baptist was never accepted. He was too peculiar. I've watched over the past 10
years, being connected with Bishop Jordan, my father in the gospel of the prophetic, that there
was a time folks despised him because he looked like he was 12 years old. People had some
nerve to disrespect him. But I've also watched how God covered and preserved him. And
because he wasn't with the running move of the day, there were those that questioned him. His
Word was accurate, but he wasn't in their camp. Sometimes God will take you to a man that's
not in the camp of the common, but you have to watch how you speak about them.

The prophetic call brings new training. It gives you an opportunity to become obedient to
unfamiliar instructions which will equip you for God's purpose; your destiny.

The prophetic call opens your ears to hear. What you hear and how you hear will affect your
future. The Bible says to be careful of what you hear and how you hear it. How you hear a thing
 Prophetic Call - Proplzetic Ckoice

. today will affect your tomorrow. It will either stimulate faith or fear.
The prophetic call impacts your understanding of the ways of the Lord. The prophetic call
releases a cry within you for wisdom. Oftentimes, when you're serving a mentor, you need wis-
dom to know how to function around them, and how to make their lives more pleasing for them
to do what God has called them to do.

The person who receives the prophetic call is transformed before its fulfillment. The person
that receives the call is not the person who fulfills it. You're not the same person that becomes
God's choice. There is a transformation; a metamorphosis that comes into your life which brings
a change. Finally, when God begins to launch you forth, they're going to say, "Who is this?"

He who answers the call celebrates the call. Celebrating the call may not be a joyous experi-
ence at all times. There may be many moments of grief and pain. But if you know how to endure
affliction for a season, you can reap the reward in the end.

Prophetic call unearths a desire for knowledge and understanding. It teaches you to know
how to sit at your master's feet; your mentor's feet. You will patiently sit under the tutelage of
that person whom God has set in your life as an authority that you may learn from them. So,
the prayer of the disciple becomes, "God give me a hearing ear to hear my mentor and a seeing
eye to see him for what he is in my life now." The tragedy is trying to look ahead because you'll
miss the moment of the present.

The prophetic call awakens the attitude of servanthood. Choose the way of a servant rather
than the way of glamour and limelight. Choose to serve God, your mentor, your leaders and the
people to whom you are assigned. Rejoice in your servanthood. Throughout Scripture, prophets
were referred to as the "servant of the Lord." If you are a prophet, you must cultivate a servant's
heart!

In answering the prophetic call, you become someone's minister before fully maturing as
God's prophet. Joshua was Moses' minister. Elisha was Elijah's minister. The question is whose
minister are you?

As God began to progress Bishop E. Bernard Jordan, after a while he started to look for a pas-
tor in his life. Most work becomes shipwrecked because some pastors just believe they don't
need anybody to speak into their lives. A key principle he has taught us is " Listen to those who
have already been done the way you're trying to go. You won't have to go the same way most
folks have been." Many times he'll ask the question, "What would you have done in certain sit-
uations?" And when he hears the wisdom, he implements it in his situation so he does not have
to go through the same pain that individual went through. Why try to reinvent the wheel?
That's not necessary. It's already made.

The prophetic call and your gifting are nourished unto life through servanthood. When men
embrace the call, God will assign others for the purpose of development. When you don't
embrace the call, you become like a dwarf, and never reach your full potential. You end up going
around in circles until all kinds of things just die off of you. One day, you'll come to life because
you'll come to embrace the call. Read 2 Kings 3:ll-12 to understand this principle better.
The Scl~oolo f the Proahets

- Many are called but few are chosen. God calls many but He will always pick the choices for
the season of manifestation. The farmer had sheep, but when it came time to offer up an offer-
ing, he did not just use any kind of sheep, he used an unblemished sheep. When God decides
to impact the world, He doesn't pick just anybody. He will take His choice and send them forth.
Seemingly His choices do not come from the mode of the popular. Look at Saul. He became
King Saul, but he was not from the popular tribe. Yet God chose him.

The prophetic call unquestionably calls for a renewed mindset. The prophetic call will chal-
lenge your ability to manifest creative income or wealth. In the Book of Genesis, Jacob went to
serve for Rachel but he found a creative method for wealth. He multiplied the cattle. When he
got there, he didn't have as many possessions, but God did something significant in his life.

Commitment, desire and focus worked out through servanthood will launch you into your
purpose in the appointed season of time. You need patience to go through all the different
changes. Sometimes you'll be serving in one area of the ministry, and just when you feel like
you're growing, God shifts you to another place. Other times, you'll feel like you're doing noth-
ing at all. You're not really using your full potential, although the potential lies within. Then, all
of a sudden, God turns around and elevates you. At the time elevation comes you might even
wonder what you did to get it. God will change and shift you, and your emotions are shifting
at the same moment.

God will choose his best in the time of changing a cycle. Many are called but few are cho-
sen. Some answer the call then t u r n back. But I want you to know, if you've answered the call,
keep proceeding forward and press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Count your life as nothing and all that you've attained. Your degree and all the different things
that you can put on the wall; all the accreditations and commendations of men---count them
like dung that you might obtain the prize. Although you are called, you have to stay where
you're planted until God lets you know He chose you. When He has chosen you, He will anoint
you.

How did God anoint Jesus Christ of Nazareth? With the Holy Ghost and power who went
about doing good. God was with Him and when God anoints you, He is with you.
 C H A P T E R 1 1

PROPHETIC CONSCIOUSNESS
Prophet Devotl Ti~otnpson

And God snid, Let its nlnke I I I ~ I Zin 0111.inmge, nfter our likeness: nlld let tllenz 11nvedo~~~illiott
over the
fislt of the sen, and over tlte fozol of the air, ntrd over flze cnftle, nlzd over nll the enrtlz, ntld over evely
creeping thing that creepeth up011 the enrth. So God crented lltnlz in his ozutl inlnge, ill the intnge of
God crented he him; ~tmlentrd fell~nlecrented he thetiz. And God blessed theln, rind God snid frlzto flte~tl,
Befirtitfill. .. Genesis 1:26-28

The image and likeness of God speaks of His visible representation, the exact likeness, hav-
ing a striking appearance of God in manner and thought. As sons, we are found in the image of
Father God. We are heirs with Him and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. Thus, we are to be found in
the brightness of His glory, as the perfect imprint and graphic representation of His Person. He
has delegated unto us grace and authority-an innate ability to maintain, to guide, to propel
the Kingdom by the prophetic word which is the Word of His power.

Today, we hold the prophetic word in two dimensions, the aware (unconscious/subcon-
scious) and the conscious. God is the foundation of all prophets. He said, "Let us make man in
our image." We are made within the similitude of God's Identity.

God is the foundation of all prophets, thus, you must know your original state. You are made
in the image of God. He made us in His image and His likeness. Image is very important. The
image you portray is the outgrowth of the knowledge you have accumulated and it streamlines
your thought processes. The image you portray determines the thoughts that reside in your
mind. Exodus 20:4 states "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of
anything that is in the heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under
the earth." God was against graven images because He already made you in His image and in
His likeness and if your consciousness is not in relevance to what He has already made you, then
you're in the process of becoming a molten image.

Tlzotl shnlt trot bozo dozo~tthyself to tlrelll, nor serve t l t e ~for

~ ~I: the LORD tlty God nllt n jenlotls God,
visiting file ilriquify of tltefnfhers llpolz the cl~ildretz~ l n f the
o thirdnnd fottrth gerrerntiort of tlten~tl~nt
lznte vze; Exodtls 205

In the Ten Commandments, God deals with graven images. He says He is a jealous God.
God is jealous when we go after other expressions such as psychics. Naturally, we are psychic
in a way; for it's a development of the mind. The only difference is that the psychic functions in
the area where they have developed their mind without God. They have abused the gift of God.
Tlze Scllool of flw Prophets

Anything you abuse, you'll prostitute, and will eventually become a god unto yourself.

Man, like God, has senses. You see, you hear, you taste, you smell and you can feel. That's
why when you develop a prophetic consciousness, you begin to move even into the arena of
seers.

My grandparents were great seers. They were able to see when an event was about to tran-
spire in the family. They knew when something was going to go wrong. They weren't knowl-
edgeable like the "upper cultures" but that was the gift that God gave them to preserve them
during the time of their transition. Ironically, when you got into the established church, they try
to stifle the gift. They try to cast it out of you and tell you it was devilish because they took no
time to study that element and to understand its relationship to mankind and God.

Apprehend immediately with your mind or with your senses the revealed image of God. We
must know Him to come into the consciousness of Him. There is a conscious level and there is
a subconscious level. The whole church relied on tapping into God subconsciously. When some-
thing happened we say, "Oh, that was just God." We have become non-thinkers, so we always
depend on something to push us. God never designed His Holy Spirit to push us into this
God-consciousness. He called us to search things out so that we might know and walk in the
consciousness of God, knowing that God is prophetic. That's why God gave us four seasons. He
wants you to know in a prophetic sense when seasons are changing so you can change the con-
cepts of your mind. Become open to the Holy Ghost that He placed on the inside of you. When
the Holy Ghost says, "This is the next stage," become conscious of this and start walking in it.
By searching the Scripture knowing this, the foundation of all things are hid in the Scripture and
the building up of all things is found in the knowledge of other men's writings. Thus, you
become the express image of God, walking in this new season.

Prophetic consciousness is God's consciousness. If you become conscious of God, you will
walk in the prophetic understanding of what God is doing. You will be a refresher to someone
who is in a dry land; you'll become that water that they thirst for. God said, "Out of your bel-
lies shall flow rivers of living waters." It's something when you tap into God and start knowing
Him. He gives you a flavor for every season. God wants to give you flavor because of the
prophetic consciousness that reigns on the inside of you.

When you become conscious of God, you become like the movement that happened in 2
Chronicles. You're willing to throw away the idols, images and the things that were built up
while you were in captivity. Oftentimes, when we think of the word, "captivity" we think about
physical slavery. We've been in some religious slavery. And God is saying to you that you need
to chop down the grove and develop a consciousness of God. In 2 Chronicles, the ones that real-
ly came with the move of the Lord, started to break down the groves, and burned them down.
There are some things in which you need the Holy Ghost to come alive in you and start to burn
up the dross. It's just a bunch of religion that has not allowed you to conceive God in His glory.
God wants you to come to Him face to Face.

Seek to understand the law of salvation. The law of salvation is not the law of stagnation. It
is a law of variety and continuous change. Great trees go through changes year after year. With
every cycle it goes through, a ring is developed within the trunk. If you cut that tree in half you
 Prophetic Coirsciorrsiress

. can tell the story of a tree. God wants you to grow to the point that there is a story being told
deep on the inside of you where no bitterness or murmuring can be heard. If someone could see
on the inside, they would see the life and work of God taking place on the rings of your covenant
with God.

Only fools despise knowledge. Knowledge denotes knowing the facts. God wants you to
get to the facts because He wants you to know. He wants you to study. He wants you to go
beyond the common knowledge of the day. Common knowledge says, "Just get saved and filled
with the Holy Ghost. Everything is going to be all right." That's what they used to tell us. No
one told us that you had to grow into the likeness of His dear Son. (Please refer to chapter seven,
"And it Came to Pass: The Metamorphosis of Prophecy for further insight.

How can you know Him that is unseen until you study Him that is seen? That's why God
gives us mentors. I dare you to start studying the one God has given us as a senior person in
our lives; the one who God has raised up to make an imprint and pioneer some things in us.
Learn to study them. As you do, you'll discover the God that's locked up within them.

Paul had a very unique way of writing. He had certain personal things he had to say because
the life of God was flowing out of him. There were some things he could boldly say because of
the relationship he had with God.

You must seek after the knowledge of God. The sixty-six books in the Bible are there for you.
You must "study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman who needeth not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth." Know only that you must become the mirror of
God's Word unto a dying world, for you are God's salt and light.

There's a certain type of knowledge that comes through the quietness of studying another
individual. If you don't believe me, ask the CIA. They have learned if they study you long
enough, they can tell your pattern. They know what makes you tick, what makes you work, and
where you'll go. That's on a natural plain. God will let you study Him so that you can fully
develop into the image that you are supposed to develop as a human being in order to express
the excellence of His glory and person in your lifetime. Thus, when you've moved off the earth
you are properly moved from the earth as a saint.

Commit to memory by vocal or mental repetition the knowledge of the Lord. As you go to
the mirror day by day to get yourself dressed, you must now reflect Him in the mirror. Look in
the mirror of His Word to become like Him.

Be an imitator of His life. Mime the actions of the Lord. Jesus said, "I only do those things
which I see My Father do." He was saying, He only mimes the actions of God and "as I do it,
I'm getting the same results."

Know this: you can perform the works of God. When you mime God's actions, you will get
the same end results. Knowledge frees the mind and liberates the soul. Knowledge brings you
to the point of peace. A storm may be raging, but you're relaxed. You're not moved by your envi-
ronment. You don't move because you've not yet seen the Father move. Not every person in a
wheelchair needs to be healed. That might sound crazy, but we know that's true because every-
Body you've laid hands on have not gotten up and walked. But if you see the Father in the mir-
ror cause them to come forth, and you start to move in the same capacity, they will get up and
walk.

Practice the law of imitation. Imitate by forming mental images or pictures; to think or sup-
pose. Model God. There's something about when you practice imitating God. You can practice
imitating God by practicing imitating your mentor because the power of God is in him.

You see in pictures. You have to see yourself in the picture of what God is doing. In the con-
sciousness of God, you need to feel as if you're ruling and reigning with God. Sometimes we feel
so earth bound that we can't ascend unto the heights which express the essence of God.
Overcome those limitations. Oftentimes, we say we can't with the hope that we can. Many times
people consider that as being humble. God has already told us we can do it because He com-
mands us to do it. We pray for things God never said to pray for. He wants us to go out and do
it.

It is something when Clvist, the Anointed, comes into your life. God anointed Jesus of
Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power. He was anointed and impacted others as he
went about doing good and healing all those that were oppressed. He wasn't trying to find a
prayer to see if God was going to do it. Jesus understood that He was anointed to do good. We
are anointed. Now, we need to tap in and understand where Christ the Anointed has been made
alive in us and major in that area. Then our successes will reach the world.

You will express or dramatize God in words or actions. When you become plugged into God
you will express Him in whatever you do. The same is true when you become properly con-
nected in a local church. You will begin to express the same spirit of the leader without needing
a jump start, as long as you're plugged in. Car batteries that are dead have resistance in them.
They need a jump start for you to be on your way but it's guaranteed to become dead again.
When you're plugged in and realize that you're connected with that body to express a certain
image and consciousness of God, you'll also realize that your part is critical to the whole. No
man is an island and no man does it alone. You will find that the same anointing that runs upon
the head will come down the body and touch you also. God did not anoint the body to flow
from the feet up but to come from the head down.

You can prophesy. Speak as you hear God speaking. Because of God's nature in you, He is
always talking. Thus, you can always tune into His Voice, and you can prophesy. You can do
what you see the Father doing.

Practice daily the reflection of the Lord. The science of yoga came out of a principle of the
Kingdom of God. But because the religious church rejected a practice that they didn't under-
stand, God could not allow it to go out of the earth. Somebody had to parent it for a season until
the right parent came forth. For years, someone was always telling me that the Jehovah
Witnesses were going to hell because the Church had rejected occupying the earth. So, God
raised up a people that believed they had to occupy the earth, and they weren't leaving to go,
and they called themselves Jehovah's Witnesses.
 Prophetic Cor~sciozis~~ess
.
When the church embraces the fact that we're not escaping out of here but we're here to occu-
py until He comes, then that institution will be broken. People will start fleeing and flock into
the Church because they would then be coming home to their brethren.

We are taught to reject the things that the religious institution rejects so somebody had to par-
ent it until the parent come to full age of responsibility. The time is coming when God is going
to cause a people to be raised up and realize that there are some things that are not with us that
belongs to us. It's time to take them back.

In your daily reflection, God will open your eyes to see like He sees. The Church has always
seen the world like the devil rules it, and God is going to take it over. The Bible doesn't say the
devil owns the World. Genesis 1states, "In the beginning God created..." The world belongs to
God!

God made covenant with a people, put them in the earth and called them man. He made
man in His image and in His likeness to express His vastness because He cannot be locked up in
just one man. He allowed the races to exist that every race should express a particular dimen-
sion of Him. That's why the twelve tribes of Israel could work the way they worked because
when they came together, one had the ability to fight and the other had the ability to plant. But
together, they were more than conquerors through Him that loved them.

Check this out. Israel said to God, in the Book of Samuel, "Every other nation around us has
a king. They go out to war, and he leads them, and they win. How about this God? Just give us
a king." He did not go to the tribe that had the fighting ability; the tribe that had strong military
men. But He went to the least tribe and made Saul the king of Israel.

Seemingly, when the world is messed up, God comes to the most despised culture and says,
"I now anoint you to lead the way." We're in the era where God will take the third world and
make it the first world. He switches the order!

This world we live in is talking about plans for the year 2000. They never invited us to the
table. You can make a car but if you don't put a battery in it, it won't go anywhere. There has
to be a source of power. And I'm here to tell you, black people are the source of power. A little
history: When they were in the dark and needed light, we made light for them. And when it
came to the point of moving from one revolution to the next we led the way and they captured
it and brought it into their nations. In World War I and II, they took us from our land and
brought us to their land to maintain their land; becoming a source of power to keep them from
going bankrupt.

When you develop the prophetic consciousness, you realize that you're not insignificant
within the confines of God's call. You can celebrate the fact that you have a set time of perfor-
mance. I don't have to be caught up and be jealous of your performance because you're leading
right now. There will come a time when "Lights! Camera! Action!" will be called on the set, and
the next performance will begin! I announce to a people that feel despised, cast down and
walked upon, and who sometimes feel that the system owes them a favor, that you have a set
time with God and there's no man that can hold you back when your time has come!
The Scliool of tlze Prophets

. Your reflections of God will open your blind eyes. When you start to consider God and His
ways, your posture will change. In 1989 or 1990, God began to say to Bishop E. Bernard Jordan,
"Go pick a fight with a giant." He got sick and tired of being secluded and contained and when
he asked God certain things about media, God told him to "Go pick a fight with a giant."
Sometimes you have to learn how to kill the lion and the bear in the backside of the desert.

Often times, those that come with the consciousness of God will never be understood. Moses
went to Egypt with the consciousness of God. God understood that His people cried out unto
Him for change. Moses went as God's instrument to deliver with power in his hand, this was-
n't the weaponry of Egypt. It was just a rod, not the weaponry of Egypt for the time. So, he did-
n't look like a real deliverer. But God told him, "When they said who sent you, say, 'I AM."' The
I AM will send your deliverer, and He will announce, "I AM. I AM the God of prophetic foun-
dation. " That's why those that are in the religious system of our day fighting against the
prophetic move cannot stop it because I AM is behind it.

There's coming a time of the big confrontation and the Church is still blind to the fact. The
showdown is going to be the magicians of Egypt against the Moses of God. It will be the psy-
chics of the world against the prophets of God's Kingdom. In the Scripture, there came a point
that Moses did something that the magicians of Pharaoh's court could not do. God's conscious-
ness is going to bring us to the place that we're able to manifest that side of God that the world
has never seen, and they can't copy it. The Scripture says that Moses threw down his rod which
became a serpent and the magicians of Pharaoh threw down their rods which became serpents
also, but then something peculiar happened. Moses' serpent swallowed up the magician's ser-
pents. The power of God that will be made manifest through His prophets is going to swallow
up the demonstration of that other kingdom.

Celebrate the Presence of God within you. Your Body is the temple of the living God. If my
body is the temple, then God isn't in one place and I in another. God is in me. When you come
to the consciousness that God is in you, you'll find the answer to your prayer is not hanging in
the universe but it's hanging on the inside of you. When you understand that God is in you,
you'll find that the power to heal is not coming from the heavens but it's coming from within.
And the power to heal might come in a word of wisdom that says, "Look, just don't take salt in
your diet for three months." We've gotten so familiar with the laying on of hands and other
dramatizations of the manifestation of the Spirit, that we forget that the God in us will give us a
way of liberty.

Celebrate the Presence of God within your life. God is in the areas around your life and envi-
ronment and if you look for Him, you'll find Him. They that seek Him shall find Him, but if
you're not looking for Him, He'll be right next to you with the answer. And He won't disclose
because you didn't consult Him. You're calling up Sister George and Sister Dorothy trying to get
the answers. God's consciousness will cause you to realize that He has said in His Word, "I will
never leave you, but I will come unto you."

Celebrate the breath of God in you - in praise. As you begin to just open your mouth in
praise, you'll find that God will even give you a Word of knowledge for your own situation.
God's breath is in you, and you're moving in His breath and in His life. God will speak a Word
in your heart and encourage you.
 Prophetic Conscionstress

. I made up my mind that there are certain things I'm going to accomplish because there are
some things I've witnessed that the man of God named Bishop E. Bernard Jordan, my mentor,
has done. If it has happened in his life, it will happen in my life. No more am I going to settle
for the fact that he's going through certain things and God is doing certain accomplishments in
him and it's not happening to me. The greatest crown of glory that has come to him is that his
disciples are experiencing the same impact.

There are folks sitting in churches who have divorced themselves from their leader. You may
be having problems and instead of calling your pastor, you've been calling someone else's prayer
line. Here's your instruction: God wants you to respect your leaders and to know how to have
true, Godly relationships so that the life of God can flow through you.

God is holy, therefore, be holy as He is. God is righteous, so be righteous as He is. Be deter-
mined in your own mind that you're going to accept every rightness that will cause the image
of God to be magnified and not to be blurred. Some things you do can blind someone from see-
ing God. Watch your actions so that your actions can be such as His nature that it forces some-
body who's looking for Him to find Him. "The Lord that you're looking for is here." "Where is
He?" "I am He; made in His image and His likeness."

God brought you out of darkness into His marvelous light, that you may show forth the
praises of Him. You need to know this. If you have a Concordance, do a study on "know." There
are some things you have to know; you can't assume. You have to become skilled in order to
become acquainted with. Acquainted and familiar are not the same but I want you to know you
must become acquainted with God because when you're acquainted, then you can declare "He's
my friend." Become acquainted with Him, and study Him.

Put on the new man which is created after God's own image. In the Book of Romans, it talks
about changing the image of God. God had to turn them over to their own reprobate minds.
When the church became a religious institution and began to change the image of God, He had
to give them over to their religiosity so that people could not acquaint Him with this changed
image. After a while people will have the distinction between the two. Then He turns around
and raises up a generation that is able to do that which is true.

You have the seed; God's nature in you - get a hold of God purely. Be all you can be as the
image of the Lord, and you will become a walking prophecy....Man, the God-Kind.
T l ~ eScl~oolof flu? Prophets

.
.Psonhet Frank Webster
11

SECTION IV

Prophet Frank Elijah Webster received his prophetic call and office
from God in 1992 through the laying on of hands and the prophetic
insight of Bishop E. Bernard Jordan. He spent fourteen years under the
leadership of Bishop Roy Brown of Pilgrim Assemblies before joining Zoe
Ministries. Currently he serves in the capacity of a Prophet in the
Prophetic Company, a Minister, and a servant and student of the things
of God. Being blessed of God in 1985, he married Yvonne Watson and
they are the parents of two children, Gabriel and Jazmine.

This young man currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. He has set
his goal and aim to prophesy the Word of the Lord for the comfort, exhor-
tation and edification of the body of Jesus Christ.
Tlze School of the Prophets

.
 C H A P T E R 1 2

THE PUSH mB) THE PULL

OF THE PROPHETIC OFFICE
Proplzet Frarzlc Webster

A prophet must be a criticizer of the social establishments. In some cases, he acts as a push
to individuals and nations providing the necessary thrust to compel them into God's purpose.
Other times, he serves as a pull furnishing the required energy to yank the reluctant into God's
purpose. Either way, he is usually an unwanted, unheralded defender of truth.

Jesus set the example for prophets and prophecy. Jesus was a criticizer of the social estab-
lishment of his day. Sadducees, Pharisees and Scribes comprised the social order of Jesus' day.
When Jesus was confronted them, He called them a bunch of vipers, snakes, and dogs. He called
them animals because of the way they treated other people; particularly their treatment of the
poor.

Aprophet has to criticize the social structure of our day. If a prophet does not criticize social
orders, then he is not a prophet of God.

A prophet must serve to energize his people. Jesus demonstrated two natures or two char-
acters: a lion and a lamb. To those who oppressed the poor, he was seen as a lion of prey. He
went out and devoured those that sought to keep down and depress the poor. To a person under
oppression, Jesus was viewed as a lamb - gentle, meek and kind.

The dual nature that Jesus demonstrated is the same that a prophet has to demonstrate. A
prophet has to be dualistic. He has to demonstrate the nature of a lion and devour those that are
oppressing God's people. At the same time, a prophet has to demonstrate the character of a lamb
and show kindness, meekness, and humility. He has to look to help and seek to understand the
oppressed, and those who are bound by poverty.

A prophet must engage in the struggle for freedom. If you are not willing to get involved,
then you not willing to become a prophet. You have to roll up your sleeves and get involved in
the fight. It is not easy, for it is a struggle. Nonetheless, it is a fight with which we must become
involved.

The mantle of the prophetic office is demanding. It puts us in some very unusual positions
and situations. Most of us do not like to become confrontational. A prophet, however, must be
confrontational. He has to confront the issues. It's important for him to be confrontational
because he is God's spokesman. He is expressing God's feelings and attitude in a particuIar sit-
uation. Thus, the prophet has to get involved in the fight. He has to open his mouth and blow
the trumpet!
T l ~ eSchool o f tlte Proulzets

- The prophet must make some issues plain. He has to speak out against injustice. That's
called confrontation. You develop a lot of enemies when you do this. Very few people will look
to side with you because you are speaking out against issues and situations that uncovers those
who seek to oppress.

The prophet must speak of God-given alternatives for his people. As he gets into the strug-
gle for freedom for his own people, he'll begin to express to them an alternative plan to their
oppression.

We may feel at times that our circumstances and situations are unceasing; as if we are con-
tinually going in circles. A prophet will come into your life and break certain cycles that hang
over your life. He brings freedom for you in the areas of finances, health and freedom from
chains that have you bound hand and foot. He's going to give you an alternative plan from what
is existing in your society. You may be confronted with racism, but God will give you an alter-
native plan of freedom.

Never adhere to the words of a lying prophet who just tells you what you want to hear. In
order for me to effectively minister to you as a prophet, I have to understand your cultural back-
ground. I have to understand your tradition. I must know what makes you tick. I have to know
where, how and why you hurt. I have to be sensitive to your needs. The Bible says that Jesus
was touched by the feelings of our infirmities. He understood us. He understood where we
came from. He understood our backgrounds, cultures and traditions. He knew what we suf-
fered, and He knew the pain that we had to bear. In order for me to bring a change in your life,
I have to know what you're going through. I have to know what you're experiencing. The only
way for me to know that is to be identified with your culture and with your tradition.

The function of the prophetic ministry is to nurture. Nurturing is actually "building up."
After a woman has a child, she begins to nurture it. She helps that child grow. The responsi-
bility of the prophet is to nurture people to help them to grow. Once he brings liberation to them,
they are babes who need to be nurtured. Nurturing is another aspect of the prophetic ministry
where the prophets begin to instill in the hearts of God's people God's directive for their growth.
He directs them in the area of increase and expansion.

The prophetic ministry evokes consciousness. We have to make you aware of that which you
are unaware. Jesus restored sight to the blind. There are many people that can see physically but
yet are blind. When certain misconceptions and misunderstanding are first laid before us we
believe them to be the truth. The prophet opens your eye to falsehoods by providing truth.

The Bible says that Jesus came and opened the eyes of the blind. He gave them sight; He
made them aware. He gave them a sense of consciousness to make them aware of the things that
were actually taking place around them. When they looked at the prevailing conditions, they
felt hopeless. They felt that there was no way out, and no means of survival. But Jesus showed
them the truth. He brought them a sense of consciousness and awareness that they did not have
before.

A prophet must be a reformist. The word "reform" means "to change." Change is a prophet-
ic move of God. As a reformist, a prophet is in a position where he has to take a situation and
 Tlte Puslz nitd tlre Pit11 of tlze Prophetic Oflice

.turn it around. It's not an easy task to do. It's difficult to take something that's already existing,
turn it around, and change it to work for the benefit of others. There are things that are present-
lv existine
" now that have to be changed.
" The wav the structure is ~resentlvexisting " can't con-
tinue to exist. There are groups of people that are not benefiting from the existing structure. And
it has to be torn down. It has to be reestablished and reconstructed; it has to be reformed and
changed into another image.

God has a tendency to raise up prophets to bring reformation and change to His people. If
something is not benefiting everyone, it has to change. If it only benefits a minority - like the
elite, the powerful, the wealthy or the ruling race -it has to change. God is concerned about
the oppressed: the weak, the poor, the widow, the fatherless, the illegal alien and people of color.

God acts through His prophets to achieve His purpose against oppression. Whenever you
see a prophet prophesying against oppression, understand that he is conveying God's attitude,
mood or feeling concerning that issue. God communicates His heart and mind to the prophet.
In turn, the prophet conveys the heart and mind of God to the people. When God is dealing with
the issue of oppression, He'll usually speak in terms of injustice. God does not tolerate injustices
anywhere, and He doesn't care who is exercising the unjust actions.

He doesn't tolerate it coming from anyone. Whether it be race against race or individual
against individual, God does not tolerate injustices. He's a God of judgment. He's a God of love
and peace. Prophets are the human vehicles through which God's position in a situation can be
realized. We're going to know what God is saying concerning the situations of life; the issues
with which we're confronted. As God becomes more and more intolerant of certain things,
you'll hear more and more prophets proclaiming God's intolerance.

The prophet must show an interest in God's way of freedom. A prophet can't have his own
ideas or his own plans to bring liberty to the people of God. He has to wait on God to give him
a plan of redemption so that he can proclaim it to the people. Moses was given a plan by God
to bring liberation to the Israelites. They didn't simply just get up and walk out. God raised up
a leader for them and expressed to that leader his plan of freedom for that people. And in so
doing, the leader, Moses, recapitulated the thoughts and the mind of God concerning freedom
and brought the people out of bondage and into liberation.

The prophet declares redemption through prophecy. Redemption is actually a work of free-
dom; a process of freedom or a process of liberation. Jesus redeemed us from sin; He freed us
from sin, and He liberated us from sin.

The prophet must incite the people of God to challenge oppression. The prophet is going to
speak in such a tone and in such a way that it will incite the people not to be satisfied with their
present conditions. He will anger them; making them so mad at their condition that they will
desire change. He'll speak to their hearts so that they themselves will become intolerant of injus-
tice.

As a prophet, you must understand old prophetic movements in order to comprehend new
prophetic movements. Things often occur in cycles. Whatever happened before will happen
again. Whatever God did before, He's going to do again. If He liberated an oppressed people
The Scltool of the Prophets

tiefore, He's going to liberate an oppressed people again. The way we understand how God is
going to move in the latter days or in days to come is by simply examining what took place his-
torically in God's Word. The way we understand the plan of liberation is by looking at the story
of Moses. The same way those people were in bondage in Egypt is very much the same way that
we're in bondage under certain social orders.

The actions of a prophet must be much like that of a madman. His message, his method of
delivery and even image may appear odd to many. Look at John the Baptist. People thought he
was crazy. When they o b s e ~ e dhis demeanor, his style of dress, and where he resided in the
wilderness, they thought he had lost his mind. When he got into the house of Herod, he begin
to speak out against Herod's sin. Protocol prohibited anyone from challenging the king's orders
or sin. They thought the prophet was some sort of madman, some sort of nut, or some sort of
crazy person. They threw him in a dungeon and imprisoned him because they thought he had
lost his mind. They thought he needed to be placed in a strait jacket.

But that's the character of some of the prophets. It's as though they've lost their mind when
they begin confronting certain issues. John the Baptist was just simply telling the truth about
Herod's situation in life. When we tell the truth about certain issues, we're going to be viewed
as madmen. They're going to look to incarcerate us. Some even looked at Jesus as being mad as
well, and they incarcerated Him, too. They wanted to shut up the truth.

The prophet must disrupt the imperial order. It must be a confrontational situation. There
must be a dismantling. If it doesn't happen at the foundation, it will happen at the top and rebel-
lion will result. This why there's such a push and pull where it concerns the prophetic office. The
prophets must interrupt the imperial order. It's not just enough to see one group of people
enjoying life in apparent abundance while another group has absolutely nothing.

The prophetic push is known only through the means of the Word. Once you hear the Word
of God through the mouth of the prophet, it will push you into your purpose and cause you to
fulfill your destiny. Bishop Bill McKinley (of Elim International Fellowship in Brooklyn, NY)
teaches an interesting parallel between Saul searching for his father's asses and the Body of
Christ. He said that the prophet can literally take you from chasing asses and place you in the
position of being a king. That's important.
 C H A P T E R 1 3

THE PROPHETIC REF0 ION

Prophet Frank Webster

God always brings you out of oppression to bring you into Reformation. Oppression is the
prerequisite for reformation. Reformation cannot begin without first feeling the pinch of oppres-
sion.

Aizd the LORD snid, I ltnve sztrely seen tlze nfliction of I J I people
~ ruhiclz nre iiz Egjpt, nizd hnve llenrd
their cnj by reenoiz of tlzeir tnsknznsters;for I kilozu their sorrozus; Exodlts 3:7

The cry could not have come unless they f i s t felt the pinch of oppression. The taskmasters
that were placed over them had to apply rigorous labor in order to produce a cry out of them.
Until we as a race of black people feel the pinch of oppression, we will not produce the cry that
is necessary to bring complete liberty and freedom in our lives.

Most of us believe that because we've come into Christ and we've accepted Him as our per-
sonal Savior that we're totally free. We're free to an extent. These children of Israel knew who
God was, and they had a relationship with God. Yet, they were not free. If they were free there
would be no cry. There would be no need for reformation. There would be no need for a change.
Until we as a race of people begin to feel the pinch of oppression, we will not experience true lib-
eration.

Babies cry for a number of reasons. Mothers, at times, can distinguish the differences in the
cries. Likewise, God can distinguish the difference in your cry. When you cry for one thing, He
understands what that cry is; and when you cry for another reason, He knows what that cry is
about, too. The children of Israel were crying for liberation and freedom, which, obviously, they
were not experiencing. Their cry was, "God, free us! Free us from these taskmasters! Free us
from those that have placed heavy burdens and labors upon us!"

WHEN OPPRESSION IS INCREASED A CRY WILL BE PRODUCED.

Nozu therefore, behold, the cry of the childreiz oflsrnel is conle tlnto nle: ni~dI hnve nlso seen the oppres-
sioll wherewith tlze Egjptinizs oppress theiiz. Exodzls 3:9

God took note of their cry. He heard them. He became acquainted with their cry. In other
words, He acknowledged it. In Hebrew, the word "cry" denotes that God was actually intimate
with the cry that the people made unto Him. It has the same meaning as when the Scriptures
The Sclzool of the Prophets

8iscuss a man knowing a woman and the production of life. The anguish leading up to the cry
was a seed that produced life in the form of a cry. When God heard it, He was moved, which
caused Him to become intimate and acquainted with the cry that the people produced.

And it cnnie to pnss in process of time, thnt the king of Egjpt died: nnd the cliildre~zof Isrnel sighed by
renso~zof the bo~idnge,n~zdtliaj cried, nnd their cnj cnllie lip iiizto God by rensoli of the bolidnge. And
God henrd their gronnbig, n~idGod remenibered his cove~lntztruitlz Abrnhnni, ruitlz Isnnc, nnd zuith
Jacob. And God looked upon the clzildre~zofIsrnel, n~idGod hnd respect finto them. Exodlis 2:23

Notice, nothing happened when the children of Israel sighed. But, when they cried and
groaned, God heard it and acted upon it. Too often, we sigh by reason of our affliction, but we
don't cry. It is almost as if we become comfortable in an uncomfortable setting. And, we won-
der why God doesn't deliver us. Like a parent, He responds to cries -not silent suffering!

God saw the things that the Israelites were going through. At the point of the cry, He decid-
ed that He would send a deliverer unto them. There is an order, or process, that God initiates
before complete freedom can come into the lives of a race of people. He (1)hears the cries of the
people, (2) raises up a deliverer, usually a prophet; a man who knows the mind and the heart of
God, and (3) provides deliverance. This is where the prophetic aspect comes into the process of
reformation. Prophets are more than vehicles of blessing. If the prophets were just simply speak-
ing blessing in the lives of the people then why did they seek to kill them? If they were walking
around always saying, "Well sister, God's going to bless you," the prophets would not have
posed a threat to anyone.

The deliverer is usually one that has insight into the mind and the heart of God. God raises
h i up to bring deliverance to the people. He is not self-appointed. Notice that God did not
choose to come down and deliver the people Himself. He did not come off of His throne and
step down into the middle of Egypt and say "I'm bringing you out....follow Me." Instead, He
raised up a man. God will always use someone to bring deliverance to a people.

Deliverance always comes through man - whether it is a male man or a female man
(woman). Even Jesus was a man. None of us would have ever been saved unless God embod-
ied Himself in human form. You may think, "Well, God is my Deliverer. He's all I need." You
may think so, but I beg to differ. Consistently, throughout the Bible, God raised up a person to
bring deliverance to an oppressed people. Examples include: Moses, Jephthah, Joseph, Gideon,
Joshua, Rahab, Esther, David, Samson, Deborah, and, yes, jesus. You may say, "Well, I thought
Jesus was the deliverer." Ultimately, yes. But God, as stated, raises up humans to also become
arms of deliverance in your life.

When God hears the cry for freedom, He will call forth the prophet. One aspect of the
prophetic ministry is to bring deliverance to a people. In the Israelites' case, He raised up Moses
to be the prophet that would speak on behalf of God. We are not God, although some people
tend to try to mold us into a sort of god. Nonetheless, it is imperative to remember that prophets
only speak on behalf of God. When you look at a man as being a deliverer and you're not care-
ful, you'll begin to worship him as a God. Do not worship the prophet!!
God always draws the prophet out from among the oppressed not from the oppressors. God
 Tlle Prophetic Refonttntiotl
.is not going to raise up someone who does not look like you to bring deliverance to you. He's
not going to raise up a deliverer for you out of the camp of the oppressor, and that's also bibli-
cally consistent. Jesus was acquainted with the sufferings of the people. He was raised up out
of the camp of the oppressed. So was Moses, although he spent much of his time with the
Egyptians.

Moses was born a Hebrew. Your deliverer must be able to be acquainted with your suffer-
ings. The Bible says that Jesus was touched by the feelings of our infirmities. He understood
what it meant to suffer. Because He was God in the flesh, He was not exempt from certain types
of pressures in life. He was not exempt from experiencing oppression. Actually, He experienced
oppression to the fullest. He could not have been a deliverer to us unless He understood us. The
only way He could do so was to identify with us in the flesh and in suffering.

A prophet must be identified with the oppression of his people. God has given me a group
of people to prophesy to. He has assigned me to certain types of people; certain types of indi-
viduals. I can prophesy to anyone, but there's a specific word of prophecy that God has given
me to specific people. I identify with oppression, so God has put a word of liberation and deliv-
erance in my mouth.

The Prophet represents God's involvement in the struggle for freedom. The word "theolo-
gy" means "the study of God." It also infers the language of God.

Atzd it sllnll corire to pass, ifthey zuill not believe thee, neither henrketl to tlze voice of thefirst sign, thnt
tlzey zuill believe the voice of tlze letter sign. A n d it shnll conze to pnss, i f t k n j zuill not believe nlso these
t7u0 signs, neither heorken iltlto they voice, tlznt tltozi shnlt take of tlze zunter of flze river, attd pour it
lipoil the dry lntzd: ntzd tlze runter zuhich tllolc tnkest olrt of tlle river shnll becortze blood llpotl the dry
lnizd. Exodns 4:8-9

The word of God in the mouth of the Prophet concerning reformation will produce miracles,
signs and wonders. Usually the signs, miracles and the wonders that take place in the life of an
individual verify that he's called to bring deliverance to the people. One of the ways that you
know that you're fulfilling God's purpose in your life is that there's usually signs, wonders and
miracles that follow. As a prophet, your ministry has to be confirmed and usually it's by signs
and wonders. When you become acquainted with the story of Moses, you see God performing
different miracies and plagues through him. This was because Moses understood, knew his pur-
pose and embraced it. The signs and the miracles also were a confirmation of what God had
called Moses to do. All the signs and all the plagues gave reference to the fact that God had called
Moses to be the deliverer of the people. It was not only a sign to the Egyptians but it was also a
sign to the Israelites. They needed to understand and know that Moses was their deliverer. The
signs and wonders verified Moses' call as a prophet.

Signs and wonders accompanied Jesus's ministry. He restored sight to the blind. Many of us
are blinded to a lot of things. it wasn't just physical sight that Jesus restored but also spiritual
sight. There were many things that were covered over because of the oppression that people suf-
fered. Jesus, by expressing the truth of God's word, helped them to see. The miracles comple-
mented what God had called Him to do. He was called to restore sight to the blind and He per-
T l ~ eScliool of the Prophets

?armed that miracle.Jesus did something else; He caused the lame to walk. When you're not
financially empowered, you're almost useless.

A crippled man at the temple begged for alms; money. Peter and John said "We don't have
any silver and gold, but we will give you what we have." They performed the miracle to help
him walk. They understood that a few pieces of silver and gold wouldn't help his situation.
They made him walk so that he could become a producer and become financially empowered.

Jesus also restored hearing to the deaf. Since the people of his day weren't hearing the truth,
Jesus came along to restore their hearing by teaching them the truth. Jesus also unstopped deaf
ears.

The call of God on the life of a prophet will be confirmed by the miracles that he performs.
He'll bring change to the lives of God's people; he'll literally turn their lives around. If a man of
God is claiming to be a prophet and does not empower the people of God and does not speak
out against certain type of injustices that we're confronted with in society, then he has to be
brought to question as a prophet. Every prophet, barring none, confronted injustice. This is the
reason why they wanted to kill and eliminate them. They wanted to shut them up because they
were uncovering the truth. They were bringing sight to the blind, they were empowering the
lame to walk, and they were causing the deaf to hear. People began to see things differently.
People began to hear things that they've never heard before. They began to walk in places in God
that they never walked before. Some said of Jesus, "No man ever spoke like this." Why?
Because He was uncovering truth and helping them to see the realities of life.

The oppressor will try to quiet the cry of the oppressed. We've been told for a long time to
forget about the things that have happened in the past. We can't do that. If we forget the things
that have happened to us in the past then we're doomed to repeat them. If you look back at
Egypt, and you seek to go back to Egypt and embrace it, you will be contaminated by the ways
of Egypt again.

You cannot forget where you came from. God even instructs us not to forget where we have
come from. Don't let anyone tell you to forget what took place in the past. No! If you do that, in
actuality, you're disobeying God's command. God commanded the children of Israel to teach
their children and the generations after their children what He did for them in Egypt.

Atrd the king of Epjpt spnke to the Hebreru tt~idruives,of zuliich the tlnitle of tile one runs Sl~iphrnlz,n i ~ d
the tlnme of tlie otlier Pzmh: Attd he snid, Wheiz ye do tire ofice of n itzidruife to the Hebrezu zuonlen,
rind see thein tipon the stools; $it be n soti, tlzey ye shall kill hitn: but i f i t be n dnligliter, then she shall
live. Exodus 125-16

The Egyptians conspired to destroy the children of Israel by eliminating the male seed. In
any reformation, the oppressor will always try to destroy the male seed. Who is targeted in our
media? The black man. There's an attack on the male seed in our race. If the man is destroyed,
the entire nation is destroyed because the man is the strength of that nation Our women are
being pushed to the forefront and our men to the back. But the strength of any nation is in its
men.
 Tlze Provhetic Refonnation

. We've got a lot to pray for and a lot to pray about. Prophets must speak out concerning these
issues, because if men are eliminated there will be no reproduction. If our men are eliminated,
our nation will be eradicated. There's a conspiracy going on. And we all know that satan is
behind the conspiracy, but it's manifested through human form.

The prophet will receive the plan of God to offset the plan of the oppressor. That's the pur-
pose of the prophet. The prophet will give you an alternate plan. God spoke to His deliverer
Moses and said, "Get up and get my people out of Egypt." God knew what the people of Egypt
were conspiring to do against His people.

My purpose as a prophet is to preserve my race. When Jesus died, He died for you. He was
responsible for preserving your life so He gave His. My responsibility is to preserve the lives of
my race of people. I'm called to the African-American.

In any reformation, the word of God in the prophet's mouth will be "Let My people go."
God gave Moses a commission to liberate the people, but He also put a word in Moses' mouth.
When he confronted Pharaoh, the first thing he said was, "Let my people go." No compromis-
es; God said, "Either let them go or else". This is how God deals with His servants, and this is
how God deals with the prophets. We have to take another look at the gospel and how the
gospel works in our lives; how it liberates and frees us. Wherever the Spirit of the Lord is there
is liberty.

In some settings, certain races of people are not free to express themselves in God. You have
to question whether the Spirit of God was there. If the Spirit of God is absent, you won't see any
liberty. Or, if you sit in a setting and you don't see freedom over the lives of the people, then
you're going to have to question whether God is there.

The spirit of the oppressor will say, "Stop trying to change things and go back to work."
"Why are you trying to change things? Leave things the way they are. We're working together;
we're in harmony." That's the impression we're given but it's not the truth.

The underlining motive for Pharaoh telling the people to go back to work was so that he
wouldn't have to do the labor himself. He wanted to reimpose oppression and bondage on the
people of Israel, simply because he didn't want the Egyptians to undertake the field work. There
is always a hidden purpose fueling oppression. That's why Jesus always discerned the intent of
people who stood before Him. He never took anyone at face value because He recognized that
nothing good dwelt in men. The oppressor has no intention or plans to free us. We have to
depend on God. He's the only one that can liberate us, and He's the only one that can reform
US.

The Prophet will be viewed as a troublemaker. This is why I admire "troubiemakers" such
as Malcolm X, and people like Louis Farrakkan. Although they never publicly confessed Jesus
Christ as Savior, they fit the description of a prophet. As a prophet, you will have to go into a sit-
uation, stir up the pot and make trouble. You must make things happen.
The Sclzool o f the Proahets

Obviously, this won't make you popular! The oppressor and even some of the oppressed will
begin to dislike you. Some of the people whom a man of God is assigned to bring deliverance
to their lives will begin to dislike the message of God that's in his mouth. The very people that
Moses was seeking to liberate are the very same people that rebelled against him and wanted to
stone him while they were in the wilderness. They said, "What have you've done? Have you
brought us out here to die? You should have left us in Egypt, for we were better off." In such
cases, the prophet is stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand is the oppressor, who
disliked him from the beginning because he's speaking the truth. On the other hand, the people
who he is called to liberate are rising up against him to destroy him. Like Moses, it causes you
to consider a lot of things, "Do I really want this assignment? Do I really want to bring change
and reformation to the people?"

You may question, but, if you are a prophet, you will not be able to escape your assignment.
God reproduces His intolerance for oppression through the prophets. When you become
acquainted with God in a intimate way, God speaks. Nine times out of ten He speaks about
injustice. Whenever I hear the Voice of God speaking to me, I often hear Kim saying, "Pray for
My people. I'm becoming intolerant of what's going on, of what's existing in the earth." That is
the theology of God. That is what God is saying at that particular moment. He's speaking out
against the injustices that the people are suffering in our society.

His message doesn't change because of geography. In 1994, I had the opportunity to take a
kip with Bishop E. Bernard Jordan to Africa. What I saw in South Africa amazed me. I was sur-
prised to see the conditions in which the people there lived. But what was even more astonish-
ing was the fact that they were walking on diamonds and gold. There was, literally, gold and
diamonds in the sheets, but the people were forbidden to touch it. The oppressor understood
the principle that whoever controls the gold makes the decisions so they kept it out of the hands
of the oppressed. Someone told me while we were there that if someone distributed all the dia-
monds and all the gold that was in South Africa to the poor they'd all be well off. Well off
enough to be able to buy a house that would cost them two hundred and fifty thousand dollars
in American money.

Oppression is rampant world wide. That's the reason why there needs to be a reformation.
Even here in America, we're a half step away from apartheid, where we're forbidden from touch-
ing the gold. When that happens, we'll no longer be able to make decisions. There needs to be a
reformation! There needs to be a cry for freedom, and there needs to be a consideration of the
entire nation and its condition. God will not act until He hears a cry. He will not raise up a deliv-
erer until He hears a cry and you will not experience true liberation and freedom until He hears
a cry.
 C H A P T E R 1 4

PROPHETIC C U O S 08

Proplzet Frittzk Webster

The prophetic word comes from a perfect God and is spoken through imperfect lips. The
human element always exists wherever the prophetic word abides. This true regardless of the
degree of the prophetic word in a particular location or place.

Prophets are human. We're not above humanity; we're imperfect and we make mistakes just
like everyone else. As we minister, a perfect God is conveying perfect thoughts to our imperfect
minds. And, He has a way of adjusting us in such a way that we're able to express His thoughts
and not ours.

Imperfection is not a sin. A lot of times people think that because a prophet makes a mistake
in some area or another that it's the result of sin in his life. That is not necessarily so. Prophets
are imperfect because we're human. Yet, we serve a perfect God who has given us a perfect
Word out of His perfect Mind, out of His perfect Mouth through these imperfect lips.

And Moses snid lolto tlze LORD, 0 nzy LORD, I nln not eloqlreltt, l~eitherheretofore, ltor since thofr
11nstspoken lrlzto they servnllt: btrt I nil1 slozu of speech, ntld of n slow tongue. And the LORD snid
rirrto hirn, W t o hntlz nznde nmn's nzo~rth?or w l ~ omnketh the dtlnzb, or den& or flte seeing, or the blind?
hnve not I the LORD? Now tlterefore go, nnd I will be zuitlz tlzy mouth, n f ~ tenclz
d tltee rulfnt thou shnlt
sny. Exodlrs 4:10-12

Moses was expressing to God his inability and his imperfection. God made Moses this
promise: don't worry about your imperfections because I will be with your mouth.

Herein lies a key concerning prophecy. Is God doing the speaking? All prophecy must be
judged. There must be some type of determination as to whether the word that's been given to
you is indeed from God. This is crucial because Satan can speak to you as well and give you bad
directions for your life. He can misguide you.

Don't just receive a word simply because some individual is saying to you that he is a
prophet and is prophesying into your life. Psychics are very accurate in the things that they say.
They can speak into your life but they're moving and functioning under familiar spirits. So it's
important to determine and discern the source of the word spoken over your life.

God can put a false prophet in your midst. Psychics are false prophets, but they're in our
The School of the Prophets

midst. Even some people of God consult psychics. Beware: something will be required of you
for obtaining that information illegally. Satan usually requires your soul in exchange for infor-
mation. On the other hand, when God sends a prophet into your midst, it doesn't necessarily
have to be any form of payment on your part. God will just simply speak to your situation and
to your circumstance. He will not necessarily require anything from you. He may, but not nec-
essarily.

God speaks through the mouth of His true prophets. God does not speak through the
mouths of psychics. Prophecy does not emanate through the soul, but it comes from the spirit.
Unless you're spiritual, you cannot receive the counsels of the Lord.

Never adhere to the words of a lying prophet. There is a vast difference between false
prophets and lying prophets. A false "prophet" is not a prophet at all. A lying prophet is a
prophet of God but he a liar; he's not telling you the truth concerning the Word of the Lord. See
the difference? A man could be a man of God and be a prophet but lie to you. He may say things
that God is not necessarily saying. He may be lying for his own personal gain. Whatever the
reason, he's not giving you the mind of God nor expressing to you what's in God's heart. He's
just simply expressing his own thoughts for his own personal gain.

Titen there cniire olrt n spirit, nitd stood before the LORD, nitd snid, I zoill eiztice hiiit. Aitd the LORD
snid tritto hint, Wherewith? Aitd he snid, I will go otrt, nizd be n lyiitg spirit in tile iitot~tlzof nll ltis
prophets. Aitd the LORD snid, Tltotr sltnlt eittice him, nitd tltotl shnlt nlso prevni1;go otrt, aitd do eveit
so. I1 Chronicles: 18:20-21

If you enjoy being lied to, God will put a lie in the mouth of a prophet so that you can hear
exactly what you want to hear, rather than what God wants to tell you. Do not stand before a
prophet with preconceived ideas. Allow God to speak into your life. Let him give you His direc-
tions and instructions.

ALL PRESUMPTUOUS PROPHECIES ARE DANGEROUS.

Btrt the prophet, zohiclz shnll prestriite to spenk n word iit iizy itniite, wltich I hnire not coiiziitnitded lliiit
to spenk, or tltnt sltnll spenk iit the itniite of otltergods, even that propltet shnll die.
De~rteroizoiizy18:20

If God has not instructed you to speak a word keep your mouth shut. Remember, you will
be held accountable for whatever you speak in the Name of God. The end result of presumptu-
ousness is death, for that's what the Bible says. It says that any prophet that would appear to be
speaking in the Name of God but was not would die. Prophets cannot be presumptuous. They
must speak the Word of God -and nothing more. They cannot speak preconceived ideas. God
has to speak. It has to surely be the mind of God. Not my mind, not your mind, but the Mind of
God. It's disastrous when a prophet speaks presumptuously. It has an adverse effect on your
life and a damaging, destructive effect on the life of a prophet.

NEVER SPEAK YOUR OWN MIND. RATHER, SPEAK THE MIND OF GOD. NEVER SPEAK YOUR OWN
 Prophetic Clznos or Prophetic Order?

MIND, FOR IT COULD GET YOU INTO A LOT OF TROUBLE. YOU'LL END UP SAYING THE WRONG
THING AT THE WRONG TIME. LET GOD SPEAK TO YOUR MIND AND
GIVE YOU WHAT YOU SHOULD RND SHOULD NOT SAY.

The prophetic word takes on the character of the one ministering. If I'm a evil person, if I'm
a liar, if I'm a destructive person, it will be seen. Whatever my character entails will come out in
my prophetic minisgi. That's why God does not necessarily choose prophets based upon abil-
ity and capability. He chooses them based upon character. My character can impact your life
when I prophesy to you. If I'm destructive, I'll prophesy a word of destruction to you. Whatever
kind of person I am will become the basis and the foundation of the prophetic word I give you.

The Law of Confirmation must be applied in order to receive prophecy. The prophetic word
has to be accepted by you and received. But, it should also confirm something in your life; some-
thing that God may have spoken to you previously. The Law of Confirmation has two parts: (1)
acceptance, which is your part in receiving the prophetic word and, (2) confirmation, which is
the prophet's role in giving you the prophetic word. You accept because the word is confirmed
in you. We work by principles and laws. The breaking of any law can cause adverse affects.

A lot of times prophetic words are not fulfilled in the lives of people. People begin to blame
the prophets. "Oh, he gave me that word and this word and it wasn't fulfilled. He's not a
prophet." Yes he was. You just didn't do your part. You didn't accept that word. It wasn't
received the proper way. You believed it for a time, but as time went on you began to disbelieve
it. Time is what God uses to test your faith. You have to consistently accept and believe that
word. The minute you fail to exercise faith to see it come to pass, to see it being fulfilled in your
life, that's the day that it becomes disastrous and it's never fulfilled.

We all must understand that there are differences of prophetic function. Do you believe that
because you can prophesy that God has called you to the prophetic office? This may not be so.
There are three functions that are consistent within the framework of prophecy. The first one is
the gift of prophecy, which is demonstrated by the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost gives us the abil-
ity to demonstrate a particular degree and level of prophecy. But that does not necessarily make
you a prophet. It just says that you have a gift to prophesy. It doesn't mean that you can start
your own ministry on the comer, prophesying to everyone you see. It just simply means that
God will use you periodically to give a word every now and then whenever He sees fit.

The second function is the spirit of prophecy. In our local assembly, the number of prophets
we have is evidence that the spirit of prophesy resides there. The spirit of prophesy enables you
to prophesy and give the corporate body a prophetic word although you're not a prophet. Again
this does not necessarily make you a prophet. This is where the confusion lies. A lot of people
feel that because they move under the gifting of prophecy or because God may have used them
on several occasions to prophesy to a local body, that it automatically makes them a prophet.
Just because you prophesy you can't walk around calling yourself prophet this or that.

The office of a prophet, which is the third function, entails more than just prophesying. The
office of the prophet is actually that man of God's profession, just as being a lawyer, doctor or
The Scl~oolof the Prophets

teacher is someone's professions. This is this man's livelihood; this is what he does for a living.

Tlien nnszvered Anlos, ntld snid to Atlmzinh, I7uns no propket, neither runs I n prophet's soil; but I zuns
n ~ lzerdntnlt,
i ntzd n gntlterer ofsycnnzorefrlrit. Anlos 7 3 4

The Prophet Amos says, "My mother and my father were not prophets, but yet Lord you
called me into the office of a prophet." The office of a prophet was a generational gift. In other
words, it's handed down from one generation to another. That's why lineages were so impor-
tant in Scriptures, because whoever made up your lineage determined who you were. If there
were no prophets in your lineage than you had no business prophesying and being a prophet or
holding that office. That's why Amos was so overwhelmed when God called him to the prophet-
ic office. He said, "My mother nor my father were prophets, how can you be calling me to be
prophet Lord?" God simply interrupted the generational cycle for His particular purpose. He
sovereignly can do what He wants to do. But, basically it is generational. I'm a prophet because
someone or a group of people in my lineage were prophets.

A prophet must have a commission. You have to have a call. God's got to give you some-
thing to prophesy about. There's got to be a word in your mouth. It cannot simply be a bunch
of rambling words. It must be a specific word. When God spoke to Moses, He put a specific
word within him that commissioned him to become a prophet. He put a specific word in Moses'
mouth. He told Moses to "Go down and tell Pharaoh to let my people go." That was the word
of the Lord that was placed in Moses' mouth. There has to be a specific word placed in your
mouth by God when you have been commissioned to be a prophet. If there's not specificity in
your word, then you should not prophesy or claim to be a prophet.

Prophecy is a sign to the believer. People ask me, "Why don't you go out and prophesy to
unbelievers?" The Bible doesn't teach that. The Bible teaches that speaking in tongues is a sign
to the unbeliever. I have no business, necessarily, prophesying to an unbeliever. I can speak in
tongues in his presence but not prophesy because it doesn't benefit him anything. Prophecy is
for your purpose. It's for your benefit. It's for the edification, exhortation and comfort of the
body of Christ. It's for instruction, guidance, and direction. The purpose of prophecy is to bring
to body of Christ into fullness and maturity.

There's been a lot of confusion concerning that. A lot of prophets are being told go out and
prophesy to the unbelievers to bring them into the house of God, yet that's not what God
instructed us to do. God has instructed prophets to speak into the lives of His people to give
them directions.

