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Apostle Colin Nyathi Senior Pastor and Founder Harvest House International Churches
{Part Four}:
1 Corinthians 14 vs 1 & 39,
Vs 1, “Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.”
Vs 39, “Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.”In the previous week’s article we covered five ways in which God can speak and these were.
• Impressions
• A word
• A picture
• Visions
• Supernatural senses
Today we continue with the remaining seven ways.
6. Dreams
These are mentioned all through the Bible. Jacob at Bethel saw the angels go up and down a ladder (Genesis 28 vs 10-17).
Joseph saw the vision or dream of himself and his brothers binding sheaves in the middle of the field and he dreamed still another dream of the sun and the moon and the 11 stars bowing to him. God will often use dreams to communicate warnings and other important information to us, in order to avoid as much interference from our senses as possible. It needs to be noted that we have different dream languages. For example, someone who hates dogs may have a dream in which a dog comes into their life, home, ministry or church and that would signify something bad. However, if the person loves dogs, the same concept may be portrayed with another symbol. Keep a prayer journal to help you establish your dream language. Keep a record of your dreams and help bring understanding to the dreams. A word of caution . . . not all dreams have a spiritual meaning and not all prophetic people and prophets will be used in prophetic dreams.
7. Open visions
This is where the eyes are opened and one sees spiritual things as if they appeared normal to the natural eyes. It is possible for the open vision to be so real to our eyes that it is only later understood that it was an open vision at all. It is likewise possible to actually be involved in the physical sense in a spiritual phenomenon, only to realise later it was a vision. This happened to Apostle Peter in Acts 12 vs 1-11.
8.Trances
This manifestation is distinct from visions because in a vision, one is still aware of one’s surroundings. In a trance, one’s surroundings are blotted out temporarily, unless God wants them to be observed. This also occurred to Peter in Acts 10 vs 1-19.
9. Audible voice
Acts Chapter 9 is the account of Paul’s encounter with the Lord while travelling to Damascus. He was knocked to the ground and a conversation occurred between him and the Lord Jesus Christ. In verse 7, it says the other men stood and heard a voice but they did not see anyone. To Paul it was the audible voice of God. The audible voice of God will always be life changing, no matter the length or brevity of the conversation.
10. Visitations from angels
Angels can bring us information. An angel came to Daniel to bring Him understanding. Daniel Chapter 12. Angels came to Abraham because there was something important that was to happen that he needed to be informed about (Genesis Chapter 18). Mary spoke with angel Gabriel, the same archangel who communicated to Daniel (Luke 1 vs 26-38).
11. Visitations from the Lord
Sometimes the Lord may personally visit an individual to give instruction that the Lord Jesus Himself will administer. It is often difficult for the person to communicate what happened in human words. The Apostle John had such an experience (Revelation 1 vs 9-20). Apostle Paul also had a visitation from the Lord (Acts 9 vs 1-8).
12. Translation in place or time
Translation happens when a person is being translocated from one place to another instantly. Both Apostles Paul and John were caught up in the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12 vs 1-5). Deacon Philip was also translocated by the Spirit of God (Acts 8 vs 39-40).
Ways of delivering the prophetic word
A genuine prophet of God needs to know more than what to say. They need to discover how God wants them to say it. This speaks of the wisdom, the timing, the manner, the place, the wording, the intent, and the context. What one often hears from some of the “so called prophets” in Zimbabwe is embarrassing to say the least. Today non church-goers and some Christians are making a mockery of the so called prophets and prophecies given, most of the prophecies are linked to one seeking fame and fortune and have nothing to do with Jesus being lifted up.
Eight ways of delivering the prophetic word
1. Speaking
The most common method for delivering prophecy is for the prophet to speak directly to the recipient(s). God is a God who speaks. He will give instructions about the right time and right place to speak.
Warning
If the deliverer of the prophetic word is not your Apostle, Pastor, leader, quickly submit the word to your leader for vetting and spiritual input. There are dangerous prophets out there who grow their churches by prophetic manipulation. Any prophet, leader who tells you to leave your church and join theirs has no ministerial ethics and very likely is not a genuine man or woman of God.
