Prophecy: Plainly Revealing God’s Heart & Truth

Did you know that God has gifted every person with at least one of these gifts: prophecy, teaching, service, mercy, generosity, leadership, or encouragement?  Within this post, we will examine the gift of prophecy.  Plainly revealing God’s heart and truth, people with the gift of prophecy declare the purposes of God by consoling the distressed, correcting the wayward, or giving insight to unclear situations. 

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; ⁷ if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸ the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. -Romans 12:6-8

What is the Gift of Prophecy?

Typically, when we think of the gift of prophecy, we think of someone that can foretell future events. This is certainly one example of a prophetic spiritual gift as detailed in the Bible; however, the gift of prophecy includes other traits as well.  The Greek definition of the word prophecy also includes:  declaring the purposes of God, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the afflicted, or revealing things hidden.  Please note, true godly prophets will never teach anything that contradicts the Bible.  So, when considering advice from someone, we should always compare it to what the Bible teaches.

Old Testament Examples of Plainly Revealing God’s Heart and Truth

A large portion of the Old Testament is filled with examples of prophecy, and Jeremiah, Jonah, and Malachi are just a few examples of people who held this very important position.  Informing people of the heart and nature of God was just one of their responsibilities.  Other examples included correcting people when they were straying from God’s good plans and purposes, instructing kings on battle strategies, and even occasionally forewarning people of future events.  One of the most famous Old Testament examples is Jonah, who was instructed by God to warn the city of Ninevah to stop their wicked and evil ways.

New Testament Examples of Prophecy

The New Testament also has examples of the gift of prophecy, and the most predominate prophet; of course, was Jesus.  Demonstrating God’s character with his actions and revealing God’s heart as he spoke to the crowds are both examples of how he used his prophetic gift.  A second example is John the Baptist because he foretold the coming of Jesus.  Paul, an apostle, wrote a significant portion of the New Testament and was also a prophet because his writings revealed God’s heart toward His people.  Proclaiming the good news everywhere he traveled, God specifically used Paul as a mouthpiece to the non-Jewish people.

Modern-Day Examples of Prophecy

Malachi 3:6 teaches that God does not change.  Just as God demonstrated his power and glory in biblical days, He will continue to demonstrate His goodness to His people in modern times.  The gift of prophecy is no exception to this rule, and obvious examples of modern-day prophets are pastors.  When they reveal the heart and purposes of God as they preach to their congregations, they are operating with the gift of prophecy.   A less obvious example of someone with this gift is a person that just seems to have a knack to understand situations and circumstances and brings a sense of clarity to the situation.  Oftentimes, this person helps others to grasp a bigger picture and understand the spiritual aspects of a situation when a problem arises. 

Do You Have the Gift of Plainly Revealing God’s Heart and Truth?

Probably, you or someone you know has this spiritual gift.  Don’t feel slighted if you lack this gift!  God’s Word promises that you have at least one of these spiritual gifts: prophecy, teaching, service, mercy, generosity, leadership, or encouragement.

Want to Learn More?

Much of this article has been extracted from the book, Discovering Who I am From God’s Perspective.  If you would like to learn more practical examples of the gifts of grace given to all believers, to include the gift of prophecy, you may purchase a copy of the book from Amazon.