Bretltren, be not cllildrell in irnderstnltding; hozubeit ill nmlice be ye cllildren, but ill lrlzderstnllditlg be
nlelz. 171 tlte In70 it is zuritteiz, With lilell ofotlrer tollgltes and other lips zoill 1 speak irlrto this people;
nlzd yet for nll thnt zuill t11e11 not ltenr nle, snit11 the Lord. Wlzerrfore toltglres nrefor n sign, not to tlzelll
tltnt believe, but to then1 that believe not: but propllesying seervetll ilotfor t!leiiz tllnt believe ,tot, bnt
for tlle~n7ulzich believe. I Corinthinns 14:20-22

There was a specific assignment that was given to Moses and he needed to speak to an unbe-
liever, Pharaoh, at that time. Primarily, our assignment is to the body of Christ unless God oth-
 Proplzetic Cltnos or Proplteec Order?

erwise specifies. We have to stay in the confines of what God has commanded us to do. That
may seem a little strange but we have to. If we operate outside of that we won't find any suc-
cess. If God says go out and speak to this particular unbeliever, He has a purpose and a reason
for it. But as a continuous ministry and service we have to prophesy to the body of Christ first.

The prophetic word must serve a purpose. If the word that you're giving someone is not
serving any purpose in their lives, then you need to hold that word until it becomes mature. If
you're sensing something in your spirit and you're about to impart some sense of understand-
ing to a individual or some sort of insight concerning the heart of God or the mind of God and
it's not serving any particular purpose, then you need to hold that word. Hold it until it matures
and begins to serve a purpose in the life of the person that you're going to prophesy to.

It's senseless to prophesy something to an individual and it has no purpose. What will he or
she do with it? Wait until it makes some sense to you before you impart it so it can makes some
sense to the individual that you're imparting it to. It may not make complete sense to you, but
let it make some sort of sense. Let it be somewhat logical.

The prophetic word must have a source. Understand that there are different sources from
which to acquire insight into future events. There's only one spiritual realm, and both God and
satan are in the same spiritual realm. God has the Holy Spirit and angelic spirits who are also
familiar with different aspects of people's lives. Satan has many agents that are familiar with dif-
ferent aspects of people's lives. Our Source is God; He is the source of all of our prophesying.
Anything that is emanating from the soul is coming from the realm of demonism. Familiar spir-
its are imparting aspects of understandings to you;, these things are not coming from God. God
is our source of prophesying and the way we receive the prophetic word from the Lord is from
within our spirits.

Prophecy is conditional! It's based upon what you do or do not do. If you do not follow the
conditions of a prophetic word it will not be fulfilled. Any disobedience to a word that is given
to you will negate it and prevent it from being fulfilled. It won't be fulfilled, and cannot be ful-
filled. There are certain conditions that have to be met in order for that word to be fulfilled -
especially if God has given you instructions on what to do and how to do it.

You must respond in obedience to a prophetic word. Even if God says that He wants to bless
you, if your life is not in order and you're not meeting the conditions, then God can't bless you.
God cannot bless you if there's disorder in your life. The Bible says that God chose Saul to be
king of Israel but afterwards turned around and said it pained Him to do it because of Saul's
actions and disobedience to God. Saul changed the conditions of things. You can reset the prop-
er conditions.

There is no new revelation, only that which was hidden is now brought to light. As a prophet,
you're not rewriting the Bible. You're not adding anything to it nor taking anything out of it.
You're not John the revelator. You're not Moses writing the Ten Commandments. Everything
that needed to be brought to light has already been brought to light. God's word is the ultimate
light.
Tlte School o f the Provhets

There are limitations to prophecy. You can only go so far in the prophetic. There are things
that God purposely conceals from us. There are things that God keeps from us; things that He'll
never let us see.

The prophet is not the ultimate voice. God is! He supersedes the voice of any prophet. If a
prophet has said something to you and you know that it's not true, that's it's not coming from
God, go to God and ask Him what He's saying. He is the ultimate Voice, not the prophet.

And one other thing......it's okay to feed the prophet's belly! There's been a lot of confusion
concerning feeding the belly of the prophet. You can't walk into a doctor's office or the office of
a psychiatrist and just lay there and let him diagnose you and then just get up and walk out.
You've got to pay that man. When you pay him what you're actually doing is feeding his belly.
The office of the prophet is a profession and unless you feed his belly he can't eat! It's a slap in
the face of a prophet if you come to him and ask him for a prophetic word and not feed his belly.
That's an insult not only to that prophet but also to God who has promised to provide for him.

And Elijnlr said ttnto her, Fenr not; go nizd do as thou hnst snid; bttf ninke nte thereof n little cnkefirst,
niid bring it unto nie, nizd after nznke for thee nltd for thy son. I Kings 1723

Notice when the miracle took place for this woman: after she fed the belly of the prophet.
She was instructed to feed his belly first. After feeding his belly the miracle came.

Faith is essential in receiving anything from God. The testing of the prophetic word is a test-
ing of your faith.

And they rose early in tlte meriting, ntid zueizt forth into the zuilderltess of Tekon; nizd as they rueitt
forth, Jeltosllnplint stood n~tdsnid, Hear nie, 0 Jtrdnh, nnd ye inhnbitnnts of Jertrsnlenz; Believe i n the
LORD yottr God, so shnll ye be estnblished; believe his prophets, so shnll ye prosper. 11 Chronicles
20:20

Chaos and disorder will suffocate the prophetic word. Order gives freedom and power to the
prophetic word.
 C H A P T E R 1 5

THE PROPHET mD

Propltet Frank Webster

Most people think that the responsibility of a prophet is just simply to say "The Lord will
bless you with this," or "The Lord will bless you with that." However, speaking blessings is only
one area encompassed in the prophetic ministry. Another is spiritual warfare. The prophet is an
equipped and prepared soldier backed by an unbeatable Commander, the Almighty God.

According to Webster's dictionary, "warfare" is defined as a "war or any conflict." "War" is

defined as an "armed conflict, as between two nations; any fight; carry on war." "Conflict" is
d e f i e d as "to be in opposition; a fight; sharp disagreement." "Spiritual" means "of the soul;
religious; sacred." The root of this word is "spirit", which is "soul; ghost, angel, etc.; mood."
Thus, a prophet actively engages in armed opposition against enemies that war against the soul.
The enemy is an evil angelic force -principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world
and spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12) -manifested in the flesh as an human
oppressor, a false or legalistic religious doctrine, a negative emotional state, etc.

I N SPIRITUAL WARFARE, THE PROPHET SOUNDS THE ALARM

Declare ye ilt Jitdnh, a ~ t dpiiblisk in Jerirsnlellt; nlid say, BBlou~ye the trirr~zpetin the lnlzd: cnj, gather
together, rind say, Asserltble yotlrselues, nltd let 11sgo into the defenced cities. Declnre ye ill J11dn11, nltd
publish in Jerusnlent; Set ttp the stn~zdnrdtozunrd Ziolt; retire, stny not: for I zuill bring evilfronl tlte
~ t o r t lnlid
~ , n grent destrllctiolt. Jerevtinh 4:5-6

The trumpet is a symbol of warning. Whenever a prophet saw the symbol of a trumpet he
understood that a warning was about to be proclaimed. Anytime the children of Israel was con-
fronted with enemy forces, God would always raise up a prophet with a trumpet in his mouth
to proclaim warning.

M y bozoels, illy bozuels! I nni pained at nty u e y ltenrt; ~ I I Jlieart lltnketli n noise in me; I cannot hold
?flypence, becnztse tlzott lmst heard, 0 tny soill, tlie solllid uftlze trttntpet, tlie nlaw~zqfzunr. Destrzrctiott
11p011 destr~ictioltis cried; for the zuhole lnnd is spoiled; sitddetily are 11ty tents spoiled, and nty ctrr-
tnins in a nlontefzt. Hozu long shall 1see tlie staildard, nltd hear flie soi~ltdoftlie friintpet? Jere~liiah
4:19-21

Those were the words of a prophet, which verifies the fact that it's not enough to say, "God's
going to bless you with a car, or bless with a house or bless you with money." The prophet has
The School of the Proplzets

.to sound an alarm. I'm the type of prophet that God has raised up to bring liberation to people.
I can't just simply say God's going to bless you with this or God's going to bless you with that.
We're confronted with a number of issues that are in our society and it's my responsibility as a
prophet to grab the trumpet and sound the alarm.

Whenever the enemy forces are about to confront you, God will raise up a prophet. He'll
raise me up, and He'll raise up others of you who are prophets to proclaim warning to the peo-
ple.

THE PROPHET SEES THE ENEMY'S WHEREABOUTS

To~ttorrorugo ye dozuiz ngnilzst thetit: behold, they conte zip by the cli#ofZiz; nnd ye shnlijnd them nt
the end of the brook, before the milder~tessof Jerztel. 11Chroizicles 20:16

Here, God is instructing the prophet to tell his leader the whereabouts of the enemy. It's
strategic. It's warfare. Unless you know where your enemy is and what your enemy is doing, it's
easy to be ambushed. But God, in His infinite wisdom, raises up prophets to speak to His peo-
ple and to leaders to reveal their enemies and proclaim their enemies' whereabouts. This enables
God's people to be prepared for war with an effective battle plan.

Satan is not our only enemy! There are spirits, there are principalities that are roaming our
atmosphere that are looking to personify themselves in individuals. Then, too, we're not simply
confronted with spiritual forces as enemies but we're also confronted with human forces -peo-
ple who rise up against us to try to destroy and/or belittle us.

THE PROPHET SETS UP THE OFFENSE

Aizd they rose enrly iiz the iizoriziizg, nizd zueitt forth iitto the zoilderness of Tekon: n ~ t das they zoelzt
forth, Jehoshnphnt stood nizd snid, Henr me, 0 Jztdnh, nltd ye iltlznbitnlzts of Jerttsnleiiz; Believe in the
LORD your God, so shnll ye be estnblislzed; believe his prophets, so shnll ye prosper. Aizd zuhelt he ltnd
coitst~ltedzoitlr the people, he nppoiizted siitgers ttizto the LORD, nlzd tltnt sholtld prnise the benuty of
holiness, ns they went out before the nrnty, and to sny, Prnise the LORD; for his ntercy eitdzlretlz for
ever. Aird zoheit thaj begnn to sing nitd to praise, the LORD set nntbzrsltn~entsngninst t l ~ eclzildreit of
Aiiznzoiz, Monb, nltd iizottizt Seir, zuhich were coiite ngninst Jztdnh; nizd they were snzitteit. I
Chroiticles 20:20-22

The prophet will help you select the proper weapons for war. Weapons include: praise and
worship; silence; shouting; the Word of God; marching; divine order; giving and, the cry of
God's people. Mercy is another form of weaponry. You are covered, for God extends His hand
of grace and mercy to us as a means of offensive warfare against our enemy You have to under-
stand the strategy of warfare in a war in order to understand exactly what God is doing here. It's
important for you to know how to strategize. We've been defeated in so many areas simply
because we don't understand the art of war. (And excellent book on this topic is the "Art of
War," by Sun Tzu)
 The Prophet and Spiritual Wa$are

. Black people are docile by nature ....probably because of the 300 plus years of enslavement
that we suffered. However, God created us to have dominion and to be rulers, but we've learned
to be docile. To effectively wage war, we must renew our minds and become educated about
some things that exist in our society to keep us oppressed. We're going to have to learn how to
strategize-not only against Satan, but against any force or enemy that may seek to raise up
against us as a race of people.

When you follow the instructions of God concerning any means of warfare He will set up
ambushments against the enemy. Sometimes, all you will have to do is just simply praise, sing,
and enjoy the mercy of God and God will set up ambushments. Ambushment means "to set up."
God will set your enemies up. For what? To be destroyed for your sake, for your behalf.

THE PROPHETSETS UPTHE DEFENSE

Then zip011 Jnhnziel the son of Zechnrinh, the soft of Benninh, the son of Jeiel, the soft of Mnttn~iinli,n
Leuite ofthe s o ~ i of
s Asnph, cnnze the spirit of the LORD in the ntidst of the congregation; And he snid,
Henrke~zye, nll Jzidnh, and ye i~zltnbitn~tts of Jerllsale~~~,nlzd thozr king Jehoshnphnt, Tlttts snith the
LORD ~ltttoyell, Be not nfmid nor disr~znyedby renso~zof this grent m~lltit~tde; for the battle is not
yozcrs, but God's. To~~zorrozu go ye dozult ngni~tstthem; belzold, they colfle zrp by tlte cliffof Ziz; nnd ye
shnllfiltd tltel~int tlze end of the brook, before the wilderlzess of Jeruel. Ye shnll not ]Teed tofight in this
bnttle; set yo~lrselues,stand ye still, nltd see the snluntio~~ of tlte LORD zuith you, 0 Jztdnh nitd
jer~lsnlen~:fenr not, nor be dismayed; tonlorrozu go out ngniltst tlzenr:for the LORD zuill be zuitlz yot~.
And Jeliosltnplznt bozued his head zuitk his face to the grozcnd: n ~ l dnll J~irlnhnnd the ilzhnbitnfzts of
Jer~tsnlel~l
fell before the LORD, zuorshippi~tgthe LORD. And tlze Levites, of tlte childrelz of tlze
Kohntltites, nltd of tlze childre11 of tlte Korlzites, stood icy to praise the LORD God of Israel with n lotrd
voice on high. I1 Clzronicles 20: 1 4 1 9

If you look at verse 16, God told them, "Tomorrow go down." That's an unusual form of
defense because the situation seemed to need a "today" strategy. In verse 17, God tells them,
"Do not fight." That also is unusual, for in warfare, you would imagine that Cod would say tell
you to engage in some sought of fighting. But God tells them here, through the mouth of a
prophet, "Do not fight." Anyone knows that whenever you're looking to defend yourself you
fight back, but God tells the people here, "Do not fight." In the natural, this did not seem to
make sense. Even when you don't understand, you have to follow God's directions and inshuc-
tions to the "T." If you don't, you will become a casualty of war. The enemy will destroy you.

It was obvious why God told them not to fight; they were out-numbered. If someone is big-
ger than you, don't be a fool and fight them; they're going to beat you up. It was just simply the
wisdom of God that He told them to forego physical combat. He emphatically said, "Position
yourself. Stand still, don't move, and don't go anywhere. Just stand where you are!" Then He
tells them, "Stand still and see." All God wanted them to do is simply stand there and watch
what He was about to do to their enemies. God was about to eradicate them. To win this bat-
tle, all they needed to do was just simply stand there and see; don't move, don't fight, don't do
nothing. Just stand there and look at what God was about to do. Israel did as they were advised.
They stood still and they praised the Lord. They sang and just watched as God devoured the
The Sclzool of tlze Proplzets

&erny for their sakes. If the people of Israel would have done anything differently they would
never have gained the victory.

The Prophet describes God's plan for the battle. In Chronicles 20, God puts His entire plan
for battle before the people. God's entire outline for this battle is strategically laid out for the
people. Strange, but it wasn't the leader that gave the word, but a prophet. It is important for
you to get before a prophet for the purpose of consultation, direction and instruction. It's imper-
ative that you both listen to and do what a prophet tells you in order to be successful and victo-
rious in life.

Prophets work in conjunction with leaders. We do not supersede leadership, for we're under
leadership. A curse will be placed on your life if you ever try to supersede the authority that God
has placed over your life. I don't care if you're able to prophesy the coming of the ending of the
ages, you're still responsible to adhere to the leader that God has placed over you. There have
been many prophets who felt that because God speaks to them and they get direct words from
the Lord that puts them in the position where they can supersede their leaders. No, I am what
I am today because of my submission to leadership.

THEPROPHETREVEALSTHEENEMY'SSECRETPLAWS
Thelz the ki~zgof S y i n zunrred ngnhist isrnel, nlld took co~l?zselzuitlz his serunnts, snyiilg, 111szlch nlzd
such n plnce shnll be m y canlp. Alzd the lllnll of God setzt tinto tlze king of Isrnel, snying, Bezunre thnt
thou pass not sz~clza plnce; for thither flie Syrinlts nre come dozu~z.Alzd the kilzg of Isrnel se~ttto the
plnce which tlze nlnli of God told hiill n~zdzunr~iedIii~ltof, nlld snved lzin~selfthere, ]lot once nor tzuice.
Tlzerefore the henrt oftlie killg of Syrin zuns sore trollbledfor this tlzilzg; nlid he cnlled his servants, nnd
snid zr~ltothelll, Will ye not slzozu ]?rezuliich of ILS is for the killg of lsrnel? Arid o1ze of his servnllfs snid,
None, ~ f z lord,
y 0 kilzg: blct Elislzn, the prophet thnt is ~ J Isrnel,
Z telletli the killg of lsrnel the zuords tllnt
thou spenkest in thy bedchntlzber. And he snid, Go nlld spy zdzere he is, thnf I rimy selzd nlzd fetch 11inl.
And it zuns told hillz, SnlJ?lillg,Behold, he is ill Dothnli. 11 Kilzgs 6:8-13

Elisha was a prophet. A prophet will reveal the secret plans of your enemy; he was in that
man's bedroom. He knew everything that was going on. There is nothing that the enemy can
do that God doesn't know about. There is no plan that he can develop that God is not aware of.
God will raise up a prophet to reveal the secret plans of your enemy. That prophet was in that
man's bedroom! There's a number of things that go on in the bedroom beside conversations. He
saw all of that, and he was in all of that man's business! Elisha extracted all of the information
that was necessary to set the king up for a fall. Everything that he said and did was revealed to
Elisha by God. Elisha revealed all of the secrets of this man's heart.

It is a strange course of events, but this is how the prophets interact in the area of warfare.
It's all strategic, for it's a battle for war. If you thought that you were coming into Christianity
and that you would walk a life simply in peace, I hate to tell you, but not so. We're engaged in
constant battle; constant war. We need to know the plans of the enemy from one minute to the
next. You never know when he's lurking in the shadows waiting to ambush you.
 The Prophet and Spirihtnl Wnrfnre

. Disobedience to God's plan for battle can result in your death. Never disobey God.
Whenever God gives you a directive or some instructions, never disobey Him. If you disobey,
you can possibly die. You may not necessarily be in the midst of warfare, but it can be in every-
day living. If you disobey, it may bring death to your life spiritually and, in some cases, natu-
rally.

Look at what happened to Saul when he disobeyed the orders of the prophet (1 Sam.
137-15). He burned strange fire unto the Lord. He was never directed to do so; in fact, Samuel
had told Saul to wait in Gilgal seven days and then Samuel would meet him there to sacrifice
burnt offerings and peace offerings. (1 Sam. 10:8) Saul waited the seven days, but in his fear and
impatience, Saul overstepped his boundaries and made the offerings.

This was a costly, presumptuous sin. According to the Law (Lev. 1,3) there were prescribed
ways to make all offerings. In the burnt and peace offering the offerer and the designated priest,
who was a son of Aaron, participated in various aspects of the offering. Both were considered
"an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord." (Lev. 1:17,3:16, NIV)

The peace offering was considered a "fellowship" offering because the offerer had fellowship
with God and the priest. It was to be burnt on the altar on top of the burnt offering (Lev. 35).
Saul never got a chance to make the peace offering because "as soon as he made an end of offer-
ing the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came." (1Sam. 13:lO) This was providential. Because of
his sin, Saul's offerings were not pleasing to God. Thus, Saul could not make the peace offering
because he had broken fellowship with God. The end result was that Saul's kingship was
stripped from him and he and his sons all died in battle. It pained the prophet to see the leader's
disobedience. The Bible says that Samuel mourned for Saul until God had to put a stop to his
mourning.

Always get the counsel of the prophet before engaging in warfare. The prophet predicts vic-
tory and defeat. David was a man of war and strategic vision. David had tremendous wisdom.
He would never ever enter into a battle with any neighboring nations that was a enemy of his
and the people of Israel without first obtaining prophetic consultation. He needed to know what
the outcome of the battle would be before he would fight. It wasn't enough for David to just get
the battle plan, but he wanted to know what the outcome was going to be. To discover these, he
would consult the prophets. He had them sit around him and ask them what is God saying con-
cerning this battle, "Are we going to win? Are we going to lose? What's going to be the out-
come?" He would not make a step in any particular direction without first receiving the coun-
sel of the Lord.

Understand when these prophets spoke, they spoke on behalf of God. God knew what the
outcome of every battle would be. If the people of Israel would lose, He would speak to the
heart of the prophet and say., "Don't fight this war. You will lose a lot of valiant men." If they
would win, the prophet would say, "Go forth, for God will surely give the enemy into your
hands." Always consult with a prophet before making any major decisions.
Tlze School of tlze Prophets

GOD WILL REVEAL YOUR REAL FIGHTING FORCE THROUGH THE WORD OF THE PROPHET

And when tlze servnnt of the nznn of God runs risen enrly, n~zdgone forth, behol~i,ntz host co~izpnssed
the city bofh ruith horses nlzd clznriots. And his servant said tinto him, Alns, nzy mnster! horu slrnll zue
do? And he nnszuered, Fenr not:for thmj tlznt be with zis nre more tlzn~zthey tlznt be ruitli Nlein. And
Elishn prnyd, and snid, LORD, I prny thee, open his eyes, tlznt he nzny see. And tlze LORD opened
the eyes of the yoz~ngnmn; nlzd he snw; nnd, belzold, the ~notrntninwnsfiill of horses n~zdchnriots of
fire round nbozit Elishn. I1 Kings 6:15-17

A prophet is not a mystical person. We don't supersede anyone, but we're servants. God,
however, has given us insight into certain things that others may not necessarily have. (Amos
37) Here the prophet had receive a specific revelation and insight pertaining to the real fighting
force that was behind his confidence. His servant Gehazi didn't see things the way Elisha saw it.
Elisha prayed and asked God, "Open the eyes of this servant that he may see." God opened
Gehazi's eyes and when he looked, the Bible says that he beheld the real fighting force -
the armies of heaven, the angels of the Lord in their chariots with flaming swords drawn. His
eyes were open to see things in the realm of the Spirit that he could not have seen unless the
prophet prayed for him and asked God to open his eyes. A lot of us don't realize, nor are we
acquainted with, our real fighting forces. There are forces that are fighting for us every single
day.

If you only knew the type of warfare that is existing in our atmosphere you would probably
be shocked, paralyzed, and completely petrified. There is a ongoing warfare that's taking place
in the realm of the Spirit and it often manifests in the realm of the natural. We feel the effects,
and we experience what's existing in the spiritual realm. If satan is gaining any sort of advance-
ment, we feel it. If the heavenly hosts are advancing and gaining, we feel it. God is fighting for
us. He's behind us, but He wants us to participate in the warfare. My prayer is that God would
open your eyes so that you could see your real fighting forces and that the art of warfare would
become one that you become engaged in, in both spiritual and natural matters.

The prophet understands that warfare is spiritual, but can often manifest in the natural.
Warfare can manifest in social issues and in politics. Warfare can manifest in economics. Often
times, when you are facing financial droughts, it is because you are engaged in warfare. The
enemy attacks our finances so that we can not proliferate the gospel or stand as a voice in gov-
ernment affairs. It is a devise to distract you so that you will be more worried about paying your
bills than you are about speaking the Truth. So don't bite the distraction.
Proahet Bert Williams
SECTION V

Prophet Bert Williams was called at the age of 12 to ministry,

but did not embrace his call until the age of 25. He spent the last
15 years in advertising as an Art Director and Producer on nation-
al and regional accounts, in both print and television. In 1987, he
was called out of the corporate environment and given the task of
starting his own company.

At this same juncture, he and his wife were called out of the
church where he was a minister and musiaan for 13 years to fol-
low the move of God. The past seven years were years of empty-
ing out the old. Now the assignment has been given. He and his
wife stand together as a prophetic team teaching in the area of
image. Together they have done seminars for corporate business-
es such as The National Urban League and church associations
such as Elim International and The Abundant Life Network
Organizations.
The School of the Prophets

.
 C H A P T E R 1 6

THE SCIENCE OF
PROPHE'FIC ATTRACTION
Proplzet Bert Willinins G. Proplretess Phyllis Willinitis

The Science of Prophetic Attraction is the study of image.

Image is a reflection of who you are as an object given to the public. The word "attraction"
is derived from "attract," which means "to be drawn or directed to one's self by some quality or
action." "Attraction" is also defined as "the quality of attracting; a law, a charm; to possess or to
use the power of attraction, to be magnetic to a law."

Image is comprised of everything you are. It's the way you dress, the car you choose to
drive, the neighborhood you choose to live in, how you go to bed at night, the food you eat, the
bedding you pick, and the sheets and towels that you choose for yourself. They all say who you
are. They are keys to your identity. Some may not think that these various aspects of life are
important, but they are.

People are able to assess eleven opinions about you within the first 60 seconds of meeting
you: (1) Your economic level, (2) Your educational Ievel, (3) Your trustworthiness, (4) Your social
position, (5) Your level of sophistication, (6) Your economic heritage, (7) Your educational back-
ground, (8) Your social heritage, (9) Your success, (10) Your moral character, and (11)Your future.
All these things are evident in the image you portray.

When God has given you an image, the world can't see where you've been because your past
is your past. So, once God gives you the image that He wants you to reflect, He will form you,
and He'll camouflage the flaws. People won't see your blemish, and they won't know where
you've come from. When God is making you, He molds you into what He want's you to be. It's
like faking it until you make it, so to speak. God will give you the power if you let Him form
and make you into His image.

For so long, the church image has been looking back to the world. It's time that we take our
role as a church to produce God's image, which is the correct image.

Scripture calls us "an earthen vessel." We are earthen vessels whether we're saved or not. .
The term refers to people in general. The use of the term "vessel" compares us to empty con-
tainers; something can be poured into us. You have the ability to be a perfectly faceted glass or
perhaps you may be an aluminum can. Now, you wouldn't place the same value on a can as
you would on a glass. You would pour something different in a can....perhaps something that
you want to throw away.
The School of the Prophets

- Images are formed within man by words. If you are an earthen vessel, then whatever words
are poured into you have the ability to chisel out what that vessel's going to become. So, it
behooves us to know who is pouring into our vessel. Words have the ability to change and shape
things. We have to be careful of the words we allow to change and shape our world.

Your words will indicate where you've been and where you're going. Your conversa-
tion-what you talk about-reveals who you are. Your words will identify your character. You
are what you say.

"0 generntioft of vipers, hozu cn~tye, being evil, spenk good tl~ings?for otit of the nbilncin~lceoJ tke
heart the nro~ithspenketh." Mnfthero 12:34

What's going on inside you will come out through what you say. Your conversation says
everything about you, which will then insinuate itself into your actions.

Verse 35 of Matthew 12 says, "A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth
forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things." You will
only bring out of you what has been placed within you. So, whatever is in you has a fragrance
that will attract the same thing into your life. God is always looking for offerings, but so does the
enemy of God. Just like God knows the fragrance in the vessel, the enemy does also.

You're attracted by spirits, and you will call those things forth according to what is dwelling
within you. So, you can't speak good things if good things aren't in you. You will only speak
those things that you know and that you want to aftract to you.

There are either good treasures or bad treasures. There are some treasures that rest within
vessels and it's not necessarily a good treasure, even though whoever finds it may consider it a
treasure. There are some people who like garbage. It's wonderful treasure to them, but you don't
have to allow garbage to be found within you, regardless of who attempts to tell you its a trea-
sure.

You will ultimately attract that which lies within you. Your friends are a prophecy of who
you are. Everything produces after its own kind. Liars hang with liars, gossipers hang with gos-
sipers, backbiters hang out with backbiters, and honored people hang out with honored people.
So, whatever is inside of you is going to hang around you. Again, your friends are a prophecy
of who you are. Garbage begets garbage. You must take a look at what you're entertaining and
what you are allowing to entertain you because it might not be of God.

"For ns he thinketh in his heart, so is he ..." Proverbs 23:7

So you will become whatever you reflect in your heart, and whatever you think upon.

People will only pursue you for your treasures. People are going to pursue what's inside of
you. Our friends hang around us for who we are. Relationships should be an even exchange
one unto another. If something is not adding to you, then it's detracting from you. It has come
into your life as a thief and a robber. It's a two way communication. Some people are always
taking and taking. People will do four things to you. Either they will: (1) add, (2) subtract, (3)
 Tile Science of Prophetic Attractiort

.
multiply or (4) divide. So, be careful about who you're entertaining.

"A good r~mizout of the good trensnre of his ltenrt bringetlt fortlt thnt zuhiclz is good; n~zdnlz evil nmn
out of the evil trensnre of his lzenrt bri~zgethforflz tlznt zohich is evil: for of the nblcndnilce of the heart
spenketh." Luke 6:45
his ~no~rtlz

The abundance in your heart will shine forth in all that you do.

True beauty starts within. There first must be an inward change, which starts with your
mind. Everyone is beautiful in God's sight but you must be convinced of that. Self love is cru-
cial. I'm sure you've seen people that are beautiful, yet when complimented, they become gen-
uinely upset. They can't perceive their beauty. They're gorgeous, and you'll say to them, "Oh,
you're so pretty." They'll reply, "Oh, you think so?" Even though you might think they look
beautiful, they don't realize who they are. Everything has to start in your mind. You must see
yourself before you can actually pursue what God has for you. That's a prophetic principle. It
doesn't matter how anointed you are, or how educated you are; what you think of yourself will
come out.

How you adorn yourself and how you treat people are reflections of your opinion of your-
self. People that are nasty are miserable people. People that are happy, are happy with them-
selves. You must begin to look at how you treat people. That's important, for it also has to do
with your image. You are bought with a price. You have no rights in God's Kingdom. He's
going to give you your rights.

People who are always beating people down are usually those who feel they have to build
themselves up to look better. So, when people call you all k i d s of names, it's probably because
they think little of themselves. They have to beat you down because they know that there's more
in you than in them. We've always thought that the reason they're beating us down was because
they were more powerful. No, that's not what it is. They just don't have the power. You have
the power, and they're trying to beat it out of you.

"A~zdbe not co~lfonnedto this world ..." Ronmns 12:2

Remember, you're bought with a price. You cannot be conformed to this world, for we are
not a part of this system.

."..But be ye trnnsforiized by the re~leruilzgof your mind, that ye inny prove zolznt is thnt good, nnd
ncceptnble, and perfect, zuill of God." Rontnlls 22:2

Once you have obtained the image that God has for you, you will be an example of the per-
fect will of God. It doesn't matter what man has to say about you, for that's only an opinion.
The only thing that matters is what God says about you. We must begin to know what the Father
thinks of us, since we have no idea of what God has in store for us. We must begin to see our-
selves as God sees us. To do so, we must look into His Word.

The world wants you to conform to what it thinks about you. Let's face it: most people don't
think as highly of you as you think of yourself. As a matter of fact, they never put you as high
Tlze School o f the Proultets

.as God would put you. They won't. You may not believe that because I know you think you
have wonderful friends. But most people will never build you up as high as God because they
don't see you through His eyes. God has hidden some treasures in you that He hasn't revealed
to you yet. And if He hasn't revealed it to you, you can't expect anyone else to see it.

There are some friends you have that are designed to be in your life forever. Stop trying to
hold on to things that are trying to get away from you. Maybe you're a traveller; remember, trav-
ellers kavel light. They don't kavel with a lot of baggage, and God is trying to get us to have
the spirit of a traveller. That's why Paul spoke about sojourning through this world. When
you're sojourning, you're constantly moving; you're always in motion towards an expected end.
People that travel all the time are people who have tasted a lot of things. They've become well
rounded.

People that stay still are stagnant, old, and outdated. They wear old clothes, do old things,
keep old friends, and try to hold you down. They don't want you to go anywhere because
they're not going anywhere. They haven't been anywhere and will never go anywhere. They
have been boxed in all their life and want you to live in their box with them. They're trying to
confine you within the walls of a two by four box, and God is saying, "No, I have greatness in
you."

God never keeps anything the same size. When He spoke to Adam, He spoke to everything
that was in Adam's loins. That is evident in the life of Abraham. God told him to look up and
see the stars and asked him if he could count them. God said, "Look at the sand. Abraham, can
you count the sand?" God was showing Abraham of the greatness of is potential that would
reach for innumerable generations. God made Abraham just that potent! And there's greatness
in you!

You must discover your correct image because God calls you to even impart that into some-
body else. You should be able to mb elbows with somebody else, and they should be changed
by being around you. We're so busy trying to transform ourselves into the wrong thing. God is
telling you to renew your mind, and He will have people come into your midst that will change
because of you. You're trying to change another object out there, and God is trying to get you to
elevate your mind to be like Him. If you elevate your mind, then you'll be able to see God in a
better light.

Whatever company you adore will be the company that you will become. When you love
something, you want to be just like it. Even when you come into covenant in a marital relation-
ship, you have to be careful. If you love that vessel, there is some part of that vessel that you will
embrace. You don't want to be connected to garbage because if you didn't stink before, you'll
start smelling afterwards. Prophetically, it will tell you where you're going. Even if you didn't
want to go down that road, when you connect yourself to the wrong person, you will be down
that road.

Before you take on a Godly image, you must depart from your old image. You are a new
creature in Christ Jesus. You cannot pour new wine into old wine skin. Before you can come
into the new, you've got to let go of the old. Our blessings are held up because of some of the
things in our lives that are not of Him. If He were to grant some things to you now, in this sea-
 Tlze Science o f Proplzefic Attraction

son, you would lose it. So, get rid of the old to embrace the new,

Change is not easy. You must be willing to accept change, but you must accept yourself first.
It starts with you. You're a sinner saved by grace. Before God can change us, we must realize
who we are. A lot of people don't accept themselves, and they don't love themselves. How can
you love others if you don't love yourself? Before you can take on anything new, you've got to
get rid of the old. You must go into your closet and begin to throw away all the old mindsets,
all the old garbage, and all of the old conversations. You can't hang out at the old places any-
more because elevation will not come to you.

Before I became a minister, there were people in my life that I had to dismiss. When they got
out of my life, elevation came. God is sparing you because you're not ready, and your image is
not right. And if you were to get married now, you'd get the wrong person because your image
is incorrect. He is sparing you. You must get what He has for you first.

A lot of our blessings are held up from God because He doesn't want you to embarrass Him.
If you don't have revelation knowledge of how to represent God, you can misrepresent Him and
mislead people. Money brings on a certain amount of power and prestige and automatically
places you in a different element. This means that now you're sitting in a seat able to govern
other people. And God can't afford to take a chance that people will be led in the wrong direc-
tion and destroyed.

If I'm a good father, with children - let's say, I'm a king - I would be afraid to reward my
siblings any wealth if I knew they would misrepresent the kingdom that I come from. If I'm a
kingly child, and I step out of my house with my hair is undone, wearing all the wrong clothes,
it will immediately send a signal to the wrong people....and they will be attracted to me. That's
a poor example, and God can't take that chance. He really can't.

And hnve y l ~ on
t the ilezu nmiz, which is renewed in knozuledge after the iiimnge of hint thnt crented hint.
Colossinns 330

If you don't have a knowledge of God who created you, then it will be impossible for you to
change anyway.

There are actually people in the church who don't have a conversation with God. He does-
n't even talk to them, and they ignore God. They have a poor communication with Him. They
have an improper diet about God, and they misunderstand God. There's nothing worse than
children misunderstandig their parents and their guidance because they will shipwreck their
destiny.

Images are ever before us and ever in us. Everything we do is connected to an image. Many
people have ungodly images that are continuously before them. An example: Our men in jail,
and our young people on drugs -are all the results of bad images. Child abuse and divorce are
results of improper image. A man with a bad image who takes a wife with a bad image, will pro-
duce children who will repeat bad images. Generation begets generation of incorrect images.
The School of the Prophets

Our created image has the power to influence things to be drawn to us or to be sent away. When
you have the proper image of God, of what God is to you, and what He has for you, not just any-
one can come around you. When you are an anointed vessel of God, everyone can't hang around
you. Have you ever noticed when you get around some people, they'll say, "How are you
doing?" then they'll walk away quickly, scattering. There's something not right.

In the past, I called myself a professional backslider. When I came around God's people, I
couldn't deal with them. Conviction was all over me, so I would always ducked God's people.
When people are not right, they cannot hang around you because of the God inside of you.
That's why it's important that we have the correct image that God has for us.

We have the power to send the enemy away but when you don't know who God is and what
He has for you, all the wrong things will be drawn to you. Any and everything will be drawn
to you. Only a gentleman - a gentle man - knows how to handle a lady. It's very important that
you get the right image. So women, if you want a gentle man, you must have the tight image.
A gentle man is not looking for a contentious, argumentative and belligerent woman.

There are many people who look correct on the outside; flowing hair, wonderful clothes.
They're composed. They have a nice car. But when you get to know them, it's totally different.
It has always amazed me that such contrary elements may lie within that kind of person. Their
external appearance may have drawing power but even if they're drawn to you, you have to dis-
cern what's inside that product. It has no substance whatsoever. It's like a marshmellow - all
fluff and sweet with little real value to the partaker!

When you conform to this world, all your flaws remain. You just conform. If you transform,
there's a change that takes place. Those errors don't remain because you have transformed.
Remember, the thing that's changing is your mind and your spirit. To put it another way; when
you conform, if you had all kinds of blemishes on you, you change into the element in which
you're poured. Those errors stay there. If you were abused as a child, you can conform to any-
thing that the world has, but the element of abuse will remain. But when God transforms you,
you come above that, forgetting those things that are behind. Now, you're going towards the
mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus.

You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. That's something to think
about. When you allow the Father to form and to make you out of His image and what He has
for you, you won't miss your turn or your moment. Some people miss God because they won't
hear God. Remember, you don't get a second chance to make a good first impression. Some
things in life only come once. Some people only come to your path one time. When you're con-
nected to the Father, you won't miss your moment. Your image must come from God or it's a
lie. Only God can give you the true image. He's the only one.

Who is the image of the invisible God, thefirstborlt o f e v e y creature: For by hiin zuere nnll things cre-
nted, thnt nre i n heaven, nnd thnt nre i n enrth, visible n~tdinvisible, whether thaj be thrones, or donlin-
ions, or prirlcipnlities, or powers ... Colossinns 1:15-16

God has given you dominion. He wants us to have dominion over who we are. He has given
us power. We are the only ones in this world He has given dominion: man. God called us to
 Tlze Scieltce o f Proplzetic Attrnctiotz

subdue, to take care of, to have control and to have power of this world. So, it's really impor-
tant that the image comes from the only living God. There are many gods that are trying to walk
around the earth. You have counterfeits; the psychics are trying to imitate God's people. So,
make sure you hear the right voice, and you can only do that through His Word, through inter-
cession and through fasting.

Jesus is "the firstborn through every creature." There can be a throne in you that you can
allow the wrong element to sit on your throne and can raise up an image that is not in the like-
ness of God. Some people look in the mirror, and they don't see what is truly there. They see a
broken fragment of who they are and regardless to how people think well of them, they don't
think that well of themselves. Why? Because the element of that which is not Godly is sitting
on their throne. And there are principalities present which means something else has dominion
over you. That thing needs to be cast out.

Everything that comes in your path is not of God. They're sent; principalities are sent to trip
us up. You have to be very careful who and what you're entertaining; through reading, televi-
sion, and the media. It's important that you are a gatekeeper over the image that God has given
you. The old image can easily come back in because there was a spirit attached to that thing.

Know them that labor among you. You must know and discern who you're dealing with. I
made a habit in my life. Before I become friends with anybody, I watch them from a distance for
a very long time, and they won't know that I'm watching them. I watch who they hang around
with, how they talk, and how they treat people. That's important to me because your friends
disclose who you are.

Sometimes you'll see people who are one way and whose friends are another way. It's just
another part of the person you didn't know about. When a relationship has run its course in
your life, they've done their job. Know them that labor among you.

Your image is what you project to the world. Your image is what people see. It's the fra-
grance of your spirit. In other words, your attitude is your image.

You can feel very sure about yourself because Scripture only says not to think more highly
of yourself than you are. It never said not to think high of yourself. The Church has beat us
down saying we have become arrogant because we feel sure of ourselves. Everyone should feel
sure of themselves. Have you ever noticed that certain people don't gravitate around people
who are sure of themselves? Well, that's because they can't hand them just anything. They love
to come up to you and tell you what you ought to be, but when they can't tell you that, they don't
want to be bothered. Be sure of who you are. Every man has been given a measure and a place
in which to dwell.

The problem that we have is that we tend to operate past the grace that God has given us.
You can watch the wrong thing and try to operate by someone else's success and miss your
moment. Operate according to the grace that God gives you.

The Bible speaks of us being perfect in Him, and you can be perfect in Him. When God sets
grace over you, even though you are still being worked on, grace covers you, and people don't
The Scl~oolo f the Proultets

s e e your imperfections. You can make a mistake, and people won't even see it because God will
blind them. So, you will appear perfect to them because that's what grace is really designed to
do. Grace is designed so that when the Presence of God is placed within you, even though your
garment may be so full of holes that the anointing is supposed to be leaking out everywhere, it
doesn't, because of the grace of God. You must operate according to the grace of God, and stay
within the realm that God gives you.

When God opens up the Word to you, it means that the Holy Spirit is saying, "Okay, this is
the Word you have to become." Now, you're not expected to become that Word overnight
because the Scripture says, "the evening and morning were the next day", which means there's
a time frame there; at night, most people go to sleep. So, while grace is operating and everybody
is asleep to your fumbling and carrying on, they're still seeing you as perfect. By the time they
wake up, you've got it altogether.

Negative thoughts produce negative images. Again, you must be a gatekeeper over your
mind. Thoughts have spirits that are attached to sabotage and to destroy, to kill and to rob what
God has for you. So, you must be very careful about what you read, your conversation, televi-
sion, media; all those things are very important. Your library in your home says who you are. If
you want to know about a person, go to their house and look in their library, for it tells you what
they are. Be careful about what you allow to go into your mind.

You must first see yourself successful before you become successful. That's a law. To be suc-
cessful, you must first feel successful, think successful, and hang around success. You have to
look successful, and act like you're successful. You don't have to be successful, just have the
desire. God fulfills desire because it's from Him.

You can't think you're nobody and think you're going to make it at the same time. Nobody
wants to hang around someone who doesn't thiik highly of themselves. I don't think you'd give
a job to someone who said, "I don't know if I can do that or not." I certainly wouldn't want him
on my books, messing up my company and making me lose money.

God doesn't want anything less. He is the only person I know who can take nothing and
make something. But He's already determined He can make something out of it. The interest-
ing thing about it is, if you still are bullheaded and don't want to be made into anything, God
will accommodate you, and take His Hands off you.

You have what you say. Life and death are in the power of the tongue. You speak death, and
you will experience death. You speak life, and you're going to experience life. Your words have
life to them, they have meaning to them. We must be careful about what we say.

You must create an atmosphere for Prophetic Attraction. God has left that up to you. Now,
what are you going to do about it?
 C H A P T E R 1 7

.
THE PROPHETIC P R OF

Prophet Bert W i l l i n i n s

Every prophetic word has an image connected to it which must be discerned. Everything that
has been planted in the earth has a prophetic word connected to it, that names its assignment
and defines its nature. All of us have been formed by words that were given to us as children.
The repeated comments and verbalized assessments we received have stimulated a picture with-
in us, causing us to develop into what we are today.

Words are never just words. As people of God, you must be able to measure every word.
Discern it. Judge it; whether it be of God or of satan, for words originate fmm kingdoms. You
will know the kingdom by its look, language and interpretation.

"Words are not cheap," as the old saying goes. By words, the worlds were formed, and by
words, wars are fought. There's an old saying that says "Talk is cheap." But if talk really was
cheap, how were wars formed? Most began because someone said something about someone
they didn't like. A lot of us are at odds with people because of words, evidencing the astound-
ing power of words.

WORDS HAVE THE ABILITY TO CUT.

For the word of God is quick, and powerjrl, n11d sharper than a n y tzuo edged szuord, piercing even to
the dividing as~inderof so~iland spirit.
Hebrews 4:12

We've always taken that to mean that only God's word is quick and powerful. But how
many times has someone said something to you that has pierced your heart? How many rela-
tionships have been severed because someone said something to really hurt you? You can sur-
vive a wound when someone shoots or cuts you. Yet, many have been cut in their spirit through
the statements of people and are still wounded.

When someone speaks a word, beware. Don't be quick to open those doors to let those words
into your heart. Discern everybody that comes in your path; whether they are from God or the
enemy. Every package has a label on it, so read it. Every vessel comes with its own set of instruc-
tions, delineating the "dos" and the "don'ts."

The soul can heal relatively quickly, but when a word gets into your spirit, it's another thing.
If you're in a marriage, which is a covenant, and you always use words to cut your spouse,
T l ~ eScliool of the Prophets

'you're tearing down your house. The Scripture says that a man ought to love his wife as Christ
loves the Church. Why would you cut her with words? She's your flesh. Many marriages end
because of bitter words that are spoken.

The word "husband" means "farmer" or "to farm." The husband has the ability to plant
seeds. If those seeds are seeds of destruction, you can expect to have poor ground. Sure, you're
going to break up your wife. Yes, your wife is going to want to close her ground and not yield
to you because of the words that were spoken over her. You have not cultivated her. A wise hus-
band will know how to plant seeds that will produce life in abundance yielding fruit that is
sweet.

The Word of God pierces even to the diving asunder of soul and spirit. First the soul and then
the spirit. It is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. God will discern your
thoughts but your words will make them an open book.

Psalms 57:4 says, "My soul is among lions; and I lie even among them that are set on fire."
That means that they're angry with you, and they have already decided how they're going to
destroy you. It continues "even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears (they're telling what
their weapons are) and arrows." They are shooting verbal darts. This is why the Apostle Paul
spoke about taking on the whole amour of God. Without it, the darts that come at you will sure-
ly destroy you.

Words can bless and curse. You can tell what's in a man by what comes out of his mouth.
His tongue is connected to his spirit. Out of the heart flows the issues of life. If you want to
determine where this man is in his spirit, just listen to his words and his conversations. A lot of
things that are said in jest are not really jokes. And saying "I'm sorry" doesn't always initiate
healing. The Scripture says we ought to be able to discern our own words. The Bible also says
if you were to judge yourself you would not be judged. So you should be conscious of what
you're going to say before you say it because your words have power.

People will discern you through your words; whether you speak truth or lies. Aliar can only
be a liar because the fruit that's in his spirit is a lie, for it is the root. It can only produce lies. Don't
expect anything different-he's a liar. Know them that labor among you. Wherever you labor is
your home. Discern your home, and know the type of garden that's there.

When you walk into people's home, you'll be able to note the type of spirit present, for every
home has a spirit. The atmosphere is going to tell you what the headship is like. Everything
flows from the head down. Everything beneath the head will speak the same thing as the head.

The weightiness of your words will be measured by your ability to back then by your deeds.
The measure of authority that is in you is determined by your ability to be able to operate as a
servant and your ability to perform your own word. If you cannot back your own word, then
that indicates there's no weightiness to your words. God is who He is because He will back His
word. The Scripture says He cannot lie. As God's people, we ought to have that same integrity.
You will be marked by the integrity of the words that come out of your mouth.

Be careful to make a vow if you do not know whether you can keep it. A lot of you are not
 272e Prophetic Power o f Words to fomr nit I~nnxe

.blessed by God because God knows that you cannot back your own words. You've made a vow
to Him that if He does this you would do that and God knows that you're not good on your
words. He's waiting for a level of maturity in you to develop before He can give you the desires
of your heart. Your blessing is held up because you're still a child. God knows that you can't han-
dle what you have requested.

It is important to be trustworthy. Many people can't be trusted. They are not good stewards
with few things, so God cannot give them much. A lot of couples have separate bank accounts.
Why? They do not trust each other. Any wise man should look into the depth of the vessel he's
planning to marry to see what's there; if it's worth buying or not. That's why men buy engage-
ment rings. A woman should not even bother with a man if that man can't place a value on her.
Your value is dependent upon what you think of yourself, and the level at which you place your
self-worth. Some women have cheapened their value through fornication.

A woman can determine a man's value by how cheap he is. If he's not worth anything, his
words are not worth anything, either. If he can't purchase a ring without borrowing from peo-
ple because the banks won't honor him, that means his words aren't honorable. They are pow-
erless. His name has no power, because his name is linked to the power of his words. His words
prophesy his true identity.

You prophesy your value by how you allow people to handle you. Fine crystal is for spe-
cial occasions only. It is used only by people who know how to handle crystal. If you think high-
ly of yourself, then you should not be handled by just anybody. Examine your image. It may
need to be corrected because the way you see yourself is going to determine the type of people
that are drawn to you.

Your name is wrapped up in your words. It does not matter how well you dress, for all
we've got to do is listen to your words for five minutes and we can determine who you are.

Your emotions can misdirect your words. If your emotions are off, your words will be off.
The Apostle James wrote about double minded people. They are unstable. In the Greek, "double
minded" means "two headed." If you see someone walking down the street with two heads, you
would be shocked.

Emotions can be your enemy. Men are more analytical because men are called to be warriors
while women are designed as seed carriers. Women operate out of their emotions. They are more
compassionate, but they must learn how to control their emotions.

The power of your word is governed by your submission to authority. People that cannot be
governed by other authority have no self government. They cannot govern themselves. The
weight or authority that your word will have to perform that which you have called it to is gov-
erned by the amount of faith you place behind it to propel it. If you have no faith you can't pro-
pel that word into the next element.

God has called us to be a people of faith. What makes you who you are is the fact that God
has placed His spirit in you and has caused life to be in you. When you speak, you have the abil-
ity to speak life, even to dead things. You can call those things to be as though they were.
T l ~ eScllool o f tlte Prouhets

Unsaved people can't do that because there's no life in them.

Words have birthing ability. Every man and every woman or couple has the ability in them
to be able to form their family and nurture them.

Children are open souls. Children come as unplanted but fertile ground. Now that's heavy!
You give them roots, and because they are fertile ground, any seed can be dropped in them.
You've got to carefully discern the programming they're watching, and the teachings they
receive. In light of the pemersions of truth and humanistic teachings that pervade the classrooms
today, we as Christians, must begin to believe God to develop our own schools, for if we do not,
our carelessness will cause us to become the doom of our next generation.

They're very susceptible to every word. Be careful what you plant in them. Children will
absorb from that element and grow thereby. If you keep calling that child "stupid that child is
going to grow up stupid. Why? Because he's going to nurture that word.
 C H A P T E R 1 8

.
THE SCIENCE AlYD P W
OF $ED IDOLS
Propltet Bert Willinr?ts

As defined, an IDOL is "an image used as an object of worship, one that is adored, something
visual but without substance." The word "idolater" refers to "one who worships idoIs or an idol;
one who blindly admires or adores another as a worshipper."

You can blindly admire something, worship it and not even know it. Alot of Christians have
made IDOLS out of their leaders. There's a fine line between having a mentor and an IDOL.
Remember when you were kids and adults would ask you, "Who are your IDOLS?" What they
were really asking you is "Who do you really worship?"

We are living in an age where IDOLS are bigger than life and have become a phenomenon in
this country. These IDOLS live in minds. They walk around in flesh, have names and are usual-
ly very famous people. You believe them - hang on their every word -- and worship them
either voluntarily or involuntarily.

There is a whole world out there that is looking for something to worship. We were designed
to worship. If we do not worship God, we're going to worship something or someone. When
you worship, your spirit gravitates towards something. The danger is that once you tap into that
spiritually, you actually become the thing that you worship. That's the reason why the Scripture
prohibits bowing down to IDOLS.

Tliotr slinlt linve 110 other gods before rrie. Tliotr shnlf not ilinke iriito tilee nrly grnveit iilinge, or nny
likeitess ofniiy thiilg fhnt is iit lienveil nboue, or tlint is ill the enrth beneatit, or tlint is iri the ruater
irrider the enrtlt. Esodirs 2 0 : 3 4

"Graven" means "something that is carved out, something that is made according to what
you see." The phrase "or any likeness" refers to a form that you are able to see visually. You will
only form something according to what you have the ability to understand. When you see that
thing, you tend to go towards it. Once you place that thing up, you cause a block between you
and worshipping God. Remember, you were designed to worship God alone.

When you bow down, you surrender who you are to the thing to which you are bowing.
Once you bow down, you say, "I surrender." This is dangerous, because now you're willing to
be submissive to that particular thing. It can govern the direction of your life. You willingly
make it an authority in your life.
Tlte Scllool o f the Provhets

Tlloii sllnlt ttot bow do?uzt tltyself to tltetit, nor serve fheltl;for I tile Lord thy God nltt n jenlolls God,
uisitiizg flte ittiqliifij of the fntlters ~ I P O I Zthe childrelz tiitto tlze tltird nitd follrth getzerntioll of tlteitt thnt
ltnfe nte; Exoritis 205

God is jealous of your worship. If you bow, you will reap what you sow: destruction is
inevitable.

God has set authorities within the Body of Christ to whom we act as servants, but He does-
n't wants us to worship them. It is possible to be a servant to someone and love the way God
that is operating through them. Once you begin to worship a person, however, then you start
moving into a forbidden area.

You must be careful of what you serve and why. There are hvo images in the earth that are
seeking to receive your worship and they come from two different kingdoms. If you want to
know the kingdom that people serve, you can usually tell by the way they look. By looking at
them, you can determine the kingdom from which they come. Liars tend to hang out together.
One has a lie greater than the other. Homosexuals all hang around in a group. Why? Because
they all have the same mind and spirit. There is a spirit; a deity that is ruling them. That spirit
tells you who they are serving...satan himself.

You can always determine the kingdom that a person serves by their look, for each kingdom
carries a distinct appearance. That's the reason why I don't believe saints ought to look bad. We
are representing the Creator of all things! We are made in His Image. The image of God brings
life, illumination of light and liberty. God allows you to have liberty. He never wants you to lose
the uniqueness of who you are. He wants you to be as high as you can; dwelling at the epitome
of height that you can through His word.

When you worship an IDOL, he wants you to be exactly like him, a carbon copy. IDOLS will
force you to be like them and if you're not like them, then they want to harness you. God is not
interested in carbon copies. If God was, He would have made us all the same: in all the same
colors; with all the same hair textures, hair lengths; with all the same languages, speaking the
same way; with all the same shoe sizes, wearing all the same styles and colors. God made us
individuals for a reason. He made our bodies different for a reason. He wants us to express our
uniqueness.

The image of Satan brings death and blindness. He uses fleshly lusts to lure you into
bondage through your emotions. Have you ever noticed when you were in the world how your
emotions were up and down all the time? The enemy always operates through your emotions;
through your heart. He always tries to get you to fall in love with something. If he can tie you
into that, then he really has you.

God always operates through your spirit. There are no emotions in your spirit. "For all that
is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes; the pride of life." It's not that God does-
n't want you to love the things that were made in the world - He just doesn't want you to
become tied to them. He doesn't want you to become a slave to them. You could love something
so much until it actually enslaves you. When that happens it becomes an IDOL.
 Tlze Scieitce atzd Power o f Rnised Idols

. All things have a spirit behind them. Identify what that spirit is. Every thing either derives
from the kingdom of God or the kingdom of Satan. IDOLS always have pride behind them. If
you look at entertainers, there's always a certain amount of pride that is their craft. IDOLS have
a spirit assigned to them (perhaps a deity).

IDOLS have offerings that must be laid before them. Just as God asks you for an offering, so
do IDOLS. They're always looking for something. In the entertainment business, there's always
some kind of offering that they expect you to bring to them.

During Bible times, IDOLS were made out of different materials. Now that we live in a high
tech age, IDOLS are living flesh; people. However, there is a certain amount of IDOLS that are
hanging on walls as pictures and people actually worship them. It's done very, very subtly. Elvis
Presley was and still is an IDOL. Marilyn Monroe was and still is another IDOL. The world will
just not let those people go. They're always raising them up from the dead. People have pictures
of these two in their homes. They actually believe that these "stars" can do something for them,
even in their death.

"To zulzorlz tlzen zuill ye liken God? or zulrnt likeness zuill ye cotrzpnre zlrtto lzinz?" Isnirrlz 40:18

In other words, to what do you compare God? Even though you may be ignorant, what do
you compare Him to? What will you try to make yourselves into?

"Tlte suurkrrrnrz nzeltetlt a graven it~tgee,nrzd flze golds??zitlzsyrendeflz it over zuiflt gold, mzd cnsfeflzsil-
ver chni~zs."Isninh 40:19

Let's interpret it into our modern day experience. We have people that are very skilled at
marketing teenage idols. We have witnessed the emergence of some of the most phenomenal
IDOLS of this age. Marketing experts are crafty They shape the IDOL and determine every facet
of their existence; from how much money they were going to make to the audience that they
wanted them to reach.

They took their IDOLS and set them up and wanted the world to look at them. They told the
world, "This is what we want you to be like." The message was in the songs that they sing. In
actuality, they took their little hammers through knowledge and began to form these images.
They dressed them in fine clothes. When you go to a concert, there's a certain spirit; a certain air
that's in the arena at that time. It's actually worship, even though it doesn't seem like it. While
there, you're getting into the songs and you actually plug right into the spirit of that thing.

The same happens in the workplace. There's a certain spirit that is in your workplace. It
starts from the head down. If that foundation was built on a lie, in order for that company to
stay in business, it would have to maintain that same principle to stay alive. It's the same thing
with IDOLS; whatever deity or spirit that was behind that idol is going to draw those people.

Whatever you plug into has the ability of governing your life. That's the reason why we
have to be careful of who we allow our children to be around and what they watch on television.
Television, books and our educational system are all feeding grounds. The enemy have set up
Tlze Scl~oolof f11eProphets

~ O L inS those arenas. Every arena has an IDOL that is set there for you to worship. The rea-
son there are so many IDOLS is because satan is not omnipotent. He cannot be everywhere all
the time. Therefore,he must set u p things so you can worship them. Every person has their o w n
gifting and ability that they're drawn to, so he's got to set u p an IDOL.

Everybody loves to be entertained. In every area o f entertainment there is an IDOL. W e have

prominent images o f men dressed like women ...intentionally. Can you see how crooked that
image is? Do you know how many people's lives are being determined b y looking at that
image?

IDOLS are pervasive in sports. There are certain tennis pros that are admittedly and
unashamedly homosexual: that's a spirit. There is a ruling spirit behind them that is impacting
lives in a most negative manner.

A lot o f times, these people are IDOLS and they're not even aware o f it. They're being deter-
mined and governed b y the spirit realm unawares. So you can see the impact that these things
have on people.

Even in the Church world, the enemy will try to set up IDOLS. This is to get you away from
God and into worshipping a man. I f he can stop the headship and get something crooked in
headship, then he could deter a whole church body. I f he could stop the priest o f that body from
being in the flow o f God in any way, then he can hinder the move o f God. I f a pastor is driven
b y the people instead o f being led b y God, there's a controlling spirit operating in the church.
The people are going to be crooked because their leader is not seeing, hearing or speaking clear-
ly the mind o f God. Thus, his words and lifestyle have no power and depth to release people out
o f bondage.

