If you’ve never prophesied before, you may wonder if you can really do it. You may be hesitant to try. But you can overcome that hesitancy by simply believing the Bible.
It says clearly that as a born again believer who is baptized in the Holy Spirit, you can open your mouth and let rivers of inspired utterance flow from your innermost being. You can do what the New Testament tells us, as believers, to do and speak encouraging words of prophecy not only to yourself but to others. You can obey the instructions in Colossians 3:16 that says we should be “teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16 KJV).
Not only can you do it, but you must do it if you want to stay energized and on fire for God.
Why is that?
Because prophecy brings “edification and exhortation and comfort” (1 Corinthians 14:3) and those things are crucial to our spiritual well-being.
The word edification refers to building or charging something up like you would recharge a battery. As I’ve mentioned before, God has provided us with several avenues of edification, such as the Word, prayer, and fellowship with other believers. But the move of the Holy Spirit—especially through prophecy— affects us like nothing else can.
My husband, Mac, and I found that out early in our Christian lives. Right after we were born again, we began attending a Bible study where we were not only taught the Word but also experienced the ministry of the Holy Spirit. So, from the very inception of our born again experience, prophecy was a regular part of our lives. As a result, we grew very fast spiritually and we were extremely fervent. We had a lot of fire and zeal for the Lord.
The church we attended when we moved to Minnesota a few years later, however, was very different. Although the pastor did preach the Word, the gifts of the Spirit didn’t operate there at all. After a while, I noticed our spiritual fire subtly began to cool off. I sought the Lord about it and He showed me that we needed the power of prophecy and the move of the Spirit to keep us charged up.
Ever since then, I’ve always put great emphasis on prophecy. I’ve found that when I don’t give place to it in my personal prayer life, something of the fire of God is lost in my experience. My spiritual energy wanes. I’ve learned from years of experience that when my fervency begins to fizzle, the power of prophecy can make it sizzle again!
Scripture Reading: Colossians 3:12 – 17
On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”
Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!
What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”