2. During personal conversation
Sometimes a word may be quietly spoken to the person receiving it. Table conversations can be the most prophetic moments in dispatching prophetic truths. You don’t always need to be wearing a shiny suit and holding a microphone or speaking King James English and contorting your face and spitting saliva to prophecy. During table conversations the deliverer is unaware that they are prophesying thinking it’s just a talk, meanwhile the recipients’ lives are being transformed.
3. Proxy
God must get another person other than the prophet himself to speak out the prophecy. When Jeremiah the prophet was imprisoned, he would write the word and his secretary Baruch would read it to the recipients.
4. Preaching
A direct message from God may sometimes be given in some sections of a sermon.
5. Writing
A prophetic word can be written and delivered to the recipients.
Isaiah and Jeremiah were writing prophets. The scriptures promise a blessing for those who read prophecy.
Revelation 1 vs 3,
“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.”
6. Parables
Nathan the prophet told a story to get his message across to King David. He, King David, probably would not have received a direct word from Nathan (2 Samuel 12 vs 1-7).
7. Prophetic Action
Sometimes God asks a prophet to take action that will illustrate the word being brought. The prophet becomes a living parable or visual aid. For example, Ezekiel lay on his side tied up with ropes for many days as a warning of the exile of Israel to Babylon (Ezekiel 4 vs 1-9). Jeremiah on the other hand bought a piece of land to bring home a prophetic message (Jeremiah 32 vs 1-9). Isaiah walked naked for three years in the street to demonstrate the shame of Israel (Isaiah 20 vs 1-6). Please Zimbabwean “so called prophets” since you like copying everything from West Africa, don’t try this one at home.
8. Sealing the Word
Sometimes a word may be sealed up for delivery at a later time. Daniel was told to seal up some of his words for the future.
Daniel 12vs 9,
And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
Habbakuk 2vs 3,
For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
The contents of this article being:
a. 12 ways in which God speaks.
b. Eight biblical ways of delivering a prophetic message confirm my earlier assertion that currently in Zimbabwe there are a handful of category four prophets (Ephesians 4 vs 11) those who stand in the prophetic office. A few are in category one and two — simple prophetic and prophetic gifting and the majority are either false prophets or those who just happen to be mesmerised by the title prophet and decide to give themselves that title. That will explain why there is so much confusion and abuse in the body of Christ concerning the prophetic ministry.
A few crazy examples to further consolidates my assertion
1. A “so called prophet/pastor” instructs his congregants to eat grass (what will livestock eat when human beings now are eating their green grass).
2. Soccer results outcomes – A “so called prophet” declares “Fulham United will win the Barclays Premier League title, and Zimbabwe will win the 2014 soccer world cup in Brazil” (even though Fulham United are one of those teams that are at the bottom of the log table and even if they won all the remaining games, that will not take the club to the summit of the log table and that the Zimbabwe team did not qualify for Brazil).
3. The leaves on your tree will turn into United States dollars by this time next year, declared the “so called prophet.”
4. Pour water from West Africa all over your business premises every day and you will make lots of money (while ignoring the principles of marketing and hard work). Oh by the way! . . . that bottle of water will cost you $50 and you don’t know where the water is coming from . . . it could be coming from the Mazai River!
5. Give a “so called prophet” $1,000 and he will give you a prophecy about anything you want (prophecy fruit machine).
6. Place a towel prayed for by the “so called prophet” on any car, property, woman or man and they will supposedly become yours. (Never mind the ownership of the registration book, title deeds and one’s marital status) hogwash!
Ladies and gentlemen, God is not a magician, neither is He a fruit machine in a casino.
Hebrews 10:31,
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
7. Many Zimbabweans have been conned by the “so called prophets” in Pentecostal churches.
Please wise up, don’t be deceived anymore by these charlatans.
Hosea 4 vs 6,
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you . . .”
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