I f the enemy can weaken the Church from being a prophetic Church, he can stop them. The
Church will depend o n the world to give them direction. A lot o f Churches are stagnant because
they think that God doesn't change, and that God's character doesn't change. But God does
change! He's not doing the same thing now as He did years ago. He's not parting Red Seas! So,
i f the church is stagnant and not moving with the time o f God, then they'll be operating out o f a
powerless past wind.

That is the reason w h y a lot o f churches are being governed b y what's happening in the
world. They're always looking for ideas o n how to keep young people in the church because
they're not moving b y a prophetic word o f God. And when that happens, they become a perfect
target for an IDOL to be established.

People determine what kind o f IDOLS are going to be established. When God was trying to
lead Israel, they demanded a king. God gave them Saul. It wasn't what God wanted, for He
wanted to be their God. As a result o f their demand, they received a bad king.

IDOLS have a fragrance and an aroma that is acceptable for worship. There are certain are-
nas i n which you cannot go. You may feel rejected. It may be because the aroma that you carry
doesn't fit the aroma o f that atmosphere. That is w h y they don't like you. You take it personal-
 The Science and Power o f Raised Idols

.ly when you really shouldn't. If you walked into a concert where the leaders of that concert wor-
shipped satan, you would have a problem in that concert. Some people can be singing love
songs and they could be perfectly harmless. But the spirit that they're singing out of may not be.
You don't know what they worship in their private time. What you're picking up in the spirit is
the aroma and we have to be more conscious of that.

The aroma has a lot to do with the acceptance of the worship. Even God looks for an aroma
from His people, always. If God is looking for an aroma, then you know the enemy is looking
for an aroma. If God is looking for worship, so is the enemy. If God will only accept certain
offerings to Him, so will the enemy.

There are certain people that are in relationships that are failing. The reason why it's not
working out is because what's being done in that relationship is not according to the spirit that's
behind it. You must be careful who you marry. Women, you must determine where that man has
come from and who he has been with because it has everything to do with what he's going to
plant in you. If you're fertile ground he can plant a dead seed in you.

As you behold the IDOL, you are unconsciously being changed. Whatever you spend your
time in is what you will become. It will have to change you. Even your environment will change
you. You can determine how powerful you will be based on your environment. You can live in
a bad environment but if there's enough power in you, you will change your environment.
Either you will cause it to change or you will move someplace else because it doesn't fit who you
are.

And lze set tlte rods zuhich he hnd yilled bgore tlzeflocks ill theglitters in the zunteri~zgtrolrglts zulze,t
thejocks cnllte to drink, tltnt thaj shotrld coltceive zuhen they cnvle to drink. Genesis 30:38

The water trough was a feeding ground. Every time you drink something you have the abil-
ity to conceive. The television you watch, the movies you go to, the people you hang around,
the neighborhoods that you spend your time in all have the ability to cause you to conceive.

This is why the enemy raises IDOLS before you. He wants to determine your destiny. "And
the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spot-
ted." (Gen. 30:39) A lot of our people are spotted because of what they've been looking at. Clear
images will reproduce clear destinies that will remain unspotted from the impact of idolatry.
Only you can determine who you will worship.
The School of the Prophets

.
Proahet James Duncan
SECTION VI

Prophet James C.A. Duncan is a native of Guyana, South

America, and who, by natural profession, was a power station
Control Engineer. While in his native country, he served as an
Assistant Pastor/Elder in a Pentecostal denomination where he
began his prophetic ministry in 1983.

After arriving in New York City in December 1988, Pastor

Duncan joined Zoe Ministries in 1990 by the Word of the Lord.
Soon after joining Zoe Ministries, Bishop E. Bernard Jordan, along
with Bishop Roy Brown, ordained him as an Elder with the over-
sight of the Pastoral Care Ministry, which is responsible for shep-
herding the flock.

Pastor Duncan, under the direction of Bishop Jordan, is also

responsible for the selection and training of pastors, elders, minis-
ters, deacons, deaconesses, and care group leaders (lay persons).
He is also Vice President of the Dominion Bible Academy, which is
a fully accredited school and affiliate of Friends International
Christian University. In 1993, he received his Master of Arts
degree in Biblical Counseling. He was consecrated to the pastorate
of Zoe Ministries in April 1994 when Bishop E. Bernard Jordan was
consecrated to the office of Bishop. He serves as the senior pastor
of Zoe Ministries and as the First Assistant to Bishop Jordan.

Pastor Duncan was chosen to be a part of the Prophetic

Company by Bishop Jordan and is respected for the wisdom and
counsel of the Lord that flows through him. He has traveled
throughout the Caribbean, South America, and the United States
accompanying Bishop Jordan, and occasionally precedes Bishop
Jordan to conferences and crusade meetings.

In December 1979, Pastor Duncan married Donna Harte, and

they have two beautiful daughters, Sharon and Shona.
The Scltool of tlte Prophets

.
 C H A P T E R 1 9

.
G M N G BIRTH TO PROPHECY
Prophet Jaiites D~tttcnlt

Most peopIe rejoice when they receive prophecy, often expecting the manifestation to occur
overnight. But nine times out of ten, it won't!

Prophecy is like a baby. Women, of course, are familiar with what one must go through to
give birth. The original course for a baby is nine months but sometimes they come before then.
Ababy born before its time is called "premature" and often has to struggle until its body matures
enough to handle being outside of the womb's provision and protective covering. If you ask
most women if they'd like to bear a premature child, despite the pain and discomfort they
endure, they will emphatically declare that they do not want a premature child. Why? They
understand the risks to themselves and the child. They'd rather endure the pain for the gain.

The prophetic word is a seed of life. When the word comes prophetically to you, it has the
same creative power that established the universe. The Bible says "By the word ofthe Lord were
the heavens made." So, it's the same prophetic word that God has placed in the spirits of men
or in the mouths of men to speak to you.

So shall 171yzvord be that goetlz forth out of rlzy nzo~ctlt:it shall not retur~tl l ~ t ome void, but it sltnll
nccot~zplishthnt which I plense alzd it shnll prosper in the tlzilzg zuhereto I s e ~ l it.
t
Isninh 5551

The Word of the Lord is not void of power. It has the same power and it's a seed. And when
the prophetic word comes, it interrupts the cycle that you are in. The prophetic word does two
things; it speaks death to one season and speaks life to the beginning of a new season. The only
way a woman's menstrual cycle can be broken is when a seed is sown; conception takes place.
Seeds break cycles.

That is why it's good to come into the presence of prophets, because their ministry is a visi-
tation from God. Conception begins as the word is imparted. When the word is imparted, it
comes to your ear and enters the womb of your spirit. And when many of you that have prophet-
ic calls and prophetic giftings come in alignment with other prophets, you receive fresh energy
and the word springs up. And suddenly your flow is mightier and stronger because you came
into the company of prophets. The Bible says that Saul began to prophesy when he came into
the company of prophets.
The Scl~oolo f the Provhets

- Prophecy has a timetable. It has an appointed time when it's going to come to pass. It has a
particular season when it will come to pass. If you plant any seed in the earth, it has a duration
of time that must pass before it is supposed to bring forth a harvest. Likewise, your prophecy
has a duration of time when it will mature and bring forth a harvest.

When the prophetic word comes to you, it is already preprogrammed for success, and is
already preprogrammed to accomplish the things that God intends for it to accomplish. We are
the only ones who can abort it. No devil can abort your Word, but only yourself. When a
woman is told by a doctor she's two months pregnant, if it wasn't planned, she and her husband
might be unhappy about the news. But when God brings a prophet into your presence and
brings a Word to you, He has already planned for you to hear the Word; it is not unplanned.

IF YOU'RE PREGNANT WITH THE WORD OF THE LORD, BE EXPECTANT. IT WILL COME TO PASS.

For the visiofl is yet for R ~ nppoillted

I tiffre,but at the end it slznll spenk, nfrd fzot lie: thong11 it fnrry,
runii for it; becntrse it will slrrely coltze it zoill trot tnrnj. Hnbnkkuk 2:3

Every prophetic word one receives is for an appointed time. It has a day of appointment
written within it on which it is going to come to pass. If a person sets a doctor's appointment
one month in advance, they plan for it by scheduling it into their day. But, they don't spend thir-
ty days worrying about whether the doctor will be in. They just show up for the appointment
knowing they are expected on that day. Even if God has not given you a date, or time frame,
expect your prophecy to come to pass because God will be in that day with the manifestation in
hand!

You have to do some things to bring the prophetic word to pass. You have to give birth to
your prophecy. Like a pregnant woman has to do some things to birth the baby, so must you.
Sometimes there's nausea and vomiting and, in her discomfort she says, "I don't like this
process," but she endures it. Sometimes there are emotional changes, but she hangs in there
because she is awaiting the expected end. Giving birth to prophecy is as intricate a process as
giving birth to a child.

Don't miss your day of conception. The day of conception occurs when the word was spo-
ken to your spirit either in prayer or in reading or from a prophet, prophetess or someone shar-
ing prophetically with you. The day of conception is the beginning of the miracle that God is
going to bring about. It is the beginning of the baby that your going to carry and the idea to
which you're going to give birth.

Impregnation begins when husband and wife come together. When the sperm travels and
fertilizes the egg there is conception. In the sperm is the program of what the child is going to
become. In the sperm is written the time that the child is going to be born. It has everything;
the future of the child is already in the seed. Your future is already in the word of prophecy. It is
up to you to allow it to incubate and allow it to develop inside of you in order for it to come to
pass.
 G i v i n Birtlz
~ to Pro~lzec~l

. When impregnation comes it means that you are no longer alone. The vision of God is on the
inside of you. Your vision is a baby. The idea that God has given to you is a baby; it's a child
that you are carrying in the womb of your spirit. The plan and purpose of God is in the inside
of you. And inside the vision rests the conception of the life of God that is made to be expressed.

Impregnation brings change. When our spirit comes together with God's Spirit, impregna-
tion occurs. You are a pregnant man, or a pregnant woman; pregnant with the purpose of God
to bring it to pass.

When the prophetic word comes, it changes your life. "God, you said I have to tear down
this wall, and that I have to change leadership; but these people are so good to me. God, I don't
want to do this." Changes result when the prophetic Word comes because the Word is life.

Twelve years ago when Bishop E. Bernard Jordan said "yes" to the call to become a pastor,
he did not know the extent of the vision. Likewise, you do not know the extent of your vision.
But Bishop Jordan received a word from God that said, "I'm going to build you to become a pas-
tor; a shepherd." He knew God prophesied to him at the age of seventeen and said he was going
to prophesy to kings and queens and heads of state and he began to walk into that in 1984. When
God said in 1983 "You're going to be a pastor," he didn't like that. He wanted to just be a prophet
because the responsibility of pastoring is different from being a prophet. Your prophetic words
have responsibilities connected with them and have a great harvest that you cannot see at the
time. But if you follow them and give birth to them, the harvest is going to be manifested.

The prophetic word brings forth divine order. When our lives are not moving in step with
God's program, and He sends a prophetic Word to realign and reactivate us. It brings correction.
When a prophetic word comes to you, it speaks death to one season and the beginning of a new
season. It has a death certificate and a birth certificate attached to it. In the natural, you might
still see the season that you're in prolonging, but in the realm of the Spirit, the season has ended.

The Hebrew word for "prophecy" is "Dnbar," which means "to drive forward which is
behind." So, if your life is lacking, the prophetic Word comes and drives forward what is behiid.
Many times, a prophetic Word usually addresses the potential of what God has made you to be,
but what you are experiencing might be totally different. A prophetic word does not, a hundred
percent of the time, confirm the revelation that you already have. Some say that the Word of the
Lord must always be for confirmation. I differ with that view.

When God spoke to the widow woman to sustain Elijah, she did not know she was com-
manded. God told Elijah the arrangement He had made and said, "I have commanded the
widow woman to feed you there." The prophetic word does not always confirm what is in your
heart; it might speak some things you don't know about. It does not always speak to your expe-
rience. God will speak through the prophet that He has put the gifting in you to teach, to preach
and to prophesy, and you've never done it before. The word propels that which is behind to
come forward.

The person that receives the prophecy is not the same person that fulfills it. When Joseph
was seventeen, God spoke to him through the medium of a dream. God gave him a lot of
dreams, but he was not the same person when the dreams became fulfilled because he had to go
Tlze School of the Prophets

through some situations for that word to come to pass. He had to go through some rough times.
His brothers envied him because he shared his dream with them. You have to know those with
whom you can share your dreams. If you share your dream with your half brothers they are
going to envy you. So you must assess even those that God has given you to walk with, and your
friends to walk with because you can't share your dreams with everyone.

You may have a dream that suits your mind and your mind is twenty-four miles by fifty
miles and you want to share your dream with somebody that has a five inch by ten inch mind.
Compared to you, they are small-minded. What's going to happen? They are going to become
enemies to your dream and prophetic word. When Jesus began to work miracles and walk the
earth as a prophet and as the Son of God, He went to His own hometown. The Bible says He
could not work mighty works there because of their unbelief. They could not see Him for who
He was. They had a "I knew you when" mindset.

They knew Him as "Jesus, the carpenter's son." As Jesus the Son of God, He was a different
man. You might look physically the same, but you're not the same person.

If you are not ready for change, then you are not ready for the Word of the Lord. If you're not
ready for change, don't go in the presence of a prophet. If you love what you're doing, and
"everything is going good, God," don't go in the presence of a prophet because they see seasons
in your life that you don't know about. So many of your homes and your businesses and your
marriages and your churches are already changed, for it happened already in the realm of the
Spirit first. You won't comprehend what the prophet is saying because your life is not at that
place yet. God is showing the prophet a picture. When a prophet peeks into your life and brings
the Word out, He's telling you some things that is already planned for you.

All of our lives are like a drama. Jesus said, "I'm the Alpha and the Omega. I'm the begin-
ning and the ending. I'm the Author and the Finisher of your faith." He has already written our
lives out.

When God was instructing Joshua and the children of Israel, He was giving them manna. He
said, "Prepare Me victuals." Even in the season of manna, He gave them another vision. In the
mind and heart of God, the season of manna was ended and a new vision beginning.

If you've received many, many words, the prophets are speaking various seasons into your
life; various chapters of pages and pages in your life.

A prophet might look at you and see page fifty and fifty-two at the end of the book, so do
not run off with the Word of the Lord when you hear, "Yea, I raise you up. I've called you to be
an apostle. For you shall be My mouthpiece, and you shall trumpet My Word. And you shall
begin to start works over here and works over there. And you shall travel the islands and proph-
esy for Me and raise up churches." Now, if you lack understanding, you'll hear the Word, and
rush out to start a work. You're out of order because just as a seed is planted in the earth, it has
a time period or time factor when it's going to mature and bring forth the harvest. You don't
plant the seed today and receive a harvest in a couple of minutes, unless you're a mosquito.
Only a mosquito operates like that; its lifespan is about 36 hours, so it has to be quick. In their
season, 36 hours is a long time.
. So, when a prophetic Word comes to you, it does not come to pass immediately, unless it's a
word of knowledge. Now, a prophetic word in a word of knowledge speaks of things past and
things present. A prophet might say to you, "I see you at age 4, and at age 20, I see some things
in your life." That is a word of knowledge. God gives them a part of His knowledge concem-
ing you because He wants to erase some things and do some reordering of your lifestyle.
Perhaps during that season of your life something was held back and you're not really moving
with the intensity of God. So, a prophet, moving in the gifts of the word of knowledge, begins
to erase that thing out of your life so you can be propelled to the next season.

God has purposes for your birth. A child might be born illegitimate. The act might be ille-
gal if your father didn't marry your mother, but the birth is not illegal. Some might think it's a
mistake. But we are told the best oriental rugs are those where mistakes were weaved into the
pattern. You might think your life is a mistake, but it is not. God spoke to Jeremiah:

Before Iforiiled thee iiz the belly I kize?u thee; niid before tlio~rcniilest fortli out of the zuoi~ibI snizctified
thee, nizd I ordniiied thee n prophet llizto tlie nntioizs.
Jereii~inli1:5

Regardless of your background God wants you to know that before He formed you in the
belly, He knew thee. Regardless where we are, God is calling forth the prophets to arise and to
come forth. He is forming His prophetic network. Before the foundations of the world God
planned it and executed His plan so that you can walk in these things now.

Jeremiah had excuses but God let him know He had set him apart. All of us were words of
God in the mind of God before we came to pass. The Bible said, Jesus became flesh. His life was
prophesied before, and He became flesh. Likewise, God had you in mind before you were
placed into your mother's womb. So, you're not an accident. You were preprogrammed by God
and sent into the nationality, race, and culture of His choosing. You're not a mistake.

So, God wants to settle it now. If you were called to be a prophet or a pastor, it's not an acci-
dent. Before the foundations of the world, God planned it, and He executed His plan for you to
walk in these things now. God planned you to be here before the world was. The Bible says who
He foreknew, He did also predestinate to become conformed to the image of His Son. He put us
in a set part and a set plan. We were destined before we were connected in our mothers' womb.

So, get rid of your hang-ups, "God, I don't like this ministry." Get rid of all the cliches, and
get rid of the pity parties because God called you, even before you were born.

God said to Jeremiah, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee." We don't choose the
will of God, we discover the will of God. "Predestination" means "to be destined before con-
nected." God has already orchestrated your purpose. Ezekiel began to call for the valley of dry
bones. Begin to call for the new prophetic network, raise them up and the neck bone is going to
be connected to the hip bone and every bone is going to be connected. Regardless of who you
are or what nationality you are God is calling you to come to the summit; come to the high point
for you to receive.
Tlle Scl~oolof tl~eProphets

. When a woman is pregnant, she usually ceases to be in the company of those who are not
pregnant and who never had a child because there's no instruction she can receive from them.
She has to now link with those who are either in an advanced stage of pregnancy or one that was
pregnant before. Likewise, when you're pregnant with a prophetic word, you have to seek out
those who are pregnant with the same revelation that you are. If you carry it and try to share it
with someone else who doesn't understand your pregnancy they are going to cause you to mis-
carry.

When women are pregnant, their friends and their clothes change. They seek out those out
who are or were pregnant and understand something about pregnancy. You cannot be pregnant
and walk with someone that has never had a child. Can two walk together accept they agree?

When Mary became pregnant by the Holy Ghost, she began to seek out Elizabeth. She could
not have talked to anyone else. She didn't go and discuss it with other people because she was
pregnant with a different revelation. Deep calleth unto deep. She even had a problem talking
with Joseph. He did not understand her conception. He didn't understand her pregnancy so the
angel had to talk to him in order for him to understand that which she was carrying was of God.
But her cousin, Elizabeth, who was six months pregnant, had a similar -not exact -but simi-
lar miracle pregnancy. Her husband doubted when God told him his wife would become preg-
nant.

John the Baptist's purpose was to prepare the way for the Lord to come. Mary's and
Elizabeth's children were interlocked. One was a forerunner of the other. God is going to always
give you a forerunner for your ministry; someone who's going to pave the way for you. He will
make a way for you to walk easily.

There will be enemies to your dream. Judas was ordained to accompany Jesus. Every great
man and woman of God knows that their vision, their dream, what God has said and given to
them, with what they're pregnant, will have a Judas assigned to it. But it's not for you to be
afraid of Judas and it's not for you to pray Judas away. He has a divine purpose in your life. He's
going to take you to your "Calvary." Everyone of us has a "Calvary" experience. Your life and
the victories are not standing in the death but in the resurrection of your vision. When you rec-
ognize "Judas"' in your midst, don't pray them away and don't call them by name, either. When
Jesus' hour came, He didn't call Judas by his name. Jesus knew all the time who he was, even
when He chose him. But He said, "Someone of you is going to betray me. Do what you have to
do quickly." You see, you don't have to name "Judas" because "Judas" knows who he is. He
will do what he has to do.

Adversity brings growth. The adversity you are propelled into will grow the child within
you.

You were preprogrammed for success. The word that was given to you was preprogrammed
for success because it's the life of God. If God is speaking a thing through His prophets or by His
Spirit into your spirit, it will be successful. The prophetic word in you has an appointed time,
like a seed. If you put a seed in the right soil, regardless of what happens, it's going to bring
forth the harvest of success. When you were born-again, you were re-gened. You have the
genes of your Father. Nothing can stop the dream, nothing can stop the vision, nothing can stop
 Givipzg Birtlz t o Prophecy

. the prophetic Word -only you.

God has given us the power of decision. So you don't have to worry if the word is going to
come to pass, it is for you to carry the word until the time of delivery.

You got to follow the instructions. Follow the fine points of prophecy. There's always a fine
print in prophecy. Follow the instructions of the Lord. When a woman is pregnant, she's
instructed to change her diet. She may not like it, but it is for the benefit of both the expectant
mother and baby.

PROPHESY TO YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES

Tlieii tlie Lord put forth his hntzd, niid tozrched tily tirotrth. And the Lord snid rriito tire, Behold, I h n ~ e
put t~zyzuords itz tlzy tizozttlt.
Jereltrinh 1:9

You received the prophetic word. You are impregnated, you are pregnant already but there
are circumstances around you that are causing you to fear. God wants you to prophesy to your
circumstances, prophesy to your situation and whatever is hindering your dream.

If God said, "I'm sending you men," begin to call them in from the east, north, south and
west. If God said "Finances are coming," begin to prophesy that the finances shall be here. Name
the time that you want the finances to come. As long as God said it, you can name the time when
you want the finance to come. As long as you are in covenant with God, you can prophesy and
begin to name it. I wanted a Mercedes Benz. My car was broken down and I agreed with my wife
for a new car. While we were praying I heard, "Thursday." I prophesied, "by Thursday." By
Thursday we had a new car-a Mercedes!

All that God has spoken concerning you is already prepared in the realm of the Spirit. You
have to call it in. It only comes in by your faith. Faith is your title deed of things hoped for. If
I give you a title deed it means that you already have the thing. The title deed is the evidence of
things not seen. So what happened with the car? I heard the word and I spoke the word out in
prayer. So we were challenged now to bring the word to pass. The devil said, "Where are you
going to get the money from?" I spoke against that voice. I did not have money in my pocket at
the time, but I said, "I have the money." I was speaking by faith. By that Wednesday, God pro-
vided Himself a ram! On that Friday, I drove the car out of the dealership.

The word is in your mouth. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through
God through the pulling down of strongholds. Life and death is in the power of the tongue.
Begin to prophesy to the strongholds that are preventing your word from coming to pass. When
you do, you will see the vision is going to live and not die. How to g v e birth to the word? Begin
to sow for it. When you sow financially, give the seed a direction and an assignment.

You must understand the power of the seed. You've got more power than your enemies.
You're more powerful than the devil. Jesus said, I give you power over all the power of the
enemy." You have the power so nothing shall, by any means, hurt you.
T l ~ eSclzool of the Prophets

. The God-given idea will produce wealth. Money chases good ideas. Wealth is connected to
your prophecy. The idea that God has given you, regardless of what it is, has wealth connected
to it.

Don't look at your circumstances or at the obstacles. Look not at the things that are seen but
on the things that are not seen, for the things that are seen are temporal.

Wlzile zue look not nt tlie tl~iizgsrulzicli nre seen, birt nt tlie things rulzicli nre izot seen: for the things
zuhicli are see11 are tetlzpornl; but the tllitzgs rulziciz nre not seen nre eternal. 2 Cori~ztliin~rs 428

In other words, they are subject to change; they are seasonal. The things that are not seen are
eternal. Your battle is not with things that are seen. So when God gives you the prophetic word
or idea, don't look at something and say, "God how can I do that?"

When we look at the tree and look at the leaves begin to move, we are witnessing something
that is unseen -the wind -which is moving that which is seen. The unseen realm of the Spirit
controls the seen realm of the tree. One man said, "If the devil left the earth I'd be sad." Why
would he be sad? Because there's no one to beat up on. See, he's here to give us practice; to use
our weapon. He's our punching bag, for we have power over him. If you had a son or daugh-
ter whom you love and you sent them against an enemy, would you give them less power than
the enemy? Of course not!

Some time ago, a person had an idea for pet rocks. He's making millions. Whatsoever ideas
God has given to you, you can bring them to pass- but don't share them with small minded
people.

There's a difference between seeking first the Kingdom of God and seeking God. Many
times in the Church we have God but we don't operate in principles of the Kingdom. The world
operates more in the principles of the Itingdom of God than the Church does. The "Kingdom"
means "The King's Domain." Kingdom denotes that it runs by rules and laws. If we follow the
rules and laws of God we will be successful.

If you want financial prosperity, you must tithe and you must give offerings. The Bible
speaks about Abel and Cain. Abel brought the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. Cain
just brought an offering. And God had respect for Abel. God has respect for two things: offer-
ings and faith. And if you're a leader, your flock must see that you're a tither and a giver. You
can't do it behind the scenes because they're following your example. We produce after our
kind.

Your assignment was determined before you were born. Jesus said, "You have not chosen
Me, but I have chosen you." Many times we want to listen to the voice of doubt and unbelief.
The enemy is whispering in our ears, "You are not chosen. You are not called. Who told you, you
were anointed? Look at this one, and look at that one." The same devil came to Jesus and said,
"If thou be the Son of God . . ." Now, if he's going to tempt Jesus he'll do the same thing to you.
So when temptation comes rejoice. Satan is the father of lies...he cannot tell the truth. So, what-
ever he is whispering it is a lie, and you must not believe it.
. Sow in famine. Isaac sowed in famine and received a hundred fold in one year. All this helps
to bring forth your word, because your word is connected with prosperity. Your prophetic word
is connected with your dream, and your dreams are connected with prosperity.

Beloved, I zuislz above all thiirgs tlrnt thou iirnyest prosper, nizd be ill henlth, eve11 ns your sorrl pros-
pereth. 3 John 2

Your soul can only prosper if you are in close fellowship with God. Learn the ways of God.
Develop the habit of prayer. If when you arise in the morning you don't feel saved, don't be
alarmed. Salvation is not a feeling. You have to know that you know that you know you're saved
and keep walking.

Know the word and the dream that God has given you. That's why God told Habakkuk to
write the prophetic word down. He had to see it. What we behold we become. Write your
prophecies out. Every day rehearse them and they're going to come to pass.

Time does not mean anything with God. In nine months the baby is born but it's in the dura-
tion of time. Time does not mean anything with God. He is the eternal timekeeper. Prove all
things hold fast to that which is good. And get ready to embrace your dream.
Tlfe Sclfool of flie Prophets

.
 C H A P T E R 2 0

.
THE OFFICE OF THE PROPHET
Prophet Jnitzes Dilitcnlz

The office of the prophet is a governmental function. It is different from the gift of prophe-
cy. A prophet is a senior man in the Body of Christ. He's not a novice. He is one who is
ordained, hands were laid upon him and he was separated for the office.

Using the gift of prophecy, everyone can prophesy. The Bible says that the testimony of
Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy. So when the Spirit of prophecy is in the church everyone can
prophesy.

The ability to prophesy doesn't make you a prophet. A prophet is a man that has come
through the ranks. A prophet is a man that is developed in God. Usually a prophet is an
ordained man or he has to have license to operate. It means that some leadership, some elder-
ship, or some presbytery has laid hands upon him and separated him to the office. Ephesians
4:11 speaks about the prophet. Thus, when someone's called to be a prophet and continues to
walk in the way, he has to pass through the seasons of development.

A prophet is a spokesman for God. When a prophet speaks as Jesus the Prophet, it's Jesus
inside of him speaking. Jesus is the Person who is speaking. The Greek word is "do~im," it's a
"don~n" gift. It's not a grace gift. The grace gift of prophecy is a gift that is found in I Corinthians
141. "Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy." You can-
not desire the office of the prophet, but you can desire prophecy.

Many times, when people begin to seek out prophecy, it means that there is a definite call
there for them to prophesy. Whatever you are seeking, that same thing is seeking you. It's like
a magnet; it's deep calling unto deep. You Feel a burden that you want to prophesy. You feel a
burden that you want to seek out spiritual things. You're not satisfied in just being a nice
Christian, you're not satisfied being a person of witness or a person who can lay hands upon
the sick. Inside, you are motivated to begin to speak into the lives of people to bring change and
to bring order.

When that comes upon you, it could be resident in you as the office of the prophet. You
begin to seek it. It begins to gravitate because it's already inside of you. Jesus the Prophet is
inside of you. He has to grow. When the desire comes, you're going to begin to seek Him and
you will be filled.
TIze School of the Proyltefs

. A prophet begins to develop in the school of hard knocks. You begin to develop and see that
God's showing you something about somebody. God speaks to you in pictures. When you
come before the prophet and you get a prophetic word it's Jesus that is speaking to you. That
prophecy must be judged. The Bible says "Despise not prophesying, prove all things, and hold
fast to that which is good."

Why must it be judged? Because the vessel isn't perfect, and the New Testament prophecies
are not on the same level as the Old Testament prophecies. The prophet can miss what God is
saying. He shows a picture in the prophet's mind, and now he has to communicate that to the
person. God uses your intellect and He uses what you have learned and what you have known
and grown up along the way to begin to communicate what you see.

He might show you a pot and immediately the understanding of a pot comes to you and
now you're going to communicate what that means.

There are several gifts associated with the office of the prophet. The gift of the word of
knowledge speaks of things past and of things present. The gift of the word of wisdom speaks
of things to come. Discerning of spirits is also a gift that is associated with the office of the
prophet. Then, there is the operation of the gifts of prophecy and working of miracles. If you
are a seer, then there are some things that comes with your office, as well.

The prophet must develop the sense of timing. Your entire being becomes an instrument for
God's use. God can begin to speak to you by impressions. He's triggering what's inside of you
and you begin to speak it. You can look at a person and there's a sensation that comes upon you
in your body. What God is doing is visiting that which is in the person's body into yours that
you can recognize and call it. It is His Hand that is calling you to bring healing to them.

The prophetic office is ordained of God. It is not ordained of man. A female prophet is
called a prophetess (Exodus 15:20-21; Judges 44-5; 2 Kings 22:14; 2 Chronicles 34:22; Luke
236-38) The wife of a prophet is called a prophetess. Isaiah's wife was called a prophetess, and
Deborah was a prophetess. There are prophetesses in the New Testament.

Prophets are foundation ministries. A foundation ministry is not really a glorified ministry
as it appears to be. We walk upon foundation, we spit upon foundation, and we disregard
foundation. So in a prophet's training, he or she goes through all kinds of situations. If you are
called to be a prophet, it means that you have to go through some rough times because foun-
dations go through roughness. You must be strong. You will encounter all kinds of persecutions
-people lying about you, people discrediting your word, people not trusting you, and people
turning away from you.

John the Baptist manifested as a prophet, and Jesus came as a prophet. They rejected Him.
The Bible says He was despised and rejected of men. So as a prophet, you're going to be
despised and rejected of men because you are God's mouthpiece. The greater the rejection, the
greater the anointing. And because you are rejected, it means that you are in the same boat with
Jesus. Jesus says the disciple is not above his master. If they rejected Jesus the Prophet they'll
reject you. In essence, they're still rejecting Jesus the Prophet because He's using you to speak.
People always reject foundation.
 Tlte Office of the Prophet

. If someone rejects your ministry, you cannot wear your feelings on your sleeves. A founda-
tional stone is not a stone that is in the tower, foundation stones are always being abused. If the
mantle of a prophet is upon you remember that you're going to be abused.

And nre bzlilt 1cpo11 the folcndntion of the apostles atid prophets, Jeslrs Christ llilnself being the chief
corner stone; Ephesians 2:20

The training of a prophet tends to be rough and hard. If there are cracks in the foundation
that means the building will be shaky. The more weight and the more pressure that comes
upon a foundation will cause cracks to open and the building is going to collapse. If there are
cracks in your vessel, or if there are cracks in your life, it means God has to take you through
some stuff to heal those cracks. Then, you will be able to stand as you are called to be a builder
and a foundation in the Kingdom of God.

A prophet is a servant. If you're a prophet, then you are a servant. A servant doesn't have
any rights. If you have a servant in your home, you tell them to do this and to do that. You are
a servant of the Lord. If you're not a senior prophet, that makes you a servant of your leader
or pastor. Elisha was a servant to Elijah.

The same person the prophet speaks the will to is not the same person in which the will is
fulfilled. God spoke to Abram His will. He said, "Get out of your country and I'll show you a
land." But the will was fulfilled in Abraham. God changed his nature and his name. God spoke
to Jacob and the will was fulfilled in Israel, his name changed to reflect his new nature. When
God speaks a word and reveals His will to you He has to take you through training.

The first mention of the word "prophet" is connected with prayer (i.e., he is a man of
prayer). The first mention of the word prophet was with Abraham and he was a man of prayer.
All prophets must have a prayer life. Prayer is also a prophetic anointing.

When you begin to pray you're talking to God. You're having a conversation with God. He
must speak to you so that you can hear what God is saying and you're going to begin to devel-
op your prophetic ministry. As you begin to know the voice of God in prayer, the people will
say "I know this is God" when you begin to prophesy. You have to become a man or woman of
prayer because your prophetic word is not going to be flavored properly and it's not going to
be accurate. It develops with your relationship with God. If you are my friend and I'm going to
talk to you every day, you are going to know about me. I'm going to know more about you
because an exchange takes place. There is a relationship.

In prayer, God is exchanging Himself into you. He's giving an interpretation of Himself in
every area of your life. If you're called to the office of a prophet, you must be a man and a
woman of prayer. Prayer brings revelation of the I AM, because He shares Himself with me. I
know what He's saying to me because we have a relationship.

A prophet's ministry includes edification, exhortation, comfort. It also moves in the element
of prediction, forthtelling, guidance, rebuking, and judgement. When a person is operating in
the gift of prophecy and only prophesies exhortation, cornfort and edification you know the gift
that one is operating under. It's a grace gift or it's a dorrrn gift. You can know it by hearing the
T l ~ eSclzool o f tlze Proohets

'delivery. Senior prophets must give a budding prophet boundaries. He has to be proven before
he can move in other areas. If not, he can bring all kind of negative things into people's lives.
He can speak some things out of season. There are times when God gives you a word, and
because of the season, you cannot release that word then. You have to wait for the right season.

An exhortation is like a coach helping you along with the "dos" and the "don'ts," What's
going to happen if you don't do this and if you do that. Edification is to build you up and to
minister comfort. Many of you, when you heard God speak to you through a prophet, began
to cry because you heard something that you knew was God. Sometimes a seasoned prophet
brings correction to you. If he's seeing something out of order in your life he's not going to
speak it to destroy you. But he's going to speak it to edify you. Your spirit knows what the
prophet is saying unto you.

A seasoned prophet has to know how to use a knife of a surgeon over the knife of a butch-
er. Anyone can be a butcher, but a surgeon is a skilled person. If you're called to the office of
a prophet you are called to be a skilled surgeon.

Prophets were known as seers (Numbers 126; Hosea 12:lO). Samuel was first called a seer
before he was called a prophet. A seer is a person that has a receptive ministry in the prophet-
ic realm. They receive information. They act as advisors. Every senior prophet must have a
seer or seers around him, because he's focused ahead ...he cannot see behind himself.

When driving a car, you look straight ahead. You can't drive a car looking in the rear view
mirror. You will crash. Seers look in the rear view mirror for you. When senior prophets sepa-
rate and ordain seers in their house, the seers will receive an impartation of the leader's spirit.
They will be synchronized to the leader and his vision.

A prophet is a watchman. Prophets operate in the ministry of helps. Some people are called
to be prophets but they don't want to operate in the ministry of helps. They don't want to clean
the bathroom. They don't want to sweep the floors, or carry out the garbage or lift the Bishop's
or the pastor's bag. If you're called to be a prophet, operate in the ministry of helps. This is
where your ministry is going to develop. Because your anointing is to "go." Your anointing is
not to stay and say, "Let me pray all day and get visions and dreams." You don't develop like
that. As you go you develop. As you begin to walk out your ministry, you develop. The men
that Jesus developed to be apostles carried His bag. They were ushers. If you don't know how
to seat people in an orderly fashion, how are you going to know how to bring a word to bring
order in people's lives?

Operate in whatever area of ministry your pastor places you. Even if you do not under-
stand what God is doing, for you're in training. Obey those who are your authority; those who
have rule over you. You might receive prophetic words that "you're going to be a ruler in the
house of God." And then the pastor or a deacon says, "Brother, help us with these chairs."
"What chairs? I'm called to be a ruler in the house of God. You've missed God; that's not my
assignment." Assisting them is developing you. Whatever stage you are in is part of your
development-it's part of your preparation.
 Tlre O f f i c e o f tlze Proulzet

. Prophets were known as God's drama troop. They are expressing the word of the Lord as
they see it. They are prophesying the word in action. Words produce pictures. When God
speaks to you, a picture is going to develop in your mind. All you have to do is describe what
you see.

Some prophets are verbal communicators while others are literary communicators. Some
prophets speak, and some prophets write. Flow according to your gifting.

Some prophets function as the senior man in the body, nation or local church, i.e. Moses
Samuel, Elijah and Elisha.

A PROPHET HELPS I N PERFECTING THE SAINTS

For the perfecti~lgof the saints, for the zuork of tlte i~zitzistry,for the ed#jitlg of the body of Cllrist:
Till zue nll come in the trnihJ of the fnitlz, n~rdof the knowledge of the So11of God, li11ton perfect nzn11,
tillto the lnensiire of tlte stnttire of tl~efiil~tess of Christ: Tlznt zue helzcefortlz be 110 Illore cltildren,
tossed to nndfro, n~zdcnrried nbolit wit11 every zui~ldof doctrine, by ,?!the sleiglzt of llten, and ctilt~ziltg
crn,ftiness, zulzereby flzey lie i n zunit to be deceived. Eplzesinlts 4:12-14

If someone says that the office of the prophet is not for today know that they are in error.
It's a lie. If the office of the prophet is not for today than neither is the office of the pastor, nor
the evangelist, nor the teacher nor the apostle. Ephesians clearly shows that the office of the
prophet is for today. God is raising up the prophets again to bring order and direction to the
Church.

Pastors can't bring the direction that the prophet's going to bring. The pastoral ministry is
to take care of the flock. The pastor is the husband of the Church. He takes care and provides
food for the sheep. He doesn't bring direction. He can help, but he's not a foundation ministry.
He doesn't know the foundational stones. He can put you in one area and the prophet will come
and say "God said put you over here." Conflict arises between the pastor and the prophet if a
pastor doesn't understand his role and a prophet doesn't understand his role. It seems that
sometimes the prophet gets the glory because he moves in a certain way and the pastor
becomes intimated.

Usually, pastors are the senior man because the pastor is married to the Church. The pas-
tor's temperament is different from the prophetic temperament or the prophetic flavor. The
pastor is the shepherd who walks you through and who cares for you. But when a prophet sees
something in the Spirit, he wants it done now. He sees it as being done now. Everything cannot
be done now. Some things have to be done later. If a pastor is the senior man, then the prophet
has to become subject to the pastor.

If the prophet is not the senior man, you have to serve wheresoever the senior man puts you
to serve. Bishop Jordan oversees many churches. He's also the senior pastor and also a prophet.
The Bishopric is not a gift. It's also a office. The Bible says if a man desires the office of a Bishop he
desires a good work. So the Bishopric is a desire and it's conferred upon a man by men. The gov-
ernmental office of apostle, prophet, pastor, evangelist and teacher are gifts of God given by Jesus.
Tile School o f the Provhets

- A prophet helps to equip the saints. If you are a prophet, your purpose is to equip the
saints. Some prophets become egotistical and think "I'm the best thing God has. "I'm the best
person God has so I'm going to dominate." Prophets are foundation stones, not stones in the
tower. There is a difference. There is a different glory for the stone in the tower than the foun-
dational stone. So prophets must never believe that they're the "top dog."

A prophet's ministry must be judged by another prophet or the local leadership (I

Corinthians 1428-29). Some prophets do not like to be judged by other prophets. They say, "I
hear from God. I can judge myself." If you know a prophet with that attitude it is the wrong
one! The Bible says that prophecy must be judged. The Bible says despise not prophesying,
prove all things. How are you going to prove them if you don't judge it? Hold fast to those
things that are good, that means what some prophets are going to say to you might not be good
because he's still an imperfect vessel. Prophecy must be judged.

If you received a word and it's not confirmed yet wait until it's confirmed. The Bible says
if two or three witness shall agree, every word will be established. Another word for "estab-
lished" is "confirmed."

Prophets today no longer move in the inscripturation mode. The Old Testament prophets
moved in a mold that we know that is inscripturation. Inscripturation is new revelation which
becomes authoritative as Scripture. This is obviously the highest level of prophetic revelation
(I1 Timothy 3:lO). God breathed it (Gk. theopizenstos) upon them so it was not judged. Such rev-
elation is not given anymore today. In the New Testament age prophets are not in the same
order as the Old Testament prophets. God tells us to judge it.

For zue k ~ ~ o ziff

u pnrt, rind zue prophesy in pnrt. Btif wheil t11nt iohicl~is pefject is c o i ~ ~flleir
e , tltnf
whiclt is ill pnrt shnll be done nzony. When I zuns n child, I spnke ns n child, I ziildersfood ns n child,
I tholcgl~tas n child; but rollen I becnine n nmn, Ipzit nzuny cl~ildishthings. For noiu zue see throtiglz
n ginss dnrkiy; but tlteiz fnce tofnce: nozu I know in pnrt; but tlretz shnll I kiloiu even ns nlso I nlil
kitoiutt. I Corii1thinlls 13: 9-22

So New Testament prophets know in part and prophesy in part and see through a glass
darkly. God has given them a part. So we know that they prophesy in part that's why it has to
be judged. If God is given you a part here and a part there you have to flow with it and form a
bridge to connect it. So it must be judged because when it's going over the river you might
mess up.

Some prophets receive information in different ways. Abraham was in a deep sleep.
Ezekiel was lifted up in the spirit. Daniel dreamed and Peter received in a trance. Different
words come to people differently. If you have been called to be in the office of the prophet, it
means you can prophesy at will, the same way a pastor or teacher operates at will. Embrace
your gift and celebrate Jesus the Prophet inside of you.
 C H A P T E R 2 1

' THE PROPHET VS. THE PSYCHIC

Proplzet Jni~tesDtcncnn

This multi-media age in which we live has opened up man's imagination to perceive the super
(above) natural (nature). Mega movie companies have spent billions of dollars over the last 15
years in animation and other imaging effects to stimulate the desire for the supernatural. Their
efforts have paid off. We are living in an age where people are yearning for it. Their thirst is
quenched daily by a plethora of singing animals, friendly space creatures, super-powerful humans
and gruesome demons that dominate TV programs and movie screens.

People have become so accustomed to these antiChrist figures that it is no wonder that psy-
chic activity is so rampant. The psychic whets the appetite for communication with the "other
world" by promising a better life that includes romance, wealth and happiness. Unfortunately,
most people are unaware that (1)a psychic provides an entry into demonism, (2) a psychic can only
lead one to death, not life, (3) God strictly prohibits the consultation of psychics, and (4) God has
ordained the prophet - not the psychic -to speak into people's lives.

There is a vast difference between the ministry of the prophet and the satanic activity of the
psychic. In this day, we must know the difference and only seek out God's chosen mouthpiece; the
prophet.

ROLES DEFINED

Who is a prophet? A prophet is a person who speaks forth openly the mind of God. He is a
proclaimer of the message of God. He is an interpreter of the oracles of God. He brings the mind
and will of God to the people. God, in this hour, is raising up prophets to trumpet His mind and
His message in the earth because God is about to bring change in the earth. God is heralding
change. Change is coming.

"Szcrely the Lord God will do ~zotlzitzg,but He reve(11etkhis secret rcnto his semiits the propltets." A~izos
3:7

A prophet is a person that is close to the heart of God. That's why the Bible says:

". . . totrcl~not nlitze nnointeci, nlid do nzy propl~ets110 hnnn." Psnlms 105:15
- A prophet knows the heartbeat of God. He knows the mind of God. So, when he speaks the
oracles of God, if you're against the prophet, it means you are against God because you are attack-
ing his mouthpiece.

Who is a psychic? Webster's dictionary defines a psychic as "a person who is sensitive to forces
beyond the physical world." A psychic is a counterfeit to the prophet. The devil always tries to
counterfeit the ministries and moves of God.

Did you know that the gift that a psychic has is originally from God? It is! But the psychic does
not submit his gift to God, the giver of the gift. God does not take the psychic's gift away. But He
wants to redeem them so He can use what He has placed in them.

"For flie giJts nltd cnlliizg of God are zuithottt repeiifnlrce." Rollinits 11:29

The psychic should not be trusted because he is in rebellion. He is not under authority. The
Bible says that rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. It is the same spirit. So, the psychic is a witch-
craft worker. When you seek out the psychic, you become involved in witchcraft. God strictly pro-
hibits interaction with individuals who act in the office of a psychic. And, God imposes strict
penalties for disobedience.

" A ~ i dtlie sold tltnt tririzetll after szrclt ns lmilefn~iiilinrspirits, nizd nfier zuiznrds, to go n 7uliori1zgnfter
tlie~~l,I zuill eve11 set tltyfnce ngninst tltnt sold, nltd zuill crtt hint oJJfrottlntttotzg Iris people." Levitic~is
205

DISTINCTIONS IN INFORMATION 81IMPARTATION

When a prophet speaks, he brings revelation and illumination. A prophet, brings legal infor-
mation from his father, God. The prophet resides in the vine, who is Christ, thus he declares the
mind and intentions of God.

A prophet, being a man or woman (prophetess) of God is a person filled with the Holy Ghost
speaking truth and life. The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of truth. So, when the prophet of God proph-
esies to you, whether you understand what he's saying, regardless if it's not in your experience at
the time, he is speaking the mind and the will of God. Many times a prophet speaks to your poten-
tial and not necessarily your experience. This is called the prophetic perfect. The word for proph-
esy is Dabar, which means "to propel that which is behind." When the prophet speaks to you,
some things may be hidden in you but there is an assignment of God in your life that he propels
forward.

When you connect with a prophet, there is an impartation and transformation. When Saul
came into the presence of the company of prophets he prophesied. This also happens to people
when they come under the tutelage of Bishop E. Bernard Jordan. Because of his prophetic anoint-
ing, they too are able to prophesy even if they are not called to the office of the prophet

A psychic is not in God but is being controlled by the devil. So he can only bring death. When
a psychic speaks to you, he merely brings information. He gives you a lot of information that you
 Tlze Prophet v s . Tlze Psyclzic

already know. There is nothing wrong with the information a psychic provides, what is wrong is
that the psychic receives it illegally.

After making Adam, God instructed him that "of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely
eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that
thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2:16-17) God intended that man would get all
knowledge from him, only! A psychic is a person who is eating of the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil and tapping into an alternative source of information. It is forbidden fruit.

The plan of the devil is to bring bondage into the lives of the people. When you take a psy-
chic's prescription, he's leading your steps into bondage. When you come in contact with one psy-
chic, he will send you to another psychic. What he is doing, is sending you further and further
down the road of satanic entrapment. As a person repeatedly visit the psychic, the individual will
get progressively worse.

"Tlie tlzief conietlz not bitt to steal, nlld to kill, nfzd to destroy: I nnz come thnt they inny hnve I+ nlzd thnt
they nliglit llnve it more nb~~~idn~itly." Jolzlz 10:lO

In John 10:10, we can see clearly what Jesus is saying about His servants, the prophets and psy-
chics. The psychic is the thief, thus he can not bring any good but harm. There's only one spirit
realm -but they are entering illegally. If I have a vault with riches and precious stones, I have the
key and can go in and out legally. A psychic is l i e the thief that breaks in the vault and gets the
same valuables, but he does so illegally. In terms of accessing the spirit realm, He does not enter
by the door, which is Jesus. Would you respect a thief, or give a thief access to your life or home?
Absolutely, not! And you know if you're caught with illegal information you get in trouble.
Therefore, if you take information from a psychic, you are in trouble.

"I 17111 the good shepherd: tlie good shepherd giveth lifefor the slieep. But lie tlint is nn liireling, nrid not
n shepherd, zulzose ozufz tlze slzeep nre not, seetlz tlze zuolf conzhzg, n~idlenvetli tlie sheep, nlidfleetli: nlzd
the ruolfcntchetlz tlieni, n~zdscnttereth tlze slzeep. Tlie hireli~igfleetli,becnztse he is nn hireling, n~zdcnretll
?lotfor tlze sheep. I nnz tlte good sltepherd, nfid k~ioru111ysheep, n~zdnlir kizozulz of nii11e. A s the Fnther
kiio?ueth nie, even so kliozu I the Fntlier: nizd I lny dowli m y life for the sheep. Alzd otlzer sheep I hnve,
zuhiclz nre not o f tlzis fold: tlfeni also I niztst brilzg, n~zdthey shnll hear niy voice; and tliere sllnll be one
fold, nlid one slrepherd." Johlz 10:11-16

Psychics use books that are not in the Bible, and which are outlawed by God. In Acts 19, we
see that God wrought special miracles by the hands of the Apostle Paul. This resulted in the con-
version of many individuals.

"Mnny of thellr also zulziclt used cl~rioz~s nrts broilgltt tlteir books togetlie,; nfzd bilrned tltein hgore all
Inen: R I I tlzaj
~ colttzted tlze price of tlieni, and fotrfid itfifhj tho~rsnlzdpieces of silver. So iliiglttily grau
the ruord of God nlid prevniled." Acts 19:19-20

In addition to books, psychics use a variety of other things to illegally impart information to
people. They invoke the sea and also use necromancy -calling up the dead. King Saul began with
the prophets. He was chasing asses, but did not know he was destined to be a king. He found the
Tlze Scliool of the Propkets

seer, Samuel, and was told that God had appointed him the first king of Israel. Later when he dis-
covered that God had dethroned him because of his disobedience, Saul consulted the witch of
Endor. She used necromancy to called up the spirit of the dead prophet Samuel.

A prophet speaks life. He echoes the mind of God. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Thus,
the prophet echoes the will of God; the times and seasons of God; the changes of God. He speaks
according to God's timetable.

A psychic speaks death. He subtly leads you into bondage, into captivity. At the time a psy-
chic speaks to you, you cannot see that he is leading you into captivity because he usually says
things that you like to hear. That's because he's operating by a familiar spirit. A familiar spirit is
a spirit that's familiar with your bloodline, your culture, your neighborhood. By consulting these
spirits, the psychic is able to give you information that is accurate. He'll tell you something that
happened in your childhood, and you'll agree; "Yes, how did you know?"

"So Salt1 died for 11;s trn~isgressio~z iul~iclzhe co~rll~~itted

ngni~istthe Lord, eve11ngni~isttlre iuord of tlie
Lord, zuliiclz Ize kept iiot, n~zdnlsofor nskbzg co~l~zselof one tllnt hnd a fn~~zilinr
spirit, to i~zquireof it;" I
Cliro~zicles10:13

Saul's kingship began with the prophets giving him the Word of the Lord. When he disobeyed
God, the kingdom was taken back from him. He did not go to God and repent; he went to some-
one with a familiar spirit because he knew that beyond the physical realm there is a spiritual realm.
He was looking for answers.

A psychic does not have answers. A prophet provides both answers and direction. Following
the counsel of the prophet leads to increase.

. . . Believe ill the Lord yoltr God, so shnll yon be estnblisl~ed;believe his prophets, so sl~allye prosper
I1 Cliro~z.20:20

He that obeys the prophet prospers with his generation. When you believe the prophet you
prosper; not only you but your generation because when a prophet speak to you, he's also speak-
ing to everything that is connected with you. When he speaks to you, he speaks to your children
and your children's children. He speaks to your seed as well -your unborn children and gener-
ations!

He that obeys a psychic is cursed with his generation. A psychic can not bless. He can only
curse. When a psychic speaks to you, he also speaks to your generation.

"Tlzozt shnlt not boiu do?u~zthyselfto thenz, nor serve tl~enz:for I tlre LORD tlfy God R I I I a jenlolls God,
visiti~igtlze i~ziquihJof tlre fntliers lrpo~ithe childre~iit~ztothe third n~idfourtlz ge~zerntionof tlzenz tlint
hnte rlie;" Esodlrs 20:s

When you celebrate a psychic, you're celebrating a curse that comes upon even four genera-
tions. When a person is involved with a psychic, you can see a pattern that happens in their life
and the lives of their children and their children's children. Inevitably, perversion arises.
 Tlze Prophet vs. The Psychic

.
WHO IS MORE POWERFUL?

God is more powerful than the devil. Therefore, prophets as the servants of God are more
powerful than psychics. Even in the Bible when the prophets of God and the prophets of bad came
into conflict, the prophets of God always prevailed.

The world wants us to believe that the psychic is more powerful. Do not bite the lie -it is an
illusion that will lead to delusion.

GOD'S PROPHETIC PURPOSE

In these days, God is raising up prophetic voices to bring change in the earth: change to gov-
ernment, communities, and nations. Whenever God is going to announce something new, He has
to raise up the prophets. Because the psychics are counterfeit to the prophets, the devil raises them
up, too. To attack the movement of God, the devil is now increasing his activity to bring his peo-
ple to the forefront. That's why we see the proliferation of psychic hotlines.

The Bible says the devil is the prince of the power of the air, and we can see that the psychic is
taking their seats on the airwaves, bringing their message. The counterfeit is parading on our air-
waves now, encouraging the psychic friendships. This is a sign that God is getting ready to bring
the prophets to the airwaves. Our Bishop, E. Bernard Jordan, is on the airwaves, and God is rais-
ing up other prophets now to come forth to speak to this nation and say, "Let my people go." This
is a time of visitation.

Many people in the church and in the world are looking for answers. The government does-
n't have the answer, the community doesn't have the answer, the cops don't have the answer, the
civil authority does not have the answer. They do not know what to do about teenage pregnancies,
crime, violence, the budget deficit, international affairs. The answer lies in the semants of God, the
prophets. But, again, because the church did not recognize prophets, people began to m to psy-
chics. It is interesting that the world accepts and celebrates the psychic, while the church shuns,
ridicules and persecutes the prophet.

The Bible tells us clearly the type of spirit that psychics operate under and what we must do in
the house of God when we come in contact with such spirits. The Bible says "no weapon that is
formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that rise up against thee in judgment thou
shalt condemn." Regardless of any curse a psychic places upon you, as long as you're in covenant
with God, and you're under the blood, it shall not touch you. It will reverse back to them.

"And it cnlne to pnss, ns zue zueizt to prayer, n certnin dnn~selpossessed witlz n spirit ofdivi~zntiotziizet us,
zulzicl~bro~lglzther nmsters 111~1~11gnin by sootlzsnyi~zg." Acts 16:16

Today they're called psychic. In Paul's day, they called them soothsayers. At other times they
were known as witches, warlocks, wizards, mediums and necromancers. Whatever the name
used, they are workers of darkness and a counterfeit of the prophet. Magicians also operate by the
same spirit.
Tlte Scltool of tlte Prophets

"Tlte snilte follozoed Pnttl nttd trs, n~zdcried, snyitzg, Tltese tileti nre tlte servnizts of tlte titost higlz God,
7ultich shozu utlto us flte zuny of snlvntio~t.And this did she nmny days, Bitt PniiI being grieved, ftlrtted
nttd snid to the spirit, I cotilntatzd thee i ~ ztlte ttnlite ofJestrs Clzrist to cotlte out ofher. Aitd he cntlte otit
tlte snnte ltoitr." Acts 1617-18

In this day and hour, God is raising up men and women to go forth with His power and with
His anointing to cast the spirit of divination out of the psychics and the people who are seeking
them. There shall be a great showdown. I don't know if it will take place in the media, but we're
heading for a showdown. As psychics increase, people are going to flood the house of God. As
God stirs the prophetic moves and the visitation of God in the assemblies and churches, people will
come for help. You'll have to recognize what spirit they're under and cast it out.

"For ~ o d l t n t hnot giveii us the spirit ofpower, nttd of love, nltd of n

2 Tiitt. 1:7

So, don't be afraid of them. If you hear their chanting, you do not have to be afraid of them if
you are in covenant with God, rightly related with God.

In Zoe Ministries, before we marry someone, we have to check their genealogy. God believes
in checking genealogies. If you don't know where they come from, you can hook up with some-
one that has a curse on their bloodline. Later, when things start getting rough, they run to the
Bishop or pastor and say, "I'm doing my best. I'm tithing, giving, serving God the best I can but
there's problem." The Bible says those who join themselves to a harlot is one with her. So, when
you join yourself to one that is cursed, you become one with them and their destiny becomes
yours. You're linked together in one destiny

God has to raise up a prophetic voice to break curses. He has to raise up a supemaha1 man,
a man that can see where the problem is. The church cannot enter the 21st century with Christians
running to psychics looking for answers. The Bible says in the latter times, some shall depart from
the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. So, God has to raise up the
prophet to begin to point to government and say, "Don't embrace psychics because the nation will
be in bondage."

Embracing psychics and embracing witchcraft is the same spirit. God is raising up prophets to
speak against injustices because every leader in the Bible times had some spiritual authority, some-
one who gave advice. They kept the people in bondage and in oppression. That's why God
always has to raise up a prophetic voice to bring a new order. When a prophet comes on the scene,
there are new orders. In the Bible when God raised up a prophet, he sent him to anoint a new man
as king and a new man as spiritual authority.

The prophet provokes the people and government to serve and follow God by word, lifestyle
and deed/prophetic demonstration. Any time God is about to bring deliverance to a people, He
has to raise up a prophet for a showdown. God raised up Moses and sent him back into Egypt and
there was a showdown.
 Tlze Proplzet vs. Tile Ps!jclzic
. If you're not a prophet, and you don't understand how prophets move, there is a solution:
invite Bishop Jordan to come and start a School of Prophets in your church. Let God release y o u
people into the prophetic, so they can begin to see and hear and to bring clarity to their purpose
and clarity to your church. As a man or woman of God, you should have a seer because you can't
see everything.

Aizd it cniile to pnss nt tlze tiiire of the offering of the eveiziizg sncrifice, tllnt Elijnlf tile proplzet cnille tzenl:
nizd snid, Lord God of Abrnlmiiz, Isnnc, niid of Ismel, let it be kiiozulz tlzis dny tl~nttlrotl nrt God ill Ismel,
nizd flint I nitz flzy sentnlzf, nild tlint I I~nuedoize nll fliese tlzillgs nt tlty zoord. Henr nze, 0Lord, ltenr lire,
fllnt tlzis people nzny kizozu thnf tlzotc nrt Lord God, nizd tlint tl~ofihnst ti~rizedtlreir 11enrfback ngniit.
1 Kiizgs 18:36-37

The days are coming when God is going to send His prophets for a showdown with the psy-
chics. God is raising up His prophets to take back the authority and to demonstrate His ability and
His authority in the earth; that the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and they
that dwell therein.

God is bringing liberation from mental slavery for the black man. He's bringing us out. God
is again raising up the Elijahs because He's turning communities and government upside down.

The Bible says "money answereth all things." God is now going to show His men and women
how to acquire wealth to fund this program because every kingdom has to have finances. God is
saying this is a new day. Don't be afraid of the psychics. Encourage your people to follow God.
Seek out the prophets if they need answers because the prophets are the ones designed by God to
bring direction. Every local pastor, every shepherd, senior pastor begin to call God to raise up the
prophets in your house, in your midst, so your people will not go astray and be cursed or
bewitched. This is a new day.
The Sclzool of the Prophets
.Pro~hetessDeborah Jones
a

SECTION VII

Minister Deborah Jones, wife of Minister Issaac C. Jones, is an

anointed prophetess of the Lord. Under the oversight of Bishop E.
Bernard Jordan, pastor and founder of Zoe Ministries, Minister
Jones serves as an assistant instructor for the School of the
Prophets, as one of the Bishop's Seers, and also serves as his scribe,
assisting him in the compilation and publication of his many
books.

An anointed teacher of the Word, Minister Jones is used to

bring significant insight into the principles of the Scriptures.
Formerly, she has served as Prophetess Debra Jordan's travelling
companion, ministerially assisting her in her prophetic ministry
Received nationally and internationally as a prophetess, psalmist
and teacher, Minister Jones has been in great demand to bring
forth these giftings in various settings, propelling the work of the
Lord into degrees of creativity that had been lost in the area of the
worshipping arts.

She has a unique anointing which manifests through her rnin-

istry of drama and music, and, along with her husband, oversees
the Worshipping Arts Department at Zoe Ministries. Minister
Jones is known for the compassion of Christ that is evident when
she ministers.

Having weathered various experiences in her lifetime, whjch

included widowhood, Minister Jones has a strong desire to see
women come forth in the fullness of God's purpose for their lives,
and carries a message that will make the difference! Equipped
with a strong anointing for counsel, Minister Jones was awarded
her Bachelor's and Master's degree in Biblical Counseling in 1993.

Minister Jones is also the mother of two beautiful daughters,

Emily Vanessa (21), who is currently a junior at Georgetown
University and Leslie Adoree, (18) who is pursuing a career in
nursing.
The School of tlte Prophets
 C H A P T E R 2 2

THE PROPHETIC OGMTE

Prophetess Debornlt J o i ~ e s

Whenever w e think o f the word "hypocrite," it usually carries with it a very negative con-
notation. But a hypocrite is not necessarily negative. The word "hypocrite" simply means
"one that is an actor, or one w h o is pretending to be something that they are not."

Thus, a hypocrite is an actor; one who pretends to be something they are not. W e are daily
impacted b y those w h o are given over to acting as a craft, and their ability to portray charac-
ters outside o f themselves has enabled us to be blessed through the media o f television, movies
and plays. Sometimes, in the portrayal o f the Word o f the Lord, the prophet, under the unction
o f the Holy Spirit, will find it necessary to portray a character that they are not in order to
effectivelyimpart a message. W e find that through movies, television and plays, we've been
able to bring and see the Word o f the Lord demonstrated through the vehicle o f the arts and it
necessitated someone to be something that they are not.

The arts are tools o f demonstration. They exhibit and illusfrate the thoughts and emotions
o f the Lord. A singer can demonstrate the emotion, power and message o f a song. Yet, after
ministering, they are no longer caught u p in their portrayal o f the message. They have relin-
quished their "role," so to speak, and are now seen in their natural character. They step into a
role to minister unto you. Even when a minister begins to preach, the one w h o stands behind
the pulpit and begins to preach may be a totally differentpersonality than the one that you
actually see when you begin to sit down and actually talk with them.

THE ARTS WERE INITIALLY CREATED TO BE USED I N THE TABERNACLE OF THE LORD

Moreover Dnvid nlld the cnptnilis of tlle llost sepnmted to tlte service of tlte sons of Asnyh, nitd of
Hen~nlt,nitd of Jedrctltl~lt,zuho shol~ldpropllesy zvith h n y s , mith psalteries, nltd zuith cyi~lbnls;nlld
tlze izlrtllber of z u o r k ~ ~ nccordiilg
~e~t to their service zuns: I Cl~ro~ticles
25:1

This Scripture talks about the sons o f Asaph and how they prophesied according to the
order o f the king, and Jeduthun how they prophesied with the harp. They were musicians.
Inherent in music is the entire area o f the arts. I don't believe that the musicians just played
an instrument. W h e n you search it out you find that they were fluent in all phrases o f the arts.

Most o f our musicians can get u p and act. Most o f them can mime because the rhythm o f
the act and the image is already within them. They begin to portray even through music what-
T l ~ eScllool of the Prophets

.
ever image is being seen. They're able to take the image and capture it in song and begin to
portray it. If it's war the music will begin to reflect war. By the same token they can begin to
come off of those instruments and give you a picture of war, each one is still fluent in that
phrase. So we begin to see that the temple musicians had to be trained in all phases because
worship begins to encompass the entire man.

As we look at all components of humanity, we see that everything we are was made to wor-
ship God. Everything we are begins to become a demonstration before God.

Thus, the prophetic actor encompasses that whole state of the hypocrite; the whole state of
pretending. It is something that while it is reality in its flow and message, the person's per-
sonality is overshadowed because the message has got to come across. In Acts, when Agabus
confronted Paul and began to take his girdle and prophesy about Paul's upcoming captivity,
I'm quite sure that Agabus' actions were unusual for his own personal character. Yet somehow,
the Holy Spirit inspired this illumination to clarify Paul's destiny.

The prophets entered the artistic dimension. Prophets can be considered "God's Drama
Troupe." Nobody and no one is more dramatic than God Himself. God will spare no expense
to get His point across. We begin to see this during the creation. When God spoke, the whole
universe begin to shake and tremble and every atom began to obey the Word of God. Every
atom and every neutron begin to vibrate in response to God. They began to come together and
do whatever needed to be done to demonstrate what God was saying. When He said "Light
be," light had to be! When He began to say "Let the firmament begin to arise," well, the fir-
mament had to come together! The waters had to be divided because He said so!

It's the same thing when a prophet begins to step into the realm of the dramatic. The pur-
pose of demonstration is to underscore the message; to make sure that message is so clear to
you that there's no mistaking that God was in your midst.

Demonstration produces an unforgettable image. The human mind will retain more of
what is sees than what it hears. The human mind is focused upon what it sees. What is seen
by your eyes is very important, for what you see is what you will remember. There are some
memories that are almost indelible. If you were to close to your eyes right now and I began to
ask you what happened of significance in your childhood, there's an indelible image that rests
within you and you'll remember what you saw.

Sometimes the things that you see become so strong that your mind will try to block that
thing and say it doesn't even exist anymore. And yet that image is still within you; that image
has not gone anywhere.

Ezekiel's life became a demonstration of God's message to Israel. When you begin to read
the book of Ezekiel, you begin to see nothing but God in demonstration through the prophet-
ic. "Ezekiel go lay down on your right side for forty days and then go flip over your left side
for forty days." " Ezekiel go eat bread baked within man's dung." No matter what Ezekiel did,
it had to be in full sight of the nation. Beholding the peculiarity of his actions, the nation could
begin to behold the drama of God within him. They may turn a deaf hear to the spoken word,
but that image is the message that they could not deny.
 TIIe Propl~eticHypocrite
. The true actor is committed to the portrayal of truth with integrity. There is nothing more
degrading than to see an actor or an actress begin to portray a lie. It's degrading when the
message is not true, or when the message is something that's going to bring out the evil side
of humanity. It's degrading when your portrayal cannot be used by God. Degenerate acting
erodes the glory of God that sparks your humanity and associates you with the demonic; you
become satan's emissary.

You become devilish because you're portraying his images. We begin to see the images
that are raised up in television. There are so many images that are racist and demonic in intent
and impact. They are deliberately calculated to tear down the self and image of God within
you. They are formulated to imprint your minds and the minds of your children with a
prophecy of failure. They prophesy limitations upon you that God never decreed. And these
are images that we need to recognize for what they are. We need to screen what our children
are watching so that our children are not embracing an image that is the total antithesis of the
will of God. We need to know the images that we are going to portray and we need to take a
stand for truth with integrity.

Truth may be defined as that which corresponds with the reality of Jesus Christ. You can't
know Truth if you don't know Him. You cannot even begin to approach Truth without know-
ing Him.

Truth portrayed in drama will consist of four things; durability, unity, integrity and
prophecy. Truth will last, for that's your durability. If it's something that's really portraying
truth, it will stand forever. That's the reason why we can go back and trace the arts of differ-
ent cultures. We can go back into history hundreds of years ago and take things that were
inherent and full of truth, portray it on the stage today, and it will still be relevant. Why?
Because truth is durable. It is everlasting. It has the stamp of the character of God upon it, and
it will not fail.

In unity, truth will divide the lie from you. Those that stand for truth will unify; they will
always come together. Integrity is a component because you will not allow it to become cor-
rupted. You will not allow the image to begin to be worn down or torn into something where
it's no longer reflecting God. We do not just do art for art's sake. We do that which is going
to portray God in His magnitude. The arts will also begin to speak and declare what "Thus
saith the Lord" -whether it be in the future, present or past. That which the artist declares
will prophesy the Word of the Lord.

Dramatics enrich our culture. The dramatics are not something to refrained from. I began
to do a study. I found that actors in the 1600's were seen as "shamans," which was the world's
terminology for a prophet. They were expected to foretell, and they were expected to be able
to travel beyond the boundaries of their own bodies. They were expected to tap the realm of
the Spirit and move supernaturally. They were expected to incarnate the spirit of mysteries.
They were expected to risk their lives in death in giving forth a performance. They were
expected to hunt the unknown to reveal their inner spirit. And, they were supposed to bring
communication to others and become guardians of wisdom.
The School of tlze Proplzets

. That's how they saw actors back then. Actors were revered in the 1600's in other countries
around the world. There was a heavy weight that was placed upon those that moved in the
realm of drama. We know that you begin to discover the unknown by looking at the known.
So, when you begin to do a historical study of how they looked at the actors, you begin to look
at their definition of how the actor was expected to function. You begin to see that really
sounds more like a prophetic ministry; to be able to incarnate and bring forth mysteries of the
Spirit to the people.

The terminology of "prophet" was unfamiliar in those days, and evoked the same type of
discomfort and prejudice that it does today. So it was not used. Now, at that time, the actors
were very much a part of church life. When you begin to look at the Catholic church and begin
to go into the history of the Catholic church, you'll begin to find that there was a large degree
of honor that was placed upon those that acted. The liturgical arts were quite active under the
auspices of the church. Yet, because of the degree of influence and admiration that the arts
began to evoke amongst the people, the issue of the arts became a platform for political dis-
sension because the priesthood began to feel that the people were beginning to honor the
actors too much.

And they wanted the people to begin to see the priest as the intercessor between them and
God. They began to put the actors over to the side and then they begin to make mockery of
the art that's not of God. And as the church utilized their great influence upon society to make
mockery of the actors, the doors began to slam on what used to have great honor. Acting and
the arts came under great persecution and under great ridicule, so that the actors were brought
into a place where the only thing they could do was comedy.

It's interesting to note that right about the time that the actors were thrown out of the
church and right about the time that the ministry of the arts was suppressed, so nothing else
was happening. The mystics (those that believed that spiritual apprehension of truth or union
with God could be achieved through contemplation or insight in ways inaccessible to the sens-
es or reason), or what we today would readily refer to as "the prophetic people" that were in
their midst were also persecuted. The same stigma that been on the prophetic and the arts
started back in the 1600's and stayed there all these years. You began to see more evidence that
the prophetic and the arts are literally married to one another. God created it that way, for
they're literally yoked together.

God's purpose is found in the midst of that yoking, but whenever you begin to rob the pur-
pose of a thing, you also rob a nation of understanding and it will begin to rob you of wisdom.
The church entered into a season where they began to function with limited revelation. And
periodically, God would raise up someone to address it, and they would immediately hit a
wall of opposition. Truth endures. Even though they may have died a martyr's death, those
that spoke truth in their season left fruit that remains. It may have been hundred of years after
their death, but the fruit of their lives stand as the demonstration of God in their lives.

Beauty can become the vehicle for a lie. This is where the dramatic person, the artist, or
the prophet must be mindful that they do not allow that which prompts accolades of men to
become the vehicle for a lie. You have to know Who it is that you represent and what it is that
you're saying. And if you're not aware of that then you have no business ever touching a
. stage. If you don't know Who you represent, don't touch a stage, and don't pick up the arts.
They will corrupt you because they're more powerful than we know. The Bible tells us that
Lucifer was the instrument God created to lead the worship of Heaven. He became prideful,
challenged God for the throne, and was thrown out of Heaven with a third of the angels. If the
arts corrupted Lucifer and a third of the angels, how much more can they corrupt those who
have no idea of their power?

I have frequently watched people open the door to enter the realm of the arts. Hollywood
is notorious for the stories of corruption and degradation that follow those that pursue the
craft of acting. For many years, I would watch as people's lives became corrupt, yet only
recently the Holy Ghost began to show me that there is a prophetic mantle that rests upon the
arts. It's almost like when Jesus said, in John 10:l-2,7:

Verily, verily I sny iitzto you, He thnt ettteretlt i ~ o by

t the door ittto the sheepfold, bzit clilitbetll zip
solite other zuny, tlte sntize is n thiefnnd n robber. Bzit he thnt e~tterethiiz by tlie door is tlze sheplzerd
of tlze sheep.
...Verily, verily, I sny ultto yozi, I nnt tlie door of the sheep.
There are some people that have entered the realm of the arts as thieves and robbers
because they had no right to enter. I really believe the arts were consecrated unto the Lord as
a tool of the prophetic. They empower you to produce an image.

If you're not operating under the Holy Spirit, then you're opened up to any spirit. And
when some people opened themselves up to take on an image, they've became stuck and they
can't find themselves again. Some people live under the perennial fantasies induced by that
spirit and can't get out. There are certain "glamour queens" who were accustomed to playing
the role of a selfish, adulterous woman-where everything and everyone must jump to their
tune-and they can't drop it. They've become old, yet they'll wear pounds of make up and
subject themselves to hours of painful surgery in a vain attempt to maintain the image with
which they've become consumed. The extraordinary impact of their vanity is luciferic in com-
parison; "I shall become as God," and the same corruption that wrought destruction and
caused a war in heaven continues to wage war in their lives.

Or we watched people that played in certain movies that centered around demonic pos-
session and watched as satan became enthroned in the lives of the key players, veritably
snatching the lives of some. The arts are God's tools.

When we work with the Arts Department here at Zoe Ministries, we frequently encounter
those that desire to practice their craft in the world. And we keep no one under bondage, for
if God said so, then He's anointed you to go into the world; there's a covering upon you.
There's a certain amount of wisdom and skill that He has placed within you, and you're
equipped to function outside of the House. But if there's no covering, and if God did not send
you into that arena, then you'd best better consecrate that thing and stay right within the walls
of the House of the Lord until you reach a point of maturity in handling the things of God.

Some of you may pick up the spirit of a character and not know how to put it down. There
are times that there are those that function as actors right under our leadership and we have
TIze School o f tlte Prophets

t o help bring them out of a character.

Sometimes they get stuck. They've over-identified with the character because something
on the inside of them has been resting dormant. Suddenly, that character seems like that's the
one that's a little bit more preferable to them and they don't want to come back to reality and
they'd rather be "Josie." I remember one in particular that couldn't get out of a character. In
the course of the drama, the actor had identified so strongly with the character, that they
became unrecognizable. As I was acting with them, I was close enough to them to realize that
I was no longer dealing with the actor playing a role, but the essence of the spirit of the char-
acter was in front of me. We took the individual in the back and we began to minister and pull
them through. This individual overidentified with the part, and because of a need for deliver-
ance in their own soul, the spirit of the character caused this type of manifestation. Something
on the inside of them liked it. Something on the inside of them responded to that character.
Something on the inside of them cried out for deliverance and saw this as their chance for lib-
eration.

When casting, we tend to pick our people for parts prophetically. Sometimes, the Holy
Ghost will deal with that actor based upon their life experience that He wants to heal or high-
light to capture their attention. And He may very well have them get up and portray some-
thing that they're battling with themselves.

Sometimes He'll go into their past. I can recall one instance where He had a young woman
get up and play someone that had an abortion. And God, by His Spirit, literally walked her
through the pain of that thing. He took her through some "drama therapy," by letting her
reenact everything that she did. I had no idea of what was happening. On the surface, the play
was proceeding as planned, and I was simply anticipating the close of the scene. Yet when the
drama was over, and I went to the room where the actors had gathered, I found the young
actress hysterical as she sobbingly admitted, "That was me. I was playing myself. I had an
abortion as a young girl and I never told anybody." A powerful deliverance was wrought!

The arts are tools. Don't take that which is of God and profane it! They belong unto him.
The arts are a particular target for demonic activity because they were satan's downfall. When
we don't understand the power behind the arts or we begin to point at them and say "That's
not of God," then we denigrate God Himself. None of us have such a corner on God to the
point that we can be 100% sure to pronounce just what is God or what's not God and be
absolutely right all the time. The Pharisees and the Sadducees thought they had all the
answers. So did the high priest. But Jesus, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords was right
in their midst and they thought He "wasn't of God."' God is multi-faceted, and just where
you think He's not, He's right there in the midst!

The actor must never allow his craft to become an idol. You don't worship the power
behind the acting. You don't worship the ability to stir reactions in the people's hearts. You
worship God, for it's His anointing that is touching the person. You're nothing but the vehi-
cle that God is using and remember, He could have used a jackass!

Apostasy may assume angelic forms. Sometimes it will look just so pure. If you talk to
most people in the world they'll look at plays that mention Jesus Christ yet deviate from the
 The PropJtetic Hypocrite

Truth of His nature, which is apostasy . It's not truth; there's nothing in it that's truth, except
that His Name is Jesus Christ. Yet the storyline and insinuations corrupt the Image of His
Holiness.

We are subjected to institutionalized apostasy daily; apostasy that corrupts the image of
God within us. For example, television will show us a brilliant young white boy; show us
headlines and accolades of how he was able to complete college at a young age and become a
doctor. But then, we're shown a brilliant black boy who is weird and a social misfit; college is
never mentioned for him, though he is a genius. His clothing is ridiculous, and his brainpow-
er is never taken seriously, for he's expected to create disaster wherever he goes. That's racist
apostasy; it denies the very image of God. We must ask ourselves, who bears the responsibil-
ity for this travesty of the arts? Mankind will either be uplifted or debased through the arts.
When the arts are unworthy, man is debased.

The Christian actor must cultivate humility, for glorifying God must become a consuming
priority. I cannot stress enough the necessity for a life of prayer; a live of consecration for all
of those that are interested in and flow in the arts. You have to develop a relationship with
God; where you go beyond knowing His acts and understand His ways. Even when it comes
to a character, you've got to take the time now to allow the Holy Ghost to shape that charac-
ter on the inside of you before you can get up and perform it. Portray the character, lay it
down, and then move on to the next assignment.

Everyone is accountable to Almighty God for how they treat drama and the arts, for He has
instilled the capability to respond to them within us all. This means that it's up to us to under-
gird the arts. It's up to us to stand behind those that are in the arts, and it's u p to us to sup-
port them. Don't allow the world to entice your artist out of your church. When they begin
to have any type of production, go support them.

If we get ready to do something here and only ten people show up, I'm going to go out
there and find me some people somewhere that are going to want to appreciate what I'm
doing, because apparently the church is not ready for it. But then we'll go out and support big
"names"; celebrities, so to speak. You'll go out and spend thirty dollars per ticket to go see
somebody, all because somebody said you should. They may not have a lick of anointing, but
they're "big." But then you have anointed vessels in the House of the Lord and someone says
"You just have to pay five dollars for a ticket," and you want to sit home and make excuses as
to why you can't go. You're just as accountable before God on how you treat the arts because
they're a dimension of God, and a dimension of His ministry.

To turn your back on the actor is a denial of love towards your neighbor who wants to
share his gift with you. When you turn your back and say "I don't want anything to do with
the arts," you're denying God in that individual because you're saying that the Holy Spirit
can't express Himself through what they're doing. Because you may not understand it, does-
n't mean God is not at work.

Mediocrity is a clear and present danger to the representation of God through the arts. We
often allow our familiarity with mediocrity to become a false standard of truth. A lot of times
we're so use to dealing with things that are debased, that when the quality begins to present
Tlze School o f the Provhets

itself we turn up our noses. For instance, if I were to bring an opera singer in here and tell
them to sing, a lot of you would cringe and say "Why do you have this stuff in here?" because
you can't appreciate the excellence. Someone told you that the only excellence that you can
listen to is the gospel scream that causes the veins to protrude out of the singer's neck. Nothing
can "move you" except one form of music. Don't become so prejudicial and parochial in your
thinking that you begin to think that's the only way that God can express Himself to you
through song. When you limit God in one area, you're bound to limit Him in other areas, too.

We have some operatic people that have buried their gift because they've said there's no
place for me or they ruined their voices trying to become something they're not. That's one of
the reasons here at Zoe Ministries, Bishop Jordan encourages the manifestation of all art forms.
If it's glorifying God, let it sound in the House of the Lord. God will anoint what is dedicated
unto Him. He's the one that brought the various expressions. It is His expression, and His cre-
ativity at work. A lot of times, when we begin to hear drums, we think that's demonic. If we
begin to hear a high pitched coloratura soprano, we'll think that's demonic; and if we begin to
see somebody hollering and shouting and we'll think that's demonic-depending on the
region and denomination in which we were raised. Everybody has their little prejudices in
what they like and what they don't like, but God likes it all!

Drama must always be performed with purpose. Art for arts sake should be shunned, for
it becomes a platform of egotism. In other words, artists, the House of the Lord is not your
showcase where you can get up to boost yourself and make yourself feel better on a Sunday
morning. If there's not purpose behind what you are doing, then don't do it. I often examine
the drama team for their purpose, theme and message. If you can't give me in a sentence what
the message is for the drama, then it doesn't need to be performed. If there's no message,
what's the point?

You've got a bunch of actors up here and they sound good and they look good and they
make people laugh but what's the message? If you can't identify the message then it's wrong.
Drama should never boost the ego of the actor, but should minister the life of God.

Never confuse worship with entertainment. You're not here to entertain the people. I
know when I come to the House of the Lord, I don't come to be entertained by anybody. If I
spot that, I get annoyed. If you can't lead me into the Holy of Holies, then don't waste my time
by showing me your talent. If your talent can't produce an image of God, then it is corrupt and
does not need to be seen...by anyone.

When we come together we want to worship God and if it's not going to glorify Him and
all I'm seeing is your ego, I'm going to sit there and tap my foot until you're finished.
Sometimes, a person whose gifting may not even be as excellent as the next person's may
know the secret of how to tap God, and their ministry will leave fruit that will remain, where
the other one is still stuck on themselves.

The church has pointed a finger a drama and called it "worldly," yet most will watch tele-
vision without complaint. Some people will sit there and they see the arts functioning and
they say "Not in the House of the Lord." But why not in the House of the Lord? He made it;
all talent comes from Him.
- Some would say, "I don't believe that Jesus would rap through different individuals and I
don't believe that He's going to bring that type of drama across the pulpit," or "I don't believe
that God will permit anyone to say anything that was not so." That's not true, when God
began to bring judgment on the world in the day of Noah, God spared no expense. He allowed
the fountains of the deep to break forth. And He began to make it clear in that regardless of
the degree of the lost lives, He had enough of man and his depravity.

God destroyed an entire planet, excepting those that were in the ark and let the floods
come to make a point. When Noah began to look out the window and saw all that water, what
an image it was for Noah and those that were in the ark. That's a powerful image; God's judg-
ment. And that image was so frightening that even as Noah began to be troubled in his heart,
because God's actions made him question God's Nature, God began now to place the rainbow
up in the sky and make a covenant with Noah that He would never do this again. God is a
God of demonstration. He will demonstrate His purposes at anytime and will spare no
expense to do so. How much more so should we be willing to spare no expense to demonstrate
His purpose?

Cultural parochialism and illiteracy are the perpetuation of ignorance and fear, for they are
the greatest enemies to the arts. If you don't know something you're ignorant of it, and if you
need to know, ask questions. If you're afraid of the arts, then go to those that are skilled and
then watch and see. One thing that I always loved about Bishop Jordan is that with the arts,
he's always given us a free hand because he always trusted us. And sometimes we would be
skating on thin ice with some of the things that we would portray, but the message was always
there. Therefore he had no problem with it. The fruit would be ripe and tasty, for we must
judge by the fruit that it produced.

And sometimes we need to know how to trust the Holy Ghost. Find the one that God has
put that gift in to handle it and then let them go, because God is going to begin to raise up the
seers to see in that realm. And they'll have the word of the Lord and it may come forth in a
different way; it may come forth humorous, frightening, sober, or comical.... but it will come
forth.

The actor cannot say anything beyond the truth of Who lives within. Sometimes you can
get up and you can try to portray something but it will be empty rhetoric. Years ago there was
an actor who played Jesus in a prominent Hollywood version of the life of the King of kings.
I was amazed, upon reading a book about the making of that movie, how significant things
began to happen. The actor didn't know how to handle the Image he was portraying.

As he portrayed Jesus, the weight of that role drove him into a state where he almost liter-
ally lost his mind. The movie was filmed in Spain, and when he came out on the hillside in the
robes of Jesus, though the people knew he was an actor, they would fall to their knees, make
the sign of the cross, and worship. The crew members began to refrain from the usual banter
and jesting that took place, and many people avoided him, or withdrew whenever he walked
into a room. He found himself staying in his dressing room, admitting that he didn't realize
what he had undertaken. It's also interesting to note that he died shortly after the movie was
released. That's why I stress that the arts are tools of God; you cannot say or portray anything
beyond the truth of who is dwelling on the inside of you for there are formidable conse-
T11e Scllool of the Prophets

guences. And if you're going to pick up the mantle and say "I'm going to carry the word of
God through drama," then you've got to know Who you serve and Who lives within.

We must be committed to excellence, portraying God in Truth, for God Himself is

Supremely Excellent. So then our message must come forth in clarity; it must come forth with
the creation of His vision. We must come forth in such a way that we bring forth an image of
power and begin to introduce people to the world of the dreams of God.
.
PROPHETIC IEMUMFIONS:
THE OMGIN OF A PROPHET
Propltetess Debornlt Joiles

The prophet originates in God. One of the things that you will fiid about a prophet is that
man cannot make you into one. All man can ever do is recognize the fact that you are one by the
evidence which presents itself through your life. One of the things we want to cover is how to
discern the evidence of a prophetic mantle. Is it because a person prophesies? Is it because they
have dreams and visions? Partly. But the real test of how someone can tell whether or not you
are really a prophet is whether or not you can accurately represent the God Whom you serve.

What are the aspects of your character that testify to the people? Prophetic ministry is more
than just prophesying, and it is more than just having the dream. My being able to tell you any-
thing about your past, your present or your future does not make me a prophet. You have psy-
chics on television today that can do that. And some of them are just as accurate, but that does
not mean that they are a prophet.

Prophetic ministry is evidenced by the fruit that is in your life. Many of us have been burnt
by the prophetic because we thought that just because someone could prophesy or have visions
and dreams, rue immediately stuck that label on them and said, "Yes, that's a prophet." But
when their life and their character didn't reflect the presence of Christ in their lives, we began to
profane the entire prophetic office and we began to say "Prophets must not be for today" or "We
don't want nothing to do with prophets" and "Prophets are no good." Slander became our por-
tion.

Everything about a prophet should testify to the character of God working on the inside of
that prophet. Which means that prophet will be a testimony in the house of God that they are
there to help build the house of God. Prophets will help to hold up the arms of leadership.
Prophets are some of your last people to walk out of the church at night. They're the ones that
are going to be walking around and picking up the garbage and cleaning the toilets and doing
all the unpleasant things. They're the ones that will carry the burden of the work, for they're
workers and servants by nature.

They're not prima donnas that walk around caught up in their visions and dreams, but their
hands and feet are busy working. They're not broken - handed priests. Your broken - handed
priests were the ones who didn't know how to work. They were lazy, and their wrists were bro-
ken. When you talk about a man with a broken wrist, you tend to talk about someone who is
effeminate. His manhood is misrepresented. But prophets are to know their identity; they are to
know that they originate from God Himself. They will represent Him in everything that they do.
- W e all have areas in our lives in which w e are yielding to God, and w e are all working
toward perfection. But i f there's no effort in your life to reach forth unto God, and you are a
habitual lover o f sin, then you're not a prophet. No, not yet. No one can confirm that God is in
you o f a truth. You've got to have your life in order. W h e n your life is in order and you begin
to bring forth the evidence o f God working in you and through you, then someone can endorse
your ministry. They're watching more than just your prophetic word coming to pass, and
they're watching more than just your dreams .....they're watching your life.
They are watching how you interact with the sheep. They're watching your submission to
leadership. They're watching how you respond to correction. They're watching how you
respond to pressure, and they're watching your walk with God. They're watching your repre-
sentation o f Him.
The prophet is the expression o f the thought o f God. You were a thought in God's mind
before you were born. You started out as a thought. Which means that when God began to think
o f you, He already saw the finished product. He knew that you were going to be born into sit-
uations and circumstances that were going to be rough. He knew that you were going to be born
into situations where the enemy would want to instill insecurity within you.

But in His wisdom, He knows that which the enemy meant for evil will be turned around for
your good. He also knows that He has instilled the power to succeed within you, and that those
situations you're battling with will become fertilizer for your growth in Him.
The innermost parts o f the prophet are known before they are formed in the womb. Jeremiah
1:l-3 relates the political turmoil that prevailed in the nation o f Israel.

"Tllelz tlze word oftlte Lord cnilze lr~ttome, saying, Before 1forrlred tllee ilz fhe belly I klleru thee; aizd
before tho11 cniirest forth ozrf of tlze zuo~trbI sni~ctifedthee, nlrd I ordniized thee n prophet lrirto fhe
,rntiol~s."

The innermost parts o f the prophet are known even before the prophet is formed in his moth-
er's womb. God knew everything about you; your talents, your giftings, your weaknesses, your
instability, your strength and your faith. And somewhere, in the midst o f this forming, He also
knew there was an irrevocable "yes" that would acquiesce to His will growing within your heart.

God's hand sealed you for His purposes. God elected you. God literally cast His vote in your
direction. And once He cast His vote, you already won the election, for He is The Majority!!You
are called to occupy the seat o f the officeHe's chosen for you, and no further vote is necessary!
Prophets need not ever be insecure concerning their acceptance with God, for it was a settled
issue before they were formed. W h e n w e are in a state o f unbelief, our security and confidence
is shaken. But know that when you are accepted in Him, nothing else matters.

W e begin to see in verse 5, that God sanctified and ordained Jeremiah a prophet to the
nations. W e were literally sanctified before birth. Now that word "sanctified" means "you were
separated unto a purpose." You were locked into purpose. You just can't get away! Purpose is
locked u p within that which is sanctified and set aside; it's already sealed, and it's a done deal.
 Proplzetic Ettz~rlntioits:Tile Origin of n Prophet
. You may not even have any knowledge of what God has set aside for you, but nevertheless,
He already spoke it and nothing comes up against His word; nothing can tear it down.

The prophet's sphere of influence is ordained before birth. God already said that Jeremiah
would be a prophet unto the nations. Who you will talk to and where you will go is already
mapped out. God knows how big a sphere you're going to reach. There are prophets ordained
to function in their local house and that's it. There are some prophets that will speak into their
state or their city and that's it. Other prophets may speak to their nation, or other prophets may
go worldwide. Some are called to the southlands, some are called to the Caribbean, some will
go to Africa, and some will go to Russia. Assignments are meted out by God and they're already
established. But it's interesting to note that God's assignments are often hidden within walls that
you didn't like.

God hides His purpose in the thing you don't like. The enemy makes sure that you develop
a distaste for the place of your assignment, for he desires to prevent you from attaining your des-
tiny There are some of you reading this book that don't want to deal with the prophetic mantle.
There are some of you who really hate the idea of having to prophesy. Your anointing attracts
that attack on your mind. But you're already elected, and you can't run!

The entire essence of the prophet's function is encompassed in his sanctification and ordina-
tion. Once you are sealed unto a specific purpose, you just can't get out.... not without serious
ramifications if you try.Trying to get out of the call of God will make matters worse. If I were to
tell you to stand over here and run through that wall, the wall is not going to fall, but you are
going to get a knot on your head! You cannot run from the call of God, you may want to; but
you cannot escape it.

Prophets who offer excuses take the inherent power of their words and corrupt them with a
lie that corrodes the image of God with them. (Jeremiah 1-17: "But the Lord said unto me say
not, I am a child...") You have no business saying your excuses, for an excuse is nothing but a
guarded lie. You have no excuse! How are you going to look God in the face and give Him a rea-
son why you can't do what you have been created to do?

That's like the vessel looking at the Creator and saying "I cannot be a vessel." Our reason-
ings and surmisings really prove God's love for us. If He didn't love us, I can't imagine Him lis-
tening to our drivel! Some of the things we say are quite comical. "I can't go because I'm black"
,"I can't go because I'm old," "I can't go because I am too heavy," "I can't go because I need to
eat today," "I can't go because my hair is not done."

We come up with so many silly excuses and I'm sure that God sits in heaven with a glorious
chuckle laughing at His creation because sometimes human nature is comical! How can we
argue against He who created all things? Understand the power of speech that God has placed
on the inside of you, for all creation is listening to hear what you are going to say Creation is
waiting to hear what is going to proceed out of your mouth because prophets are invested with
the power of God to create.

Most of us create our own obstacles-we speak them into existence, and speak power to their
ability to hinder our progress. When we speak our obstacles, the enemy hears us and will set up
T l ~ eScltool of the Prophets

his ambushment according to what we declare. Our excuses will become truth to the ears of him
who is corrupt and he will agree right along with you. Offer "I can't go because I am ugly"; I
guarantee you he will send people to tell you that you are ugly. Or say, "I can't go because I am
unacceptable," and he will raise up individuals to tell just how unacceptable you are. Don't
abuse the creative power that dwells on the inside of you, and don't allow anything to escape
out of your mouth that will fight the image of God in your temple. You are crucified with Christ,
nevertheless you live, yet not you, but Christ, liveth within you.

1AM remains with the prophet to deliver him. You will find that in verse 8, God is dealing
with all Jeremiah's fears and insecurities:

"God snid be not qrflirl of their fnces, for I nit^ with h e , to deliver thee."

I AM will be with you, in the face of all the obstacles the enemy presents. I Am will be with
you during the greatest battle of your life; the battle within your mind against the way you see
yourself.

Our greatest conflict stems from our unwillingness to yield to God. We love our needs; we
love to lift our hands and tell God we yield to His will. But when it comes time to do what God
is saying, we hug our reasonings to our heart and refuse the commandment of the Lord. The
devil doesn't have anything to do with that; for that's the cry of your heart ...the real you. When
you entertain your idols and your agenda, and put them against God's agenda, and you're not
willing to let go of what you want to do in order to apprehend what He wants to do, then you've
come face to face with the greatest impediment of your destiny. But in the midst of it all, God is
saying, "I have come to deliver you."

The touch of the Lord upon the lips of the Prophet connotes an intimacy similar to the sexu-
al union of marriage. When I began to read verse 9, "...then the Lord put forth his hand and
touched my mouth," I began to discover that His touch is akin to that same type of intimate
touch that happens between a man and his wife. God wants to get in your mouth. He wants to
get in your words and teach you the power of speech. He wants you to enthrone Himself in your
speech pattern; He wants to get into you to such a degree that you cannot help but prophesy.

He wants you to speakHis purposes and judgements into the earth. He wants to get into you
through His touch upon your lips. There's a union that will occur, making you one with God to
such a degree that God will honor what you say. This is where the prophet can prophesy at will.

God will back that prophet up if he's walking upright before Him. God will not allow His
prophet's words to fall to the ground, for they are infused with His creative power.

The touch of the Lord upon the lips of the Prophet is the reach of the Lord to possess and
acquire the prophet as His vessel. When God begins to put that reach upon you, He wants you
to now become His vessel. He wants to bring you to the place where you don't even apprehend
an agenda apart from His will.

And every "Isaac," everything that He promised you, everything that you ever wanted,
every ambition that you ever had, every dream you ever had; all is laid upon the altar as a sac-
 Prophetic Einulntions: Tlte Origin of n Prophet
.
rifice, and you won't mind if it dies. You will be like Abraham; you will willingly relinquish it.

It takes time for a prophet to develop during a time span of preparation. There is a time span
involved, in that time span you go through some dealings with God. That's something that just
cannot come overnight. You will go through situations that will present an image to you, but
God will place the pen in your hand and tell you to draw your own conclusions in the matter.
After your encounter with God, you will come to the conclusion that He has acquired you; you
are Hls possession, though you may have lost the thing that is most dear to your heart.

In the process, tears shall run down your cheeks because there is a high price to pay....but
great is the reward. Press on for the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus!

The touch of the Lord upon the lips of the prophet is a violent strike against the self will of
the prophet, and will punish and destroy the lie upon his lips. When you get into a certain place
in God, where you begin to speak that which is not true, God Himself will begin to shake you
and rattle your cage to get your attention. He will dethrone your false ideas and concepts of Him,
and all of your twisted up notions of what you think the will of God is for a particular tlung.
When you enter into that realm of intimacy with Him, He lets His truth be laown. Once you've
had that encounter with God and He touches your mouth, some things will begin to fall away.
Mind you, they don't fall a way without a struggle. You go through some things while you're
dropping those vain imaginations.

God hastens His Word to perform it. (He remains alert and on the lookout for the Word of
the prophet that it not fall to the ground, but that it produces, whether good or bad.) A lot of
times, we get embroiled in situations and we begin to speak negative garbage in agreement with
the mess. God gave us the power to speak the solution. Remember, God gave us the ability to
name our situations. Whatever we speak, God will honor. If you want life, speak life. If you want
death, speak death. More than one person has passed off the scene because they spoke death
into their situation and refused to embrace life.

That which the prophet sees is judged by the Lord. ("Thou has well seen..." Jeremiah 1:12)
You have to decide what is worthy of your prophetic sight. A lot of times we focus on negative
issues.

Sometimes we get so prophetic that all we can see is sin. "So and so is talking about me" and
"Bro. So and so doesn't like me," and "Leadership doesn't like me" and God's judging your
vision. Who cares who says what about you? Why would you take this precious gift that God
has placed on the inside of you to worry about the opinions of men concerning little 01' you?
People have been talking about you before you were born; they will talk about you all of your
life, and when you're lying in your casket, somebody's still going to be talking about you!

Get free from people!! One of the most crippling things for prophets is that they're so con-
cerned that someone is going to reject them. The enemy loves to play with our base of insecuri-
ty by taunting us with horrible pictures and memories of every rejection we ever suffered at the
hands of those we trusted, loved and/or respected. But remember, these things came in your life
as part of the enemy's strategy; he wanted you to be afraid of people.
TIte School of tlfe Proullets

. You can never enter into the fullness of the prophetic until you can become free from people.
You must be able to see God. If God's not your primary concern, you will be driven and talked
about by the winds of doctrine and men's gossip. And they will talk and point the finger and
you'll go crazy trying to win everybody's approval. People will bring you to your destruction
because the enemy will work through people.

The enemy knows the sensitivity that we have towards others; he knows there's a need for
us to be loved. We all need to be accepted and affirmed; we need to be loved. He knows our
basic needs that God has placed on the inside of us. But if we don't master our emotions and
stop allowing our emotions to master us, we will become the unwilling slave to fear and inse-
curity.

Prophets, don't get thrown when conflict comes up while you're moving in the ministry of
helps. Conflict is a reality; it's got to come. Look at Jesus' disciples: they spent more time fight-
ing than they were being taught. Thomas doubted everything that Jesus said, Peter was a racist,
the sons of thunder, James and John, constantly quarreled and aspired for high position, and
Judas was a thief and betrayer from the beginning.

The same conflict remains in the church today. The disciples were the prototype. Yet Jesus
stood in the midst of all of that conflict, and never reckoned any of them as "unusable." He chose
to disciple fallible men through all their weaknesses, all their prejudices and all their problems.
Learn how to love one another. Don't walk around carrying grudges for months not speaking.
And learn the wisdom of saying "no." You can't say "yes" to everything. So many of us are com-
pelled to say "yes" when we really want to say "no," and then swallow our anger that rises
against the other person. It's your responsibility to discern when to say "no," for if you don't,
you allow yourself to be used. You can't blame anyone except yourself.

Uzziah must die in order for the prophet to see the Lord. That which the prophet thinks he
sees as the strength of God must succumb to the reality of the character of God in His
Personhood. (Isaiah 61) What is the king Uzziah in your life? What is it that you see as a major
obstacle that must be removed before you can see God? What is in your memory that looms so
strong that you had to wait for the thing to die before you could see God? Uzziah has to die in
order for you to see God. There is a knowledge of God that every prophet must come to in order
to reach that pinnacle where they can begin to be released in God. When you encounter God,
you also now encounter yourself.

There is nothing more traumatic than when you begin to encounter yourself, for you begin
to find out who you are and what you are in the Presence of God. That's the place in the knowl-
edge of God where you'll begin to fall on your face. A degree of humility will come, and God
will tell you to stand u p and arise and fulfill your purpose. Transparency is produced through
the life of holy fire. You will never be able to see yourself until you are able to be placed upon
the altar in the Presence of God that you may see what is in you. In that encounter with God,
you will see and perceive His command. You have a destiny to fulfill.
 C H A P T E R 2 4

THE MCHE OF ILLNESS:

'FWE PROPHETIC MESSAGE
WTHIN YOUR TEMPLE
Proyltetess Debornh Jones

When I held a secular position as a nurse, one of the things I dealt with a lot for over ten years
was illness and sickness. When I got saved and begin to receive the truth of our healing through
Jesus Christ, I began to eagerly pray for people to be healed, but an overwhelming amount of
people weren't being healed. They stayed sick, no matter how many times you laid hands on
them, or how many bottles of oil you poured upon them.

This disturbed me and it troubled me enough that I began to go before God and ask the
Teacher of teachers to shed some light on this often misunderstood topic. I discovered that there
are levels of healing just like there are levels of sicknesses. Most Christians tend to look at every-
thing as being "the devil" and we want to rebuke the spirit and blame satan. But there are some
things you can't rebuke Satan for because they're proceeding right out of you.

We know that Jesus was hung up for our hang ups. We know that Jesus was crucified and
that He took the stripes of all of our sicknesses and diseases upon Him. And we know that we
are healed through the blood of Jesus that has been shed for us. I am not taking anything away
from that. But there are also some things that you need to know so that where you might be
thinking, "I just need to claim my healing," like a lot of recent teaching has stated, you'll be able
to discern the message, make the necessary adjustments and see the manifestation of your heal-
ing come forth.

Walking in the "name it and claim it" doctrine without seeing the other facets prevents you
from getting to the root of the matter, which really has nothing to do with being healed. Yes, you
are healed through the blood of the Lamb. But you may be holding onto some attitudes, hurts,
unforgiveness, stress, fear and other nasty little things that are sitting down in your subcon-
scious; within the chambers of the real you. You may be harboring a seed of something that may
need to be repented of, forgiven, and dealt with on another level and you're sitting here dealing
with the external which is nothing but the trappings of what's going on inside your heart.

We want to be able to apprehend healing on every level. We don't want to see folks jump on
a prayer line, have hands laid upon them, and then lose faith when they don't get healed. We
need to understand some things about how God has caused this body to work. This body will
prophesy to you. There is a message within your temple at all times, for it's always speaking.
It's letting you know what's going on with you, for this is your house. There's an image that
rests on the inside of you, and the real image knows the image of God. You're born again; the
The School of the Prophets

real you knows the image. But it's these external trappings that you may be walking with that
corrupt that image and when that image is corrupted, things will manifest in your body that are
not of God.

Your body will respond to the actions you take. If you live a righteous life, your body will
respond in a righteous manner. If you keep abuse from you and know how to guard your heart,
your body will respond to the guarding that has taken place. If you do not guard your heart,
and you allow every little thing to upset your day; if you're walking in a constant state of fear
and anxiety, guess what? You're going to be sick.... and that's not the devil! You are going to be
sick because your mind is not resting in Christ. If you persist in harboring a sinful life style you
open yourself up to sickness.

You can't violate the law of God on the inside of you without ramifications. If you do, you
can look for certain things to begin to happen in your body. A lot of times, we wonder how cer-
tain things manifest whenever we find ourselves in sin. Certain sicknesses will manifest. Now,
we don't want to hear that because we want to hear that God is a loving God. God wouldn't
allow this to happen to us, He loves us too much. God is a good, good, God, and the devil is a
bad, bad devil. But what happens when we're bad?

The Bible is full of stories about people who were in sin and sickness crept in. What about
Miriam? What about David and Bathsheba's infant son? What about the plagues that were sent
out when David began to disobey God and number the children of Israel?

There are also times when demonic activity brings illness, and these things need to be dis-
cerned by the Holy Ghost.

Your body responds to the conclusions you make. If you begin to conclude that you can't
handle your situation and declare that it's too much for you and that you'd rather die, guess
what? Your body will obey you. Your body will begin to prophesy your level of thought. And
if you begin to tell yourself that the load is too heavy to bear, your shoulders will begin to ache,
and you'll start developing problems in your back, sciatica and osteoporosis will begin to set in
because your bones will prophesy about the "burden you have to bear." You actually prophesy
unto your body, and your body hears and obeys the word that is on the inside of you.

What is the message in your temple? I've interviewed plenty of patients and I've listened
closely at some of the things that they've said. Many patients were in a "catch-22" situation in
their lives; they're in a situation in their life where everybody and everything are making
demands that they cannot adequately fulfill. They're unable to replenish themselves and begin
to blame themselves at some subconscious level. The body picks that message up and the cells
begin to self destruct. Our lifestyles and interactions with people are crucial.

We must gain an understanding of what it is that God is saying when He commands us to

live holy as He is holy. Holiness refers to a state of separation; what is it from which we need to
separate ourselves? Every relationship needs to be examined for the fruit that it generates, either
positive or negative.
 nze Alclzettzr~of Ilbzess: nze Provlzetic Messnze Witlzin Your Tettzvle
.
What are you attracting? Are you keeping prosperity and faith in your relationships or are
you embracing negative people that are tearing you down? Are you surrounded by critical peo-
ple who pound your sense of self-esteem by constantly telling you that you don't measure up?
What's going on in your life?

Your body responds to the words that you speak. Are your words full of life or are they full
of death? What are you saying to yourself? "I just can't take this no more! Everytime I get
around this person, they give me a headache." (If you find yourself saying this, and you contin-
ue to encircle yourself with that individual, then stop complaining. You like your headache.)
Perhaps you're saying "My children make me sick." Don't worry, they will.

If you continue to prophesy such nonsense to yourself, you will have an encounter with sick-
ness; you are inviting it in. Your subconscious operates on what you believe. If you really
believe that these people are making you sick, your body will obey you. Command your soul to
bless the Lord! The power of command is in you for life or for death. What command are you
releasing to your body?

Your body responds to the foods that you eat, both natural and spiritual. What are you eat-
ing? "We're under grace and I can eat anything." Yes, the Bible does tell us "all things in mod-
eration." But you need to understand the chemical make-up of your body. If you know that you
have a lactose intolerance and you know that milk irritates your system, then don't eat ice cream!
I'm speaking to myself, too, because I love ice cream and if I decide that I'm going to indulge in
that pleasure, I have to decide if I want to pay the price for that pleasure. Violation of your
body's mandates is just like sin, it will be pleasurable for a short season, but then there's a time
of reckoning. The price must be paid.

Sometimes it's worth it to me and I don't mind paying the price. But I also know that I can't
demand that price to be paid out of my body too many times. There are only so many times that
you can make that type of demand on your system before your body will tell you your reserves
are depleted. You're bankrupt. It's time to replenish.

Laws differ from person to person. Some people can't eat beans, some can't eat pork, some
can't eat strawberries, etc. You've got to become familiar with the law within your members. If
you don't discover the law in your members, you'll violate it, and if you violate it, you will get
sick. There was a 97 year old woman who just recently went home to be with the Lord. She
smoked 3 packs a day of unfiltered cigarettes up until about ten years ago without any ill effects.
Yet there are many people who lived a fraction of her lifetime who may have smoked a pack a
month of filtered cigarettes that have contracted cancer and emphysema. Why? Something on
the inside of her members could tolerate that abuse for years, while someone else's temple saw
it as an extreme violation.

The Scripture defines a marked difference behveen disease and illness. Disease has the pre-
fix "dis," meaning "away, apart, and asunder, and the suffix "ease," meaning "physical comfort
and relaxation, mental calm, freedom from awkwardness or shyness, and freedom from anxiety
and difficulty." Disease puts you away from ease. Disease manifests when awkwardness or shy-
ness begins to show up. When anxiety and difficulty show up, and when we don't respond
The School of the Provhets

.
properly, disease begins to come. The Hebrew word for "disease" actually means "malady, anx-
iety, calamity, grief, due, duty." Remember what I was saying about the people who tend to con-
tract cancer. The people that are most prone to it are those where there's some type of grief, some
type of due that is held over their head, some type of duty that they were expected to walk in?

Sometimes disease comes because of judgment against some type of uncleanness that is in
one's life, against some act that is committed, against some bad advice, against some affair that's
entered into, or against some answers that aren't found. Disease also means "to be rubbed or to
be worn, being abused." And you know how you wind up being abused? You never learn how
to say "no." You never set boundaries in your life. You just let people manipulate you into any-
thing at anytime and you stress yourself out trying to meet everyone else's need and you forget
about your own.

And what will happen is when you don't take the time to replenish and strengthen yourself
or learn not to over extend yourself beyond the call of duty into something, you become
enslaved to people. You begin to operate out of your reserves that tap your life essence, and
you're violating the laws of your members by allowing people to draw on that. Your body
responds by breaking down. It places a demand for a sabbath, and when denied, it will forcibly
take one against your will. You get sick.

What are these stress related illnesses which we are battling with here in America? Ulcers,
colon problems, headaches, migraines, and anxiety attacks. We've got all kinds of things going
on that are really stress related. Why are we under stress? God did not give us stress.

Jesus said His yoke is easy and His burden is light, so why are we walking around all
stressed out? Why are we functioning at such a point of extremity that we lack wisdom and
we're not talcmg care of ourselves? Even Jesus, as much as He had compassion on the crowds
of people, and as much as He loved the brethren, as much as He worked miracles; even Jesus
knew how to take a break. He said "Excuse me, get the boat ready -I'm going out," or "Help
me up the mountain. I've got to get away from the people." There are times when we need to
take time for us. There's a time when everybody needs a time of rest, for even God rested on the
seventh day. You violate your body when you refuse to take a sabbath.

You're constantly under the pressure of job, family, church, etc. and you're constantly going
and going and that's what leads to illness and disease. Sometimes you need to take a look at
your life style. It's not always the devil; sometimes yes, but not always. Believe it or not, the
devil is not as "omni-present" as we make him out to be. And he's only got a certain amount of
demons. He doesn't have an unlimited resource of demons. So therefore you can't possibly be
under attack all the time. He only took a third of the angels, so there's still two thirds that are
God's angels. Let's get some faith in God! The Hebrew word for "illness" actually implies sev-
eral things, "To spoil by breaking to pieces, to afflict, and to associate selves by mistake (there are
some relationships you can get into that will make you sick). An overstressed person having a
breakdown can't handle it; they've lost faith in God. A breakdown can only come when you've
lost faith; when you've lost hope.
 77ze Alclzerrty of Illrzess: 77ze Proplzetic Messnge Witltirz Yoz~rTernple

. Illness also means "to show yourself friendly by mistake, to punish, to deal words, adversi-
ty, affliction, bad, calamity, displeasure, distress, and great grief." When grief is not managed
properly; when you can't relinquish the weight and release it unto God, it can make you sick.
And I don't care how old or young you are--if that thing is not released unto God and there's
not an acceptance and a relinquishing of the control over life and death unto God, sickness will
knock at your door. A lot of times, we want to think that we are the ones in control over life and
death. We think that our prayers are going to keep somebody here, or our fasting is supposed to
keep someone here and then, when they die, we begin to feel guilty on the inside and won't
share our pain with a living soul.

The spirit of the accuser of the brethren will whisper "You were God's man or woman of faith
of power," and a pervading sense of failure and guilt will attempt to latch onto your spirit as you
torture and blame yourself. But guess what? You don't have the ultimate decision making power
over somebody's life - that's between them and God. You can pray, you can intercede, and you
can believe God with them, but there's some things that are a mystery. Accept the fact that it's a
mystery and go on. Some of us waste precious time blaming ourselves. Some of us blame other
people in our families, "You didn't do what you've should have done while they were sick. They
were lying on their death bed and I was the only one there for them." And then you don't real-
ize what you are doing to the other family member. You don't even realize what you are doing
to yourself because now you've entered into a realm of bitterness and unforgiveness.

You know who loves bitterness and unforgiveness? Mr. Arthritis loves it, Mr. Multiple
Sclerosis loves it, Mr. Guillian-Barre loves it, and so does Mr. Epstein-Barr. There are plenty of
long term illnesses that love those attitudes, adore them, worship them and they will manifest
in you if you hold on to their loves.

When the laws of God are obeyed, our bodies will operate at their maximum capability.
Why is it that in the Old Testament, the life spans were so long? And why is it that today, if some-
one reaches the age of one hundred, we're all in amazement when people used to live for hun-
dreds of years?

There is a village in Russia where the people lead a very plain life style and they are living
into the hundreds. Which means that it's not impossible to obtain today. God's word towards
us is always life; He's always speaking life. It is not His intention for you to die today.

When the laws of God are disobeyed, our bodies will suffer disease. Sometimes we need to
discover His dietary laws.

You have an open invitation. You can go into the word of God and you can begin to eat of
whatever truth is in there. If you don't want to give up your pork, or you don't want to give up
your shrimp, God's not going to stand over you and tell you that you have to. But then what do
you want? If you're suffering with certain things in your body and you know your body can't
tolerate certain things, God is not going to send an angel and stand over you and say "You can't
eat that." He gives you the power to exercise your will in the matter. You can choose blessing,
or you can choose cursing; whatever's your pleasure. He'll point you towards blessing, and
He'll point you towards life, but if you choose death, that's your business.
Tlze Scltool of the Prophets
- -- -

. Disease is the evidence that a lie has found habitation in your being. That means that some-
thing on the inside of you just is not truth. Because you're already born again, you're already
made in the image of God, God's not sick and you're not suppose to be. If sickness is beginning
to get on the inside of you, then something on the inside of you is a lie. Something on the inside
has begun to prophesy to you and say "I want to reside here because it looks like I have a right
to be here." And then if you feel like it has a right to be there, then it will stay there until you
begin to take hold of the truth.

The truth is that you were healed over 2000 years ago! Jesus did the work on the cross, but
when the lie begins to come in, it's a signal that something in your belief system is off.
Something in you has attracted this thing and something has latched onto your body.

Negative emotions are as poison to your system. Proverbs 27:4 says, "Wrath is cruel, and
anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?"

When you look at "wrath is cruel," it literally means that "wrath is vicious" and will have a
vicious effect on your body. It's cruel. It will not willingly release you. It goes beneath your mind
and it will begin to manifest itself in your body if you don't dispel the attitude.

Unresolved conflicts will rest in your subconscious mind. Childhood abuse and ridicule and
emotional traumas are difficult to dispel out of the mind. It's hard to uproot those memories, and
it takes time to break that thing off of you. It has found habitation in your subconscious mind.
There's some acts, there's some sinful things that you've got yourself into that you can't quite
forgive yourself. And while you know that Jesus has cleansed you and you understand the the-
ory of it, somewhere in the inside you're still not free. That thing still runs around in your head.

And then you wind up with headaches, sometimes you wind up with tumors, and some-
times you wind up with stomach problems. Ladies, I find that sometimes when we have prob-
lems accepting our femininity, or when we feel under attack as women, we frequently develop
problems in our female organs. When frustration enters our lives, or when our deepest emo-
tional needs are not being met, frequently our physical temple will reflect our pain.

Your subconscious mind will attempt to resolve issues through the facilities of thought. But
when that fails, the mind may process the conflict as a command for the body to shut down. You
may continue to attempt to push your body, but eventually, it will take a sabbath. If God saw to
it that the land had rest from frequent farming and harvesting, how much more does your body
need rest?

"Let this mind be in you ...." Philippians 2:5 states, "Let this "mind" be in you, which was also
in Christ Jesus. There's a mind that was in Christ Jesus that we need to apprehend; that's the
reason why our minds need to be renewed. We talk about mind renewal but there's some things
that we haven't really addressed as a people. The Greek word for mind is "phoneo," and it
means "to exercise the mind, to entertain or to formulate an opinion, to be mentally disposed, to
interest one self with concern or obedience, and to set your affection upon."
 Tlze Alclretny o f Illness: Tlte Provhetic Message Witl~ifz
Your Tetnvle

- We're to set our minds and our affections upon that which Jesus has placed His affections.
Jesus walked in health, and He knew what we were to be interested in. Jesus had an opinion con-
cerning the matter, which reflected the mind of God. And there are some things that He just
would not allow to enter His mind or disturb His peace. We need to prevent disturbances from
entering the inner sanctum of our minds.

"I know the forwardness (ruin, dissolution, destruction, terror, dismay) in your m i n d I1
Corinthians 9:2. These things are what makes us sick, for that's when we begin to generate dis-
ease out of ourselves.

Sometimes people use illness as an excuse to escape the truth. Respectability will attempt to
supplant responsibility. Sometimes when you don't want to take responsibility for something
you will make yourself sick to gain sympathy. This way, you can avoid the weight of responsi-
bility. This often happens within family units. Often, when one spouse is constantly sick, some-
times this is the root of the matter.

Illness exposes the place of disorder in your temple. If there's a place of disorder in your
mind, your temple will prophesy about it.

Recover means "to cover up again." Sometimes, one must uncover the root in order to heal.
Sometimes we wonder why the doctor uses the word "recover" when we get sick, the fact of the
matter is that your sickness may be a manifestation of something that's going on in your mind.

And when they say "We're going to help you to recover," it means that this open manifesta-
tion of sickness needs to be covered up all over again. But when you cover it, the root is never
dealt with. In order to heal, we've got to get to the root. Medicines can mask the pain and alle-
viate the symptoms, but the same thing will begin to manifest all over again because the root
have never been dealt with.

It is essential to yield oneself under the mighty Hand of God and develop an ear to hear what
the Spirit of the Lord is saying. As we do, He will give us the necessary discernment to under-
stand the voice of our heart, for it is deceitful above all things. Yet those that hunger for truth will
be open to the entrance of Jesus and the virtue of His love.
The Scllool of the Prophets
 C H A P T E R 2 5

.
PMS: MOOD S
Prophetess Deborah Jones

PMS, our comical abbreviation for "Prophetic Mood Swings" is also a medical abbreviation
for premenstrual syndrome. The Hebrew word for "menses" means "rejection or impurity, per-
sonal or moral idolatry, or incest; to put apart or remove" and it also means "separation." We
also find that the word "syndrome," when examined, carries the prefix "syn" which means
"with and the suffix "drome" originates from the Greek word "dromay" which means "to run."
Which leads us to a very important question: What is running in your mind? And we find that
in dealing with PMS in reference to a prophet, we're are dealing with the vague sense of rejec-
tion from which every prophet must separate.

That vague sense of personal or moral idolatry that begins to rise up in us will cause us to
react to our circumstances. So as we begin to start talking about PMS, we're dealing with the
conditions of our minds.

Anointing does not negate your emotions. Alot of times we just think that just because we're
God's person of might and power doing exploits or when we see God's servants of might and
power doing exploits, we think that they're supposed to be totally emotionless. They're always
suppose to be smiling, and never admit to their true feelings. Yet God Himself is emotional; and
God Himself reacts. But God tames His reactions so that it then becomes a response that is under
control. Reaction is never under control; it's totally out of control. And reaction will lead you to
take action when you haven't thought of the consequences.

Don't be as one who attempts to become so "spiritual" that you cannot admit to feeling fear-
ful or discouraged, but learn how to take the reins over your feelings. You master them, and
don't let them master you. If you're discouraged, be like David, and encourage yourself in the
Lord. You may attempt to lean on the arms of flesh, and it will be precisely at that time that flesh
will fail you. There are some things that have to be "fleshed out" between you and God, and no
one else. You are going to have to become the Word made in your flesh, for the Word of God is
the absolute truth. Your feelings will lie and deceive you, for they will only respond to the sur-
face of the matter and will reflect your perception of the matter, yet God will tell you the truth.

Fear courts defiance when the will of God is not understood. When you don't understand
the will of God you will usually defy it. When you don't have clear understanding of what God
is saying you will usually rise up and say "I don't want to do this thing." This response will
desire to manifest whenever God begins to speak change into your life. Some of you have
'received a prophetic word and some of you didn't like what you heard. Some of you were trou-
bled by what you heard. Some of you began to sit there and get all "antsy" about things, for
God's speaking to you about change and you're saying, "No, I don't want it."

That's normal; we are creatures of habit and we tend to resist change because it feels unfa-
miliar. Some of you may have been challenged at times to give more than you've ever given
before; you've encountered a change. For some, the demand on their purse felt so uncomfort-
able that they began to defy God's call for change.

Prejudice and pride on the part of the prophet will cause him to question God's wisdom.
When you have prejudged an issue or when you think that you've already have all the answers,
God's wisdom will sound like the speech of your enemy. You'll want to cut it and dissect it and
find all kinds of reasons why "That's not God." That's what usually happens when the prophet
comes on the scene, anyway.

We tend to want to question what is being said. We sit there and dissect the word, and when
it doesn't fit into our concept of what the picture should be, we want to just throw the baby out
with the bath water and say "That's not God." Yet God's very much in the middle of that which
you may not understand.

Prophets must learn to embrace the unfamiliarity of change, for it is the passageway to
growth. Change is very necessary. You must go through the transition, for change is the pas-
sageway to your next plateau of life. If you resist change, then you reject your next plateau. If
you resist your next plateau, then you will dwell in the valley for the rest of your life. This is how
many become stuck in certain seasons of their life.

You may have been through a divorce, or have been grieving; you we may have had a prob-
lem at a church where you may have tried to prophesy and messed up and someone corrected
you publicly. Events that leave us emotionally traumatized are usually the places where we want
to build our camp of self-pity. We dig wells for ourselves where we can hide from the world. In
our agony, we begin to make foolish vows within us and say "I'm never going to do this again."
Ten, fifteen years later, we're still wallowing in the well that we have dug for ourselves and
that's where we will stay. People are throwing ropes to us saying, "Come on up! Come out of
the well," and we'll sit there and reject the promise of a brighter future because we refuse to take
a risk ever again. The rope that is meant to bring you to a place of change is perceived as your
enemy.

You need to grab hold of that rope and know that change is a good thing! Sometimes, when
God begins to stir in our circumstances and we're faced with a lot of changes that shift what
we've been holding for years; what we considered to be "our" job, "our" anointing, "my" this,
or "my" that, God will sovereignly snatch that thing out of your hand to move you out of your
comfort zone. If you're not prepared for change, you will most assuredly misunderstand His
doings in your life.
 PMS: Prophetic Mood Swings

. All of a sudden you'll feel rejected, angry and a pervading sense of doom will consume your
thoughts.

Then new people begin to come on the scene and they begin to take up some of your old
responsibilities and you find that you're still feeling uncomfortable and you're feeling as though
God has forsaken you in this matter. But change will always feel uncomfortable, for it is meant
to propel you into that which is unfamiliar. Change is good because that is your stairway to
growth.

New cycles can evoke depression and fear in the psyche of the prophet. If you don't under-
stand what is transpiring in your life when a new cycle begins in your life, you will feel
depressed. Many people go through a lot of inner turmoil because they're trying to operate out
of the "logos" of the word, and they don't have an understanding of this new cycle as to what
God is actually doing. And when you don't understand it, you'll begin to move in fear and
depression. You'll think God has left you, you'll think you missed God, and all because you don't
understand what is transpiring.

We need the prophetic word. The prophetic will give us that dimension of God that is in the
"now" of God pertaining to our personal situation so that we can get an understanding and not
be stuck in the time cycles of our past. Bishop Jordan often refers to this affliction as a "prehis-
toric anointing;"' "living in Jurassic Park." Dinosaurs are very attractive, but some are carni-
vores; they will eat you alive! And that's exactly what prehistoric anointings will do for you;
they will literally devour you. You can't live in yesterday! You cannot dwell in your past! It will
eat you alive! You may have diamonds sitting right in front of you, or you may have tremen-
dous opportunity and you'll miss what God is doing today because your focus is on your yes-
terday.

The prophets must master the ability to initiate loss, for it will enable them to embrace tran-
sition. Sometimes you need to be ready to let something go. When I begin to come into 1995, I
began to look and realize that I had entered a season of change and I began to reckon some things
dead in my life. I was ready to let them go.

Whether God was going to take them from me, or whether God was going to speak to Bishop
and instruct him to take them from me, I wasn't sure, but I knew that I was in a season where I
needed to let things go. Mentally, they needed to go because it was time to walk into another
season. If you ignore the signals that you're entering a new season and you cling to your past,
and your authorities begin to shake you into your n*w season and you're not prepared for it, that
can throw you for a loop! You will begin to embrace a state of mind that is totally demonic
because you're not ready to embrace the change. You have not initiated the loss of the familiar
within yourself.

This principle also manifests in our job situations. You can sense when change is approach-
ing on your job. You can tell when your supervisors are getting ready to add people or are get-
ting ready to switch you. If you have not reckoned yourself dead to what you're presently
doing, you're going to have a fight on your hands because you're going to react out of insecuri-
Tlte Sclzool of the Propltets

.ty and fear. You won't respond to the changes properly if the changes intimidate you. When you
have made preparation, response will follow. You will respond to commands, and you will not
react in fear.

The force of pain will throw the switch of change in the prophet. There are times where it's
going to take some severe pain for you to change. Sometimes you've just got to go run up
against that wall to learn that you can't run up against the wall! Have you've ever noticed that
you can tell a little child to stop running, but they don't stop running until they trip over their
own feet and fall flat on their face? Then and only then will that child take a seat and sit down
and you won't have to tell them again! And you know something? We're just like babies in the
kingdom of God because a lot of us do the exact same thing; we've got to keep running and run-
ning and the Holy Ghost is saying "Stop! Stop! Stop! No! No! No!" We just keep running and
running until we fall over our feet and fall flat on our faces. In the midst of our pain, we'll open
our ears, listen to God, and hear what He has to say.

One of the most paradoxical things that I've noticed is that when people hurt bad enough,
they will submit themselves to all types of nasty and painful treatments in order to find their
healing. Desperation has a way of silencing our reasonings and quenching the fires of rebellion.

Holding on to past hurts and bad habits past their prime will make life appear stale and
tedious, even to the seasoned prophet. Jonah didn't want to prophesy, but he began to look at
the people and once again, things began to look stale and tedious to him. And when God began
to move in a way for which he wasn't prepared, he began to become disappointed in God. Not
knowing how to encourage himself, God had to g v e him an abject example to remind him of
God's sovereignty in every situation, for He is God. Whenever we hold on to past hurts, bad
habits and soulish expectations, even the seasoned person will begin to become dry in God
because you have not learned the art of encouraging yourself in the Lord.

Aiid Elijnlt the Tishbife,ruho runs of the iizhnbifants of Gilend, said ~iirtoAhnb, A s the LORD God of
Israel livefh, before ruliont I stnnd, fliere slinll not be dezu izor rnilz tltese yenrs, but nccordilig to lily
zuord. And the zuord of tlte LORD cante ruito hini, snying. Get tlzee hence, nfzd ttlriz thee enstzunrd,
and hide fliyselfby the brook Cherith, thnf is before Jorclnir. I Kings 17:l-3

Elijah began to prophesy and plug up the heavens. It did not rain because he spoke.

Verse 18:l "And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in
the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth." One of
the most remarkable things about this passage is that God did not tell Elijah to show God, but
He said show thyself. As you read through chapter 18, you begin to see how Elijah confronted
the prophets of Baal, called down fire from heaven on the altar and he slew all the prophets of
Baal. And then you begin to see that Elijah also caused the rain to begin to fall again.

He began to birth that new move of God and the rain begin to fall again.
 PMS: Proplzetic M o o d S z u i i f ~ s

. Aid Elijnll said, A s the LORD of hosts Iiveth, before zuholtt I stn~td,I will sllrely shezu iiryse!f liltto
h i i i ~to dny. I Kiizgs 18:15

Mighty miracles were wrought during Elijah's confrontation with Ahab. But you begin to
find that Elijah's actions were of himself, for God never decreed for him to slay those prophets.
Elijah was acting out of his emotions and from the base of his anger at their defiance towards
God. But God never told him to go and slay those other prophets. But mind you, God told him
"Go show yourself," which means that the outcome was in the hands of the prophet and God
was going to back him up. In other words, God had confidence in Elijah's ability to judge this
matter.

Aitd Ahnb told Jezebel nll thnt Elijnh lind doite, nftd ioithnl ltoiu he had slniil nll tile prophets a ~ t dthe
szuord. Tltefz Jezebel sent n iizesseltger zcfzto Elijnh, snyiltg, So let the gods do to file, nltd lizore nlso, if
I liznke itot thy life ns the life of one of them by toritorrozu nboilt this tifize. I Kings 19:1

When Jezebel's threat reached Elijah's ears, he did what many of us do. Notice in verse 3, it
says ."..and when he saw that ..." Jezebel's threatenings placed an image in his mind. He began
to behold the threatenings, because he was not certain about what God called him to do.

He just induced all that havoc and destruction, and he was not certain that God was behind
what he did. He wasn't 100% sure that God approved of him killing the other prophets. He just
did what a lot of us do when we prophesy; sometimes we'll prophesy something and we're
doing it by faith. And in the impulse of the Spirit, you give it as you see it and maybe an hour
or so later you sit down and ponder, "Oh, my God! Did I really say this? Did I really do that?"
If your confidence in God has been shaken, fear will gain a foothold. If you're feeling the least
bit guilty, your confidence will be shaken. If you don't know that you know that you know that
all is secure with you and God, then your faith will rock. When Elijah became hesitant in God,
then the door opened for guilt and depression.

Verse 3, A n d 7ulzeit he snzu tltnt, he arose, rind iuent for his life, nltd calile to Beerslzebn, rulticll belo~tgeth
to Jrldnh, nitd left ltis servnnt t l t e l ~ .

"Beersheba" literally means "the well of the oath." From that, we see that Elijah came to the
place where he was confronted by his promise to God, the well of his oath. And he's not quite
sure what's taking place in his oath, his "Beersheba." But that place of the oath belongs to Judah,
because that's the place of praise. Your confidence may have been shaken, but if you can get into
that place of praise it will wipe the uncertainty away! A lot of us will neglect that place of praise
and desire to leave our "servant" --our friends-there. "You praise God because you think you
messed up." As Elijah left his servant, he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness. And
that's what a lot of us do when we start feeling uncertain in God; we just go drive ourselves off
into the wilderness. We seek out a dry place like the desert where we can brood and meditate.
Then we sit down under that juniper tree and begin to wish that we could just die; whether we're
dying from embarrassment, rejection, loneliness, or whatever. We want to wallow and whine
and have our "pity party" where we compare ourselves to everybody else and say, "It's enough
God! I've had enough! Take away my life! I'm no better than the heathens! I'm no better than my
fathers! I'm no better than anybody else!"

And ns he lay nizd slept lrizder n jliitiper tree, behold, tlzet~an ntzgel tolrched hinl, rind snid lrizto 1ti111,
Arise rind ent. And he looked, nnd, belzold, there wns n cnke bnken on tlze coals. I Kings 19: 5, 6

That cake was baked in the midst of the fires of adversity. In the midst of the flames of your
doubt and uncertainty, there's a cake being baked in the midst of it and the angel of the Lord said
"Eat it!" What do you do with all of your doubts and all of your insecurities that you're dealing
with? What do you do with your vision of failure? The word of the Lord to you is that your cake
is done, so eat it! God has placed it on your plate!

The angel also brought Elijah a cruse of water and placed it at his head. Water, being a type
of the Holy Spirit, means "Get your thoughts up here with Me." The Holy Ghost is hovering
over your mind; you need to renew your mind. You need a new image.
 C H A P T E R 2 6

.
PROPHETIC CHASTISEMENTS
Prophetess Deborah Jones

Judgment comes for redemptive purposes, and not for destruction. Whenever we hear the
word "judgment," we tend to cringe because we equate judgment with rejection. We think that
God's just about ready to wipe us out! But God brings judgment to redeem us; He brings judg-
ment to quicken our ears and turn our attention towards what He is saying so that we would
stop following the path of destruction and begin to turn and embrace the path of life. One of the
things that you find as you begin to grow in God is that God just don't play! He wants His peo-
ple to choose life, and will exert every influence to help us choose His ways!

There are certain laws of God that cannot be transgressed without some type of recompense.
I don't care how much you plead the blood of Jesus, and I don't care how much you fast and
pray. Don't make the mistake of figuring that you can just get up out of a bed of sin and say "It's
okay." I don't care how much of the righteousness of God you think you understand through
knowing "who you are in Christ." We can get kind of cocky with this attitude, and that's the rea-
son why there's such a decline in morality and integrity within the body of Christ. Uprightness
is hard to find. There is a decline in the realization of Who we represent and how we represent
God.

Many people take Romans 8:l as a license for sin. Paul said there was no condemnation to
those that walk after the Spirit, but he never said that there was no recompense. You will reap
what you sow. We see that principle in Paul's own life. Before salvation, he stoned, beat, tortured,
whipped and imprisoned countless Christians. Jesus forgave him, and even placed him in min-
istry, but it's interesting to note that most of Paul's ministry was marked with stonings, beatings,
torture, whippings and imprisonment.

There are shameful things that are taking place even amongst those that are yoked with the
collar of the Lord. We tend to think that salvation gives us a license to practice sin. We come into
Church and get blessed by the prophetic word because God will continue to speak to our poten-
tial and will only expose us publicly as a last resort. Some people like to restrict the prophetic
word to the utterance of good things, as though that is all that God would say. Usually, I
Corinthians 143 is quoted: "But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men for edification, and
exhortation and comfort." But when one examines the original Greek text, "edification" is equat-
ed with "st~ucture," "exhortation" is equated with "entreaty," and "comfort" is equated with
"console." The prophetic word actually comes to bring structure to that which is in disorder, to
e'ntreat or plead with you to induce your obedience to God, and console you when you reap the
effects of disobedience.

Many like to play with God. He's not being taken seriously. Some people equate God with
their appearance in Church, and if they're able to deceive people, they think they've deceived
God. But God is not mocked! Once we gain an understanding of God and His ways, we'll come
to the startling realization that God is not pleased with some of our ways. And when God is not
pleased, there are certain things that begin to transpire.

Hebrews 12:6 states, "For whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son
whom He receiveth." God treats us as children ...pretty much the same way we treat our chil-
dren. You will ruin a child if all you ever say to a child is a perpetual "yes" to his every whim.
If you let a child do whatever they want to do without instilling any type of boundaries or the
discipline of denial, that child will wander off into destruction. He will have formed an unreal-
istic perspective about life. He will make unreasonable demands upon everyone that crosses his
path, and all of his relationships will be fractured through the magnitude of his egotism. He'll
become totally self- centered.

God doesn't say "Yes" to everything that we ask. There are times where God will tell you
"No," and we need to understand that He means "No!" When we decide to defy Him and
bypass His instructions, we are headed for trouble. The principle of God is that children need
chastisement. Children need boundaries set for them. Children need to be told where their lines
of demarcation are, and they need to be told "You can go this far and no further." God sees you
as His child. We love to bask in the love of the Father, but there's a discipiine and a correction
that will come when we go too far. When we begin to cross boundaries and break laws, things
begin to happen. When we're not following after God as we should, God begins to bring cor-
rection.

If He did not bring chastisement, we would just continue and spiral on into the pit of our
ultimate destruction. So the chastisement of the Lord, which is the correction or steering of the
Lord, is not something to be feared or rejected. Rather, it's something to be embraced.

When your parents chastise you, it is not pleasurable. The dread of the moment consumes
your thoughts, and you may not appreciate the correction until much later in life.

Sometimes parents can chastise in a manner that seems so condemning that a child would
even feel as though that parent doesn't love them anymore. And sometimes when we know that
we have transgressed against God and are brought into open shame, we tend to feel the same
response. But remember, chastisement comes because of love. Aparent smacks their child on the
backside because of love. Now, if that same parent loves to smack their child, there's a problem.
God is not abusive, so a parent should not be abusive. God is not abusive, but God does not play.
We need to understand how far to go and we need to stay within our boundaries.
. Chastening (chastisement) comes for our profit, that we might be partakers of the Holiness
of God and yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness. Hebrew 12:lC-11 Chastening and chas-
tisement lays down boundaries for your action. You must understand that there are conse-
quences for the things that you do. You always have the choice of life and death; blessing and
cursing, for God sets the choice before you daily. You have the ability to choose...it's always your
choice. You have to discern the path of the Lord and follow the path towards life. If you decide
to choose the path towards death, God's not going to stop you because if that's what you want,
that's what you can have.

There is a time span that is solely at God's discretion between the act of disobedience and the
manifestation of judgement. There are a lot of times that we may commit an act and we may
think that we got away with it; that God didn't pay any attention to us. Sometimes we think that
we got away with something because God may not act upon it right away. Sometimes we may
continue in sin; we may be in an adulterous situation. We may have fooled everybody in the
church, fooled all of the people around us and even fooled ourselves, but when God decides to
expose it, we find ourselves busted!

It may seem like blessings are still coming, and God has not taken action yet. God's action
will be sovereign; which means that He will decide when and how He's going to take the action.
But don't worr y... He will take action! He keeps His own time table and when the page of the
book of your life turns, you will be confronted with the truth of your sin. In fact, some of us are
grappling with the effect of things that we've committed years ago and we're just now getting
out from underneath the weight of that thing.

Sometimes, our disobedience opens up the door to curses that enter our lives. Prophets
prophesy and men and women of God pour bottles of oil on us and give sound counsel. But
sometimes you can get all this word, you can get all this prophecy, they can lay hands on you
and you can believe God and you can fast and pray, but somehow, you're still not out of that sit-
uation. And the real deep thing is that if you really get quiet and get alone with God, at some
stage and at some point, you'll know why you're going through what you are going through
because you know that you're reaping a harvest for something that you did wrong.

God does not leave you in the dark when you're under His chastening hand. That would be
like a parent who beats you and doesn't tell you why you're being beat. "What did I do wrong?"
You know your mamma and your daddy always let you know what you did wrong. You just
didn't get beat because they just felt like beating you, unless you were under an abusive hand.
God treats us in a similar manner. He will show you your error. And it's up to you to open your
ears and apprehend the word of the Lord. And in some cases, where you've stepped into sin (sin
is nothing more than missing the mark), you've gone so far off base with the action that you've
taken, that it may take years to undo the effects of that action. You will be grappling with some-
thing because you entered into an area where God did not tell you to go.

Your reasoning led you there; your opinions, your desires, and your ambitions led you out
into left field. In the midst of your cry for help, God answers, and He immediately forgives, but
&metimes it takes time to unravel and extricate the tentacles of the effects of sin from your life.
God's law is just as alive today as it was when He first spoke it. I've heard so many teachings
that say, "We're under grace and we don't have certain things to contend with." I beg to differ!
Yes we do, for there are some laws that are built into the universe and you can't fight against
them without ill effect. The blood of Jesus was never shed to cancel the law of God. Take th? law
of gravity; plead the blood of Jesus all you like, but if you jump out of an airplane without a para-
chute, you're going to come to a quick realization that there's been a violation!

The universe honors the laws of God. If you break the law then God in turn will cause that
law to begin to show it's retribution in your life. [Romans 6:23] Something is going to die, for sin
exacts a payment. If you go out and commit adultery, there will be a steep price.

For by 11ren11sof n zuhorish iuon~nnn 111nl1is brollgltt t o n piece of brend: nlzd the ndulteress iuill lzf~lzt
for tlle precious life. Proverbs 6 2 6

Did you see that? The man that goes after the whorish woman will be brought to a piece of
bread. Something happens when people get into adulterous situations or get into fornication.
Something seems to happen in their finances. They start going through financial tribulation.

God is the judge of how long that season is going to remain in your life. The prophets can
come and prophesy to your potential. They'll speak a word of blessing. Your pastor may come
and pour a bottle of oil on your head; they may even dump a bottle of oil in your pocket book.
They may anoint your wallet and guess what? You still won't see a financial breakthrough. And
anytime money does come into your hands, it just seems to wither away, because there's a curse
in operation. "You reap what you sow" is universal; there are certain laws from which you can't
get away! The only way to reverse the curse is to repent and cease from the sun that caused the
curse.

When we comprehend laws, we can begin to understand God's hand. There's a difference
between understanding God's acts and God's ways. We want to get to a place where we can
understand God's ways so that we can begin to apprehend God. See, when you understand His
ways then you'll understand His chastisements. When you have been through a season of His
chastisement then you'll never walk that way again! But when we avoid the voice of His chas-
tisements, or rationalize our way out of the truth of our error, then we'll just go through the same
things over and over again.

Some of us have a string of situations that we've repeatedly gone through, and it's all
because we were deaf to God's chastisement that manifested ten years ago. It manifested again
five years ago, then three years ago, and we're getting ready to walk in the same thing all over
again. We call one prayer line after another, "Pray for my finances, I'm under pressure." They
want you to sit there and break the curse of their chastisement. But no prayer counselor in the
world can break the cycle of your disobedience; you've got a lesson to learn.
 Prophetic Clznstisernents

. You can pray and pray, but the curse of that thing will not move until God says "Enough"
and your obedience is fulfilled. When you're not tithing, your finances will become bound.

8 Will n 1111211 rob God? Yet ye hnve robbed tile. But ye sny, Wherein have zoe robbed thee? In tithes n~ld
offerings.
9 Ye nre cursed with n curse: for ye hnve robbed me, eve11 this rohole i~ntion.
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, thnt there mny be inent in mine house, n i ~ dprove nze I ~ O Z U
herewith, snith the LORD of hosts, if1 will not open yo11 the zuindozvs of henven, nnd poztr yozr out n
blessii~g,thnt there shall ?lot be roonr enough to receive it.
11 Aizd I will rebuke the devourer for your snkes, and he shnll not destroy thefruits of yozrr grozrizd;
neither sknll yoztr vine cnst herfruit before the tiitle it1 thefield, snith the LORD of hosts.
Mnl. 3:8-11

Now, some people will go for years not tithing, and yet never experience financial problems,
so they scoff at the notion that tithing is a necessity. But perhaps someone in their lineage used
to tithe and they're riding on the strength of that covenant. They may be blessed of the Lord
because someone in their lineage sacrificed on their behalf.

That's why there are times that we look at situations and wonder if people get away with
things. It may seem as though they're continuing to prosper as if everything is well, But doesn't
vengeance belong to the Lord? God takes vengeance, but on His time table. He may decide not
to deal with it in their generation. He may visit that sin upon the third and fourth generation;
for that's His option. That's why God says "Vengeance is Mine." There are some things that are
God's affairs, but guess what? They are high and we cannot attain to them. There are some
things that you just have to relegate to God's business and get your hands out of it! At some
point, God will begin to intervene. At some point, calamity strikes suddenly.

Proverbs 26:2 tells us that "the curse causeless shall not come." If you find that the curse is
manifesting, then it's time to take an assessment and see where you missed God. If you did, now
it's time get things back on track.

Missed timing can result in missed purpose. It will be just like trying to have a baby at four
months gestation. The purpose of that baby will not be fulfilled; that baby can't Iive. If you hy
to do something prematurely and ahead of God, it's not going to live. If a woman carries a baby
for 15 months, if that was possible, how many know that baby is not going to live?

That baby will be born stillborn, which leads us to another thief-procrastination.

Somewhere God told you to do something and you refused to move. Then you wonder why this
dead thing is walking around on the inside of you; something that you weren't able to give life
to because you didn't birth it when you were supposed to. That's what happens when God
begins to lay His hand on you and say "I've called you to prophesy, teach, and preach" and you
stand there and say "No, I want to go to school" and you turn your back on the plan of God.
Tlze School of the Prophets

Now you walk around with this dead baby on the inside because you said "I don't want to
fulfill what God has called me to do." Now thankfully, God is a God of resurrection. He's the
God of a second chance. We're not dealing with a hopeless God, for He's a God of Hope. So
when we do miss or proscratinate in something, God has the ability now within the confines of
His will to begin to breathe upon that which is dead; breathe life back into it and cause it to live
again. But how many know that you don't want to go through a cycle of that? We need to under-
stand that we need to move in the timing of God. If we don't move in His timing, we miss His
timing and miss our purpose.

One must drink the bitter dregs of the cup of the Will. The cup of the will is sweet when you
first begin to deal with God. You'll sing with the psalmist, "Taste and see that the Lord is good."
But there's a realm of God that is sobering.

There's a realm where your ambitions, expectations and all of things that you thought that
you wanted or needed are stripped away, and you are handed a very bitter cup to drink. There's
that realm where He begins to mold your character. He begins to do that which will anger you,
that will upset you and embarrass you at times, for now He's getting into that private area of
your heart that you don't want exposed.

Some member of leadership or somebody on your job is beginning to point at your short-
comings and that's not pleasant. We don't like criticism. We don't like it by nature. But we have
to learn to like criticism. Criticism feels like rejection, and when it feels like rejection, we reject
it. God has two hands; He has a right hand that is full of blessings. That's the hand that we taste
of and we get all excited about. Then, there's a left hand of God. Now this is going to be kind
of on the edge of some things but I want you to hear the spirit of what I'm talking about.

One thing that we have to remember is that it was God who created evil. It was God that cre-
ated Satan and Satan can't do anything; he can't touch your life without God's permission. Let's
delegate those activities and sanctions to the left hand of God. You're dealing with the right
hand of blessing and the left hand of judgment. We get real excited with the cup and the will
when the wine is sweet at the top, that's heady wine, and it tastes so good. But when you get to
the bottom of that cup, to the dregs where the bitterness is, to where the clumps of grapes are at
that have rotted; that doesn't taste so good.

The consistency in your mouth is distasteful and at that point you want to take that cup and
pour it out. These are the things that confront you when God begins to make a requirement or
demand of you that is not on your agenda. The demand that doesn't feel good and requires sac-
rifice; this is the place where the "Isaac" of promise must be laid up on the altar; where you must
take that which is the most dear to you and slay it before God and let the blood run before your
eyes.

No one wants to look at that place-at that part of the cup of the Will- where you have to
endure hardship like a good solider. That part of the will where you may be in a "Job" experi-
ence where it's time for your testings and trials, for your faith is being tested. No one wants to
 Proplietic Clzflstisements

. deal with that part of the cup of the Will where you may be in a place of crucifixion where some-
one has become the "Judas" in your life and is nailing you to the cross, or where a "Pilate" is in
your life and has washed their hands of you.

Perhaps you have to drink the bitterness of chastisement, and leadership has to correct you
and you're so mortified you never want to set foot in the church ever again.

Sometimes you've got to deal with the ramifications of your own actions....things that you
did and only you and God know what you did. God is a Gentleman, too. Sometimes, He'll keep
those things secret; just between you and Him. And you'll know why you're dealing with cer-
tain things. You'll know within yourself why certain other things are happening. And while you
may be turning to the arm of flesh for support, comfort and sympathy, you'll find that late at
night, when it's quiet and God begins to speak, you'll know what's in the bottom of that nasty
cup and why it's there.

When you know that your own rebellion led you into a marriage that you didn't want to be
in and frustration visits your life....or when you know that your own rebellion drove you out of
the place of ministry you were supposed to be in and you rebelled and ran out of that church
and you hit a dry wilderness ...when someone was trying to build character in you and you did-
n't want to be bothered, you got offended and reacted in anger and broke the relationship ...when
you know that God was dealing with you on your job and you jumped up and quit and then you
had to deal with two years of unemployment because you were disobedient and somebody's sal-
vation was riding on your witness and then you heard that they died ...that cup has to be drunk
or you can't progress or grow in God.

When the laws of God are refused or notice of them is not taken, it will define your stupidi-
ty and/or your ignorance. Sometimes we can think that we don't have to obey God. Sometimes
we just defy God. God's trying to bring us to a miracle by telling us to give five hundred dollars
and we're sitting there giving God all sorts of reasons why we can't obey His command. Yet, on
the other side of that five hundred is ten thousand; you don't know what God's getting ready to
do for you! You don't know what your obedience will produce! The Bible says that you'll pro-
duce the peaceable fruits of righteousness. The fruits of obedience will cause peace in every
aspect of your life.

The laws of God work. They work whether you know about them, whether you're blind to
them, whether you refuse to deal with them, whether you purposely ignore them, the laws of
God work. If you abuse the poor, the fatherless or the widow, retribution is waiting for you. And
it will come whether you're saved or unsaved. It doesn't make a difference. If you abuse them,
God will answer you, so as by fire.

A lot of us just want to read the Bible and focus upon the New Testament, but there are some
things that we need to understand because we need to take the whole counsel of the Lord. We
need to remember that when Jesus walked the earth, He referred to the Old Testament. The
things that He said was fulfilling what the Old Testament declared. So we need to have an
Tlie School af tlze Prouhefs

.understanding of the laws of God. Jesus began to map some of them out, such as "Give and you
shall receive." Conversely, if you don't give, you won't receive. That's built into the universe.
You will reap what you sow, and if you don't sow, you will not reap.

These are mandates that are built into the universe. We must get a handle upon God's laws
so that we can enter into the fullness of our covenant with Him. When we don't have a handle
on them, it begins to show in everything that we do. If we don't understand the law of subrnis-
sion, then we'll have a conflict with our authorities no matter where we go. If you're always get-
ting fired from jobs, and you're continuously late, you disrespect the law of time. I'm not talk-
ing legalism, but I'm talking about principles so that we will begin to understand that when we
begin to obey the law of God and begin to understand I-Zis principles and walk in His precepts
and His way, then we will see the blessing of God in the fullness of the measure that He wants
to manifest in our lives.

Laws produce action and reaction, challenge and consequence, and cause and effect. Every
action will produce a reaction, for this is a universal law. Whenever you begin to defy a law, it
will produce an effect. Whatever you sow you'll reap. Whenever you obey, you'll reap blessing,
and whenever you disobey, you'll reap the curse. If you're sitting here struggling with something
that you know to be a curse under the word of God, you need to ask God why, for laws are
always productive. Laws are productive in the positive when they are obeyed and in the nega-
tive when they are disobeyed.

The laws of God possess an inherent justice. God may not be fair but He is just. There's a
lot of things in God that may not seem to be fair according to the way that we want to judge His
actions. We have things where our ego demands fairness but God demands justice. And there
are some things that we may look at and say "God, so and so did this to me. God, where's your
vengeance? Why isn't it here?" God is just. He knows what He's going to do.

Maybe you needed to reap that action being done to you because of something that you did
to somebody else. A lot of times decisions are made by leadership, decisions are made by par-
ents, decisions are made on the job and the first thing that we want to say is "That's not fair."
Something within us feels that we're supposed to have a right to certain things, or to be treated
a certain way or to be given certain privileges, but the laws of God are just. Perhaps we deserved
that treatment.

You may even look in our political system and say "Why was so and so elected as mayor
because he's a ungodly man and he's got ungodly principles?" Consider, maybe there's some-
thing in the people or there's sin in the land that deserves that type of ruler. God is just. He will
put that unjust ruler in; that's the hand of God in action.

The laws of God will heal the symptoms of discontent. The symptoms of discontent are in
your life because there's a law being broken. Some of us are unhappy with the situations in our
lives and we've looked for a breakthrough, and struggled for so long without being able to shake
the care of that thing.
. Do you want to heal that feeling of discontent? Go study the law of God. Marital problems
that seem impossible are always an indication that laws are being broken. If a woman finds her-
self in constant conflict with her husband, she should study the laws of submission. If a man is
upset with his wife, he should study the laws of manhood-learn how to love your wife as
Christ loved the Church. Learn the laws of provision and learn the order of God for your house-
hold. Study the actions of God and you will learn how to get the reaction that you want, for
women are built to respond to your actions. They cannot initiate. Study the laws of God what is
the action that will produce the right reaction. His acts are who He is, and His laws are the
essence of Who He is.

A lot of times, we take the wrong action and are getting the wrong reaction. We're getting
perversion because we're taking the wrong action. But if we understand what action to take,
then we will begin to mount up because the right reaction will spring forth. If you've got a very
rebellious child on your hands you need to get the mind of God. What is the action that you need
to take?

If you find that your reaction to your child's action is something that is pulling you into a
negative vein where you're losing strength and taking blame, and all that consumes you is the
thought of this wayward child, study the laws of God. The book of Leviticus tells us what God
said to do with a rebellious child. Rebellious children used to be stoned; the elders of the city
would join with the parents and stone them to death. How do you stone a child in 1995?Simple!
You turn your back and go on your merry way! Take an example from the Jews. When someone
defies their understanding of the law of God, or when someone defies the family or defies the
authority or the head of the family, they are counted as dead and they write them off and they
turn their back. They go on with their lives, reckon the rebellious person dead and move on with
their lives. The laws of God are not restrictive, but they will bring life and that more abundant-
ly. They will heal the tendencies, drives and fears that are at the root of our problematic situa-
tions.

The laws of God are the prerequisite to knowing God. Moses actually received the law of
God. When Miriam and Aaron begin to rise up against Moses, God said that He had a special
relationship with Moses. Why? Because Moses received the law. He's the one that went up into
the mount and got the law. And there's an intimacy that will begin to come when you begin to
receive and obey the law. There's a thing about understanding God's ways that will keep you
from bumping into walls and falling into pits and snares of the enemy because you took the time
to study the law.

Alignment with the laws of God will cause us to proceed through life with greater grace,
refinement and ease. We will stop running into walls in life. We will stop trying to open up doors
with crowbars. We will learn to use keys. We will stop going through a delay of seeing a prophet-
ic word come about in our lives. Sometimes the prophetic word takes a long time to come to
pass and it's simply because somewhere there's something preventing it; some curse or some
disobedience that must play itself out before you can enter into what God is saying. I was one of
those people that use to buck and kick against the laws of God. I was very rebellious and I want-
Tlre Sclrool of tlre Propliets

'ed to create my own way

And some of you were or are just like that. If someone hies to speak a word of counsel in
your life, you want to do it your way. Many of us had parents that would tell us not to do some-
thing, but they didn't speak the king's English so we figured they didn't know or that they
weren't educated enough. It's different today...! They may not have given us the depth of that
word, but they knew the principle, and they understood the law. The funny thing about the pre-
vious generation is that they understood the spirit of the law. They could not articulate the laws
to you, but they had such a relationship with God that they knew the law and they could tell
when the law was being violated.

Understanding the laws of God will change our perspective on life. All things work togeth-
er for good to them that love God and who are the called according to His purpose.

In understanding the laws of God, you'll begin to understand why you're going through
what you're going through. When you understand the laws of God, you'll understand the chas-
tening of the Lord. You'll understand when you missed God. You'll understand that if you don't
tithe for three weeks you're going to encounter some financial pressure. Or if you fell into for-
nication you will go through some financial upset. Or perhaps you violated the laws within your
members because you're allergic to milk and you drank it anyway. You'll know why you had to
take to your sick bed.

To create your own laws puts you in direct defiance with God. You become Luciferic in your
approach, because now you have declared that you want to rule. What laws in your members
have you violated because you refuse to change your diet? What laws have you violated because
you refuse to lay your burden over on the Lord? What laws have you violated when you com-
mit slander and you start talking against people? What laws have you violated when you touch
leadership?

Apply the laws by remembering, then doing; turn information into action. One of the sad-
dest things that I've noticed is that a lot of times when we come into conferences and we're
taught, we sit in workshops and we hear, we take note, we go home, we close the book and that's
it. We do nothing with a1 the things that we've learned, all the principles that we've gained. The
point that I want to make is that this is not the type of thing that you should just lay down. It's
going to take time for it to ruminate and germinate so that you can walk in the application of
truth. Take one principle a day and make it a reality in your life, for it will bring change.

Even if you find that you're dealing with the ramifications of some actions that you had no
business taking, you will find that God is so merciful that He'll take what was such a big mis-
take and just weave it right into the pattern of your life. He's not thrown because you had a
weak moment and fell. He knew about your fall before you ever made it. That's why He made
provision when Adam and Even fell. Yes there was some judgment, but the judgment came to
redeem. Judgment doesn't come to destroy you, but it comes to redeem you.
 Prophetic Chnstisernerzts

. God has us under judgment to build us up. God's getting ready to reconstruct something in
us. The church is under judgment; that's why the prophets are being raised up. That's why we're
hearing the word reconstruction because there's judgment in the House of the Lord.

The elect of God are possessed by God. Those that God points His finger at were elected
unto the purpose of His design. But if you decide under your own free will to go your own way,
there are some areas that you can get into God when you've been selected and appointed to that
if you try to disobey God, you're going to meet with swift judgment.

Lets say God called you into a specific house and assigned you to a specific pastor as your
mentor and you decide "They hurt my feelings, I'm leaving." Guess what? There's a desert land
waiting for you when you move.

I've watched people get up and move out of place and they've been wandering for years.
We've watched their lives wither in a "Gilgnl" where they're just going around in circles, never
accomplishing anything. They're not making any progress in life. Obedience is always better
than sacrifice. God's plan is always better than yours.

The prophet perceives the handwriting on the wall, and will comprehend the owner of the
hand. Sometimes you can see what's getting ready to happen, and sometimes you can look into
people's lives and you can begin to see exactly what the end of that matter is going to be.

And sometimes you cannot say one word to them, for God is at work and they will say "It's
the devil." No, God is at work. We really want people to agree with our ambitions and vain
imaginations. We really want people to stroke our egos and force that disobedience in us. But
you know one thing, don't get into a prophet's face because a prophet will hurt your feelings!
Truth can be a two edged sword, and it will cut you deeply

Each prophet understands the language of the inner "rhema" by God towards their disobe-
dience. A hardened heart will silence His Voice. God will tell you in the beginning when you're
messing up, God will tell you again when you mess up, and after a while God just shuts up. And
He will not deal with you again until you reach the point of the cry. The Bible says that sin has
pleasure for a season. He'll let you go ahead and fulfill your season because you're going to need
Him before He needs you.

All things have ears. All things speak. The prophet must attune his ear to the sound of his
situations. Each situation that you're in emits a sound. If it's a sound of joy, then you'll know that
you're in alignment with what God. You'll know what God is saying, and you'll know what's
going on. Even if the situation is not everything that you thought it should be or you felt that
there were failures in what you expected God to do, there's a certain sound of joy that will be in
your situation. But then if you hear the sound of pain, bitterness and frustration, you'll know
whether or not God is pleased with your actions and if you've produced the fruits of righteous-
ness.
Tlie School of tile Prophets

You'll know if you produced good or rotten fruit. God does not leave you in the dark, and
He does not chasten you without knowledge. All things have ears, and all things can hear you.
That's why you need to name the situations that you are in. If there's some unrighteousness
within you, you need to call it unrighteous, forsake it and go on. If you're dealing with some-
thing that's not right, admit it, forsake it and move on. We always want to cover ourselves up.
That Adamic nature is still looking for a fig leaf. But being mature enough to face the conse-
quences of your actions is a major step to your maturity in Christ!

God changeth not. His emotions are still intact, and His anger can still be kindled. We can
still kindle His anger, we can still kindle His wrath, and we can still kindle His righteous indig-
nation. A lot of times we don't want to see that side because we become blinded to that side of
God. We want to conceptualize God to fit our fantasies of a "Santa Claus" that is always smiling
and always jovial. But we need to understand that God's anger does exist so that we can mend
our ways. God is just as emotional today as He was in the beginning.

Somehow in this latest charismatic move we came to the conclusion that God will never
express displeasure. But that's not Scriptural. He will still get angry.

The prophet cannot bless what God has cursed. He can speak into it and it's u p to God at
that point. A prophet can speak into your finances because it's really a word of intercession for
you, but God won't honor that word until He gets ready to honor it.

That's why we often look at prophetic words and wonder why there is such a delay in them
coming to pass. Some things have to be straightened out first. God doesn't tell all your dirty
laundry; you couldn't bear it. We cry now over the words that we get. Can you imagine if God
exposed the whole truth about who we really are and the motivations of our heart?

The prophet must understand seasons and times. God may speak to your potential, but dis-
obedience will short circuit the power of His Word against you. You want to short circuit a
prophetic word? Disobey God. Enter into an area of sin, and you'll cause that thing to just with-
er up and die and it will not bear fruit. Obedience is the ground work for a prophetic word to
grow. Don't short circuit the word that is coming to you.

God will send a lying spirit to affirm the dictates of the idols of the heart.

3 Soil of llm11,tltese 1ire11 linve set 11p their idols it1 their henrt, nlid ptlt the sti~lilbliizgblockof tlreir iiliq-
ilihj before their fnce: sltoilld I be iitqllired of nt n11 by tlzerlz?
4 Tlzerefore spenk ifttto thenl, ni~dsny ~flztotheni, Tliits snith the Lord GOD; Evenj niniz of the Itolrse
of Isrnel tllnt setteth ilp his idols iit his henrt, nlzd plctteth the sttfnibliitgblock of 11isiiziql~ihjbefore lzis
fnce, rind co~iletltto the prophet; I tile LORD will nilsruer hinz thnt conzetlz nccordiizg to the it~irltitilde
of ltis idols;
5 TIlnt I i ~ m tnke
y flze lioifseof Ismel iii their ozulz henrt, becnuse they are all estrnlzgedfio~il11iethroilgll
their idols.
6 Tl~ereforesny ifizto the house of lsrnel, Tltils sriith the Lord GOD; Repent, nlzd ttfrn yollrselvesfioil~
 Proplietic Ciinstiserrtettts

. yotrr idols; ntid tzrrll nruny yollr fncesfiotil nll y011r nbotilitlntiotls.
7 For every one of the holtse of Isrnel, or of tlze strnlrger tltnt sojo~trnetllit1 Isrnel, rulzicl~sepnrnteth
lzit~zselffrotnrile, nncl settetll 11pllis idols ill his heart, ntld plltteth tile st~r~ilblil~gblockof his itliqllity
before his fnce, nlld cotlletl~t o n proplzet to iltqllire of 11ir11cotlcerliiltg tile; I the LORD iuill nrlsiuer /ti111
by lilyself: Ezekiel 14:3-7

Whenever you begin to put something before God and you begin to esteem that thing high-
er than God, He will allow a prophet to tap right into the idol of your heart and tell you just what
you want to hear and it's not His will. He'll let you have just what you wanted and then let you
bear the ramification of your actions. God has things in His left hand of which we need to be
aware.

As Paul said in I1 Corinthians 10:9, we do not wish to terrify you through these writings. But
-it is only when we come to the knowledge of the Truth, that we can be set free. Chastisement
comes for your benefit, and all because God loves you!
The Scltool of the Prophets
.Prophetess Faye Thompson
SECTION Vlll

Prophetess Faye Thompson functions as a prophetess at Zoe

Ministries. She is the wife of Prophet Devon Thompson. She has
been a member of Zoe Ministries since 1986, where she has func-
tioned in varied areas of ministry including: announcer for local
assembly, worship services, local assembly conferences, The
Power of Prophecy Broadcast on WWRL -1600 AM, spot
announcements for the ministry on WWDJ - 970 AM, and com-
mercial voice overs for television. She is also Director of the
Drama Team and works with her husband as a Senior Care Group
Leader in the Youth Ministry. She also assists her husband in the
oversight of the Youth Department.

Currently, Prophetess Faye Thompson is one of the Bishop's

seers.
Tile Sclzool ofthe Proplzets
.
PROPHETIC PRESERVATION
Proplzetess Faye Tlzoiitpson

We have all been brought to the earth at a specific time for a specific purpose. The year we
were born, the day we were born, and the time we were born were not chosen by chance. We
were a scheduled event coming to the earth from God. We were all sent here for a purpose. In
Ecclesiastes 3:l it begins to state that there's a time for everything. If you've come with purpose,
then there's a time scheduled for you.

There's time and then there's the fullness of time. Time transcends as we move from one
state to the next or from one period to the next. Whatever is in you is developing and it's form-
ing.

Time is like wine; it has to ferment for a certain period of time depending on the degree of
the alcoholic content that they want to form.

To every tliillg there is n sensoiz, rind n time to e u e q plrlyose irnder the l ~ n v e l l

Ecclesinsfes 3:1

Purpose according to Webster's dictionary is "an object, effect or result aim at intended or
obtained." Whatever you've been sent to the earth to perform is that to which you attain. Your
purpose is not fulfilled overnight. A baby doesn't walk right away. God is a God of schedule.

A d by n proplzet the Lord brozrgltf Isrnel out of Egypt, nitd by n prophet runs lie preseroed
Hosen 1 2 2 3

The prophet had the ability to bring preservation to a person, a place or a thing. You can
have disastrous situations about to occur. The prophet comes with the word of Lord and pre-
vents that thing. You may be invited to take a flight somewhere and God knows that plane may
crash or there's danger lurking on the other side. The prophet will preserve your life by telling
you to cancel the trip. There might be a place that's about to experience some kind of disaster.
The prophet can go and speak to that place, prophesy to the wind that is in that city and turn the
circumstance around. Elisha was a prophet and he had the ability to disturb the atmosphere.

Once Elisha discerned poison in a pot of soup and had the ability to bring preservation. He
put in the needed cure. The prophet came, brought them out of Israel and then he preserved
them after he brought them out. When you look at the word "brought" in the original text in the
Hebrew, it is "Alah," which is a primary root meaning "to ascend, to be high or to be monitored."
TIte School of the Prophets

- The prophet comes into your life at the change of season. He comes with the death certifi-
cate in one hand and the birth certificate in the other hand. When he comes, he's causing you to
come out from whatever situation you're in to cause you to mount up into something else; and
to move to another level. You're going to be lifted above your circumstances. It denotes eleva-
tion, for you're now going to be put in a high place.

Think about a picture and a frame. You mount it on the wall, take it from a low place an6
begin to bring it to a high place. When the prophet brings the word, it may not necessarily occur
physically, but as he prophesies, it begins to change within your mind, and your way of think-
ing begins to change. Everything begins in the mind.

The word "preserve" in the Hebrew is "shamar." It's a primary root meaning "to hedge
about as with forms." So when that prophetic word comes, it forms a hedge about you. Before
you were unprotected, but now the word comes and wraps itself around you.

The prophetic word is like a home with a high hedge that prohibits one from seeing into the
yard. It is a covering, ensuring you're not exposed or easily accessed by the elements or what-
ever thing may pass by.

Now when you begin to look at the nature of a thorn, it's pricking, stinging, hurting, a cause
of irritation, a source of distress, it can be annoying and also harassing. That is what the word
of the Lord does to the enemy. The word that was given to preserve you is going to be an irrita-
tion to him. It's going to be a source of distress to him, annoying and harassing him, because it's
formed a hedge about you that he can't penetrate. That's why the word of the Lord is important
in your life.

God's Voice is necessary for preservation. Simeon could not die until he witnessed the ful-
fillment of his prophecy.

Aizd, behold, tltere ns n ttlnlz in Jer~tsnlenl,ivhose lznnle ivns Sinzeo~t;nlzd the snr~le1111211 7uns just R I I ~
devotrt, iuniting for tlze co~zsolntioitoflsrnel; n~zdthe Holy Ghost ivns lrpoll hiliz. And it zuns revenled
ti~ttohillr by the Holy Ghost, that he sholrld ~zotsee denth, before he hnd seen tlze Lord's Christ. A ~ z d
Ite cn171eby the Spirit into the tetizple: nlzd zvhelz the preizts broright ilz the clzild Jesirs, to do for Izillz
after the ctrstollz of tlte lniu, The11 took he Izinz tip ill llis R ~ I I I Snlzd
, blessed God, nlzd snid, Lord, izoiu
lettest tltoli thy serunltt depnrt in pmce, nccordilzg to thy iuord: For nzi~teeyes hnue seeell tlty snlvntiorz.
Lzike 2:25-30,

This man received the word of the Lord that he would not die until the birth of Christ. I
believe that he was able to hold on to that word. It kept him so secure that even if he wanted to
give up, he was able to say, "But the word of the Lord says "It is written thus and so," and I can-
not leave out of here. There's a word of the Lord residing on the inside of me waiting to give to
the parents of Jesus at His birth and 1cannot die yet." The prophet arrives at the point of you
giving up and preserves you.

Simeon held on. "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation. He beheld the promise." It's almost like someone is about
to die and all of a sudden a family member decides to visit them. They haven't seen them in
.awhile and as soon as they see that family member, they're now ready to move on into glory.
They had a desire; they had a word they wanted to see come to pass....the word being, "I
want to see that family member before I move on." And because they had that desire, the word
kept them until they saw them and as soon as they saw them, the purpose was fulfilled and they
went on about their business.

Each of us has a purpose but there's always an enemy assigned to your purpose. That is why
you must be careful that you follow the instructions of God given to you. According to
Webster's dictionary, "preserved" means "to keep safe from injury, from harm or destruction, to
guard or defend from evil, to protect and to save."

Nozu zultell Jesirs zuos born ill Betl~lehelltof Jude itt tlte dnys of Herod tlte king, behold, there cnllte wise
t ~ i e n f r o ~the~ teast to Jerrisnletn, Snyilzg, Wltere is 11e tllnt is bor11King of the Jezus?for zue l~nvesee11
his stnr in tlie enst, nrld are collie to zuorship hint. Wltelz Herod the king hnd henrd these things, lie
runs troubled, nnd nll Jertrsnleriz zuith /tint. A ~ z dzuhelt he ltnd gnthered nll the chiefpriests nrtd scribes
of the people togethe!; Ire delnn~ldedof tltelli zuhere CIirist shotlld be borlt. And they snid 1111toI I ~ I I I 111
,
Bethlelielll of Jlide;for thlis it is zuritterl by the prophet.

Tltelt Herod, zuhen he lrnd privily cnlled the zuise ntelt, eltqtiired of the111diligelttly i ~ l t n tirlte
t tile stor
nppenred. And lie sent the111to Bethlelte~li,nlid snid, Go nltd senrcll diligetttly fur tlte yotfng cliild; nnd
zuhetl ye Imve foiind hitn, bring ltle zuord ngnirt, flint I illny collre nltd zuorship 1ti111nlso. Wllelt they
lznd henrd the king, they depnrted; nltd, lo, the stnr, zuhich they snzu iit tlte enst, zueltt before therli, till
it cnnle nlzd stood over zuliere tlte yolflig cllild zons. Wlielz they snm the s f n ~they
; rejoiced zuith erceed-
inggrent joy. And zuhell tltflj zuere come illto the horise, they snzu the yotlllg child zuitlt M n ~ ltis y ~notli-
er, nlid fell dozulz, n~idzuorsliiped hilti: nttd wliell they l~ndopelted tlteir trensllres, tlley yreseltted lrnto
llil~rgifts; gold, nltdfrnfunlikincetlse,nltd iityrrll.
And being zunrlied of God ill n drenlll tllnt they slto~ildnot retnrti to Herod, tltey depnrted iilto their
ozuiz coritltnj nnother zony. Mnttltezu 22-5, 7-12

These wise men got instructions as to what they were supposed to do concerning the birth
of Christ. When Herod heard that the child was going to be born, he got nervous. And this is
what happened to your enemy at the time of your birth. And whatever level you're at and what-
ever state you're in, you're about to give birth to something, and it makes your enemy nervous.
He's going to try to connect with those that are supposed to be connected with you in an attempt
to use them to bring destruction unto you. But the wise men listened to instructions. Obedience
is better than sacrifice.

God also gave directions to Joseph in a dream.

And zol~elzthey zuere departed, behold, the nitgel of tlte Lord nppenreth to Joseph iit n drenli!, snying,
Arise, n11d tnke the yoicng child rind Itis ittotlte~;nltdflee irlto Epjpt, nlld be tltolr there liltti1 I bring
thee zoord; for Herod will seek tlte yo~rltgchild to destroy 11iilr.
Mntthau 2:13

God's purpose for the earth was to send Jesus. He would not let anything tamper with it.
God will go as far as He has to in order to protect what is His. God told Joseph to go to Egypt.
The Scltool of tlze Prophets

When lle nrose, he took the young clzild nlzd his mother by ~tigllt,nlzd depnrted ilzto Egijpt.
Mnttlzezu 2:14

Sometimes, you may get instructions that you might not understand. Obeying them is nec-
essary for the fulfillment of a word. God does not give you the whole picture. If He gives you
the whole thing, you're not going to be able to go as fast as you could. It's like walking; you
advance step by step. If you try to walk with both feet you slow down your progress.

Preservation requires and demands obedience. In I Samuel 15 and 16, God gave Saul spe-
cific instructions to destroy the Amalekites. Saul had destroyed that which he wanted to destroy
and that which looked kind of good to him, he wanted to hold on to and he kept it. Sometimes,
that which looks good is not necessarily God. He chose a certain time to depart into Egypt; he
did it by night.

Preservation may require the utilization of discretion. Discretion means tact. When you're in
a battle, you've got to know how to strategize to overcome your enemy. A person is less
detectable at night. Nicodemus came to see Jesus by night. He did so because he was a Pharisee;
a member of the religious institution of his day that opposed Jesus. Obviously something hap-
pened with Jesus that this man recognized and said "I've got to see this man. Could it be possi-
ble that what they're saying about this man be right?"

He recognized the greatness that was in Jesus and took a chance, but he used discretion to
slide past his enemy. And sometimes you've got to know how to be in the midst of those that
would oppose you and still be able to go through them without being detected. Jesus was in the
midst of His enemies and He knew how to pass through the crowd.

Have you ever seen somebody that didn't use discretion and wasn't tactful and destruction
came? "Discretion shall presenre thee and understanding shall keep." (Proverbs 2:11) Timing is
key in preservation.

Tlte Herod, when 11e snzu tlznt lze 7ons lnocked of the ruise nzelz, runs exceeding ruroth, nltd sent fortlt,
n~zdslew nll the childrelz tlznt ruere ifz Bethlehenr, nlzd in nll the consts tlrereof,front two years old nltd
ztnder, nccorditzg to the tirite zuhicll he hnd diligently enquired of tlze wise men. Tlze~zzunsj~lfilledtltnt
rvhicl~zuns spokelz by Jerer~lythe prophet, snying, I11 Rnntn wns tltere n voice henrd, lnnzentntio~z,nlzd
weeping, nlzd great ntoltrt~i~zg, Rncl~elzueeping for lter children, nlzd woltld not be conrforted, becntise
they nre not. Btit zulzen Herod zuns dend, behold, nn angel of the Lord nppenreth ill n drennz to Joseplt
Itz Egijpt, Sflying, Arise, nftd take tlze yolttzg clzild ntzd llis nzotlzer, nlzd go into the lnltd of Isrnel; for
thetj nre dend zultich soltglzt tlle yolrtzg child's life.
Mnttlzezu 2:16-20

Timing was the key. They could not leave before Herod's death, but they had to leave upon
his death. Sometimes you've got to wait for the wiping out and the removing of your enemy
before you make your next move. It's almost like the heart. You don't want your heart skipping
a beat because if it skips one beat too many, it's out of timing and death can step in.

If you've got a business deal going on and you want to preserve that thing, you show up on
time. You know the final signing is suppose to take place at a certain time or you'll never see that
 Prouhetic Preseruntio,z

.person again. They say "three strikes, you're out." You know you've got to make it on time or
else you lose the whole thing. Even when you're baking a cake; if you open the oven before it's
time that cake is going to fall. Your purpose takes time to form.

Preservation may entail a season of separation

Jesus and His family went from Bethlehem where Jesus was born, then to Israel and into
Nazareth. They were in transition. Sometimes in order for you to fulfill your purpose, you've
got to be in transition. You have to move from one place to the next. It is not easy moving around
because a lot of times we don't like change. Once we become planted and rooted and grounded
we put our stakes down deep. You get tied to people emotionally. Sometimes you've got to dis-
connect from some people and reconnect to some other people in order to reach your purpose.

Abraham, in order to enter in to the degree of wealth and the promises of God, had to get
out from among his people. The Lord told him get up come up from among his kindred, "I'm
sending you to a land that you know not of."

Preservation may require tolerance. Tolerance means endurance, or the capacity to endure
pain or hardship.

After the wise men finished worshipping Jesus, they heard someone wanted to kill Him. So
when the word comes, a word of high moment and then God says, "Let's go back," know that
He still loves you but He called you out into the preservation process to be initiated to come to
that place.

God always sees and prophesies the end. But He takes you back to the beginning and brings
you through the middle to the end. Preservation may require patience. One of the synonyms
for patience, longsuffering, sometimes applies to meekness or submissiveness. It means "a
power of enduring without complaint what is disagreeable." When God speaks, can you endure
without complaint what is disagreeable? He says, "I want you to go to Africa. I don't want you
to take a straight flight, but take the longer route." That's not agreeable to you because you want
a straight flight. Can you handle it then?

Preservation is designed for our protection. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light
unto my path." (Psalms 119:105) The word of the Lord is declaring that the word causes light in
a dark place. If you're taking steps towards a particular destination and there's utter darkness,
that means you can't see your way. Before the word comes, you're just walking around in dark-
ness; you can't see what's going on. Then, the prophet arrives, and he comes to steer you into the
light of your purpose.

Preservation provides salvation. Salvation means "to salvage any situation." The word of
the Lord gives you some direction and instructions as to where you should go to salvage that
thing.

Wlzerezuithnl shnll n yollng rlznlz clenllse llis zuny? by ttnkilzg lzeed tllereto nccordi~lgto thy zuord. With
~ i z ywhole heart hnve I sollglr thee: 0 let lire not zunlzderfro~izthy col1rnznlzd1i1e1zfs.T/zy word hnve I
hid in tiziize heart, that 1 inigltt ,lot sill ngnilzsf thee. Psnlr~rs119:9-17
Tlze Scllool o f the Prophets

When you sin you fall short of the mark on any level, which means you fall short of your
purpose.

Preservation provides maintenance. Maintenance is the act of providing support. A foun-

dation is needed to hold up a building. If you're attaching lights you need screw to keep them
in place. Whatever fixture that God has called you to be in the earth, the word of the Lord comes
to make sure that you're maintained and supported.

Tlzrollglz faith iue irnderstn~tdtltnt the worlds ruerefillled by tlte zuord of God, so thnt thilzgs iul~ick
nre seen were not nznde of tltiltgs zultich do nppenr.
Hebrezus 11:3

Preservation will cause you not to abort your vision. Whatever you don't understand you're
going to ultimately abuse. An abortion is a deliberate termination of pregnancy. When you
come to earth, you're pregnant with purpose. Some people use abortion as a birth control
method. They decide "I will not use any kind of precaution. I will not exercise control. I can
always run to the abortion clinic and get rid of it because I don't want it." There are people like
that in the church. They come to hang around the things of God that they're suppose to be a part
of - singing, dancing, drama, etc. -but when they get impregnated with purpose they go out
the door and go back to the world. They have just committed an abortion because they don't
want to embrace the call. They became pregnant with the call and they begin to abort it; they
don't understand the purpose.

Sometimes you can use contraceptives and still end up getting pregnant. There's some folks
that come in church and try their best not to get involved; they don't want to get pregnant. They
use contraceptives in whatever forms: walls, mindsets etc. But God has the ability that when He
wants His purpose fulfilled, He bypasses those contraceptives. Whatever purpose you have, it's
a child in the making. Children are a heritage of the Lord. Their purpose is to be a blessing.

So the gift of God that God has given unto you is for a blessing; it is the heritage of the Lord.

In the realm of the Spirit, God impregnates the Body of Christ daily. When the word of the
Lord to bring preservation is not present, people abort and do not fulfill their purpose.

Preservation will prevent miscarriages. A miscarriage is a detaching and expelling of the

fetus from the uterus. There are three kinds of miscarriages:, the threatened, the inevitable and
the incomplete. Some causes of miscarriages are major abnormalities in the fetus, death of the
fetus, faulty hormone production, illness or infection.

A threatened miscarriage takes place in the first few weeks. In eighty percent of cases, the
threat passes and pregnancy continues.

Preservation is a process. From the word "preservation," you get preserves and we know
that you can preserve all kinds of stuff. There's a preservation process where you just have can-
ning, pickling or you can make jam or jellies. In order for you to make jam or jellies, you have to
sterilize the container in boiling hot water. Then you have to take the fruit and peel it. Sometimes
you're going to lose some skin in the process. When you finish peeling them, you have to slice
 Prophetic Preservation
.them up and then they're packed into a jar with a preservative. So although you've been cut up
and peeled, there's something that comes to preserve you. Then that thing is locked in a jar and
the seal is put upon it and it stays there for a long time. That which was about to go rotten isnow
preserved, and shelf life is added to it because it lasts longer. When you've been sealed for God's
purposes, you will be preserved. As He places you on the shelf, know that years are being added
to your life. Walk in the wisdom of God, and stay under the preservation power of His mighty
Hand.
The School o f f h e Prophets

.
 C H A P T E R 2 8

PROPME'FIC ECONOMICS
Prophetess Faye Tl~orripsoit

As we look at our nation in this day and in this hour we're hearing a lot about "recession."
According to Webster's Dictionary, "recession" is defined as "a period of reduced economical
activity marked by a decline in employment, profit, production and sales that is not as severe as
prolonged depression."

Our Bishop, E. Bernard Jordan, began to share with us that news broadcasters are proclaim-
ing some things but they're not telling us the whole truth. We're in a worse state than they are
proclaiming. And during this time, even as the Word explains, people are losing their jobs. So
that means there are more people on the unemployment limes. There's utter chaos. Households
are experiencing difficulty. They need miracles. In the Bible, some people faced similar economic
crisis including depression, recession and famine. The prophet came on the scene and brought
restoration into their lives.

Restoration is one of the key ministries of the prophet. The prophetic anointing is very
important in our lives. A lot of people have problems with it. Nonetheless, it is a part of the five-
fold ministry and everyone has a function. Even when you search throughout the Old Testament
you primarily see prophetic activity taking place. I can't begin to stress how vital it is to have the
prophetic voice in your life, because this is the voice of God. Bishop Bill McKinley explains it
this way, "When you need direction, God sends the direction through the prophet."

With restoration comes finances. Economics is the science or art of managing a house or
household. God wants to give us the art of managing our homes. If there's no management there
will be utter chaos. God is not a God of chaos. Even when he looked upon the face of the earth
and it was void and filled with darkness, His Spirit began to move to bring about change.

The prefix "Eco" has to do with our house or our habitation,

"Aizd Elijnlz the Tisl~bite,zoho zons of the i~zhnbitniitsof Gilend, snid itizto Ahnb, A s tlie LORD God of
lsrnel liueth, before zuho~lzI stn~zd,there slinll 11ot be dezo nor rniiz tlzese yenrs, bltt nccordiizg to iiiy
word. Aiid the 7uord of tlie LORD cniile lilito liinz, snyitzg, Get thee helice, nlzd tllriz thee enstzonrd,
nird liide tlryself by the brook Clzen'tli, tlznt is before Jordniz. And it shnll be, tlznt tlio~islinlt drink of
the brook; nizd I hnue coi~ziiznndedtlze rnveiis to feed thee there.
So he zue~itnlzd did nccordilig zl~ltotlie word of the LORD; for he zueizt nlid dzuelt by the brook Cheritlz,
thnt is beforelordn~z.A I Itlie ~ muelis broitglit hi~izbrend nlzdflesh ill the iizur~zi~ig,
nlzd brend nildflesh
ilz the eveiii~ig;nlzd lie drniik oftke brook. And it cnil~eto pnss nfier n zuliile, thnt the brook dried icy,
becnztse there lznd beeti I Z O rniii ilz tlie lniid." I Kings 172-7
Tlie Scltool of tlie Pmpliets

. Elijah the Tishbite was functioning as a prophet in his day. He warned the people of a
drought. Then the Word of the Lord came unto to him giving him some instructions concerning
the place he needed to be to receive his provision during the crises. In order to receive your
bread during famine, you must heed God's instructions as Elijah did.

You might say "This was a prophet. He was supposed to have everything in place. He was
supposed to have his money and all that together but the famine was even affecting him." That
may or may not be true. Yet, before Elijah could minister to the widow, he had to be touched
with the feelings of her infirmities. You cannot minister to someone in an area unless you've
been there. Can you tell me about poverty unless you've been there? If you've been walking in
prosperity all of your life you can't just tell me it's going to be all right. You've got to walk that
road. Can you tell me if I've suffering with sickness that God is going to heal me if you've never
been through that pain? No! You've got to be touched with the feeling of my infirmity

There are times when you'll find people who begin to move in the area of oppression, but
have not been touched with the feeling of infirmity. That's why the oppressor cannot liberate the
oppressed. They have not been touched with the feeling of their infirmity.

Aiid tlie word of the LORD cnliie trizto hiill, snyiiig, Arise, get tliee to Znreplmtli, iuhiclt beloizgetlt to
Zidoii, niid dzuell there: beliold, I hnve coii1ii1n1tdedn iuidow iuonmir there to sustniiz thee. So lze nrose
niid iueitt to Znreplmth. Aiid zulieil lie cniize to tllegnte o f t l ~ ecity, bellold, the iuidozu iuoii~n~l
runs there
gntlterirrg ofsticks; n~tdhe cnlfed to her, niid snid, Fetclz nte, I prny tliee, n little iunter iiz n vessel, tltnt
I ~itnydriiik. I Kii~gs17:8-10

This region was experiencing famine. "Famine" is defined as "a severe food shortage or
starvation." When there's food shortage or starvation, you know ultimately that unless your
provision arrives, you will die. They were not experiencing a recession but something worse, a
depression. According to Webster's, "depression" means "a period of low, general economical
activity, marked by mass unemployment, deflation, a decreasing use of resources and a low level
of investment."

Without rain, farmers could not farm their land. Without rain, crops dried up. That was dev-
astating because people lived off the land. Their main diet came from the crops they planted.

All the widow woman had was meal, her meal barrel and a little oil. There was nothing
available to provide that meal because everything has dried up. She was experiencing a depres-
sion.

Depression is not only an economic state, but it's also a disease. Depression is a mental dis-
order of psychoneurotic or psychotic proportion characterized by sadness, retardation, feelings
of inadequacy, self depreciation, and, often, by suicidal attempts. When you're going through
some things, depression can easily come upon you.

God calls some people with prophetic anointings to help other people come out of their sit-
uations. The Word of the Lord states that God spoke unto Elijah saying "Arise and get up from
the brook, go to this widow woman." A widow has no husband. She has nobody to help her.
She's on her own; it's just her and God.
.
The successful management of your household is based upon you implementing the basic
laws of the Kingdom of God concerning prosperity. God commanded the widow woman to sus-
tain Elijah. When a command is given, you have no choice. There's no choice in the matter; it
has to be obeyed. If you're in the army and your commander and chief comes with a command,
you must obey or face a stiff penalty. God did not speak to the woman, but He commanded her.
From the way the widow reacted in the beginning it seems as though God didn't speak to her. If
you have been given a mandate, you've got to know that you know that when you get to that
individual and they begin to act contrary to the Word, you've got to go in your spirit and say
"God said He's already commanded. They have no choice but to obey."

It's a test for you to see how much you are going to lean on God. Sometimes God can give
you the Word and sometimes it makes no sense, but you must trust God. In the Hebrew, the pri-
mary word for "commanded" means "to constitute," or "to appoint to an office." When you're
appointed to an office you are called to function. This widow woman was called to function as
provision for the prophet. In Webster's Dictionary, another word for "commanded" is "enjoin."
It means "to direct, to prescribe or impose by order, typically authoritatively, compellingly and
with urgent admonition." When God told the prophet, "I commanded her" He was actually
saying, "Listen Elijah, I have directed, I have prescribed, I have imposed by order, authorita-
tively, and compellingly and with urgent admonition. It's in her spirit."

So Ire lose nlfd zue~ttto Znrephntlt. A ~ t dzuhe~the cnnie to thegnte of tlie city, behold, the zuido~uzuolllnil
?uns there gntherilig of sticks; nltd lle cnlled to lier, nltd snid, Fetch nre, I prny tliee, n little zunter ilt n
vessel, tllnt I illny drink. And ns she zuns goi~tgto fetch it, he cnlled to her, nlld snid, Bri~tgnte, I prny
thee, n ~ltorseloJ brend i ~ thine
t hnnd. And slte snid, A s tlze LORD thy God livetlz, I hnve izot n cnke,
but nn hnlzclfill of ??ten1in n bnrrel, nnd n little oil in n crflse; nltd beltold, I nnt gntlteri~tgtzua sticks,
thnt I nlny go in nltd dress it for nte ntld niy son, tlint we mny ent it, nlid die. I Ki~igs17:10-12

The woman was depressed. All she saw was death and suicide. Despite this, when he asked
her to fetch the water she went willingly and got it for him. But when Elijah asked her for the
morsel of bread, she wasn't willing to give it up as easy. When God asks for a five and ten dol-
lar offering, which you can afford, it is easy to step up in the line and say, "I'm coming with my
ten." When you have ten thousand in the bank and it's earmarked for something, it's not as easy
to comply when the Lord says, "Make me a sacrifice."

THE PRESENCE OF THE PROPHET IN YOUR LIFE WILL PREVENT YOU FROM BEING WASTEFUL.

A ~ t dElijnlt snid ilnto lier, Fenr not; go n~tddons thou hnst snid; but ~ltnkerite thereof n little cnkejrst,
nltd bring it icnto nze, nltd nfter ntnke for thee n~tdfor tlty soft. For tltlls snitli tlte LORD God of Israel,
Tlle bnrrel of ilrenl shall not zunste, neither sfinll tlte crilse of oil fnil, 111ttiltlte dny tltnt tlze LORD
seltdetlz rnin irpo~zthe enrth. And she rueltt n~tddid nccordi~tgto the snying ofElijnli: and she, nltd lte,
nttd lter lzollse, did ent Jftnlty days. And tlze bnrrel of nzenl zunsted not, iteitlfer did the crtlse of oil fnil,
nccordi~igto tlte word of tlte LORD, zuliicli he spnke by Elijijn. I Kings 17:13-16

When she arose and begin to lose faith, he had to help her to get some direction. This woman
wanted to die. When you're depressed, you need an anti-depressant. Her anti-depressant was
Tlie Scliool of tlie P~ovhets

" ~ a k eme a cake." That was the cure she needed for her ailment. Before the prophet came, the
farmers, by Law, assisted her. The famine changed that. She needed another supplier.
Sometimes when you get to a certain point in your life and things begin to dry up and close up
on you, you need somebody else to come in and begin to point you in the way you need to go.
This woman was about to prosper because she believed in the prophets.

The prophet has the ability to teach you the science or art of managing your house or house-
hold. This woman had ceased to see how she could further manage this home until the prophet
came on the scene.

The successful management of your household depends upon your obedience towards the
man of God. She had to rise in obedience in order to experience success.

The successful management of your household depends upon your ability to trust the man
of God. The widow trusted Elijah and lived.

The successful management of your household is just one instruction away. One word. The
prophet came with the word and the prophet was the word made flesh.

The successful management of your household is just one connection away. You need to con-
nect with that right individual that's going to cause you to walk in that new direction.

The successful management of your household is not determined by your marital status. So
single parents, widows, don't feel sorry for yourselves. God has the ability because He has all
things in His hands. Didn't you think He knew the situation with that widow woman? Of
course He did. That's why He took Elijah from where he was and sent him unto her. He could
have stopped at anybody's house but God had her earmarked for the miracle of provision.

Fear can hamper the successful management of your household. It almost hampered the
widow's.

Faith is a necessity for the successful management of your household.

You must be.a TITHER to have successful management of your household. Elijah said "Bake
me first." He demanded the first fruits. God commanded that the tithes be brought into the
storehouse. Elijah was the storehouse. Within him was the necessary equipment that she need-
ed; he had the storehouse of information to release her into her destiny of abundance. She had
to be a giver because God called her to sustain Elijah. Sometimes God causes people to cross your
path and you're saying, "I don't have enough to sustain," but God's going to provide.

A famine affects everybody. There are business men that are jumping off their roofs right
now. They're losing their minds because they invested in the wrong thing. They didn't have a
prophetic voice in their lives to say "Okay, leave gold alone today but now move over to silver."
.
The prophet comes with the wisdom to enable you to conquer debt.

Noru there cried n certnitt zuo~~lnlz of tlte zuives of the so~tsof the prophets llnto Elishn, snyillg, T11yser-
vnllt n ~ h~tsbnitd
y is dend; nlld thoit knoruest thnt tlty s e ~ v n ~didt t fenr the LORD; n l ~ dthe creditor is
conle to tnke irllto lliiit 111ytzuo sorts to be bondnleit. And Elishn snid lrllto he]; Wltnt sllnll I do for thee?
tell me, mhnt llnst fl~oltill the Ilollse? And she snid, TItil~eIm~tdi~mid 11ntk not nlty tlliltg ill the hollse,
snve n pot of oil. Tlten he said, Go, borrozu thee vessels nbrond of nl1 thy ~zeigl~bors, evert eillpty ves-
sels; borrozu ltof n fezu. And zohell thoit nrt corlte in, tl~orcshalt slzllt the door l~pollthee nltd 11p011 thy
sons, nltd sllnlt pollr out into nll those vessels, nlld thoit shnlt set nside thnt zul~icltisfitll. So she zueltt
fro111 11ii11,n~tdsltl~tthe door 1rpo11her rind I L ~ O I her I sons, zulro brolcglzt the vessels to her; nlld she
poured out. And it cnnle to pnss, zuhell the vessels zuerefitll, thnt she snid 1~1ttoher soil, Bring I I I yet ~
a vessel. And lie snid l~lttoher, Tltere is tot n vessel more. And the oil stayed. Then she crime nlld told
the nlnrt of God. And he snid, Go, sell the oil, nltd pny thy debt, nlld live tllolr nlzd thy children of the
rest. I1 Kings 4:1-7

This woman had a problem; her husband had died. The creditors came to take her children
because in that day, when you were in debt and couldn't pay, they did not repossess your car nor
furniture. They took your children. She had sons, which were considered prize possessions in
that day.

The Word of the Lord said that this woman came crying with a loud cry. The primary mean-
ing of the word "cry" in the Hebrew means "to shriek." "Shriek" according to Webster's
Dictionary means "to cry out in a high pitched voice." It means "a shrill and unusually wild and
involuntary cry as a sudden or extreme terror or pain." When you're faced with a situation that
you don't know how to get out of, it can cause you to let out one of those cries.

Proper initial response can begin to trigger the miracle which is necessary for successful
management of your household.

This woman was wise in that when she had this problem she didn't go to her mother, she
didn't go to her father, and she didn't go to her girlfriend. She went to the prophet. She went
to somebody who could see because she was experiencing a form of oppression. Debt is a form
of oppression. The prophet asked her, "What do you have?" She couldn't see within herself that
she had something that had the ability to bring about her deliverance. When you're over-
whelmed with pressures and with circumstances it can cause blindness. And the blindness
caused her not to see her potential.

When you're blind you need a seeing aid. Some people get a seeing eye dog, some people
get a cane or some people obtain a physical assistant. She needed a prophet because he has the
ability to see. In the Hebrew, "rl~nzu"is a primary root of the word "prophet," which means "to
advice, to discern, to gaze, to perceive." So what she couldn't see, the prophet had the ability to
gaze and perceive that which she had. It also means "provide"; "pro" meaning "forward" and
"vide" meaning "to see." The prophet could see what was ahead. He could see forward beyond
her limitations. The prophet has the sight for others.

He can think. He has the ability to view and he gets visions. So the prophet said to the
woman., "Okay. You have oil. I'm going to give you some instructions. I can tell you what to do
The Sclzool o f the Provlzets

with it." It's the same principle when you have an idea. You may not know what to do with the
potential on the inside of you. When you come before the prophet and he stands u p and begins
to prophesy, you look at him funny. When you go home, you realize "I had it in there all the
time." It took somebody that had the ability to see because a blind man cannot see.

Sometimes when you're in a tight spot you have to lose pride and ask for a loan. Some ideas
God gives you should not be shared with anybody. You need to go in behind the door and shut
it because there's always someone waiting to steal your ideas. The prophet gave her one instruc-
tion and as soon as she completed it and came back to him he gave her the second instruction.
Sometimes, God will not give you all the details at once. Instead, He takes you step by step.

You must be a GIVER to have successful management of your household.

And it fell on a day, thnt Elishn passed to Shuneln, zuhere runs a pent ruonmn; and she co~lstrainedhiln
to eat bread. And so it runs, tlznt ns oft as he passed by, he tlrrned in thither to ent bread. And she snid
ztnto her hzrsbnnd, Behold nozu, I perceive that this nn holy nznn of God, zuhiclz pnsseth b y us continzr-
ally. II Kings: 4:8-9

Unselfishness plays a vital role in the successful management of your household in chang-
ing times.

The word "conskained" means "to fasten upon, hence to seize." The woman seized Elijah!
Why? Because of her perception of who he was. Sometimes you need to have an eye for great-
ness, even when you don't think that you necessarily need it at that point. Once your eye catch-
es the vision there's purpose for it.

God doesn't cause you to see anything without purpose. Having an eye for greatness is very
important.

Iperceive that this is n holy nznn of God which pssetlz by 21s continzmlly, she zuent to her izzrsband.
And she snid let zrs make n little chanzber, I pray thee, on the zunll; nnd let its set for hirtz there n bed,
atid a tnble, and a stool, nnd a cnndlestick; nnd it shall be, zuhe~zhe corneth to trs, tlznt he shnll tlrrn in
thither. I1 Kings 4:10

This was a wise woman. She saw greatness and she entertained it. She saw greatness and
she beckoned it to come. But then the woman was a great woman. Greatness attracts greatness.

It has nothing to do with material thiigs because it all begins in your mind. If you don't have
the mindset for greatness you will not attract it. The mind is like a magnet and whatever you are
you'll attract.

And it fell 011 n dny, that he came thitlzer, ntzd he turned into the chamber, nnd lny there. And he said
to Gelznzi his servmzt, Call this Shrotnnintite. And when he had called her, she stood before itifit. And he
said zlnto him, Say now unto her, Behold, tlzoll hnst been carefillfor us ruitlz all this care; rulznf is to be done
for thee? zuollldest tthotl be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dzuell
nnzong nine OZUIZ people. II Kings 4:ll-13
. There was no need; she had influence. The prophet had influence with kings. She said, "I
dwell among my own people. I'm a great woman, and I have stuff.'' Her connection with Elijah,
however, caused her dream for a child to be realized, her son to be brought back to life and pro-
visions to appear during and after a famine.

Sometimes a change in your economic status may require a period of isolation. The presence
of a prophet will bring revival to a dead situation

Tlzetz spnke Elishn lelzto the zuonznti, zukose sort he hnd restored to life, snyitzg, Arise, mid go thou nttd
thine hotesehold, ntzd sojozerlz zulzeresoever tho11cnlzst sojolcrrz;for the LORD hntli cnlled for a fnnzitze;
nlzd it shnll also conze ~cporztlze lnrzd seven yenrs. I1 Kitigs 8:1

There is a challenge involved when you decide to overcome a present struggle. This was a
woman that had it all together who probably thought that she would never encounter this in her
entire life. So when you're up there enjoying the pinnacle of success, don't look down on any-
one unless you're looking to reach down and pick them up.

The prophet comes with wisdom to teach you economics in crisis times.

Alzd the zuolrzniz nrose, nrid did nfter tlze snyitzg of tlie ltznlz of God: nrtd she zuelzt zuitlz her ho~~seltold,
ntzd sojoztrtzed itz tlte lnnd of the Pliilistittes seven yenrs.

God provided for her in another land.

And it cnlize to pass nt tlze sevelt p r s ; end, thnt the wollznlz retlirlzed out of the lntzd of the Pltilistitzes;
nnd slie ruelzt fort11 to cry zctzto the king for her house nlzd for her lnttd. I1 Kings 8:2-3

You will experience liberation in your economic situation when your cry comes up before the
prophet. When your cry comes up before the prophet concerning your economic situation, the
instructions will be released unto you.

That is the same sort of cry that the prophet's widow made. And her cry went out for her
house to the king. That means she "lost it."

And tlie king talked zuith Gehnzi the servnlzt of the nmrz of God, saying, Tell nze, I pray thee, nll the
great things that Elislin hnth done. And it cnrrze to pass, ns he wns telli~zgtke king hozu he lznd restored
n dend body to life, thnt, behold, tlze zuontnn, whose sotz he hnd restored to life, cried to the king for her
holcse ntzd for her lnnd. And Gehnzi said, M y lord, 0 king, this is tlze monrrrn, and this is her sorr,
wko~rtElishn restored to life. Attd whet1 the king nsked the wontnri, she told 11i111. So the king nppoitzt-
ed zcttto 1ier n certnitz oficer, saying, Restore nll thnt was hers, nrtd nll tlzefrzcits of thefield silzce tlze
day tllnt she left tlie Innd, even ictztil tzom. II Kings 8:4-6

Prophetic economics brings increase in your life. Prophets have influences with kings. When
you connect with a prophet in the time that you need to be restored, when the king comes into
office, you will have favor and influence with him.
The Scl~oolof the Provkets

- Increase will find her way towards all who will create a pathway for her. Increase will
remain with those who will embrace her.

In 11 Kings 6:24 and I1 Kings 7:20, The Syrian army had gone in and besieged Samaria and
when they went in, they began to oppress the people and they caused the prices to go up. Elisha
began to prophesy that by a certain time the prices would go down. These lepers were outside
of the gates and they began to discuss within themselves, "Why sit we here and die?" When
you're leprous in your finances, you have no covering. It affects the face, which is your image.
When you do not have finances you can't have the right image.
 C H A P T E R 2 9

FOOD: A PROPHETIC mSSENGER

Prophetess Faye T110tnps011

In the Scripture, food was a prophetic messenger, speaking to people and situations. God spoke
to His people using food as an object lesson, for God created all things.

h~tlze begillt~i~zg
God crented t l ~ ehenuel?n ~ l dthe enrill. Genesis 1:1

Even as we continue to go on in the Scripture, we see that He began to furnish the heavens
and the earth and establish everything therein. Everything, including food, was made to give
God pleasure.

And zuhert those bensts give glory rind llotzor nird tlmnks to l~iltztltnt sat 011 tile tl~rotle,?uho liiletltjor
evern~zdevel: T11efolrr nnd twenfy eldersfnll dozu~lbefore Iziltr thnt snt on tile tlzrone, ntld 7uorship 11ilt1
thnt livetl~for ever ntrd ever, nnd cnst their crozutzs before tlze tllrotle, snying, Tl~otlnrt zuorthy, 0 Lord,
to receive glonj nlzd holzolrr nlzd power: for tlzol~llnst crented nll things, nlld for tlly plenszlre they nre
nlld zuere crented. Revelntiott 4:9-11

And the ntzgel zulziclr I snru stnild tlpoiz the sen ntzd up011 the enrtli lifted 11pltis hnild t o 11envei1.And
swnre by hint thnt liveth for ever altd ever, zul~ocrented Itenvetr, n~zdthe tl~ilzgsthnt tl~ereittnre, n~ldthe
enrt11,n11d tlze tltitzgs tlznt therein nre, ntzd tlze sen, ntzd the tllilzgs zulticl~nre thereill, thnt there shorzld
be tirtze lzo longer; But in the dnys of the voice of the sevetzth nt~gel,zulren 11eshnll begin to solllzd, the
~tzysteryof God sholtld befi~zished,ns he hnth declnred to his servntrts tlle prophets.
Revelntiolz 10:s-7

We serve a God that is Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient. In other words, our God
is All Powerful, All Present, and All Knowing. We serve a God that is All Resourceful because
He has created the resources and established them for our use. And God is not a waster. He uses
everything to His advantage. There's an original purpose for everything in creation, though
nothing is limited to only one purpose. I like to look at things as having duality. He created
good and evil but yet they're going to work for His self-same purpose. If you walk in His com-
mandments and in His purpose, then you're walking in the line of goodness. Surely goodness
and mercy will follow you. But if you're given over to evil, then He will even use His enemy
for His own purpose. And even in times of testing, the enemy is a tool of God as in the case of
Job.

God has given to all things a definitive purpose. The primary purpose of food is for nour-
ishment. According to Webster's dictionary, "food" is defined as "materials consisting of carbo-
hydrates, fats, protein and supplementary substances such as minerals and vitamins that are
'mken or absorbed into the body in order to sustain growth, repair and all vital processes and to
furnish energy for all activities of the individuals." From this definition, we see that God has
established three main purposes for food: (1) to sustain growth, (2) for repair and, (3) to furnish
energy.

The opposite of growth is retardation. As a verb, "retard" means "to delay progress and to
hinder." God desires that we progress; that we go forward, unhindered. So when we begin to
look at the partaking of food, we must conclude that if it's not causing growth it's going to cause
retardation. Improperly consumed food will cause damage. Damage denotes a loss due to
injury.

A lot of times the cause of our health problems is the food we are eating. We are abusing
God's purpose for food, thereby causing it to be destructive rather than constructive.

Everything has a language, including food. Food will speak to you; it has a voice. You can be
talking to someone and they can be saying something to you but their body may be saying some-
thing else. The real message is not vocal; it cannot be heard but it has to be read-it has to be
seen. It is the same with food. It has an unspoken language of its own. That's why when you
walk towards a refrigerator you can suddenly become hungry. Food is calling your name. Not
only will food speak, it will warn. Do not ignore the warning signs.

Food will also prophesy to you. It will tell you what your future will be like. If you eat fatty
foods, you will be fat. If you eat life-sustaining foods like vegetables and fruit, your life will be
sustained.

I used to weigh about two hundred and eighty pounds and I was experiencing a lot of diffi-
culty within my body. When I came to the realization that food was causing damage in my body
that's when it began to prophesy. It began to say, "Faye, if you don't quit you're going to die
before your time." Different things began to speak to my physical body and the Lord began to
cause me to lose my desire for certain things. Every month I would lose a desire for something.
And every time that desire left a change manifested in the condition of something in my body.

As the Scripture says, all things are lawful but not all things are expedient. It's lawful for you
to eat certain things, but sometimes it's not necessarily beneficial. There's nothing wrong with
eating chicken, but I was having pains in my joints, and after I stopped ingesting it, I found that
I no longer had those pains. Something in the chicken was having an adverse effect on my body.
If you suffer from high blood pressure you have no business pouring salt on your food. If you
know that you're inclined to heart problems or if your cholesterol level is high, you have no busi-
ness eating a lot of fatty foods. If you're suffering from asthma it is best to avoid eating dairy
products because it aids in the formation of mucous, which gets into the lining of your system
and affects your breathing.

You can go for a period of time and eat whatever you want to -and it will appear seem-
ingly okay -but after awhile it catches up with you. I used to like a lot of greasy and fried
foods. I ate them for years without a problem. Suddenly, however, it started affecting my diges-
tive system. It seemed lawful for me to partake of it but it wasn't necessary. It's almost like the
Chinese bamboo shoot. You plant the seed and nothing happens for years and then all of a sud-
den it is several feet tall - almost as if it grew overnight.
 Food: A Proyhetic Messeiz,ger

. Beloved, Iiuish nbove n11 things tlznt tlzotr ntnyest prosper n~zdbe ill henltlt, eveiz ns tlry sotrl prospereth.
I11 John 3:2

It is an established fact that we are a triune being, possessing a spirit, soul and body. If God
wants our spirit to be born again and He told us that we need the engrafted word to save our
soul, then He is also concerned about our body. It's important that we take care of the total man
because God is a God of totality.

All things nre lnzufill rr~ztome, bzrt all tlzillgs nre izot expedient: nll thitzgs nre lniufirl for me, brlt I zuill
not be brurrglzf trlzder the power of nny. I Corinfl~inizs&:I2

Here, the Apostle Paul shows that he is a man who will establish restraints within his life.
Permission to partake may be in place, but unless restraints are in effect, one can become
enslaved to an appetite that has no bounds. Paul determined, as we must, that he would exer-
cise dominion over his body, and not become subject to the power of desire.

In verse 13, Paul says, "Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats; but God destroy both it
and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body." He
is addressing a specific situation here but we can also apply this to any abuse of the body.

And God llnth both rnised 11p the Lord, n~zdzuill nlso rnise rrp trs by his ow11yoiue,: Kl~oiuye ,tot thnt
yotir bodies nre the rne~lzbersof Christ? slznll I the11 tnke tlte ~lzenibersof Clrrist, nrzd mnke fhellr tlie
nzenzbers of nn hnrlot? God forbid. I Corinthinns 6:14-15

A harlot is someone who really doesn't understand the purpose of her body. The purpose of
the woman's body is to be reserved and preserved until the day of marriage for the man that will
come and open up that package and plant the seed that God ordained. The harlot misuses her
body and operates it like a business, allowing anyone to utilize it. That was not, and is not, God's
purpose for a woman's body!

Wlznt? k~toruye 11ot tlznt he zuhich is joined to ntl hnrlot is one body? for tzuo, snith ke, sltnll be one
j7esh. But he tlznt is joined 1111to the Lord is one spirit. Flee fortzicntiorz. E v e y sin tltnt n 111n11doetlt
is iuitlrout flze body; but lze tltnt cotiz?~ritteflz
fonzicnfiotz si~tnetlzngnitzsf his own body.
I Coriitthin~zs6:16-18
And even as the he instructs us to flee fornication, we also want to flee from bad eating
habits.

A lot of our eating habits stem from the state of our emotions. One of the first encounters
you have outside of the womb is with your mother as she nourishes you from her breast or from
the bottle. Often, food is used as a pacifier with young babies and children. As soon as that baby
cries, instead of discerning the problem, which might be a wet diaper, we tend to push a bottle
in the baby's mouth. Subconsciously, we're programming that child to suppress their emotions
and feed them with a pacifier - food. I used to be a foster mother and one thing I detest is a
baby with a pacifier. When I had one child who was given to me as soon as he was born, I never
gave him a pacifier. But, I've seen children three and four years of age still with pacifiers in their
mouths and I think, "You're too old for this." So, from an early age food becomes a pacifier. And
a lot of times when we get into adulthood, that need to be pacified remains, whether conscious-
The Sclzool of tlie Prophets

ly or unconsciously. You turn to food looking for nourishment to soothe your emotions.

There is something that takes place between the mother and the child during breast feeding.
An intense connection and bonding transpires. Nourishing takes place in the feeding. But when
you enter adulthood, food becomes like the mother's breast; a nourisher and pacifier. That's why
it's so easy to bond with food. One of the many names of Father God refers to Him as "El
Shaddai: The Many-Breasted One" and He's there to nourish. But, a lot of times, instead of turn-
ing to Father-the Nourisher-the Many-Breasted One--people turn to food, another person, or
drugs. They're looking for that thing that's going to fill the void; that thing that's going to quench
their appetite.

And a lot of times, if we have a problem, we can always trace it back to something emotion-
al that happened in our lives. To trace a bad habit, you have to go way back and see when it first
started. Trace that thing and then begin to go back and rewind and loose yourself from those
cords.

I always tell people about this story. When I was a little girl, about eight years old, I had a
rude awakening since I basked in the fact that I was the baby of the family, and all of my par-
ent's attention was focused upon me. All of a sudden, my mother had a baby. Now, every year
we would go on vacation together with the whole family. That particular year, when my sister
was born, my mom decided that it was too much to have two young children and the baby to
travel, so she left us with our dad. This was something that was emotionally traumatic because
I was battling with the emptiness and uncertainty of my mom being away and also with anoth-
er sibling coming and taking my place. My dad didn't know how to handle it. When I started
to cry, he would take me to the city and we'd sit at a restaurant and dine. He stuffed me with
food, and my emotions were calmed each time that I ate.

This went on for almost twenty-one days. When my mother came back she did not recog-
nize me. I had gained much weight! In twenty-one days I was a totally different person. That is
when my co-dependence on food began. Whenever a problem arose, nothing bothered me
because I knew I always had the ability to go sit at a restaurant and eat the pain and fear away

We've been trained to have breakfast, lunch and dinner and sometimes it's not even neces-
sary. Sometimes, one meal a day is good enough. If our food doesn't produce energy, it's going
to produce lethargy. To be lethargic is to be slow moving, sluggish, and dull. "Lethargy" implies
"a state of sleepiness or drowsiness that makes for slowness in reactions, responses or move-
ments and that may be constitutional, temporary or induced by disease or injury." Sound famil-
iar? Sometimes, you may partake of a meal and all of a sudden you have an urge to go eat again,
yet the food has not been digested. If you do, it will slow down your digestive system. When
you eat and you don't eliminate you shouldn't eat again because you have to give that food time
to digest within your body. Have you ever gone to lunch and come back sleepy and didn't want
to work the rest of the afternoon? That's because you overtaxed your system. And actually,
you're injuring your system when you overtax it.

God used food to prophesy and prove a point to Nebuchadnezzar. God used the prophecy
of food to go up against the kingdoms of darkness in Nebuchadnezzar's reign. He, literally, God
gave Nebuchadnezzar food for thought.
 Food: A Provlzetic Messettaer

. bl the third yenr of the reign of Jehoinkiln king of Jlrdnh cante Nebtrchnd~tezznrking of Bnbylon trrtto
Jerlrsnlem, nlzd besieged it. And the Lord gnue Jehoinkim king ofJ~rdnhinto his ltnnd, with pnrt of the
vessels of the lzolrse of God: zohiclt he cnrried into tlze lnnd of Shilznr to the house of his god; nnd he
brotrgltt the vessels into the trenszrre holrse ofhis god. And tlte king spnke 1into Asl~pelznzthe iltnster
of Itis etrlztrchs, thnt he should bring certnin of the cltildrelz of Israel, nltd of the king's seed, n11d of the
princes; Childre11in zulzo~~z runs no blen~ish,but ruellfnvored, ntzd skiljrl hz nll zuisdont, rind ctrnniltg
in kttozuledge, rind tr~tderstnfzdb~g science, rind strch ns hnd nbility br therlt to stnnd in the king's pnlnce,
nnd zulto~~t they ntigltt tench tlte lenrlzing nlzd the tonglre of tlze Chnldenlts. And the king nppoilzted
thenr n daily provisio~zof t l ~ eking's ntent, rind of tlze zuilze zulticlt he drank: so izolrrishing then1 three
yenrs, thnt nt tlre end thereof tltey ntigltt stnnd before tlte king. Nozu nlnoltg these ruere of tlze cltildrelt
of Jzrdnl~,Dnniel, Hnl~nlzinlt,Mislznel, nlzd Azarinh: Unto zuho~lxthe prince of the etrlzlrchs gnve nnrlles;
for he gnve rrnto Daniel the nnllze of Belteslmzznr; and to Hnnnninh, of Shndrnclt; nnd to Misl~nel,of
Meshnclz; rind to Aznrinlt, of Abednego. Btit Dnlriel ptiryosed in his ltenrt thnt Ite zuotrld not defile hint-
selfruitlt the portion of the kilzg's i?zent,nor ruith the zuilte zullich he drnnk; therefore he reqlrested of the
prince of tlze etrntrchs thnt tlte ?itigl~tnot defile lzi~tzself.

Nozu God hnd brotrgl~tDaniel into fnvor nlzd tender love ruith tlte prince of tlle etr~zrrclts. And tlte
prince of the etr~zzrcl~s snid tinto Dnniel, I fenr nty lord the king, roho ltntk nppointed your ntent rind
yotr drink: for zulty sl~otrldhe see your fnces ruorse liking tllnlz tlle clrildrelz zullich nre of yotrr sort?
then sltnll ye ntnke me e~zcinlzgernty hend to the king. T l ~ e nsnid Dnlziel to Melznr, zuholrt the prince
of the etrntrclts llnd set over Dnniel, Hnnnninh, Misltnel, nlzd Aznrinlt, Prove thy servnnts, I beseecll
tl~ee,ten cinys; rind let tltent give tis plrlse to ent, n~tdzunter to drink. Tltell let otrr cotrlttennltces be
looked trpo11 before thee, nfzd the cotiltte~tn~rce of the cltildrell tltnt ent of tlle portiolt of tlle king's ntent:
nltd ns thoti seest, den1 zuitlz tlty servnnts. So he conseltted to thetlt in this ntntter, nlzd proved thent ten
dnys. And nt the end of ten dnys their conlztennlzces nppenred fnirer nnd fntter i~zfleslztl~nlznll the
children zuhiclt did ent the portion of the kbzg's ??lent.Tltlrs Melznr tooknruny the portiolz of their ~nent,
rind tlte wine thnt they shotrld drink; and gave tlteln ptrlse. As for tltesefotrr children, God gnve tltenl
klloruledge nnd skill ill all lenr~zifzgrind zuisdo~lt:nnd Dnniel hnd trnderstnlzdi~zgin nll visio~tsrind
drenl~ts. Dnniel 1:l-17
Nebuchadnezzar came in and besieged this city. In the original text, "besieged" means "to
cramp, or to confine in a hostile manner." In essence, Nebuchadnezzar said, "I'm here. I've tak-
ing over this place, I'm bringing about a confinement....I'm going to cramp your style." He also
said, " I'm going to begin to reform you. Forget whatever you have been partaking of before,
'cause I'm going to bring about a reformation." He called for the best of the children of Israel
and of the king's seed to reform. The enemy is looking for God's best man because he wants to
look in God's face and say, "See I've got your best man," totally forgetting he needs permission
from God. Israel was the chosen of God, just as we are today; the Ecclesia. We are also of the
king's seed.

Nebuchadnezzar wanted children in whom there is no blemish; and that's what God is com-
ing back for: a church without spot and wrinkle.

There were three things that the king wanted to do. He wanted to change their diet, he want-
ed to change their name and he wanted to change their language. Whenever you want to reform
and renew someone's mind to something else, you've got to bring about those changes. That is
exactly what happened to us during the days of slavery -they changed our names, made us eat
a different food and they also took away our language. Now the proverb says "You are what
Tlze Sclzool of the Prophets

you eat." You will become like whoever feeds you. Whoever is your mentor -whoever is pour-
ing into your life - is feeding you naturally, spiritually and emotionally. If you're not strong
and you're among a bunch of weaklings and you're trying to become strong, guess what? It will
not happen. They will feed you negativity that will further weaken you and you will not have
the ability to soar above your circumstances. But if you're a person that is lowly in spirit and
you're around people that are full of positivity, they will feed you nothing but positivity. You
will soar above your circumstances.

King Nebuchadnezzar wanted to change their &et and feed them the king's meat and wine.
When we begin to look up that word "wine" in the Hebrew, it means to "effenresce, wine as
being fermented by implication, intoxication, banqueting wine, such as the person who partakes
as a wine bibber." The Hebrew word for "meat" denotes "a dainty portion of meat." These two
items are the two of the most intoxicating foods. Overindulgence in meat, which is very hard on
the digestive tract, puts you to sleep. According to Webster's dictionary, "intoxication" is "poi-
soning, the state of being drunk, an inhalation that rises to madness." W i e causes drunkenness.
In the midst of drunkenness, you could lose your balance and break your focus. Then, you're
unable to judge properly because it also effects your memory. Sometimes you can't even think
properly. And eventually, it will effect you physically.

WIze~zthozi sittest to ent zuitll n ruler, colzsider diligelltly zul~nfis bqore tlzee; A J Ipirt
~ n kr+e to tlzy
tltront, iJ thozl be a nznn given fo appetite. Proverbs 23:l-2

So if you are given to appetite, you have to practice self- control. You must also watch what
you eat. Again, everything is not expedient for you.

Be tzof desirorts of his dnilzties:for they nre deceitfirl ntent. Proverbs 23:3

Israel had strict dietary laws. Daniel had to remember this. It is possible that the king's food
was prohibited under the law. Daniel and his friends could have ignored the law and used the
excuse, "Well, we're prisoners and have no choice." They opted, instead, for self-restraint. That
was a difficult decision. Food is extremely enticing, which makes it easy to surrender to appetite.

Food has a k i d of seducing spirit. The beauty and esthetics of food are singularly appeal-
ing. You may be passing by a store, not hungry, but all because of the way they've placed food
in the window, the seducing spirit of food beckons you saying, "Let's go in there." The next
thing you know, you've given in. You're eating.

Wine is n nzocker, strong drink is raging: rind zuhosoever is deceived tlzereby is not zuise. Proverbs
20:l
He thnt lovetl~plensure shnll be n poor 111nn:he fhnt lovetlz zuine nttd oil shnll not be rich
Proverbs 21:17

Why? Because if wine comes your way and you're partaking of drunkenness you're going to
lose the ability to manage business properly. Alcohol, found in wine, will impair your judgment
and ability to focus. You will laugh at what isn't funny, and cry at what isn't sad. You will become
prone to an unrealistic perception of your surroundings, delusions of grandeur and cloudy
vision. Drunkenness is dangerous, and will lead you to poverty.
 Food: A Prophetic Messeiraer
.
It is not kings, 0 Lettltlel, it is not for kings to driirk zuine; izor for pritlces strotlg driizk; Lest they
driirk, nnd forget the lnzu, nild pervert the judgtirent of ntly of tlze nfflicted. Give strong driizk 1111tolrit7r
thnt is rendy to perislr, nizd zuine llizto those that be of henvy henrts. Proverbs 31:4-6

Daniel refused the required food, and requested pulse and water. Pulse is a vegetable sub-
stance that is easily digestible. Water, a vital liquid, has no side effects. After being tested for 10
days, Daniel and his friends looked better than their counterparts. Their food was providing
nourishment! East Indians eat a lot of grains and a lot of beans. Some people laugh at their diet,
but it works. East Indians are known to be very brilliant. God gave Daniel and his friends skill
and knowledge in all learning while Daniel also had understanding in all visions and dreams. It
is believed that their diet greatly contributed to God giving them such intellect and spiritual
insight.

Once, King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that he could not remember. It could have been
the effects of the wine he was drinking. No one could reveal or interpret the dream except
Daniel. Afterwards, the king realized Daniel's God is the God of the gods and the Lord of lords.
Daniel's decision to refuse the king's fare actually proved a point to Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom
and the kingdom of darkness by saying, "We don't have to go your way." It brings me to anoth-
er point: perhaps Nebuchadnezzar's crop of advisors, who included astrologists and magicians,
were eating from the king's table. Since they didn't have the ability to see clearly they used see-
ing aids, like a crystal ball and tarot cards. What they didn't know was that Daniel's diet and his
connection with God gave him the ability to see in the Spirit world. He had legal access, but they
were thieves who entered the realm illegally.

Again, drunkenness affects your sight and will cause your vision to become blurred. Ezekiel
was a very demonstrative prophet. He moved in much drama. At one point, he dealt a lot with
Israel when they were going through a period of sin. And God instructed him to use food and
prepare it a certain way to speak unto to Israel about the sin that they were experiencing. You
may find, if you're this type of prophet, that sometimes God will call you to do some very unusu-
al things. At that point and time, you don't have a life of your own. Do whatever God calls for
you to do. Just do it. Lay down whatever you're doing and begin to move in that vein. If you
don't, then the message that God is trying to get across will not reach the masses nor will it be
as effective. God instructed Ezekiel to do the following:

Moreover tnke tllorr rlnto thee nn iron pntr, ntld set it for n zunll of iron betrueen tlree ntld the city: nird
set thy fnce ngnii~stit, nild it shnll be besieged, nizd tlzou shnlt lny siege ngnitzst it. Tlris shnll be n sign
to the llorlse of Isrnel.

Tnke tlzo~cnlso rillto thee whent, ntrd bnrlletj, nird bentrs, ntzd lentils, ntrd nlillet, ntrdfitches, nird pztt
tlrem it1 oile vessel, ntrd iiznke tllee bread thereof, nccordiirg to tlze tzrctirber of tlze dnys tltnt tlzori slinlt
lie r~potztlzy side, three htrtldred nild ititrety days shnlt tkolt ent thereof. And thy iitent whiclr tho11 slznll
eat sknll be by zueigl~t,tzuetzty shekels n dny;from tinre to tinre shnlt thotr ent it. Tlrorr shnlt drink also
zonter by itzenszrre, tke sistlr pnrt of nil 11in;from tinre to tirire shnlt tlrozr driirk. Atzd thou sllnlt ent ii
ns barley cnkes, nird tlrorl shnlt bnke it zoith d t ~ i ~thnt
g cotileth out of itrnt~,it1 their sight. And tlie
LORD snid, Eveil thus slznll the cllildren of Isrnel ent their defiled brend nttzoilg the Gentiles, zultiter I
zuill drive thenr. Tllen snid I, A h Lord God! bellold, iiry so111llnth trot been polluted: forfroitz itry yotlth
tip evetl till tzozu hnve I irot enten of tlznt zohich diet11 of itself, or is torit it1 pieces; ireither cnnre there
nbonzii~nblefleslzinto iizy iizorrtl~. Tlzen he snid zrilto me, Lo, I hnve given thee cozu's dzrizg for ittnn's
Tlte Scl~oolof tlte Provhets

. d ~ i ~nlid
g , thoti shnlt prepnre tlly brend therezuith. Moreover he snid tiitto ilte, Son of i ~ t n ~beltold,
t, I
zuill brenk the stnflof brend ilz Jerlrsnle111:n ~ l dtltey slzall eat brend by zueiglzt, rind with cnre; rind they
sltnll drink zunfer by nienstire, nltd zuitlt nsto~tislt~ile~zt: Tlmt they runy tunlit brend n ~ t dzuntet; rind be
nsto11isherlone zuith n~zother,rind collslinle nruny for their iitiq~rity. Ezekiel 4:3, 9-17
God was using food as a prophetic messenger to Israel. Do you think you'll be able to lie
upon your side for three hundred and ninety days to eat thereof in order to prophesy to rebel-
lious people? The prophetic ministry is not an easy call. Sometimes, God calls the prophets to do
some very unusual things.

God used food to continually prophesy to Israel reminding them of their covenant with Him.
Israel was in bondage in Egypt and God used Moses to become a deliverer unto them but they
had to go through a passage. He brought them out of Egypt and took them into the wilderness
for a period of time. While there, they began to complain, but God provided food for them in
the midst of the wilderness in the form of manna to remind them of His covenant towards them.
"I did not bring you out here to cause death unto you but I brought you out here to take you into
the promised land." How many times we're in a situation and it seems as though God has
brought us out into the wilderness? Don't fear! He's going to provide for you even in the midst
of that place! But, you had to go there in order for you to move on to the next level.

God also used the prophecy of food to warn Israel when they were in sin. And He used the
allegory of food to prophesy to Israel of the wealth that was laid up in Canaan. He began to tell
them that He'd take them out of Egypt into Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey.
 C H A P T E R 3 0

.
THE S T PROPHEU OF MME
Prophetess Faye Tltompson

God has used and still uses dramatic expression to communicate His will and His Word.
Visual conveyance is one of the most powerful aspects of communication. Eighty percent of
communication is non-verbal. People remember eighty percent of what they see and twenty per-
cent of what they hear.

Prophets are God's drama troupe. If someone has a problem with a prophet being artistic,
they really have a problem with God. Jesus is one of the greatest artists who ever lived. He
spoke to us in parables and when He spoke, it was like a painter painting a painting. His tongue
was like the brush, His words like the paint and He caused our minds to become like the canvas
where He spread the image. When He was finished speaking, there was no doubt in your mind
as to exactly what He was trying to say.

Mime is used to clarify. It makes things clear and bright by enlightening the darkness of
obscurity in the air of the atmosphere. It is also used to illustrate, which means to enlighten intel-
lectually, culturally or spiritually to make clear by examples. They were not understanding the
spoken word, and it had to be demonstrated to them. Also mime is used to demonstrate, which
means to make a public display. Man's body was created for communication and fellowship
with God.

Action speaks louder than words. Mime is a non-verbal form of communication. It is used
over forty times in Scripture. Mimes are delivered basically in three ways. Some mimes consist
of an action without a narrative; you will have the demonstration without speaking. Some
mimes will comprise action with a narrative, sometimes before or sometimes after. Other mimes
include simultaneous action and narrative.

The ultimate goal of the mime when he goes forth is that he must express the psychological
feeling. He must create a picture in your mind because he's dealing with your psyche. The
mime must produce psychological acting. He must provides psychological involvement where
people can identify with the moods of their own lives. The mime attempts to tell a story, for it
is a form of drama. You can't speak, and you can't sing. You can move to act also using props.
In the ministry of Ezekiel, God allowed him to use props.

The mimist exalts and manipulates symbolism. It's used to comment on a story. It produces
a stimulated audience and causes the viewer to think on the meaning of what the mime has and
does. It captures your attention. If you're walking down the street and see someone is doing
The Scltool of the Prophets

'something really strange and they're not speaking, then you're going to stop quicker than if they
were trying to say something.

Movement is a visual metaphor that creates a similitude in your mind. Movement also gives
you the structure of expression in that which they're trying to express. It usually generates an
emotional response because as you sit there, they're actually trying to pull you into what they're
trying to do. The movement writes the text and tells you the story. The movement is a creative
force. It gives birth to the realities of space and time. And even from the inner movement, there's
the visible outer motions that are going on in the inside of that person that they're supposed to
portray. You're able to see it on the outside.

Moreover the zuord of tlze Lord cniize unto tile, snyiitg, So11 of Mnn, toke up n lnitte~ttnfiottllpoit tlze
kil~gof ?iJrl~s, nnd sny liltto hiin, Tlu~ssnith the Lord God; Thoti senlest tip the stlttl,firll of zuisdotil,
nild pefect hl benrlty. Tllotc hns bee11ill Edett the gnrdell of God; every preciolls sfotte zuns thy cover-
ing, the snrdizrs, topnz, nttd the dinttlolzd, the beryl, the oizyx, nitd the jasper, The sapphire, tlze elller-
nld, nltd the cnrbllncle, nlzd gold: the zuorklllntlship of thy tnbrets n~ldof thy pipes zuns prepnred iit thee
ill tlte day tllnt tltou zunst created. Tltotc nrt tlte nizoiitted chertlb tllnt covereth; nttd I hnve set thee so:
tllotl runst I L ~ O I tlre
I holy i~to~llttnitt
of God; tlzoli Iznst zunlked tip nitd dozulz ill the itlidst of tlte stories
offire. T/roll zunst pefect ill thy zunysfrolil the h y tltnt tltozl zunst clwted, till iiziqlrity nuns fotllzd ill
tltee. Ezekiel 28:11-15

This scripture refers to Lucifer. He was the worship leader that covered heaven. The pipes
and the tabrets were in him, which means music resided on the inside of him. Music is used to
worship God. If God created music, which is a art form, to worship Him and mime is also an
art form, then mime was created to also worship God. Actually, all art forms were designed to
worship God.

Once a young man, who is a mimist, was traveling on a train in Europe. Sitting next to him
was a woman. They started talking and the woman asked to know his profession. He said, "I'm
a minister of mime." She said, "That's not God." She began to persecute him. All he could do
was to refer back to the word of God. He began to search through the Scriptures and showed
her illustrations in God's Word that described the use of mime. Just like when the enemy came
up against Jesus in the wilderness, He said, "It is written. It's already established. There's noth-
ing you can do about it, it is in the Word of God and His Word stands forever regardless of the
arguments of men."

The Prophetic Mimic is also known as the Silent Prophet. The Prophetic Mimic mimes the
Word of the Lord. Mime is the use of gestures and movements to communicate a message. It is
an unspoken communication. We are very physical in our communication; we tend to use a lot
of gestures. So even in daily use, you may find yourself miming.

Mime is an art form. It is the prophetic ministry of the human body. Man's body was creat-
ed for fellowship and communication with God. Each part communicates concise thought. Each
movement and rhythm shows an idea or a motion. When man was created the fallible man cor-
rupted our understanding of this. Today, is the day of restoration. Christ died for the whole man.
Shouldn't we give our whole being to Him? Shouldn't He reign in our whole being? Let us bring
 Tlte Silent Proultecv o f Miine

our bodies under the Lordship of Jesus Christ

In order for us to operate in the earth realm we need a body because we are a spirit that has
a soul that dwells within a body. God comes, and He wants to use the entire being, spirit, soul
and body.

And Dnvid inid zip these zuords in his lrenrt nlrd zuns sore nfinid of Aclzish the kOtg of Gntlr. And Ire
clznizged his behnvior before tltenz, nltd feigned hilirselfnmd in tlteir hntrds, nitd scrnbltle 011 the doors
ofthe gnte, nttd let his spittle nil dozulr zipo~rhis benrd. Tlrelt snid Aclrish into his servnlrts, Lo, ye see
the ilrnlt is ntnd: zuherefore then ltnve ye bro~~glzt ltillt to lire? Hnve I ?reed of lirnd men, thnt ye hnve
brollgltt flrisfellozu to piny the liznd iirnlr in nry presence? slznll this fellozu coilre into lily Itozise?
I Sniirrlel 2212-15

David was running from king Saul who had just tried to kill him by hurling a spear at him.
David ran to the kingdom of Gath under the rule of king Achish, however, his fame went before
him. The people of Gath had heard about David's killing tens of thousands, which is a number
used to indicate a vast amount. David realized that he was in a dangerous position and his rep-
utation wasn't helping him. He needed to take action. David faked insanity. He acted like a mad-
man making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard.

There are points and times in our lives that situations confront where it becomes necessary
that we do something. We have to start making a gesture; start making a movement to cover our
lives. At times when you're miming there might not be narratives. In our culture, when you
meet someone and you embrace them, we may kiss them one time. In other cultures, they might
kiss you twice. You may go some other place, perform that gesture and it means something dif-
ferent to them and it's insulting.

Now the king and the people thought David was mad because of the gestures that he per-
formed. The beard was the symbol of manhood. What man in his right mind would drool on
his own beard and mark his own manhood? Something had to be wrong to force him to do
something like that. Generally, the beard was carefully groomed. A man would rather die than
to be shamed by having his beard shaved. And since David could not explain with words the
problems he was having, he escaped the wrath and suspension of the people of Gath by acting
mad. He began drawing the doors of the gates as if to bless or curse and than denied his man-
hood in a way that if he was sane he would rather die than do. Sometimes there are some situ-
ations that force you to go that way; to act insane.

The result of his acting was that he left Gath in one piece alive. He escaped out of the hand
of the people of Gath who could have hung him. Sometimes you've go to go do something crazy
to get delivered from your situation. Sometimes you can't speak; you must be silent. Prophets
are the mouthpieces of God. We're suppose to be the oracles; can you go into a silent mode?
Sometimes you may get a word and than you're ready to pop up and let it open. But can you
hold it?
Tlte School of flte Prophets

And Jonb snid to A ~ n n s n A, r t fhotr in ltenltlt I I I brother?

~ And Jonb took Alitnsn by tlte b e n d zuiflt tlte
riglzt 11nt1d fo kiss hint. 11 Sniiluel 20:9.

Amasa was not on his guard against the dagger in Joab's hand. Joab plunged it into his belly
and Amasa died. Only the closet friend or brother would touched the beard or the manhood of
another. The kiss was a sign of servanthood and brotherly affection. No wonder Amasa was
taken off guard. He probably thought Joab was paying homage: some homage that was!

Sometimes we have to be careful. Here was a man to whom he opened himself up. Joab knew
the right thing to do, how to get to Amasa to destroy him. You have to discern people's gestures
towards you. They may be coming in one way and they're ready to take you out another way
You have to have a discerning eye; an eye to see. As a prophet you cannot be blind. A prophet's
function is to see. You must be discerning.

Queen Esther was discerning. Queen Esther revealed the plot of Haman to destroy her peo-
ple. (Esther 7:l-10) Haman fell on her couch in a gesture of begging. The king walked in at that
moment. He saw Haman falling onto the queen and thought Haman was trying to molest her.
Out of all of Haman's crimes against her, this was too much. "Then said the king, 'Will he force
the queen also before me in the house." As the word went out of the king's mouth, they covered
Haman's face." (Esther 7:8) Haman was hung. Haman's face was covered as a sign that he was-
n't worthy to look upon another or to be looked upon.

This story illustrates a valuable lesson. Sometimes you have to be careful of the positions
that you take, or the gestures that you make. When you're speaking with people, beware of your
body language, for the body speaks.

You might be talking to your brother and because of your mannerisms, I might think,
"Something is going on." Innocent actions can be misinterpreted, such as in the case of the king
and Haman. Be careful that your good is not evil spoken of. The Bible tells us to resist the devil
and he will flee. Give no room to him.

Other times, your actions might be good but not necessarily God. When the widow Ruth
offered herself to Boaz, Boaz wanted to marry her. But there was a problem. According to the
law of Moses, the closest kin has the first right of marriage (Deuteronomy 57-10). Since Boaz
wasn't the closest kin, he had to get the other man to release his right to marry Ruth. He did this
by going before the elders and asking the closest of kin if he wished to marry Ruth and redeem
her. The kinsmen had no desire to marry Ruth. He felt it might endanger his own estate, so he
gave Boaz the right to marry Ruth and thereby redeem her.

The kinsmen did this by taking off his own sandal and giving it to Boaz before the elders. By
gesture, he said, "I give up my right to marry Ruth." The shoe was a symbol of the right to own-
ership of possession. And that's why it's important when you begin to deal with different cul-
tures and with different people that you understand their way of life and their customs. What
might be something good for you might be an insult to them.
. To help you with your Bible study, you may want to get the book, "Bible Manners and
Customs." It will help you to understand the meaning of things during Bible times. This is
important, because so often language and meaning change over a period of time. What meant
one thing five years ago may not mean the same thing today.

Ephesians 6:lO-24 talks about God's armour for the believer. It reveals how the body of man
can be used to make a prophetic statement.

"Put on the whole armour of God that ye may stand " is the first step in preparing for the
good fight of faith. We see this is taken on the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, for each piece of
armour can only be obtained through Jesus. The act of standing represents that the whole per-
son is fully present, standing ready for the examination and administration of the Lord. We stand
before Him who is Judge and King. We stand offering ourselves completely to Him and accept-
ing Him completely into our lives. Standing is also a posture of prayer. In this case it can com-
municate the thought of standing upon one's ground prepared for battle. The King James ver-
sion reads "Having your loins girded about with truth" rather than buckled around your waist.

The Greek text suggests the loins are symbolic of the reproduction and procreation of man.
In this way, the symbol would suggest that unproductivity in the Kingdom of God is proliferat-
ed in truth. Our work and activities reveal the truth of God to others. The truth that brings and
gives life is Jesus. The waist is a symbol of life and appetite or soul. The loins are used as a sym-
bol of strength, power, vigor and maturity which is to be controlled by the Spirit of God by His
truth. The prophetic mimic merely uses his body to convey the message. With the breastplate of
righteousness in place refers to the righteousness of the strength of the believer that is given to
us by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, which is the gift of Jesus.

It cannot be earned, only received from Jesus. This righteousness is given only when we
repent of our sins and receive Christ as Savior by faith.

The breast is the symbol of tenderness, life and the closeness to the heart, through dealing
with the emotions. This shows that the feelings of the Christian are protected by God's love and
His grace. The breastplate is a symbol for righteous living; a life in which we fear no wrong. Our
lives, feelings and emotions are given to God and covered by Him for our protection. All we
have to do is accept His grace and rest in Him during times of emotional stress and difficulty

The reference to feet tells us to have our foundation represented by the feet firmly rooted in
the peace of Jesus and the gospel that He preached. Jesus is the Gospel of Peace. Our Christian
walk through life will be peaceful if we build it on the foundation and the gospel of the teach-
ings of Jesus. The fact that our feet are fitted with readiness shows us that it is a state of being
to which we must give ourselves. By an act of my will, I accept the peace of Jesus, letting it guide
my life and path. The feet also stand for our paths in life as we spread the good news of the
gospel through Jesus. We are to evangelize and become His heralds of peace.

When we believe and have confidence in the divine truths of God, we cannot be lead astray.
Our assurance in Christ is a shield against the lies of the evil one. In ancient warfare, there was
an arrow made of a hollow reed that could be filled with combustible material. The arrow was
Tlte School of tlre Prophets

been set on fire and shot from slack bows. Whatever was struck immediately burst into flames.
Water couldn't quench it and only made it worse. The fire could only be put out by covering it
with dirt. The shield that was large enough to protect the whole person was used as a defence
against these fiery darts.

Our helmet of salvation is given to us in Jesus by the grace of God. The helmet protects our
thinking as the breastplate protects our feelings. Our covering is Jesus and what He gives. He is
our leadership and our Head. The sword of the Spirit is the word of God. The sword is the word
that comes from the mouth from our Lord Jesus Christ. The word of God is living and active,
sharper than any double edged sword.

It penetrates even to the dividing of soul and spirit, the emotions from the character, and the
joints and marrow which bind and feed. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes that penetrates and sees all; of Him to
Whom we must give an account. The words which we pronounce can be words of life or death.
They're a double edged sword cutting both ways. When we proclaim the word of the Lord, it
brings life or the judgments of God. When we proclaim evil, we bring injury and harm as a
sword might sever and hurt. In our power and our hand we can hold God's sword or sins -
we have a choice.

Over one-third of the ministry of Ezekiel is done in mime. Ezekiel existed and functioned
during the time when Israel was in captivity and had turned a deaf ear to God. Concerning
Ezekiel's mimes, the historian begins to say that in 597 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar attacked
Jerusalem, plundered the city and deported the king Jehoiach'in and many others to Babylon.

Ezekiel was deported at this time and took residence at Chaldea by the river Chebar along
with the majority of the exiled ones. While in captivity, Ezekiel received his commission from
Yahweh at the age of thirty. He ministered through Jewish mime, speech, acting, visions, sym-
bols, allegories and parables. The prophet Ezekiel was not able to speak....he had to mime his
prophecies unless he prophesied with a verbal "Thus saith the Lord."

Altd I zuill nmke tlry to~tgrcecleave to the roofoftliy ntorcth, tlznt tltoic slrnlt be dllllrbb,nlid slinlt not be
i I roil1 open thy fnorrtlt,
to tlieln n reprover; for they nre n rebelliolrs horrse. But zulre~rI spenk ~ u i f ltlree,
nlid fltorr shnlt sny zr~itothelli, thlrs snit11 the Lord God; He tlznt henreth, let lri111henr, nlzd he tlint for
benretli, let ltil~tforbenr:for they nre n rebelliozcs Itorese. Ezekiel 3:26-27

Israel was in a period where they turned a deaf ear to God. They became dull of hearing and
they could no longer hear. The way God chose to relate to them at certain points and times was
with sign language. When someone is deaf, you have to relate to them in sign language. God
began to use the body of His prophet to speak unto them. When you have a child and that child
does something wrong, you scold them. If they do not listen, you have to scold them by spank-
ing. With Israel, God determined that since they would not hear Him, they would see His judge-
ment illustrated through mime. Mime showed people what they didn't want to hear.

Moreover tnke tliorc tiltto thee nli iron ptt, nltd set it for n ?on11 ofirolz behoeell thee n ~ i dthe cihJ: nltd
set thy fnce ngniirst it, orid it shnll be besieged, nlid tlzorr shnlt lny siege ngnilzst it. Tltis slrnll be n sign
. to tlie 1ioirse of Isrnel. Lie tltozr nlso r1pon tlzy left side, nzid lny tlte iiziqirity cfttrle liorlse of Isrnel rrpoiz
it: nccordirzg to the nzlniber of the days that tho11 slinlt lie I L ~ O I itZ tllorl shnlt benr tlteir iitiqrrihJ. For I
hnue lnid irpolt thee the yenrs of their ilziqirihJ,nccordilzg to tlie itzrniber of the dnys, tllree lilritdred nltd
ztitzety dnys: so slinlf thoir benr the i~ziqrrityof the house of Isrnel. And zulleiz thou hnst nccoi~iplisl~ed
theni, lie ngnilt 011 tky riglzt side, niid thou shnlt benr the ilziqzrity of the liorrse of Jrrdnli forty dnys; I
hnue nppoilzted thee ench dny for n yenr. Ezekiel 4:3-6

Ezekiel had to lay all these days and accomplish the task that God has ordained, and he
could not say anything until after that was done. "Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the
siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it."
(Ezekiel 47) There are times when God will begin to give you a certain task to follow, a certain
procedure, and you have to follow that task. When He says to be quiet you be quiet. As you
faithfully walk in the realm of the silent prophet, then He's going to give you the next command
to speak.

Atid thorr, sort of iiin)z,tnke thee n slinlp knife, take thee n barber's rnzol; nlzd cnrrse it to pnss irpoii tliilie
hend nltd irpott tlzy benrd: tlielz tnke thee bnlntices to rueiglz, nlzd divide tlie lzni,: Tllorr slznlt birrit ruitli
frre n third part in tlte niidst of the city, ruhelz tlie days of the siege nrefrrlfilled: nitd tlloir slznlt tnke n
tlzird pnrt, mid snrite nborrt it ruitli n k~zqe:Artd n tlrird port tlroir slznlt scatter ir~tlie 7uilrd; niid I will
drnzu ozrt n sruord after theni. Tliorr shnlt nlso toke illereof n feru 111 ~ttr~liber,nitd bind tlleilr iiz thy skirts.
Tl~elztnke of the111ngnin, nlid cnst then1 into the illidst of thefire, nizd birrn tlzeizi iit tlrefire; for tliere-
of shall nfire collie fortlz iizto nll the hoirse of lsrnel. Tlttrs snitlz tlie Lord God; Tliis is Jerirsnlerzi: I lrnoe
set it in the ntidst of the lzntioizs nizd corriztries thnt nre roirlzd nborrt her. And slie hntlt clinilged illy
jrrdgenients iiito zuicked~iessillore thnn the imtiolzs, rind i~zystnttrtes niore tlmlz the corriitries tlrnt nre
ro~rlzdnboirt her: For they hnve refirsed iizy jirdgntelzts nitd 111ystntires, tliey hnve not walked iiz theiir.
Ezekiel 52-6

Otlter exni1rples of Ezekiel's titiitistry call be seeit in: Ezekiel 6'2- 14; 7:23-27; 12:l-6; 17-28;
20:4549; 21:l-7; 12-23,24:12-23; 32:li-21; 37:l-35.

A lot of times, when the word of the Lord comes unto me, it comes in the form of gestures.
I will be standing in the midst of the congregation and the Spirit of the Lord would just come
upon me. I begin to move in gestures and right then and there I'm able to interpret the Word of
the Lord. Sometimes, He may just have me to act it out or use it to interpret what He's trying to
say to me. I know a lot of times when the Spirit of the Lord comes and His Hand is in the room,
my hand would just begin to move. Then you will hear the Bishop say, "The Hand of the Lord
is in the room." My shaking hand was the Word of the Lord coming unto me. So if you begin to
move in that way, think it not strange!

God is restoring the arts to His House. We're going to be finding many unusual things come
forth. Do not think it strange. There's nothing new under the sun that has not already been estab-
lished. God had already done it. It is finished. If someone says it's the enemy, or says it's only a
perversion, know that is not. We just have to go back to the beginning and see how God wants
it to be done and do it His way. He'll confirm His word with signs following, and you may be
the sign!
The School of the Prophets
.Prophetess
- Denise Baize
SECTION IX

Prophetess Denise Baize is a powerfully anointed woman of

God with a message in her mouth to set the captives free!!
Currently under the tutelage of Bishop E. Bernard Jordan,
Prophetess Baize serves as a minister in the House of the Lord at
Zoe Ministries in New York City.

She serves Bishop Jordan in a unique capacity as the Bishop's

liaison to Pilgrim Assemblies under Bishop Roy E. Brown, Chief
Prelate.Prophetess Baize has a heart for hurting women, and
shows a depth of Christ-like compassion that will reach out to the
lost at all costs. She has ministered extensively along the East
Coast, and thousands of pastors, leaders, and people from all
walks of life have been blessed by her service of love.

Her prophetic insight is captivating, and will cause you to see

the root of any matter that is brought before the Lord. She is a true
seer in the Body of Christ, and is used mightily by the Spirit of God
as signs and wonders follow her ministry! Prophetess Baize also
holds a Bachelor's Deeree
" in Psvcholow from the Colleee
2 "8 " of New
Rochelle, and continues to labor for a non-profit organization as a
Contract Procurement Manager for Mentallv Retarded Adults.
Multi-talented, Prophetess ~ a y z eis also anoiited to sing, and her
earthly contralto thrusts the hearer into the Presence of the Lord as
she ministers in song.

She is a strong preacher and evangelist as well, and brings a

message of liberation for those that have been bound by oppres-
sors, both great and small. She is especially skillful in the ways of
prayer, and teaches the rudiments of intercessory prayer, for she
firmly believes that every believer must know how to wield the
weapons of their warfare, for they are mighty through God to the
pulling down of strongholds.

Celebrating twenty years of marriage this year, Prophetess

Baize is happily married to Labom Baize, and together they have
three beautiful daughters: Chanell, 16, and twins, Sherelle, 14, and
Shervon, 14. Her life is a living witness to the power of Jesus
Christ, and truly a message has been placed in her mouth to speak
to the dry bones, that they may live again!
Tlle Scltool of the Prophets

.
 C H A P T E R 3 1

PROPHETIC INTERCESSION
Prophetess Denise Bnize

Webster's Dictionary tells us that "prayer" means "to wish, to make a request, to ask, to
desire, to call on one's aides or to talk or to recite a set of words to God in worship or ask for some-
thing or to beg or to seek the Lord."

Prayer is the free utterance of the desires of the soul. A lot of times, we're not taught how to
pray. Some people don't know that it is necessary to pray to the Father in Jesus' Name. Now the
Bible tells us to make our request known so there is nothing wrong with you coming to God; mak-
ing your request known and asking God for favors. And there is nothing wrong with you com-
ing to God asking Him to deliver you or to take you out of a situation.

Isaiah 58:9 says "When you call upon me I will answer, but when you cry I am here." There's
a difference. In prayer, the physical man makes utterance out of your mouth with your under-
standing. It is coming time in each one of our lives when God is calling for us to apprehend His
mandate for intercession and no longer move in the realm of selfish prayers. You have been
taught the power of prayer if you're mature in Christ.

What happens to us is that when we come to God we want to say, "Lord, I thank you" and
ask Him a whole lot of questions and tell Him, "Bless my mother" and "Bless the preacher." To
intercede, however, means you stand between God and the person. When you pray, your physi-
cal, natural soul is praying. But when you intercede, your spirit is now praying. The Bible does-
n't say anything about God declaring that He prayed for you. But it says that Jesus is now sitting
at the right hand of the Father interceding for us. Intercession is what God is calling for. Let's
break up the word "intercession." "Inter" means "between." When you look at "cession," it
means a class of time. People can pray "Father, in the Name of Jesus, bless us right now. Amen,
by faith it's done." Prayer brings on your faith.

Prayer brings you to the place where you can now exhort and see God. But what happens to
us when we begin to pray is that we begin to petition God because we're not at that place of inter-
cession. A lot of people were taught in the olden times that "we can't use the "tongue language"
too much, because us folks will go off on those tongues." And when you got into the church and
you started speaking in tongues too much, they kind of bottled and capped you down and told
you not to speak in tongues. But if you read the Word of God. It is no longer you, I or the things
that you want, but it's the Spirit of God now beginning to make intercession through us.
Tlie Scllool o f the Provhets

. For he fhnf spenketlt in nil t~i~kilozoilt o l t p e spenkefll ilof icizto iiieiz, but llilfo God:for iio 111n1iniicler-
stnndeflt hiiil; llorobeit iiz tlze spirit he spenketlt iitysferies. 1 Coriizthini~s14:2

Prophetic Intercession is the sap of the vineyard. When it flows, life will manifest itself, but
when it ceases to flow, the leaves brown and fall off, the fruit withers on the vine and the plant
goes into the format stage. It's like a tree. The Father is a tree, and our Lifeline. When we were
born, the bible says that when God created us, He created the physical body, He created the soul
and then He breathed the breath of life, meaning that He breathed the spirit into us.

Now what happens to us is that, because of the way that we're taught, we're coming to God
with our fleshly desires telling him what we want. Not only do we want man to see and hear us,
but we felt that the right way to pray was "Father in the Name of Jesus," as if they were magical
words. These were petitional prayers. From lack of knowledge, many of us tried to imitate those
that we heard pray publicly. If I heard you pray for a long time and it seemed like God moved in
that prayer you prayed, when I got ready to pray, I'd use some of those same words you used!

But praying can also be petitionless because you can pray in the Spirit and also you must pray
in the Word of God, scripturally. There's a difference in praying scripturally and seeing people
pray and go off into preaching.

God says "My word will not return back void but it will accomplish that which it's set out to
do." When you do intercessory prayer, that means that you're in a session with the Spirit of God
to pray through for what God is saying for your life and the lives of other people.

Prophetic Intercession must have priority. Now when the Spirit is making intercession in you,
He will prioritize what you need to pray for. The Bible says that we do not know what we need
to pray but when we ask the Father, we have to come now like the disciples, "Lord teach us how
to pray." A lot of things that we pray for are self-motivated; "Lord give me a bigger church," or
"Lord give me a bigger ministry," or "Lord give me a husband."

Maybe God has called you to be an intercessor to break up the ground of the enemy. But
because of the self-centered mentality of our thinking, we have asked, "Gimme, Gimme,
Girnme!." We know God to be so Powerful and Almighty and we recognize Him as our Source.
But God wants to become prophetic intercessors. And when you get into the intercession of God,
you will begin to unlock His heart.

Prophetic Intercession is therefore not elective, but essential. No prayer-no life flow; no life
flow-no fruit. You show me someone who does not have a prayer life and I'll show you some-
one who doesn't know God. When I talk to you, I'm getting to know you; I'm building a rela-
tionship with you. The more I talk to you, the more I know you. So when we meet each other,
we begin by saying, "Hello. How are you?," and our relationship deepens. Praying will get you
to talk to God but intercession will get you to know God, for it enables you to hear His Voice.
You'll begin to see as He sees. You'll understand the emotions of God in a given matter; you'll
weep when He weeps and laugh when He laughs.
 Prophetic Itztercessiott

. Prophetic Intercession will be a bolt to lock up darkness and a key to open the light. When
you intercede to God, it will block out the darkness because the enemy is the prince of the power
of the air.

When I pray, I can stop you while you're conversing with me. That's how the enemy is; before
you finish praying he already know what you have said, so the power of this world has sapped
your prayer already. But when you intercede and begin to speak in tongues, he can't get in there
because he doesn't know what you're praying about. When I talk to you and you want to con-
fide your problems in me, either I'm going to sit with a listening ear and maybe have some wis-
dom or I might not even have the wisdom at all....I might give you some wrong direction. So if
you come to me with a problem I'm going to tell you "listen don't take that" because I'm not seek-
ing after the heart of God, but I'm seeking now after your heart. And see that's why it makes a
difference between the intercessor and the prayer because the flesh has no knowledge as to what
God wants for your spirit. So when you're interceding in prayer, you must first come to the
Throne speaking in tongues.

Intercession starts with speaking in tongues. Your spirit maketh intercession to God and then
God will give you the interpretation of what you're speaking in tongues; the prayers of what God
wants you to speak through the interpretation of what you're interceding for. Alot of times, a per-
son will come into our minds and the first thing we say to the person is, "You were in my mind.
What's the matter with you?" But God didn't tell you to go to the person. God put that person in
your mind so you could begin to intercede, and see what God wants you to pray for concerning
that person.

But because we yield so much to the flesh, we get scared of the supernatural God. I've been
prophesying since I was eight years old. My parents took me to psychiatrist and psychologist
because they didn't know what was going on in my life. And when I was seventeen years old, I
was going to have electric brain wave treatments because they wanted to get this thing out of my
life. No one understood anything about a prophetic mantle. They thought somebody put some
"roots" on me or worked witchcraft on me because one it was believed that one of my great aunts
worked that skiff. But they told me that my grandmother interceded by the waters day and night,
and I realized that her inheritance would flow out of that intercessory prayer.

When you intercede, you can break generational curses. You can move into the future when
you intercede. But the thing is, prophetically, we get scared because when we get out of self we
now become joined to the Spirit of God. Have you ever lost yourself? Have you ever lost your-
self in the flesh where you thought you mind was going to lose it and it was okay for you to go
off and start cursing and acting all wild and crazy and then kind of snap yourself back?

Why is there a difference when you got to lose yourself now into God and let God do what
He has to do in your life and let Him reveal what He needs to reveal? What happened to us a lot
of times is that we get overcome by a lot of anxiety, and a lot of problems that we have is because
we have not interceded before God for what we need.

Prophetic Intercession will bring the mold in which the character of our life is shaped. When
you begin to intercede in prayer and you begin to speak, God will bring the very things while
Tlie School of the Prophets

'you're praying for something else that you want God to do for you. He will bring His very char-
acter into your life.

All of sudden, while you are praying, you'll hear "You need to calm your spirit down" or
you'll hear "Shut up." You may start speaking in tongues and say "The devil's a liar, the blood
of Jesus!" when it's God speaking to mold your character. It's when you begin to move in inter-
cession that God reveals the very nature of your personality. That's why we have to be so care-
ful that when we intercede in prayer that we're unlocking the heart of God and knowing whether
or not we're praying in flesh or whether we're praying in the Spirit. There are times you can
speak in tongues and still your mind. Pictures formulate and we cannot breakthrough the inter-
cession of God because those things are still in our mind.

When you look up the word "mind in Hebrew it means "rnenos," which means "spirit." The
Bible says we are not warring against flesh and blood but we're warring against spiritual wicked-
ness in high places. We've got to cast down the imaginations of our thoughts. That's why I said
when you come into interceding in prayer, you must come in speaking in tongues. And the rea-
son for that is that you want to bring your mind in so that you can get the mind of God.

Intercession will bring rest. How many times have you interceded and it brought the relax-
ation that you needed? Because again, Isaiah 58 says (paraphrased), "When you call I hear you,
but when you intercede to God, the cry of your spirit comes out and when you cry that's when
God says I'm here." So while you're interceding, I don't care if it's your husband, I don't care if
it's your children, but when God begins to stir up those things in you and it begins to build up
your faith and God steps in, what happens, then is that you know now you feel the relaxation and
presence of God.

A lot of times what happens is that people are on edge with expectation. But I don't care if
you come to church, you ought to come to church with expectation interceding that God will give
you a word that you need. The Bible says that you can come into church and have a thing in your
heart and the prophets will pick you out and prophesy because you interceded in flesh, you
prayed in flesh, that they would prophesy to the idols of your heart. So while I'm teaching, you
ought to be in your spirit interceding so that God would unlock that things that He has within me
to bring out what you need. We've been in trashy stuff, but God wants to bring the treasure out
of the trash!

Pretty words don't mean nothing, but if you intercede for me, God would unlock something
that you need. Some of you have wondered why your prayers have been hindered; it's because
you have not been on your face before God.

God knew you before you were bom. He knew what you were going to be, He knew that you
were going to be weak at times, and He knew you would encounter some stumbling blocks.
When Eve went and ate the fruit, God was prepared. The Bible says that you born in sin and
shaped in iniquity, but when you come to Jesus and accept Him as your Personal Savior, then we
must stir up the gift that's within us. That is the Spirit of God.
. Yet even with Jesus in our lives, our relationships will be tested. People will become your test
and your trial. We'll catch an attitude and won't speak to our sisters and brothers because of some
offense we've suffered when the Bible says if you have an ought against them your prayers are
hindered. God won't hear your prayers until you enter into a realm of forgiveness and love
towards the brethren.

We've got to be taught differently because we've been taught that once we come to the Father
and say "Lord, forgive me. I confess," but the Bible says don't let the sun go down until you get
it right. And if your right hand offend your brother cut it off. If your eye offends your sister pluck
it out. You've got to take your gifts, leave them at the altar, and reconcile your differences. Then
you can come back and pick up your gift, and lay aside the weight that so easily beset you. We
want God to reveal a lot of things to us, but we don't want God to show us the character that's
wrong in us.

We have too much pride in us. Especially black folks, because we've been opprrssed for such
a long time. And we have to learn how to intercede more effectively. We've been interceding all
our lives; our foreparents have been interceding for us. They knew this day was going to come
where God was going to raise us up. And now that God has raised us up, we can't even call on
God the way that He wants. The Bible says if you acknow~ledgeHim, He will direct your path.
In all thy ways acknowledge Him; in all your ways.

That means that before I go to the store, before I go anywhere when I wake up in the morn-
ing, I must begin to intercede before God to find His direction for my life. I know sometimes
before I get to my job that my boss is going to act up because I already saw the spirit of the enemy.
So when you begin to intercede, God will give you the wisdom and the plan on which directions
that you need to go. We've got to begin to pull the strong holds down with the intercession of
God.

Prophetic Intercession will edify you. It will build you up. Intercession is not five minutes,
nor ten minutes. When you're having a session with someone, there's a timing that you must
spend in the session. A session never lasts just minutes or seconds. When you're in a session,
you're in a school; you're in a class. And when you intercede, it opens up the knowledge of God
and it tears down your ignorance of how you think you know how to pray.

Music ushers us up into the temple of God. God wants to break tradition out of you. It's time
for a change. It's time for intercession. I have been an intercessor for years. I have three children,
twins that are fourteen and one who is seventeen. I did not teach them about salvation, but I
taught them to intercede first. Now you may ask "Why did you do that? They didn't even accept
God?" I did that because I wanted them to learn to talk to Him. What happens with leadership
is that for so long we've given instructions to our children and our children do not listen. There
are many stages that children go through and so they come into the stage of rebellion, and say
"Well, now, I don't want to hear the Father. I think because I got saved and filled with the Holy
Ghost I know how to pray a little bit, I got a little scripture in me, so I don't have to stay before
God I've got it all. I'm developing now; that's how the teenagers go, I'm in puberty." We've got
a whole lot of folks sitting in puberty right now and don't know how to talk to God. We need to
allow our children to experience the living reality of Jesus Christ, where they can learn to hear His
TIie School of tlie Prophets

'Voice and fellowship with Him.

Stop praying for your family because i f you're saved, God's already promised that your seed
is going to be saved. W e must know the timing o f God. We must know in intercession what is the
timing for us and when w e intercede and God begins to reveal Himself, He will unlock the
promise he has given to us.

Prophetic Intercession unlocks the heart o f God; the Holy Spirit intercedes for us; the Holy
Spirit also helps us t o intercede.

Liknuise the Spirif nlso helpellt oirr iiijr1ilifies;for rue kiiozu iiof zulint zue sl~oirldprny for ns rue oi~glrf;
but flie Spirit itself Niintself) 111nkethiiztercessiotz for 11s zuitlt groruthzgs rulticlz cniutot be zcttered. Aitd
lie that senrclieth the hearts krtozueth zulint is the li~ilidof the Spirit, becni~sehe t~inkefhititercessio,t for
tlte snints nccordbig to flie zuill of God. Roiiiniis 8:26, 27

The Greek word for "helpeth" is "sunantilambanetai" (verb) present tense; sun - together
with; anti-against; Iamband - I take hold o f . This word therefore means "to take hold against
together with."

Verse 26 is saying the Holy Ghost takes hold against our infirmities together with someone.
He helps us. Acts 1:8 says, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon
you; and ye shall be witnesses unto m e ..." One meaning of the Greek word "power" translated
here is "ability: The Holy Spirit is not going to do our praying for us, but w e will be able to pray
with His ability. He will help us do it. W e are the ones who are responsible for our lives, w e are
the ones who are responsible to spread the Gospel, w e are our brother's keeper, w e are the ones
who are responsible to pray. The Holy Spirit is our Helper.

for lie tltnt spenketh iii nil 1~1lkiiozui1 toiigt~espenketh 11ot tliito iiieli, b i ~ ii~ito
t God;for 110 iiinti i~iiiier-
stniideth hiiil; hozubeit ill flie spirit lie spenketh iirysteries. 14. For if1 puny iii nli t ~ t i k i i o z totzgiie,
~~i t~iy
spirit prnyetli, but iny iciiderstniidiiig is tliifnrit/i~l.15. Mint is it tl~eti?I zuill prny zuifli tlie spirit, nrid
I zuill pny with flie ir7iderstniid nlso: I zuill sing with the spirit, niid 1 zuill sing zuitli the irncierstniidi,ig
nlso. I Coriiitliinlis 14:2, 14

It's time for us to stop leaning on flesh and begin to lean and interact with God so He can
unlock the things that He has planned for our lives and w e wouldn't have to run to our leaders
and our pastors all the time. But w e can stir him up, and stir her u p so they can be strengthened.
Some pastors die so young; they have heart attacks; and they get stressed out. One thing that God
has given me at a young age is to intercede for leaders, and God knows I've been through with
some leaders! The reason for that is the enemy knows that I a m a chosen vessel. Each o f you have
been given territory by God for which you must intercede. We're to intercede for the kingdoms
and for those who are in authority.

What w e want instead is to let the pastor pray for us; like the Catholic Church where the priest
goes to God for the people. But the bible says to pray without ceasing. That means day and night.
I don't care i f I'm walking the streets, I'm interceding. You don't have to speak in tongues out
loud, but m y spirit maketh intercession to God. And i f you pray while you're walking, God will
 Prophetic Iittercessio~z

tell you to go in another direction. Some things that the prophets have said in your life you may
have not understood or you may not know what they're talking about because what they're say-
ing may be futuristic. But if you take it home and begin to intercede regarding the word; then by
the word of two or three his word is established. So by faith you must receive it, and you believe
what the prophet is saying, you shall prosper.

Prophetic Intercession will bring choices not chances. When you unlock the heart of God it
won't be a choice of "Should I?," "Could I?" or "Can I?," but I will know where I'm going because
my steps are ordered by God.

Prophetic Intercession will break the power of ignorance.

And I zuill pmy tlze Father, nlzd he slznll give yo11 nlzotlter Colllfortet; thnt he fttny nbide xuitlz you for
ever; Jolz~t14:16

Cense not to give tllnnksfor you, r~tnkiltgi~teiztiotzo f y o l ~in 111yprnyers;

Tltnt tlze God of ozlr Lord Jeslls Clzrist, the Father of glonj, i ~ ~ give
n y tl~ztoyo11 tile spirit of zoisdor~zn~zd
revelntiotz in tlze k~lozuledgeof hiln:
Tlze eyes of your ~r~zdeewtn~tdi~lg being e~zliglltened;thnt ye 11tny kttoru zuhnt is tlte hope of his cnllilzg,
rind zuhnt tlze riches of flzeglofyof his bzlzeritn~~ce ill the sninfs, Epltesintzs 1:16-18

It is during deep times of prayer that your ears will be opened to hear what the Spirit of the
lord is saying. Ideas will come. You will know the Holy Spirit as your Teacher. As you learn to fol-
low His leading, ignorance will have no power over you. You'll move in the wisdom of God.

Prophetic Intercession is one of the ingredients for success. Find every Scripture pertaining to
where you want to go and begin to intercede and prophesy to that thing and unlock those words
that God is saying. When I began to have problems in my marriage, I began to intercede in God.
He began to give me the Scriptures that would teach me to become the wise woman to build up
her house; my big mouth was tearing it down!

You cannot have birth without having travail. Prophetic Intercession brings you into the
birthing position. When you begin to intercede in God, the longer that you stay in intercession,
travail and birthing will begin to happen.

You have many levels of intercession that you need to go into and when you get to the level
where God would want you to be, then the travailing with come. When the cry comes out, it will
signal the birth of things then God begins to interpret what you've been interceding for. You'll
begin to speak it and bring it forth, and the worship will spring forth.

When you are walking in the confidence that God is on your side, no devil in hell will mess
with you because you're going to start pulling those strongholds down in intercession. You're
going to be smiling at people that you know hate you, but you will understand your authority
over the demonic influence that has colored their lives.
Tlze Scltool o f the Provhefs

- Effective Prophetic Intercession must have the element of perseverance.

Prnying nl7unys ,suit11nll prayer nitd szlpplicnfioit in the Spirit, nitd zunfcltiltg tlterezcnto ruitlt all perse-
vernltce nrtd szcpplicntioit for nll sniitts; Ephesians 6 3 8

You can't pray once and just quit. You've got to be willing to lay your life down and wage war
on behalf of your brethren. Prophetic Intercession will break the power of sin and bring deliver-
ance.

Filtnlly, bretltrett, pray for us, thnt flte zuord of the Lord 1nny hnvefree collrse, nitd be glorified, eveit ns
it is zuith you:
And tlznt 7ue ilmy be deliveredfronz zcnrensoimble rind wicked iiten:for nll nzeit hnve not fflitlz.
But tlze Lord is fnitl$~l, zulto slznll stnblish yozc, nltd keep yozrfroilt evil. 2 Tltess. 3:l-3

I found that God would begin to show the generation that's emerging what He wants for the
life of the world. The time is fast approaching that we must begin to intercede to unlock what God
is saying concerning the world, and what God is saying concerning our economical needs. We
must hear what the spirit of the Lord is saying to the church in this hour, for it will only be
through His instructions that we will see His Kingdom established in the earth.
 C H A P T E R 3 2

PIBUR MIND TERS

Propltetess Deltise Bnize

I felt the unction of God to entitle this topic "Your Mind Matters" because for many years, I did-
n't think that my mind was important to God. Many people feel the same way.

Sometimes that fallacy derives from one's background. A lot of times, as black people, we were
oppressed. Our oppressor brought our ancestors up to think that they were nothing and a nobody,
and they, in turn, instilled those thoughts in us. Many of us were made to feel as though we were
reaching "out of our place" if we began to entertain a dream of attainment. Society mocked our
dreams and perpetuated that lie through our schools and other systems that told us we were not
worthy. As a people, we wrestle with the ghosts of the past that continue to limit our intelligence
and hamper our vision. Oftentimes, we believe the lie because of past rejections, and stay in a place
of insecurity and frustration.

The church is a vehicle of restoration. When you came into the church, it was the word of God
that pricked your heart and your mind and for the first time you had hope! You heard the preach-
er say God was going to make you worthy! For the first time, you dared to dream that you could
be somebody! So, you gave your life to Christ. Afterwards, you thought you were going to have
a happy walk, singing "Oh Jesus is love, and Jesus is good." You forgot all about the devil and his
job. You figured that the devil was going to leave you alone now and you're going to be "happy
go lucky," praising God and shouting.

Usually, the first experience with God is an emotional experience. When God touched me he
hit me from the crown of my head down to the souls of my feet. I never forgot it-He touched me!

But when obstacles started to come my way, because I was a babe in Christ and did not know
the word of God, and did not know how to walk in the maturity of God, I didn't know how to
wage war. 1didn't even know that I was expected to fight! So when things came to hinder me, I
was in shock asking, "God, where are You?" I'd fall on my knees and start yelling, "Oh Lord, Oh
Jesus, the blood of Jesus." I mean, we're taught to plead the blood of Jesus, and we have cried the
blood of Jesus, but no one ever said to resist the devil and he shall flee. I hadn't read my Bible! And
didn't a lot of you go through the same thiig?

Experience is a teacher and you are the student. When you don't know how to wage an effec-
tive warfare against the devil and encounter the ambushment of the enemy, the stress of the battle
may make you think that you need a psychologist or psychiatrist! Sometimes you may think
you're losing your mind, or going crazy!
Tlte School of the Provhets

. I once felt the same way! I got saved at twelve and I started preaching the gospel at fourteen
and I'm just now really learning about the word of God. I've been married for twenty one years
and during the course of my mamage, there were some tough struggles. We all go through rela-
tionships problems, not only in marriage, but in general. I didn't know how to respond; all I knew
was that I hurt and I was in pain. I couldn't focus, and I couldn't pray. If I went out to preach, the
anointing of God would be so heavy that folks would get saved and delivered. But soon as I put
my key in the door, the man started yelling and hollering and I would say, "I'm going to lose it,
God."

After seven years of being married and after so many things happened in my life, my family
and my church rejected me. The people that were supposed to love and pray me through rejected
me. It troubled me so bad that I forgot to have faith in God. I forgot to seek after the things of God.
The Bible says, "If you acknowledge Him, He will direct your path." Because of the various situ-
ations and my inability to cope, I developed asthma and a minor heart condition. I developed high
blood pressure, and at that time they said I had a kidney attack and they were just about to put me
on dialysis.

My health problems resulted in my admission to the hospital. All of the tests came out nega-
tive. The doctors were going to send me down to the psychologist for an evaluation. And I said
"I'm not crazy. I got God." During these trials, I literally felt as if I was losing my mind. After all
that stress, I figured my mind did not matter to God. But, I found out, it does. After God took me
through this struggle, I went and studied psychology. I began to get an understanding that God
gave us a mind ....and He means for us to use it!

The mind and the brain is the center control of the body. It perceives thoughts. It understands,
memorizes, analyzes and it brings out the ability to understand and to move into different areas.
If my brain and my mind are not functioning, it throws the blood system off kilter. A lot of people
are sick and hurting due to the stress on their minds. I was told by a doctor that even potential
cancer cells begin to work even faster when you become stressful.

The word "mind" in the Greek is "i~tentos,"which means "spirit." Words bring on pictures and
pictures stay in your mind. Images leave a sharp impression upon the mind.

When you don't use your mind, you will lose your mind. The reason why you act the way you
act is because your mind is messed up. The enemy already knows your weak areas and he's going
to war with you in the spirit by influencing the minds of others to use your weakness against you.
So if you don't use your mind, you will lose it! Black people were afflicted with deliberate mised-
ucation; they didn't have access to knowledge that would have permitted them to excel and use
their minds to its fullest capacity. And a lot of what they were taught was error; designed to keep
them sub- servient to their oppressors.

Some of our ancestors were skilled carpenters and could have made millions if they had known
how to apply their skill to business acumen and expertise. As a people, we were blessed with many
abilities and talents that God gave us to make us economically self-sufficient. But because of the
ill- effects of generational slavery and inflicted illiteracy, we have remained crippled as a people.
Our doctors were labeled "witch doctors," and have been ridiculed and spoken of as evil, but they
 Yottr Mind Matters
.understood the science of herbs and understood spiritual healings.
The oppressors did not enslave us haphazardly. They knew the genius that rested within us as
a people. They went over into Africa and saw that we were a strong people, able to endure long
days of work in the hot sun....we were never lazy! They saw that we were able to build; they stud-
ied our architecture. They saw our skill with herbs and studied the strength of our family struc-
ture. They understood that we were a people of great wisdom. They deliberately enslaved us to
rob us of our genius, utilized it for their benefit, and plotted to keep us ignorant. They thought,
"Let us bring them over on this side so they can till our land. They don't have knowledge of our
ways." Reading was prohibited amongst the slaves, and their culture was methodically stripped
from them. They were divested of knowledge, for knowledge is a tool; you've got to read. If you
don't read you will never lead. Our oppressors never meant for us, as a people, to ever lead.

But somehow God is bringing us through the wilderness of our captivity Somehow, we, as a
people, are realizing our strengths and tapping into our inheritance, despite the intentions of our
oppressors. Yet for many of us, the struggle is intense. I have never seen so many Christian psy-
chiatric patients as there are today. This is because we have not studied the Word of God to show
ourselves approved. We have not learned to rightly divide the Word of truth. The pressures of life
can never entrap us or destroy us, for there is no situation for which God does not have a way of
escape.

How does one overcome the pressure of racism? How does one overcome the generational wall
of insecurity and rejection? How does one break the prophecies of men that destined you for
poverty and failure? God has the answer. It's all in your mind! Change your thoughts and rewrite
your destiny! Look into the Word of God and you'll find that God has already spoken concerning
everything that you need! You have to begin to get into the Word. Don't depend on the preacher,
as though he were a magician! I find that, a lot of the time, black folks become overwhelmed with
their problems because we've been ignorant for so long that we're scared to pick up a book and
read truth for ourselves. We've been taught to be dependent. We don't trust our own ability to
research and understand unfamiliar truths, and even if we do study, we have a hard time over-
coming the self- defeating prophecies that haunt us by saying, "Your daddy wasn't nothin', your
gran'pappy wasn't nothin', your great-granpappy wasn't nothin', and you ain't gonna be nothin,
either."

Jesus spoke to the people. He spoke to their situations. A lot of times why we can't hear what
God is speaking to our spirit because intimidation rules our minds. Some of us become angry
when things don't go the way we think they should. Some of us become bitter, which is just what
the devil wants us to do. Bitterness is a potent paralysis of mind, soul, spirit and body that it can
freeze your reason and emotions. Bitterness will cause you to remain in the mindset that you're in.
Bitterness will torment you. You'll never mount up in God because your emotions will not allow
you to heal from the hurt and the pain of your past. But pain is a funny thing. When you hurt bad
enough, you'll be ready to find a remedy. You'll take anything to get rid of the pain. You'll endure
what you perceive to be a lesser pain just to get away from the major pain that you're suffering.
But the Word of God is your remedy! It has the power to cut the cobwebs of fear. As the Scripture
saith:
Tlme School of tlme Provhets
. And be tmot co~lfonlledto this 7uorld: but be ye trnnsfoniled by tlte reiteruittg ofyollr timilzd, tlmt ye nmny
prove zul~ntis tllnt good, nnd ncceptnble, nitd perfect, mill of God. Rottmims 12:2

You can prove that you're more than the lies spoken into your life. You can prove that you are
good, acceptable and perfect in the will of God. How? By being kansformed by the renewing of
your mind.

When you came into this world, the Bible says you were born and shaped in iniquity. You did
not know God even though He knew you. He knew your potential for success in this earth. When
we become born again, we're still walking in worldly ignorance. We become alive to God, but
we're still walking with a lot of untruth in us. To change this, we need to study the Word of God
daily so that we can be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We continue to read the word
to hear what God is saying concerning our character, behavior and other areas of our lives. Your
ability to think determines your living. The Word of God will impact your thought life. It will sat-
urate your mind with a new pattern of thinking, and new life is the result.

God gives you the ability to govern yourself. Once you receive the Holy Ghost, you can gov-
ern where you're going to walk. The Bible says, "Confess your faults one to another that you may
be healed." But we have built up such a defense mechanism of distrust that we will not expose
our faults to anyone except God. We have not learned the art of connecting with each other. The
oppressors tactics to promote disunity during slavery continue to perpetuate themselves in our
midst today. God has given each one of us a uniqueness that we become a resource for one anoth-
er. Don't connect with anyone that's going to take away from the essence of who you are, but con-
nect to people that will add to your life. But you'll never know if they're going to add unless you
sit down and hold a conversation. Learn the art of listening on two levels; hear what's being said
verbally, and hear what's not being said. The Word of God will give you the ability to discern the
thoughts of men.

If you understand how to use your mind you can begin to accumulate wealth. Only thinking
minds will handle riches. The Bible tells us that "money answers all things." But because of the
mentality, the Church didn't know any better. They said, "Wait on God. He's going to bless you.
Jesus is the answer." But Ecclesiastes 10:19 says, "Money answereth all things." Can't you see the
mentality which has been instilled in us as a people? We never searched for the wisdom on how to
accumulate and handle wealth, because somebody told us that in order to be holy you had to be
poor. We were intimidated by wealthy people, and we were taught to feel that we didn't belong to
that world.

What we think, we become. What we are and where we are is a direct result of our level of
thought. The things we feed into our minds form images, and we will become what we think that
we see. The images that we perceive will manifest in our lives. If you meditate upon the things of
God we will see the manifestation of the things of God. Jesus said "When you see Me, then you
see the Father." What do people see when they look at you?

Do they see you stressed out, unable to cope, at a loss for hope? Those that name the Name of
Christ shouldn't become so stressed out. You have the tools at your disposal to handle whatever
life offers. But if you don't take the initiative to study and apply the word of God for yourself, and
.if you remain dependent on the preacher to feed you your solutions, then you become a drain on
the preacher, who is forced by your need to become the psychiatrist and counselor to help you sur-
vive. But if you have the ambition to dig for the diamonds of wisdom you need, you'll free your
own mind!

There's is nothing that you are going through that the Word of God does not cover. God has
invested creative power in your mouth. You can speak things into existence. What you say, you are.
What you say, will happen. Jesus said, "Speak to the mountain and it shall be removed." Learn to
speak the Word of God into your situations. Prophesy to yourself. Prophesy your vision. What do
you see? You must begin with the end in mind. When God speaks to you prophetically, He speaks
futuristically because He wants you to have the picture of the expected end. He wants to build His
image in your mind. He wants you to see yourself as He sees you, and not through the eyes of your
adversary...and certainly not through your eyes of inferiority.

He wants you to reject the image of being unwanted, of being sub- human, poverty-stricken,
weak, fearful, etc. Stop seeing yourself as a victim!! He has made you more than a conqueror, but
you won't conquer anything if you can't see yourself winning! Some of you may be depressed and
frustrated by the storms of life... maybe your child is rebellious or on crack; maybe your mate has
betrayed your trust and committed adultery. Maybe your finances are shaky, or someone close to
you has died....but what are you looking at? If all you see is the problem, then you're not going to
survive the weight of these things. Fix your sights on the Word of God! Look for His intervention
in your life! Don't just get caught up looking for the grand miracles that evidence His appearance,
but see Him in the small things! Remember, change takes time. Be patient with God, and be patient
with yourself, too. Apply His Word to your life daily, and use your mind to the glory of God!
The Scl~oolof the Prophets

.
 C H A P T E R 3 3

PROPHETIC MOWMENTS
Prophetess Denise Baize

People who know their history, will know and understand the Prophetic Movements of God.
History is vital, for it allows us to discern trends and patterns utilized in God's dealings with
men. The Bible is a history book, recounting vital facts for our benefit.

Black people in America have been operating at a deficit because they do not know their his-
tory. American slavery was so inhumane, and is counted amongst the worst forms of slavery in
the history of mankind because the history of an entire people was altered and/or destroyed.
We've been miseducated. Read the book "Miseducation of the Negro." You will understand how
they taught us. We've learned about Dick and Jane and their dog, Spot, but no one taught us the
truth about our forefathers.

We never knew that a black man worked with Edison and played a major part in the dis-
covery of lights. A black man gave Edison the information that brought the breakthrough in the
development of the light bulb, but Edison, being white, was given all the credit.

Our skill in deriving medicines from the herbs was remarkable. Our doctors were termed
"witch doctors," but they discovered the first forms of anesthesia. They knew how to put people
into a deep sleep and slow their heartbeat down to where their life force was almost impercep-
tible. When those doctors finished their techniques, you would assume that the person was
dead. The oppressors would watch their techniques, analyze their herbs, patent them and imple-
ment it in their lands. They stripped us of a lot of knowledge and then told us that we were prim-
itive and ungodly as they prospered from our wisdom.

We were not taught that we descended from kings and queens. History classes taught us that
we were descendants from monkeys, and the only image that we were given about Africa came
from Hollywood's old Tarzan movies or National Geographic's pictures of tribal nakedness that
made many of us hang our heads in shame as our white classmates laughed in our faces. We
were taught that we were less than nothing, we were taught that our history began with slavery,
and we were taught that we were the most insignificant people on the earth.

The Church began to echo the cry and tell us that we were cursed by God. They taught us
that we were supposed to be subservient and like it, because it was God's will.

But know this ....The Prophetic Movement will give you life with a fight. You will never be
bored! We are standing in the midst of a tremendous move of GOD where we are discovering
our true identity. the lies are being exposed. We're beginning to apprehend the truth of who we
Tlte Scltool of the Propltets

are in Christ. We're beginning to find out that Jesus was a man of color, and not the lily-white
effeminate image that many of us grew up with hanging on our walls. We're beginning to dis-
cover that we're not cursed, we're realizing that we were created with treasures and jewels on
the inside of us, and we have a valuable and critical part to play in the earth. We know that we
must fulfill our destiny, for that's the true will of God concerning us!

But now that you know who you are, those that benefitted from your oppression will resent
your awakening. They're not going to let you have your identity without a fight! They're not
going to cheerfully give you your land. Get ready, for the battle has really begun! You've got a
fight on your hands!

There are those that thrive from your poverty. There are those that prosper from your igno-
rance. Some of us have been so victimized by a racist system that is meant to intimidate. The
process of attaining education becomes like a giant of opposition to those that are scared to go
back to school because they don't have a G.E.D.

And the system hides certain truths from you. If you go ahead and register for college, you'll
take a college examination. You would continue a course of academic study until you reach col-
lege level. But you would also automatically be granted your G.E.D. Most of the time, black stu-
dents are never told this, and many are turned away at the door through deliberate misinfor-
mation. The system attempts to keep black folks under control so that they can't move in the
movement of God.

The system has also devised a plan that will lock you out of land and property if you are not
wise. Grants and bank loans are difficult for blacks to attain. You are automatically categorized
as a bad credit risk. The greatest weapon against their tactics is education. Knowledge of their
system will equip you to fight their system or bypass their system if you have to.

In the calculated miseducation to which we've been subjected, many of us were never taught
about anything pertaining to financial matters. We were never taught about credit cards, inter-
est rates, mutual funds, stocks, etc. Many of us were made to feel as if we were too dumb to man-
age money or too stupid to have a credit card. Many of us were intimidated by a checking
account. And even those that, by chance, managed to enter into the financial realms and buy a
house or get a credit card, we never learned how to be responsible and made a mess out of the
credit that was extended towards us, and disaster became our portion. We lost the little bit that
we had and gave up trying, instead of finding out what we did wrong.

A lot of us got mad, and we wanted to hate somebody...anybody!We got tired of the promise
of a "white picket fence and two bedroom house" that never came true in our lives. Some of us
stopped fighting. We began to fight ourselves; to hate ourselves. And drugs, alcohol and sex pro-
vided the promise of escape to those who didn't know Jesus Christ. Our children watched the
futility of a racist system destroy their fathers, frustrate their mothers and split their families,
and a lot of them figure that life is useless. That's why there's such a disregard for human life.
You wonder why our young men die in their teens? Or why our young girls are having babies
at 12,13 and 14? What do they see?
 Prophetic Moveirlei~ts

It's time to fight to get what's ours, but let's fight with the knowledge that we need to gain,
because knowledge is power. We need to stop fighting the people and their color, and under-
stand the demonic plan that was designed to destroy us. There's a baton being passed to you,
and its your responsibility to run with the vision!

When you understand the Prophetic Movement in relation to you personally, it will take
away your wishbone and restore your backbone. Once you comprehend your history and
understand who you are, your backbone will be strengthened. If you don't know your history,
you have nothing to stand on. You will lack a point of reference. When you don't know your his-
tory, you will function from a base of insecurity and a place of fear. You can't even dream....y ou
can only wish.

You don't have to become a carbon copy of any man, whether he be white, red, yellow or
brown. Many of us thought that if we copied the white man, we could become as he is. We
thought that our wealth was hiding in the subjugation of our culture. But God made you an
original. That's the reason why you were brought from Africa to till their land, to take care of
their homes, and to raise up their children.

I can't stress enough that your oppressors see what you have not been able to see. Many of
us are still blind to what is in us. Many of you reading this book are still blind to the genius of
God that is resident within you. Some of us are still embarrassed or angered when we think of
our ancestors, but they accomplished a lot. Do you not realize that we taught etiquette? That we
learned how to read when it was against the law? You came from people who made pyramids
that remain a mystery to this day! We were not "primitive." There was knowledge and wisdom
that baffles our greatest scientists to this day!

Our oppressors want to decide everything for us. They want to decide where we will live,
and limit our vision. Cheaply made houses are being erected in my neighborhood. They'll be fin-
ished in two weeks, and they'll take a trailer home and put aluminum siding on it and call them-
selves giving black people "a one family house." They'll put those houses in the same area of the
projects to study them the same way they study the projects. Did you ever wonder why they
never offer to "give" you a house in "their" neighborhoods? Did you ever wonder why projects
aren't built in the suburbs? When the prophetic movement comes, they're going to have to
move off of our land! We are like eagles. Many of us are in the air, circling and watching our land,
but as our vision becomes clearer, we're honing in on our target! We're going to get what belongs
unto us!

It's time to develop our backbones and understand who we are! Stop taking the handout and
go provoke the squatters on your land!

When you come to the awareness that you are in the midst of a Prophetic Movement, you
will walk away from comfortable circumstances and people. Your mind will be ready for the
challenge of the unknown. You will be ready to become a pioneer, and not a settler. You will
reject the slavery mindset that's like the children of Israel, who, when crossing the wilderness
into the promised land of Canaan, desired to go back to the captivity of Egypt. They desired to
eat the old diet of garlic, onions and leeks that would keep them in the familiar stooping posture
of their days of slavery. They were afraid of the responsibilities and uncertainties of change. But
T l ~ eScllool of tlze Propltefs

When your mind ascertains that your present belief system cannot produce what you want, you
will embrace change. You will change your posture and change your diet and reach for the
grapes!

Prophetic Movement will erase the failure out of your life. The Bible says a people that
know their God shall do exploits. When you know your history and you know God, there is
nothing that you can't have! You just have to know whether it is your destined assignment, then
apprehend the knowledge to manage it effectively.

The Prophetic Movement will be marked with success in making progress in the direction of
God's dreams and goals in your life. You will stop sitting on the premises and start standing on
the promises! You will go on a treasure hunt in God's Word, and discover your inheritance in
Him as you are His child! When you know who you are, when you know where you've been,
and when you know where you're going, then you can overcome any obstacle that would
attempt to block your progress.

The Prophetic Movement will help you to understand your past so you can move forward
and live in your future. Sometimes, when we lack understanding of our history, we cannot rec-
oncile the events of our lives. We are unable to answer the proverbial question, "Why?" And
when that question goes unanswered, we become unsure as to how to proceed. The determin-
ing factor is within us. We must call those things that be not as though they were. We must
prophesy to our past, present and future. Once we can reconcile the pain of the past, and place
a name upon it, we can then embrace our future.

The train of failure usually runs on the track of laziness. The oppressor understood the
power of images and understood the creative power of words. Every day they spoke into our
minds and said "You're lazy and no good." They said it so much that we believed them, and
tried to live up to that image. We didn't think about the fact that we had to get up before dawn
to take care of their fields, homes and families. Lazy people sleep all day. Lazy people don't
work. Now, how could we possibly be lazy?

The image of laziness was something that our oppressors wanted to instill within us to rob
us of our innate initiative. They wanted to stifle our dreams, paralyze our ambition and choke
our motivation. They told us that the majority of us were on welfare, and that most of us were
shiftless and unemployed, when in actuality, they comprise the majority of welfare recipients.
Yet whenever welfare is mentioned, its always associated with the image of black people. It's
time for everyone to reject the lie and embrace the truth.

The Prophetic Movement will take the fear out of pressure. Slavery also instilled a fear with-
in us that equated pressure with fear, instead of seeing pressure as the tool that transforms a
lump of coal into a diamond. When one overcomes fear, they become fearless, and when one is
fearless, they can do anything. No one can threaten you. You enter into confrontation fully
equipped with the truth, and you speak it forth in boldness, for the consequences of silence will
become an abomination to you. Martyrdom will cease being seen as a tragedy, but becomes an
instrument of destiny. When you've overcome the fear of death, you are free indeed!
 The Prophetic Movement will put your disposition in position. Your attitude determines
your altitude. You can't afford a negative thought. You can't afford to allow the testings and tri-
als of life to get you down. You can't afford to meditate upon anything that will not build you
up. You can't afford to think upon your shortcomings. You can't afford to break your focus, for
when you understand the Prophetic Movement, you'll understand the power of the image in
your mind. What you see is what you get. That's why Jesus said that if someone hits you, turn
the other cheek. In other words, if someone hits you with their negativity, turn your cheek and
don't break your focus. The power is in what you see.

When you are teachable you are reachable. Whatever you're willing to pursue is looking for
you. Flexibility is the key. If you know how to handle the storms of life....if you can remain
focused and maintain your determination ....if you hunger for knowledge and have an appetite
for the gapes, opportunity is waiting for you!

If you don't understand the purpose of a thing, you will abuse it. We've been abused by our
oppressors and have abused ourselves for far too long. We must learn who we are, what we are,
learn our purpose and move into our destiny. Destiny is not a matter of chance, but it's a mat-
ter of choice. We have some choices to make between life and death, blessing and cursing. God
had placed the power of decision in our hands. Wherever you want to go, move in it because,
thus saith the Lord, "You can do it!"
T l ~ eSchool of the Prophets

.
.Prophetess PhyMis Williams
SECTION X

Prophetess Phyllis Williams was called into ministry in 1987 to be a

prophetess of God to the people of God. Prophetess Phyllis has been in
fashion for the past 12 years and is now a certified image consultant.

She has worked with the Ralph Lauren Organization, Saks Fifth
Avenue, and others, and now is a part of the Searle Company. Prophetess
Phyllis has started her own company called Ramah International. She
gives seminars and consultations in image building, wardrobe and
makeovers. She has done numerous seminars with the National Urban
League and others that have called upon her expertise.

Prophetess Phyllis' abilities have opened doors with the Black Banker
Coalition, NY and The Business Training Institute. Church organizations
such as Elim International Fellowship and The Abundant L i e Network
Organization have heard and responded to her wisdom. Together, she
and her husband teach principles of image and its maintenance.

Prophetess Phyllis holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business

Administration and Management and also an Associate of Arts degree in
Fashion Merchandising and Banking.
The Sclzool of the Prophets
.
 C H A P T E R 3 4

THROUGH THREE MS OF
Prophetess PlzyIIis Willinlrzs
Image is something that people generally underestimate. Yet image is extremely important.
Your image matters to God. Image is the projection of something or someone to the public. In
essence, it's really the fragrance of your spirit. Your image is who you are, and your image says
everything about you. From the cars you drive, the homes in which you choose to live, the
clothes you choose to wear, to the way you go to bed at night, to the food you eat, and to the
friends you pick; all demonstrate who you are. The word "pictorial" pertains to "character"
which is illustrated by pictures.

You must see yourself first before you can determine where you're going. "Navigation" is
derived from "navigate," which means "to plan, record and control the position of." You must
have a plan in mind for where you want to go. And God has a plan if you would just listen to
what He has to say. Like a ship at sea, your life can become shipwrecked if there's a lack of nav-
igation. If you don't plan your destination in life you will drift aimlessly and hopelessly in a
wilderness of your own making, and nothing will be accomplished. God does everything with
purpose and planning. It took Him six days to plan and develop the earth into a habitation for
life. He was able to speak into what appeared to be chaos, darkness and disorder, and His Word
brought order and light upon this planet. As we see ourselves as God sees us, and hear His Word
concerning the chaos in our lives, we will attain His Divine order in our lives.

You must have a clear understanding of Who and Whose you are. Primarily, you must come
to a place of self-acceptance, where all of your recognizable flaws and imperfections are seen so
that change may be effected. A lot of us don't want to accept who we are, yet before God can do
anything with us, we must know who we are. In order to change, you must be willing to see dis-
order in your life without making excuses for your failures. You must now say "This is who I
am." If you don't accept who you are, then the Father can't change you. So it's really important
to know who you are in order for Christ to give you some instructions for growth.

If you are not secure in the knowledge of who you are, people will make you what they want
you to be. They will become your navigator; they will wield control, make the plans and influ-
ence your actions. Alot of people have been molded into the image of someone else's tongue and
not from the knowledge of God. How many times have you seen some people whose lives have
been controlled by someone else? Their whole career is based around what someone else felt
that they should be and not according to what they were able to be. Some people are like a dou-
ble-sided mirror; they could be reflecting the image of someone else's desire, and, lurking on the
dark side, lies their own reflection, which has not been allowed to come to the light.
The School of the Playl~ets

. A lot of people have relinquished the navigational control of their lives to someone else. They
conform to the image of what someone else said about them. You have a choice of choosing your
image based on what God has for you, or you can choose what someone else has for you. And
I'm going to be very honest with you; there are a lot of people that may not want you to make it
to certain heights, for they'd rather keep you living in low, subdued places below the mainline
of your potential. The image that they have planned for you will never realize the standard that
God has set. They may see you as a weak person and God may see where He can make great
depths for you to sail.

A lot of people don't know who they are and they attract people who are sinking in the same
boat. If you don't know who you are people will come with a handful of tags and will place them
on you and you will be some of everything. Most people are mixed up because they took the
opinion of man rather than the opinion of God. And God forbid you don't know who God is;
then you're really in a mess because now anything goes! The problem with the opinion of man
is that he will voice his opinion as law, but his opinion does not have to be right. A lot of lives
have been hinged around people who have attached themselves to a one person's dominating
opinion. And that opinion can be steeped in error because it's based upon experiences rather
than the truth of God's Word.

If their experiences were bad, that will become their gospel which will be readily believed by
those who are ignorant of the gospel of Truth. How many have had their dream of marriage
destroyed because of the opinions and bitter experiences of another? How many have given up
their children for adoption because they had a child out of wedlock and were too humiliated to
endure the castigation of someone else's opinion? How many Lost their husbands based on
someone else's opinion? How many men follow a path of destruction based upon someone's
opinion of their masculinity?

If you attempt to become a carbon copy of an errant image, it's very easy to become stuck in
a mold. If your perception of your identity is "off," your destination will be, also. You will
underestimate yourself, and never attempt to reach the horizons of excellence of which you are
capable. You won't think highly of yourself. The Bible never said for us not to think highly of
ourselves. It says not to think more highly of yourself than you ought. There's nothing wrong
with thinking high. If God has given you a high statute, (which He has when He called you into
the Body), He has placed highness on you. He calls you holy and righteous even though you
think you're not.

You've said you're still a sinner saved by grace, and God says "No, you've passed that stage.
I've given you My righteousness." Twenty years later you're still talking about being a sinner
saved by grace and that becomes a hinderance because it stops you. What most people do when
they don't feel good about themselves is attract people around them that they can judge and
compare themselves to so that they can bask in the delusions of their own grandeur. That's the
only semblance of confidence that they can muster. So if you can't go any higher than five inch-
es than the people that you pick under you, my God .... that's really low!
 Pictorial Navixatio~tof Malt tltrotrxl~Three Realftts of Onage Relntionsltips
.
The image your environment projects is critical, for if your surroundings paint an image of
poverty, and is unkempt, disorganized and slovenly, it will confine your thoughts to an invisible
barrier of your own making. It's almost like taking a ship that was designed to sail the Atlantic,
and placing it in a lily pond. You can't expect it to travel any type of distance, for it will be bound
by limitations, and stuck in the mud. Often, people like to blame their surroundings on their
financial status, but your surroundings are a reflection of your state of mind, not your wallet.
Cleanliness, order and organization never require cash, regardless of where you live. You can
live in the ghetto and have an awesome place, for once you've maintained and kept that which
is small and little, then God can give you much. Despise not the days of small beginnings!

The emotional and spiritual condition of your environment also projects an image, and will
also affect your destination. Is your climate chaotic? Confusing? Fearful? Depressed? You can
walk in someone's home and tell what's going on just by the spirit of their house. You can liter-
ally feel the atmosphere. Sometimes, when a spirit of contention rests within a family, the atmos-
phere remains pregnant with the anger, bitterness and frustration of harsh words uttered in the
midst of arguments. The words don't just disappear, but they remain within the walls of a house-
hold. That's why it's really important that you keep your environment holy and sanctified unto
God. Contention and anger should be displaced and replaced with the effects of the Word of God
permeating your area.

Your environment must be holy, and it must be sanctified. You must have an environment
that the Holy Spirit can always dwell in. A lot of us we live in environments that are void of
God's Presence. He wants to come and visit your home, but you never create the environment
for Him to do that. You must create an environment for the Holy Spirit, for your home is your
haven. Some of us live in a hell hole; it is not our haven. If you've noticed, an inordinate amount
of black people are always hanging out on street comers. Why? Because our home is not our
haven. When you examine the lifestyles in other neighborhoods, you'll notice that they've
learned the art of making their home their haven ....they're not on the street comers.

So we, as people of God, must create our homes to become our havens. Get the hell out of
your homes! Throw it out! I don't care who or what it is! If it's detrimental to your well-being,
if it's not giving you the right image, or if it's not God, it has to get out!!

Your house, your place of habitation ought to be a clean environment. Let's really think about
this, we say that the Holy Ghost dwells in us. But are our surroundings clean and orderly? Do
we wear nice clothes? Do we comb our hair? Before anybody hears who you are, they are going
to see who you are, and they're going to determine where you came from by how you look. The
least you can do is fool them and pretend you've just stepped out of heaven.

Beloved, 1zoish nbove nll things tlznt thou i~tnyestprosper nlzd be in henltlt, even as tlty sold prospereth..
3 Joh~z2

If your environment is unhealthy, then you're unhealthy. If what you eat is unhealthy, it's
going to make you unhealthy. Even physical food can affect your spirit; it can make you "off."
It will have you dreaming incorrect dreams, and keep you feeling sluggish and heavy.
The Scl~oolof tlze Prophets

. Images associated with our appearance are two-fold: (a) the inward, and (b) the outward.
What goes on the inside is going to reflect on what goes on the outside. I don't care how edu-
cated you are, how deep you are, or how anointed you are; how you keep yourself is saying
what's going on in your head.

There are saints of God walking around looking inconsistent. One day they look wonderful,
and the next day you say, "Oh, my God! What's going on?" God is calling the church to keep a
consistency in their image. On Sundays, you look all dressed up, but on Mondays your dress is
a mess. God wants order to manifest in your image. We all have bad days, but everybody does
not have to know how you feel by how you look.

Images will inevitably mold and determine how you see and feel about yourself. Your image
will dictate how you feel about yourself. What are you beholding? What are you looking at?
How do you see yourself? Have you asked God how He sees you? We must see ourselves as
God sees us.

And be not collfor~izedto tlzis zuorld; but be ye trnllsfor~l~ed by the rel~ezui~zg

ofyozlr nzhzd, that ye nmny
prove zuhnt is that good, nizcl ncceptnble, nlld perfect, zuill of God. Roffm~zs 12:2

When you allow the Father to transform your mind, you will prove to the world what is
good and what is acceptable to the Father.

You must first see yourself and rehearse that image. You must picture yourself as the Father
sees you. You have to hold that image before God and then it will be transformed into your
mind, your body, and into the deeds you perform. It's like rehearsing until the day of the show
and it will appear. Often, when God has given you an image, it's hidden from a lot of people.
Sometimes people might see chaos and confusion when they look at you, but if you are follow-
ing the Father, you'll know your destination.

And that which becomes the focus of critical men will stand as foolishness in their eyes, and,
if you allow Him, God will get the glory in the end. The Bible tells us that when Israel was get-
ting ready to die, he prophesied to his sons, and he told one of his sons he was as weak as water.
That's a fascinating assessment that Israel makes. Water will conform to the shape in which it's
placed. Israel was saying that his son was weak; he would contain and adapt to any image that
was set before him. If you conform to the thngs of this world, you will become weak as water.
Regardless of what the world pretends to know, worldly wisdom is weak and devilish, and lacks
power and substance. Only the word of God has power.

But the Scripture says "Be ye transformed by the renewing of our minds through the word
of God." And it says another thing, too, "To prove what is that good ..." So my question is, what
is that "good?" You would have to be able to seek the mind of God to know what that "good"
is. And then it says it has to be the "acceptable and perfect will of God," so we have to ask the
question, "Is everything that we're doing lining up to the perfect will of God?" And another
question we have to ask is "Does the reflection that we're reflecting really represent God well?"
 Pictorial Navigation of Mait fltrotcglt TI2ree Realnts of lfnage Relafio?tsltips
.
A lot of churches have based their assessments of holiness and looking Godly, upon the
wearing of a certain wardrobe. It didn't necessarily line up with the word of God, but it was
something that we made up. Beautifying yourself has a lot to do with God's holiness and yet the
church has done a good job of stripping women of their natural desire for beautification. That
went against the whole make-up of a woman. We were designed for beauty. Mother Eve was
formed in the garden of Eden, and beauty was in her loins. God fashioned all women at the same
time, so beauty will always be present.

There are Three Realms of Image Relationships. Did you not know your image has realms?
But it starts with you. As it starts with you, it continues with everything that you touch, see and
interact with. The first realm is you; yes, it's all about you! Women, in particular, need to appre-
hend this truth, for as life-givers, sometimes we give so much until we have nothing left of our-
selves. But we must begin to think about ourselves and do things for ourselves. How can you
help somebody else if you can't help yourself? Accept who you are! Sometimes, we don't like
who we are and because of that it allows the enemy to send spirits to make us who we're not.
And some of us are walking around with incorrect images-all people see about you is really
not you because you don't love yourself. See you have to love yourself first. You must love
yourself first before you can love anybody else.

As I said before, your friends are a prophecy of who you are. They say where you're going
and where you've been. And to embrace a new image, sometimes you've got to let go; you've
got to let the old die. But it's really important that you get with people that are positive, and sur-
round yourself with people that will celebrate you and cleave to you no matter what. I've had
friends who have been heading down a dead end street, but I was still their friend, and I would
encourage them as a friend.

Friends are people that will be with you through your most victorious times and through
your most humiliating times. Let something really devastating happen to you, and you will see
who are your true friends. They will most assuredly surface.

You will birth the realms of image relationship depending on what is in your loins. So if your
perception of you is incorrect, which is the primary base for whatever else will occur in your life,
then the type of friends you have will be incorrect, and the environment that you tolerate will be
incorrect. If you think you're low, you will attract low friends. If you think you're ugly, you're
going to attract ugly friends. You ever notice how people reproduce after themselves? Liars
hang out with liars, cheats hang out with cheats, and people that are pretty hang out with pret-
ty people. You really do reproduce after your kind! Let's compare it to Whom we get our pic-
tures from: God, for He's the Author and Finisher of our faith. Now if He authorized everything,
and made everything, then we need to look towards what He did to determine how we should
do things.

God is eternal love and mercy. The self-conscious reveals His perfect image. Now if God
had an bad image of Himself, can you imagine what His angelic host would be like? What if God
was a sloppy God? What if God didn't feel like being God? What if God had an image problem
and He looked in the mirror and hated Himself? Can you imagine what Heaven would be like?
Tlze Scl~oolof the Prophets
. Could you imagine what we would look like if God had a bad image of Himself? But notice,
He associates Himself with angelic beings that praise Him all day long. Do your friends praise
you or do they slander your presence?

If our friends are not reflecting God, our walk will be crooked. Can the Holy Ghost dwell in
your house all the time? Have you made it a place where God's Presence can rest? Maybe some
of the reasons why we can't get some of the riffraff out of our homes is because we haven't pro-
vided an atmosphere in which the Presence of God wants to stay.

Anything that takes away from you and doesn't add to you is a thief and a robber. It's your
enemy. If people are adding unto you they're going to produce life inside of you, and if they take
away from you they're robbing you; they're stealing from you. You have to begin to really look
at your friends and really begin to discern who they are. If your friends are incorrect and your
environment is incorrect, it is possible that rottenness will take root within you, and your abili-
ty to reproduce will become unfruitful. You will bear rotten seed. And when I say seed, I mean
your siblings; your children. That's why I believe that when people first get married they need
to have time to come together.

They need to come together in their thoughts and in their spirits. There needs to be a settling
down within those two areas because when they come together in covenant to produce seed, if
the tree is wrong the seed will be wrong. You can produce incorrect seed and then when that
fruit comes, you wonder why it's rotten. You need to look back into what you reproduced that
came out of you which will give the answer as to how to minister to them, because a lot of things
trace back to you in the spirit. All things in your life should produce life. If something is caus-
ing death to manifest, then get rid of it or it's going to kill you.

You must have rule over your own spirit, because it does affect how you adorn yourself. This
is one thing that God has been dealing with me about the people of God, we are so unruly, we
give God a bad name. No one wants to follow us, not on our jobs nor in our families. You are
representing God, and you mustn't forget you were bought with a price. You have no rights. God
has rights over you and everything you do reflects who He is. Do your friends want to follow
the Christ in you? God wants us to die daily so that He may be glorified in our lives. It's imper-
ative that we have a rule over our spirits because we're representing the Father; we're called to
present the image of God. People are just roaming around the church making hell, creating
havoc, gossiping, backbiting, and causing all kinds of craziness in the House of God and that's
why people don't want to follow us.

We need to become people that recognize the power of images, and learn to choose the
images that we allow to rest before our eyes. Since childhood, I always looked for people in high
places. When I went to college, I looked for friends who came from professional backgrounds. I
surrounded myself with people that were going somewhere. How many of your friends can you
say are going anywhere? It's important that you deal with people that are higher than you. They
project an image that you need to behold.
 Pictorial Navignfiort of Mort tltrotiglt Tltree Renlrtts of Itnnge Relntiorfsltips

. You will either change your environment or you will become a product of it. There are peo-
ple that are born into wealth who cannot maintain it, and there are people that were born poor
and they inherit wealth. I don't care how you came into this world, or what kind of family you
have, God will give you the power to change your environment if it's not of Him.

Everything is left up to you, so what are you going to do about it? Are you going to be a
product of what you were brought up in or are you going to embrace your opportunity to
change?
Tlze Sclzool of the Prophets

.
Proohetess lonie Reid
SECTION XI

Prophetess Ionie Reid was born in Manchester, Jamaica, WI.

She attended Zion Hill Primary School. At age 11 she was con-
verted and became a member of Zion Hill Baptist Church. In those
early years she sang with the choir and had a great love for prayer
and the Scriptures.

In later years she relocated to Kingston and became a member

of the Apostolic Church in Kingston Gardens. At that fellowship
she was involved in the Sunday School Ministry, a member of the
Intercessory Prayer Group, and the Visiting Committee. She was
used in the gifts of the Spirit and primarily in the gift of prophecy.

She migrated to New York in 1970 and became a member of the

Tabernacle of Deliverance Church, where she served on the
Mother's Board, Hospital and Nursing Home and Prison
Ministries. She has traveled and ministered in several nations,
including South and East Africa, the Philippines and Jamaica,
where her prophetic ministry had blessed and challenged many.

She is presently a member of Zoe Ministries and serves on the

Mother's Board, the Intercessory Prayer Group, the Prophetic
Company and she's also a Care Group Leader. Her aim in life is to
encourage, through prayer and example, modeling the life of
Christ before non-believers in her community and to lead them to
the Lord. She also stands in the gap for Church leadership and
their families that they continue to walk in obedience to the high
calling of God. In addition, she contributes to world evangelism
through on-site and off-site prayer crusades, because prayer
changes things.
The School o j f h e Prophets

.
 C H A P T E R 3 5

PROPHETIC MINISTRY
Propitetess Ionie Reid

Everybody wants to understand the prophetic ministry because it appears to be a strange

thing. The prophetic ministry dates back to Biblical times. Due to neglect and misunderstand-
ing, it has not fully touched the Body of Christ. That's ironic, because the prophet is the eye and
the ear of the church. If you're walking but not seeing nor hearing anything, you are walking in
darkness.

It is essential that we, the church, understand the prophetic ministry. The prophetic ministry
is God's Voice in our midst. Preaching is prophetic, but it is only a shadow of the full prophet-
ic dimension. To know the Voice of God and what God has to say today, you must listen. God
has never stopped speaking. And, He continues to speak through His mouthpiece, the prophet.
The prophetic ministry is ordained of God.

S ~ ~ r ethe
l y Lord God zuill do i~otlti~tg
but he reoenleth his secret iiitto his servn~ttstlle prophets
Alllos 3:7

THE PROPHETIC MINISTRY IS THE ABILITY TO HEAR THE VOICE OF GOD

Follozu nfter chnrity, nnlid desire spiritlml gqts, but rntlter thnt ye nlny prophesy. For 11e thnt spenketli
ill n ~ lrltktiozulz
t toliglre spenketh tot trilto ntelt, but I L I I ~ God:
O for no ltlntt ~rnderstnndetlthiinlt; hozubeit
in the spirit lie spenketh ntysteries. I Cori~ztltin~ts 14:l-3

"Edification" means "to build up, to strengthen the church, and to strengthen the individual
who's being prophesied to." God's people receive exhortation and comfort through the prophet-
ic ministry.

The prophet is always spealting the mind of God and we are always in need of knowing
what's next on God's agenda. That's why He brings edification, comfort and exhortation.
"Exhortation" means "to stir to action." You will be exhorted by the word of God.

It's going to stir your life to do something about what you've heard. The word of God also
comforts. Everyone needs to be comforted at one time or another. The word of God comforts
and consoles. A person may be going through sickness, or a child may be discouraged in school.
During these times they may need to be comforted.
Tlie Scltool of the Propliets

God's heart is revealed through His prophets. He intends for us to grow and be strength-
ened. The prophets bring the mind of God to the people of God. The prophets also come to you
with God's word to dispel fear. They provide the fuel for you to continue to move in the things
of God with boldness.

We do not always know what to do with all the confusion that surrounds us in the economy.
But God raised up the prophets and I'm very glad for the prophetic ministry because we would
be in great trouble, especially in these days. God gives these gifts in the church to build the
church and to exhort and make us what we are supposed to be.

Aid he gnve sonie, npostles; nttd sonte, prophets; n ~ t dsome, evnitgelists; nlld some, pnstors n ~ t dteach-
ers. Epkesinf~s4:11

WHY WERE THESE GIFTS GIVEN TO THE CHURCH?

For the perfecti~zgof tlte sniizts, for the zuork of tlte ~ t l i n i s t yfor
, the ed$~iilg of the body of Christ: Till
zue nll conte i n the lr~iityof tlte fnitlt, niid of the knozuledge of tlte Sol? of God, trtzto n perfect J J Z ~ J Z ,~ l ~ t t o
the inenszlre of the stntrlre ofthefirllitess of Ci~rist. Epltesin~ls4:12-13

This is called the five-fold ministry. I could never understand how a church could try to
operate effectively without an active five fold ministry. It's like a car driving on three wheels. It
is impossible! The apostles and prophets top the list. These gifts are set in order to bring direc-
tion.

Contrary to some myths, the gift of the prophet is necessary today. God is causing us to be
aware of it because we are continually going off track. The prophet comes in the midst to put you
back on track. The work of the prophet is very vital, and very important. It gives you wisdom
and direction.

In I Samuel 9:3-14, there is a familiar story about how Saul was sent by his father to find the
asses that were lost. After a time, he could not find the asses anywhere. When you're looking
for something that you cannot find, it's very frustrating. So then Saul decided to go seek Samuel,
an accurate prophet of God.

A n d tlte nsses of Kish, Snlrl's father, ruere lust. A ~ i dKisll snid to Snzrl ltis s o ~ t Tnke, ~tozuoite of
these servn~ltszuith thee, n ~ i darise, go seek tile nsses. Atid he pnssed tltrolrglt ~ ~ t o r rEyhrninr,
~tt n~td
pmsed throlrglt the lnitd of Slmlishn, blrt they foll~tdt l l e ~ not; ~ l the11 tltey pnssed throcigh the Shnlilll,
nfid there they ruere not; ntrd he pnssed throtrglz the lnlrd of the Be~zjnnlites,but tltey forrnd tlle~fz
?lot. A ~ z drulieiz they zuere come to the lnnd of Ztrplt, Snrd snid to his servn~itflint runs ruitlc hilit,
Come, n ~ i dlet trs rettlriz; lest lily fnther lenve cnriilg for the nsses, nlld toke tkolrght for {is.
A ~ t dhe snid ititto h i l ~ lBeltold
, iroro, there is i n this city n J J I ~ J of
I God, nitd he is nrz ltonornble ntnn;
nll tlrnt he snitli collleth surely to pnss; ~iorolet tis go thither; perndvelttllre ke cnn sheru its our zuny
thnt zue s1iollId go. Tltell said Sntrl to his servnnt, Btrt behold, ifzue go, zuhnt shall w e b r i ~ l gthe
innll? for the brend is spent in olrr vessels, nnd tltere is not n prese~ttto bring to tire ritnn of God:
 Uiderstnndiizg the Prophetic Ministry

. zuhnt hnve zue? And the servnlzt nnswered Salt1 ngnirl, n~rdsnid, Bellold, I hnve here nt hnnd the
for~rthpnrt of n shekel of silver: tlrnt will Igive to the nrnn ofGod, to tell 11s our zuny. I Sarfzltel4:3-8

Many people make a big deal out of giving to the work of the Lord. Even in those days,
when people went to see the man of God they would always go with a consideration that they
had to give something. It's so essential.

The prophetic ministry is not only for the corporate church, but also for ministering to indi-
viduals. This was seen with Saul. He went to Samuel for direction. We also can do the same
and seek out a prophet.

There's a difference between prophets and psychics. These are the days and times when psy-
chics are reviving. They were never dead, but now they are rising up like the stars in heaven.
They are demanding attention by putting out their telephone numbers and advertising them-
selves in every way that they can. But the psychic is not for the church! Do not consult one! You
would be like Saul consulting the witch of Endor! It is so important that we, as God's people,
know where our help comes from. David said our help comes from the Lord who made heaven
and earth. When we have our needs and know that man cannot help us, we must know that our
help comes &om God alone. He may use His prophets to confirm that we can do all things
through Christ.

God's senant the prophet is very, very important. Saul and his servant received more than
they expected when they went to see the prophet. God had a divine plan apart from them find-
ing the lost asses. Saul was to be anointed the first king of Israel. God works in so many differ-
ent ways. Sometimes God is even working in your life when you least expect it. He does so in
ways that you don't even understand, but follow the leadings of the Lord. Like the songwriter
says, "Where He leads me, I will follow."

Saul followed the inclination or the desire for him to go see the prophet and he heard that
the asses were already found. So the true purpose for him was not to locate lost animals, but to
find his purpose. God gave him a mandate. He received a prophecy for his life, "You are the man
all Israel eyes are upon." He discovered he was not to chase lost asses, but that he was to be the
first king of Israel. Often times, we do not know who we really are. God sends the prophet to
steer us on the right course. Saul dined with the prophet and was anointed king that day. He left
the presence of the prophet as a changed man.

He heard from the prophet and he was able to return home with the news that he was going
to be the first king of Israel. He found his true purpose. He was able to get some good encour-
agement and advice from the prophet. So isn't the prophetic ministry necessary?

The prophet gives new life and new hope. Hezekiah the king of Judah was sick unto death.
God raised up Isaiah and sent him to Hezekiah saying, "Thus saith the Lord, you shall not die
but live."

IIZtlrose cimjs runs Hezekirrlr sick rtrztu deatiz. And lsainlr tire prophet tile son of Anloz cnrrre unto Irirrr,
n~rdsnid lnrto Ilinr, Tirlls snit11 the Lord, Set thine house in order:for than shnlt die n~rdnot live. Then
TIE Scltool of the Prouhets

- Hezekinh ttrrited his face tozunrd the zunll, nttd prnyed lrttto the Lord, And snid, Retiteitrber ttozu, 0
Lord, I beseeclt thee, Izozu I ltnue zunlked before tltee iit truth ntld zuitlt a perfect ltenrt, ~ t t dltnve cioile
tltnt zultich is good bl thy siglit. And Hezekinlt zuept sore. Tile cnilte tlte zuord of tlte Lord to Isniinh,
snyirtg, Go, nttd sny to Hezekinlt, Tlttts snit11 flte Lord, the God of Dnvid thy fntlte,; I ltnve henrd thy
prnye/el:Iltnve seen tlty tenrs: behold, I zuill ndd zrnto thy dnysfifteett yenrs. And I zuill deliver tltee nitd
this city out of flte hnitd of the kiitg of Assyrin: nttd I zuill defettd tltis city. And this dm11 be n sign
ltttto thee front the Lord, thnt the Lord zuill do titis tlting tlint lte lint11spokett; Beltold, I zuill britzg ngnilt
tlte sltndozu of the degrees, whicl~is gone dozuit in tlte strtt din1 of Altnz, ten degrees bnck~unrd. So the
st111 rettlrited ten degrees, by zuhich degrees i f zuns gone doroll. Tlte zuritiltg of Hezekinlt king of ftrdnlt,
zuhetz he Jtnd beeit sick, nitd zuns recovered of ltis sickness: lsninlt 38:l-9

In these Scriptures, the ministry of the prophet is working to bring deliverance to Hezekiah,
and also to give him hope and new life. He was sick unto death. Hezekiah knew that Isaiah was
a prophet with an accurate word in his mouth. Thus, he knew the prophet's word would work
having turned his face to seek the Lord. Sometimes we need to shut away and seek God.

The prophetic word and the prophetic ministry is very, very much needed. Imagine how
many things would have been solved if the prophet's voice was accommodated and appreciat-
ed! Problems faced by nations would be solved, the White House's problems would be solved,
and dilemmas facing our teachers and school systems would be solved. Why? Because God has
an answer He wants to bring through the prophet.

How many times has God given you a word and you think, "It's just another word?" Don't
ever take God's word lightly! If you don't understand it, just write it down. Continue in prayer
and say, "Lord, I don't understand this word. Help me to understand it." Continue to walk with
the Lord and God will make His word so plain to you! Sometimes it surpasses your knowledge
at the moment, but God gave you the word. He doesn't waste words. His word shall not return
unto Him void. In time, you will understand. In time, it will come to pass.

The prophetic ministry offers deliverance and restoration. Naaman was the captain of the
hosts of the Syrian King, but he was a leper. He was sick and he needed more than medicine. He
needed a miracle. There was a young maid that was captured and brought back to his house.
God has a purpose in everything. Some might say, "Who is this little girl? What good is she?
She's just a captured child." Yet, she was the one that brought the message to Namaan's wife
informing him that he did not have to suffer because there was a prophet in the land.

She said, "I know a man in Israel. The prophet Elisha is able to cure our lord Namaan." Based
on her words, they decided to go and see Elisha. Some people believed that since this was a
great thing, Namaan should go to the king for a cure. They contacted the king, but he could not
do anything about it. The king could not heal leprosy. It is in the heart of God's servant to res-
cue the perishing and to care for the dying.

When Elisha heard, he called them. Unexpectedly, Elisha did not even come out of his house.
You know when you have the word of the Lord, you don't try to compromise. When you know
God is speaking to you, stand up in your authority. Elisha sent a messenger to tell Naaman, "Go
and wash in the river Jordan." Namaan became very indignant. "That filthy water; there are bet-
 U~rderstn~zdi?zg
t h e Proplzetic Mitlistnj
.
ter rivers in Damascus." That may have been true, but God wanted him in the Jordan.

God pulls you down from the pinnacle o f your pride. W h e n you go down to the place where
God instructs, He can reach you. There are many people who need to be saved, but the a h o s -
phere where they are is not conducive for their deliverance to be wrought.

W h e n our lives need to be changed around, it takes the prophet to show you and tell you
what to do; a prophet that doesn't compromise. Namaan was a great man w h o almost missed
God through arrogance and unbelief. Sounds familiar? Finally, he went and he washed seven
times as instructed. The seventh time he came u p his s k i was as perfect as a baby's. He want-
ed to give the prophet something for his healing but the prophet refused. He decided that, " A s
the Lord liveth I will not receive a thing." He wanted to show Namaan that the gift o f healing
came from the eternal healer, God Almighty, and not from man.

Elisha's servant Gehazi, however, followed Namaan. He lied in the name o f Elisha to receive
gifts from him. How serious it is when you have to lie in the presence o f a prophet. W h e n he
returned from all his scheming, Elisha knew all that took place. It's a dangerous thing to say,
"Thus saith the Lord," and God didn't speak. Gehazi paid a high price for his deception. Elisha
told h i m "The leprosy o f Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he
went out from his presence a leper as white as snow." (11 Kings 5:27)

The work o f the prophet is not an easy work. It becomes easier i f you are completely sold out
to God. God will come and speak to you and you will represent Him. You won't have any praise
to gain because you will know, "This was not done by me. Don't thank me, thank Jesus. Look up
to Him and give Him the praise."

God wants discipline and faithfulness. I f you are greedy, cunning, and deceptively crafty,
you will get more than you bargained for!

Nozu there ruere iit the chirrcli tlznt runs nt A~ttioclicertniii propltets aiid tenchers; ns Bnriinbns, n ~ i d
Si~izeoizthnt 7uns cnlled Niger, and Lircizrs oJ Cyreile, n ~ i dMnitneii, zohich lind bee11brozrglit trp zuitli
Herod tlre tetrnrclt, niid Snifl. A s t l t q I~lhtisiered to the Lord, nitd fnsted, tlie Holy Ghost snid,
Sepnrnte fire Bnr~tnbnsnizd Snnl for the ?uork zuliereii?ito I linue cnlled tlielii. And zuliefr t l i q lind fnsl-
ed nitd prayed, nizd lnid their hn~zds011 tlzeni, tliey seizt the111nzuny. Acts 13: 1-3

Herein w e see the calling and the separation o f Paul and Barnabas unto the ministry. The
importance o f fasting and prayer is also evident, as is the need for each ministry to function in
its proper place. These were ministers o f the Lord who walked in the purpose o f God. They
could hear the words o f God and they were able to give the right direction.

A ~ t din these dnys cni~ieprophetsfroiil Jerzrsnleliz lrizto Aittiocli. Aiid there stood irp oize CftheIIi i~nnied
Agnbirs, nitd signified by the spirit tllnt there shoztld be grent denrth tlzroirglioirt nll the zuorld; zulticli
cniize to pnss ill tlte dnys of Clnlrditrs Cnesnl: Acts 11:27-28

The prophet foretells the outcome o f situations and circumstances. Prophets show you what
is going to happen in the future. W h e n famine was approaching, the prophet was able to warn
The Scltool o f the Provhets

.the believers before it happened so that they would be ready to send help to the churches that
would be impacted. Paul and Bamabas were the ones that took these helps on the missionary
field. And this was Paul's first missionary journey.

The prophets also forewarn of danger. In Paul's meeting with Agabus, he was told of the
danger that awaited him in Jerusalem. He was going to go up to Jemsalem to meet those that
were at the church headquarters there. But Paul was ready because he had completely surren-
dered his life to God. A prophet's life is almost always in danger because of the message he
brings. Even in the church, there are times when the prophet will speak and not everybody will
like what they say. Some will fight it and some will even want to speak against the prophet of
God.

It is so important for you to realize this: whatever you go through or are going through or
will go through, greater blessings await you. God who has brought you up will bring you out of
it. In Jesus' preaching He always said, "And it came to pass." Know this: there is no problem
that comes to you that is not passing into something else.

The church needs a revival; we need a stirring. The prophet is the vessel to spark it. By the
time the message is over, everybody falls on their face worshipping God. When the praises go
up the blessings comes down. The Holy Spirit divides His gifts to the Body and flows through
them as He wills for His Body to profit.

Now cotzcertzitzg spirittrnl gifts, bretl~reiz,I zuo~tld itot Jmve yo11 iglzorn~zt. Ye knozu tltnt ye leuere
Gentiles, cnrried nwny tt~ttothese drintb idols, even ns ye zuere led. Wlterefore I give yoir to t t ~ ~ d e r -
stn~ld,tltnt no I J I ~ spenki~zg
I ~ by the Spirit of God cnlletlt Jesus nccrrrsed: nlzd thnt no innn C ~ I sny
I thnt
Jestts is the Lord, brtf by the Holy Ghost. Nozu there nre diversities of gifts, brrt tlre snnte Spirit. A J Z ~
there nre diferences of ndnzi~ristrntio~ls, bttt the snJ1le Lord. A J Zthere
~ nre diversities of operntio~ls,but
it is the some God zuhich zuorketlt nII in all. Brit the ~nnltifestntionof tlze Spirit is given f o every nrn~r
to projit witlzal. I Cori~lflzin~ls12:l-7

Without the Spirit of God, none of the gifts can work properly. The first thing that the ser-
vant of God must have and must bring out in daily life and ministry is the spirit of love. The
love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost and we can minister through that
love.

Dreams are also a vital part of the prophetic ministry. Sometimes you may not understand a
dream, but God gives it for a reason. After Paul was blinded on the Damascus road, God gave
him a dream in which he saw Ananias. God sent Ananias to give him deliverance from his blind-
ness and to speak the purpose of God in his life. He was able to touch Paul and give him vision:
natural eyesight, spiritual insight and purpose!

Salvation comes through these prophetic visions. In Acts 10, Cornelius had a vision in which
he saw Peter coming unto him and preaching the word of God. Cornelius was a Gentile who
desired the things of God. He was a man of praise who had a strong prayer life. He was a giver.
Although he was a Gentile, God saw his faith backed by his works. Whenever you are doing
something that is edifying to God, your work will not go unnoticed.
 Utzderstnttditzg tlze Propltetic M i t z i s t q

. Cornelius had his work cut out for him, never realizing that he was going to be the entrance
to bring the Gentiles into the Body of Christ. God was able to give him the vision concerning
Peter and give Peter the vision concerning Cornelius. When Peter saw it, he began to ridicule.
You see there are prophetic dreams and sometimes we don't understand and we slight them. But
dreams have great meaning; God wants to convey a message to you.

The prophet brings Jesus Himself into situations. The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of
Prophecy. (Rev. 19:lO) When you testify in the Name of Jesus of the goodness of the Lord and
speak on what God has done for you, it is the Spirit of Prophecy.

Atid ElisItn prayed, n ~ t dsnid, Lord, I pay thee, ope11 his ajes, thnt he ilmy see. A ~ i dthe Lord opelzed
the eyes of the yotrltg nmn: nltd he snzu; nnd, bellold, the niotl~ttniiizonsfirll of horses nltd chnriots of
fire rot~tzdnbot~tElishn. I1 Khtgs 6 2 7

When he saw the chariots of man, the servant thought that they were surrounded and were
going to be defeated. He did not have the eyes of faith to see what Elisha saw. Elisha prayed,
"Lord open his eyes," and the Lord did.

Nozu there cried n certnilt zuo~~tn~t of tlie zuives of tlte solis of the prophets trlito Elislm, snyi~tg,Tliy ser-
vnltt J J I~tisbn~td
~ is dend; nltd thotl k110~eSttlint thy servnltt did fenr the Lord: n ~ t dthe creditor is conie
to tnke tl~tto1ti11iirty two S O J I S to be bolid~nelt.Alid Elisltn snid zclito lier, WItnt shnll I do for thee? tell
pie, zohnt hnst thou ill the itotrse? A ~ t dshe snid, Tltiiie hn~zdnmidhntll ?lotn ~ t ything ilz the hollse, snve
n pot af oil. Tlleti he snid, Go, borrozu tlfeevessels ~brondofnll thy ~zeigltbors,euel? entpty uessels; bor-
rozo lzot n fezo. A ~ t dzuhell tholc nrt collle ill, tholl s!lnll shut the door 1ipol1thee nlld tlpotl thy sons, nltd
shnlt potlr out illto nll those vessels, nltd tltot~shnlt set nside that zulzich isfilll. So she zueltt frar~tlti~li,
nltd s h t ~ tthe door t~po11her nlid t ~ p o her~ t sons, zuho brot~glittlte vessels to her; nlzd slre poured out.
11 Kings 4:1-5

Her oil multiplied because she received guidance from the prophet. Her sons were not sold
into slavery, and she was able to make proper adjustments because she had something to sell.

A prophet is very important in our lives today. We don't know what is going to be, but if
Christ is in the vessel we will smile at the circumstances that challenge us and know that He is
going to make a way for us.

Aiid they rose enrly iri tlie ~lzorlii~tg,

nlzd zue~ttforth into the zuilderttess of Tekon: nrid ns they zueltt
forth, Jelioshnphnt stood nltd snid, Henr nte, 0 Jtrdnh, nrid ye iillltnbitntits of Jertlsnlellt; Believe i ~ rthe
Lord y o i ~ rGod, so shnll ye be estnblished; believe his prophets, so shnll ye prosper. I1 Chrolticles 20:20

We must believe God and the prophets of God. Jehoshaphat went to war with the
Assyrians- it was more than they could manage. They sought the Lord and Jahaziel rose up and
gave the word of the Lord.

The word of the Lord was that they should form a choir and sing praises unto God. In that
singing and praising and worshipping, God turned the tide. They won. And the enemy turned
on themselves instead of Judas. When we are going through war-like circumstances, we should
.just leave it in the hands of God. God has a way of to deal with your enemy. He'll send some-
body to deal with your enemy instead of you avenging yourself.

Snyiilg, Arise, n i ~ dfnke the yoling cllild nird his iirotller niidgo iirto the lniid of Isrnel; for fliey nre dend
zuhich s o ~ ~ gthe
l ~ yotrilg
t clrild's life. Mnttl~ezu2:20

Joseph and Mary needed protection for their child, Jesus. If Christ had not come, where
would we be? If Christ had been killed as a child, what would have happened to us? Through
dreams and a vision, God's plan protected Jesus. He was saved, delivered, and set free. He was
able to live His life to go on with His ministry

We need the prophet, and we need dreams and the understanding of them. The prophet also
rebukes, corrects and instructs. You and I need rebuke and correction and instructions; we could
never make it without these things. If you know that God's prophet is coming with the right
word, you will take heed to that word.

Bishop Jordan gave a prophetic word concerning the Sharpeville Six in South Africa. These
people were scheduled to be hung and God spoke to Bishop concerning their release. At that
time, it was almost impossible for anyone to believe that they would be released because so
much evil was against them. Bishop Jordan spoke the word of the Lord concerning their lives. It
came to pass: they were not hung. Today, they are still alive.

There was one that went to bring a message concerning apartheid. Today South Africa is
released. The Lord sent me there during that time and I was among some that went and intro-
duced these people to pray and seek God. Today I live rejoicing because it came to pass; they are
free today.

At times prophetic messages are dramatized. In Ezekiel 5, the Lord gave Ezekiel a drama-
tized picture of the condition of the church. There was a time that they were walking with the
Lord, according to God's precepts. However, they turned away from God and God had to bring
these dramatic situations. Many times the message is preached to us and we see our need for
turning and right after we turn we get back in bondage.

Sometimes the prophet has the song of the Lord. He sings a rebuke or a correction or an
instruction. The Psalms are hymns. If you're going through a problem and you turn to the
Psalms, you are always able to find comfort and encouragement. How do you think they came
about? Because somebody has been through the hard road and through that hard experience and
situation, God gave them a song.

The prophet operates in the governmental office. If there was no government in this
prophetic church, anything could happen; it would be chaos. Everybody would do whatever
they desired. But let me tell you something....God has set in the church a government and an
order and He has set it from the head. We cannot have more than one head upon one body.
Therefore if everybody wants to be the head, be careful, for after awhile it becomes chaotic.
 U~rrlcrstn~~rliir~
tlze Provhctic Miirist1.11

I f you see a h u m a n being w i t h more than one head you know that is a monster; a demon.
All are encouraged to prophesy. Some people think that only certain people can prophesy, b u t
i f you seek the Lord all can prophesy; although all are not prophets.

I ioolrld tl~ntye nll spnke ivifh folrglres, blrf rnflrer flznt ye prophesied; for grenter is lle tllnt plophesi-
eth thnlz he thnt spenketl~ivifll tonglres, except he interpret, tllnt the cltrrrcl~tlmy receive edftji~zg.
I Corilzthinl~14:5

Individual and corporate benefits are received w h e n there is a prophetic word i n our midst.
Sometimes a individual comes in the church and they are really laden d o w n with a load o f care,
and there are times the church itself and the entire congregation feels like it's i n darkness. But
w h e n God's word comes forth that darkness is lifted, that load is removed and there is a light,
beautiful Spirit o f God that brings the joy o f deliverance.

T h e prophetic ministry shows where the harvest is located. You don't leave w i t h an uncer-
tainty. W h e n God's speaks and send you to an area, He knows where your harvest is. T h e
prophetic ministry is an invaluable tool i n the Hand o f God, and is a blessing t o the Body o f
Christ, for the prophet can unearth miracles, and find the rose that is blooming i n your desert
situation!
The School of the Prophets

.
 C H A P T E R 3 6

PROPHETIC EVANGELISM
Propizeiess Io~lieReid

Evangelism is defined as the sharing of evangelical messages and the anointing. Of course,
without the anointing we could do nothing. Prophetic evangelism spurs a revival and strength-
ens the Body of Christ. Winning souls is achieved when a strong conviction comes upon the peo-
ple. It's more than preaching; it is more than just preaching an anointed message that turns peo-
ple's heart towards Jesus. Therefore, Prophetic evangelism, shows the way to salvation and
deliverance. Prophetic evangelism also brings warnings of impending danger and the disclo-
sure of God's will.

Every believer should be involved in prophetic evangelism. You walk in prophetic evange-
lism when you can hear what God says and do it. You are hearing from God, and sharing what
He is saying, you will be in are in the purpose of God as a prophetic evangelist. Prophetic evan-
gelism brings greater awareness of the power of God in the Body of Christ. The prophetic evan-
gelist ministers to your needs; being touched by your infirmities.

And at 111id11ig11t God; rind the prisoners henrd the~~r.

Pnzd n~zdSilns prnyed, rind snng prnises 1~11to
Act 16:25

Paul was one of the greatest evangelists that this world has ever known. His experience,
however, as an evangelist was not very pleasant. He was one of those evangelists that reaped
what he sowed. Prior to his conversion, Paul was a persecutor of the Church. Because of his
past, he felt he was not even worthy to be called an apostle because he persecuted the church
and wasted it. Whatsoever we sow we shall reap, so we ought to be very careful not to become
critical and judgmental of God's people.

Teachers reprove, correct and train in the way of righteousness. That's the work of the evan-
gelist; to teach, to preach, to reprove, and to correct in righteousness. When the Lord raises up
an evangelist, He does not only send you out to preach the word in that manner alone, but also
to bring correction to the saints.

There are times when things are going haywire, despite the pastor having done his best. He
is setting up standards, but the people are not obeying. God puts it in the heart of an evangelist
to go to that place to set things in order. Thus, the evangelist is one who establishes order in the
church.
Tlie School o f the Plovliets

Prophetic declaration comes through prophetic evangelism. God gives you a word that's
"rhema." A "rhema" word is a word that God speaks into your spirit. You can read Scripture
and receive a rhema word as the spirit sheds light on the word and you see things clearer and
brighter than before. All of a sudden you're reading "The Lord is my Shepherd and the Holy
Ghost sheds light on it. You begin to see the real meaning of the Lord as Shepherd. Just as the
shepherd takes care of his sheep, you see yourself as a sheep in the Hand of God. "He has been
taking care of me. I can lean on His shoulder. I can cry to Him for my aches and pains. I can be
delivered when I'm oppressed because He's my Shepherd."

If God speaks a prophetic word in your spirit, you are to write it down and bring it to birth.
It is not an ordinary word, for it is a word given to you personally from God. Now, you must
work out your salvation in the word with fear and trembling.

The prophet hears, and the prophet sees. The prophet is otherwise called the seer -one that
brings the message, hears the word of God and tells it to you. When an evangelist comes and
makes a declaration, "Thus saith the Lord," this is what the Lord is saying to that congregation.
That is what God wants the congregation to adhere to; He wants you to comply to the instruc-
tions which the evangelist brought.

That church may have been plagued with contrariness. God sent that man of God to get
things straightened out. People take heed and change their ways in true repentance. The
prophet's word, therefore, causes repentance and a new atmosphere will raise up. The ministry
of the evangelist gives structure to the church.

For I hnue receioed ofthe Lord tlint i ~ l ~ i cnlso

l t Ideliuered iriito yon, Tlint the Lord Jesirs tlie sniiie liiglit
ill zuliicli lie zuns betrnyed took brend: And iulieii lle hnd gioeii tlznliks, lie brnke it, nild snid, Tnke, ent;
this is i i ~ ybody, zul~ichis broke11for y011; this do i i ~reiileli~brniiceof rile. After the sni~zeitlnilner nlso
he took tlie clrp, zuheii lie hnd supped, snyhlg, Tliis clip is tlie neru testniliefit in lily blood: this do ye,
ns oft ns ye drink it, iii renie~librnizceof ine. For ns often ns ye ent this brend, niid drink this clip, ye do
slzezu the Lorrl's denth till lie coiize I Coriiztllinizs 11:23-26

The doctrine of the breaking of bread became our communion service.

Paul was more than an evangelist; he was also a prophet. Paul was so much a man of God
that he was an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a teacher and a pastor; he functioned in all of
these gifts. Paul was given the revelation of the breaking of bread. Prophetic evangelism gives
revelation knowledge in time of need.

Jonah was sent by God to go into Nineveh as a prophet and as an evangelist to warn the peo-
ple and to show them their condition. According to Scripture, Nineveh was a very wicked city
Jonah was afraid to go into that city to bring warning to the people. Because he was afraid, Jonah
went another direction, which, subsequently caused him to get in great trouble with God. When
God speaks you must move--whether you like it or not! When God sends you, you must go!
Jonah learned this the hard and rough way.
 Prophetic Evnr~gelisr~t

. There are certain things that you and I will never know until God reveals it. But when God
reveals His will, it's time for us to do something about it.

So the people of Ni~zevehbelieved God, n~ldproclnir~iedn fnst, nild put 011snckcloth,fior~lthe greatest
of the111even to the least of thenl. For ioord cnltle lrilto the king of Nineueh, nlzd he nrosefronl his
flzro~ie,nild he linid his robefrom hiln, rind covered 11in1iuith snckcloth, nlld sat ill nslles. And lte cnirsed
it fo be proclnillzed nlld plrblislied throlrgll Nineveh by the decree of the king nlld his nobles, sflying, Let
ileitller lllnll JIOI. beast, herd izotf7ock, ttnste nny tiling; let then1 ]rotfeed, nor drink ionter: Blrt let I J ~ J I
nlld beast be covered iuith snckcloth, nncl ciy ~ ~ ~ i g l t lrltto
t i l y God: yen, let the111tlrru evely ol~efrot~lItis
evil iuny, nildfroltt tlle violellce that is bz tkeir im~lds.
Jo~lnh35-8

Jonah eventually became obedient. And after his going, God showed His mighty power and
His mercy. Because that's what God wants: He wants to extend His mercy to us. And He wants
to have mercy upon wicked New York City and other cities, states and nations of the world. God
wants His word to reach everybody and anybody. When the king heard the warning and Jonah's
message the king made a declaration to everybody, even to the animals. He commanded that
they go down in sackcloth and ashes (a sign of repentance), wait on the Lord and pray and fast.
We need such prophetic evangelism efforts towards and repentance from our government lead-
ers. Most are secular people in high positions and their words will be heard by the masses. I tell
you they will be elected!

They are like the king of Nineveh. That was such a wicked country.... but one word from a
prophet of God, an evangelist, made them turn from their wicked ways. We need a lot of that
because we are in serious times. When the king made the declaration, everybody took it to
heart. Their was a positive response since it came from God rather than man. Man's idea would
not even think of obeying the king. But because God sent the prophet who ultimately obeyed
and spoke to the people, they had an opportunity to repent.

There was a turning around and a submission to God's word. Sometimes, as a man speaks,
the word doesn't come with a cutting edge. But when a man of God goes, the anointing of God
comes inwardly, and the word comes with a cutting edge. It touches your situation, and God will
meet your need. Sometimes God sends the prophet to encourage people to continue on.
Encouragement sweetens labor. It puts you in the place where you can be comforted and built
UP.
Prophetic evangelism provides motivation for the people to make a decision for Christ and
the kingdom of God. You have to make a decision when the word comes. It ushers in repen-
tance. It helps people look up instead of looking down. Everybody's looking down nowadays.
In the economy there's a lot of cut backs, and the economic situation appears bleak. Man is look-
ing down instead of up: "I will lift my eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help." We
are not to rely on government programs for help. Help only comes from God that made heaven
and earth.

Prophetic evangelism brings strength and fresh purpose to the Body of Christ. The good
new's brings motivating strength and decision. The five-fold ministry includes apostles,
The School offlze Prophets

Prophets evangelists, pastors and teachers. The evangelist is sandwiched between the apostle,
prophet, and pastor and teacher. The evangelist comes right in the middle to strengthen the
work, build up the saints and prepare them for the purpose of God in their lives. The prophet-
ic evangelist goes into the world with a heart to strengthen the Body of Christ to bring correc-
tion, instruction and purpose.

In the midst of an impossible situation, Moses said "Stand still and see the salvation of the
Lord." (Exodus 14:13) Moses was God's prophet for those days. In that period, God had to raise
up a Moses because the children of Israel were in great bondage and they cried. In our days,
there is also a cry; there is also a need. People are going through great sufferings. But, instead of
the cry going to God, they're crying to the government. Instead of doing what God wants them
to do, they complain, they steal and they turn to one another. We are becoming parasites to one
another instead of crying out to God. Know that whatever comes upon the nation, and what-
ever comes upon mankind, Jesus has the answer.

Deliverance is not in your brother or your sister. Trying situations arise for us to turn our
eyes upon Jesus. Always look fully into His wonderful face and the things in this life will dim
in the light of His glory and grace. When oppression, depression, sadness, and conditions change
we have Somebody to cry to; His Name is Jesus.

And the reason why we can cry to Him is because He gave us an open invitation. He said,
"Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." If you don't cry
unto God, your needs will not be met. You will be just going around in circles.

Moses was also a great evangelist. God sent him back to his people to rescue them and bring
them out of bondage. Sometimes you go on fresh ground. Sometimes God hears the voice of the
people murmuring, crying, moaning and He raises up an evangelist. This was the case with
Moses. Moses was born to be a leader, reared in the house of the king that tried to kill all of the
boy babies. God hid him and disguised him. God knows how to cover you even in the time of
distress. He can cover you. He can hide you. He'll hide you in the rock. He'll even hide you in
the face of the person that is trying to kill you.

Moses was sent and he finished declaring all that the Lord had given to speak despite oppo-
sition. He pursued to the end where he took the children of Israel from Egypt to the entrance of
Canaan. But they had to pass through the Red Sea. There is much opposition but there's so much
more power in God. God has a way of covering and hiding His people and bringing us out.
Many of us are going through, and we want to stop. Don't stop in the middle of trouble! Don't
stop when problems come! Don't stop when things don't look right! Go through to the other
side!

God commanded Moses to lift up the standard for the people to see, and that's what Moses
did. He went through many struggles. He had to go through all the plans that God wanted him
to go through because Egypt was a place that had many false gods.

John the Baptist was the forerunner of Christ. Jesus had somebody to introduce him into this
world and to serve as His representative. When a great evangelist comes into a city to have a cru-
 Prouhetic Evnnaelis~tz

.sade, they seek the churches so that the churches will advertise. They seek to make up a choir
and they make preparations for all these things. Jesus also needed people to prepare the way for
Him.

John the Baptist was born in due time. Out of all the evangelists, he was the strangest one
because he was a walking miracle. His conception and birth were miracles, for he was marked
by God even in the womb. As he started his work, he was sent into the wilderness with a strange
diet and mode of dress. He was in the wilderness declaring, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord.
Make straight your paths." He preached in the wilderness and the people in the city were drawn
to him. Instead of h i going into the city to preach, he stayed in the wilderness and obeyed God.
He ate wild honey and locusts and put on his strange clothes crying out for the people to come
to the Lord, and the people came unto him to receive light.

They embraced the new light that was coming into the world to brighten our darkness. Four
hundred years had passed and nobody heard the word of God. Then up came John the Baptist
from the back side of the desert preaching and saying "Repent ye for the Kingdom of God is at
hand." And the Lord by His Spirit drew the people unto him. They were able to hear that
"There's One coming after me; I am not worthy to loose the latches on His shoes." He was intro-
ducing Jesus.

If there is no king, there can be no kingdom, and if there's no kingdom, there can be no king.
Jesus has come and He remains the King of kings and the Lord of lords. The day will come where
He will set up His great kingdom as declared in His great word. And those of us who are born
again are subjects of His Kingdom; we have been made kings and priests of God.

As an evangelist, you must know who you are so that you can maintain that standard. It
doesn't matter what color you are, who you are, or where you live; we have been made unto God
kings and priests.

Paul believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and became an evangelist to the Gentiles. His trials
did not stop him. Finally, he was able to say, "I have fought a good fight and I have finished my
course...I have kept the faith. Henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the
righteous judge shall give unto me." Ease does not bring you into victory. You have to suffer
with Christ to reign with Him. If you are going to reign with Him as a king, you will judge this
world.

The saints will judge this world with Jesus. We are not going to be able to live without our
Leader; without our King. Because we are His subjects, we are now being prepared under the
five-fold ministry to reign in the Kingdom of God.

Philip, the evangelist, preached Christ in the city of Samaria. He was doing so well in
Samaria that the bishops and the apostles and all of them from Jerusalem had to go down to see
what was going on. It was such an outstanding revival because even the sorcerer, Cyrenius, a big
shot witch doctor, was drawn in and baptized.
 Philip also was the one that was sent across the desert to meet the Ethiopian eunuch coming
from Jerusalem. I admire this Ethiopian eunuch because he had an inquiring mind. He put him-
self in the way to know more, He had gone to Jerusalem to receive and was returning from the
temple. That did not enlighten him about was he was reading and so God sent Philip. Philip
was sent from Samaria. He did not take a car, he did not take a bus, nor did he take a plane, but
he went upon the wings and in the power of the Holy Ghost. As he drew near the eunuch and
he asked him did he understand what he read and he answered "How can I understand when I
have none to teach me."

What an opportunity for a man like Philip! He was able to go up and explain the scripture
from Isaiah 53 that described Jesus Christ. It said, "he was wounded for our transgression, he
was bruised for our iniquities: All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to
his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Now consider how pro-
foundly Philip was able to explain it to him because he was one of the disciples of Christ. He was
one of the converts that knew so much about Jesus and he was able to say "Of whom does the
prophet speak?" and Philip was able to say "Of the Son of God; of Jesus."

The eunuch heard about Him but he didn't know about Him. It is one thing to hear about a
thing and another thing to know about a thing. A lot of people hear about salvation but they
don't know about salvation. That is the work of the evangelist: to bridge the gap and bring the
light in a dark place because Jesus was the light. Philip was able to point the eunuch in the right
direction. The light brings revelation, inspiration. Converted, the eunuch asked, "What hinders
me from being baptized?" Since there were no longer any barriers, Philip baptized him right
there! Jesus wants us to go into the most inconvenient places, not just within the big cathedrals.
The day will come as we adhere to God's purpose and plan, that we ourselves can be transport-
ed by the power of the Holy Spirit to go and do God's bidding.

All believers were set up to do the ministry of the Great Commission. Jesus Himself set up
that standard, it is a commission from God Himself. Jesus set it up and we are to go and do it,
whether you go to the hospital, or whether you are just a good neighbor reaching out to some
brother or sister in need. It is time to reach out to that drug addict. Why are we always reaching
out to the people that have already been cleaned up? We need to reach out to the so-called
"undesirables," the prisoners, drug abusers, and prostitutes. Pray and ask God to give you an
effectual ministry so that you can go and minister for Jesus!

Let's taste what Jesus tasted for us on the cross. Dying for us, and dying for sinners although
He had never sinned. He was holy and yet He identified Himself with ungodly sinners.
Sometimes we don't want to identify ourselves with them, but we must. When you see them on
the train, reach out and do something. Treat them kindly, for they are human beings that Jesus
died for. That's evangelism!

Everybody's not going to have a pulpit in which to preach. Nonetheless, we have to work
from where we are until God brings us to that level.

The spirit of the prophet reveals the will of God in times of trouble. God revealed His pur-
pose to Daniel about the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar. He saved the magicians and other coun-
 Prophetic Evntlgelisltz

.selors from being slain. They turned against Daniel, however, because when he gave the prophe-
cy, he was promoted in Babylon. The Spirit of God surrounded Daniel and gave him such an
inspiration that he was able to detect all their wicked plans because he was a man that prayed
and fasted. His prayer life and his fasting life brought him right out and into victory. When you
don't take vengeance for yourself, God will do it for you.

Revelation knowledge was given to the church by the Apostle John the Revelator while he
was on the isle of Patrnos, after he was sent there to die. Revelation 1:l-3 speaks of the seven
churches in Asia and their ministers, showing the plan and purpose of God and how they should
function.

You have to know the Word of God. You cannot go empty with an empty spirit and an empty
life. Therefore the prophet has to fast and pray and study the word. As Timothy says, "Study to
shew thyself approved unto God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing
the word of truth. "

Prophetic evangelism moves in the gift of the discerning of spirits. When the situation in the
church explodes here and there, the evangelist comes and discerns the wicked spirits that are
working against the church to hinder the work of God. In Acts 927, Ananias was sent to rninis-
ter to Saul who was struck blind in an encounter with Jesus on the Damascus road as he was
going to persecute others. Ananias, a disciple, came to explain salvation to him and minister to
him through the gift of healing.

The prophet speaks with holy boldness. You cannot afford not to speak with holy boldness
when you have to speak. When God sends you, and you know that you're in the will of God,
then you'll be bold as a lion. These gifts in action gives the encouragement and the confidence
to stand fast in the liberty where Christ has made us free. And having done, we'll have the faith
to stand. And it sends you on your knees. It sends you to God to receive more and more of God.
As you pray and seek God, you will see revelation knowledge and you will receive power on
high to function in prophetic evangelism.
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