Rules for New Covenant Prophecy
When Jesus taught about the Holy Spirit in John chapters 14-16, He described an intimate relationship where believers can expect dialogue and personal interaction with the Spirit. His teaching should be the basis for giving and receiving prophecy, words of knowledge, and words of wisdom.
“He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
Prophecy for Today: A New Covenant Perspective
Prophecy is not a relic of the past; it is very much alive and active today. However, as New Covenant believers, we must receive and give prophetic words within the parameters established by Jesus and the apostles. To do this, the best foundation for understanding prophecy is Jesus' teachings about the Holy Spirit. Prophecy, along with words of wisdom and words of knowledge, are gifts or graces of the Spirit. It only makes sense to view these gifts through the lens of how our Lord described the ministry of the Spirit.
Jesus’ Teaching on the Holy Spirit: A Framework for Prophecy
When Jesus taught about the Holy Spirit in John chapters 14-16, He described an intimate relationship where believers can expect dialogue and personal interaction with the Spirit. One of the key points Jesus emphasized is this:
The Holy Spirit will take what belongs to Jesus and make it known to us.
This truth is transformational. As joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17), everything that belongs to Jesus is also ours. The Holy Spirit’s role includes declaring to us what is ours in Christ—our inheritance, our promises, and our identity in the New Covenant. This foundational truth is vital for understanding the purpose and operation of prophecy and other revelatory gifts.
What We Can Expect from the Holy Spirit (Based on Jesus' Words in John 14-16)
He will give us another Helper who will abide with us forever. (John 14:16)
He is the Spirit of truth, who dwells with us and will be in us. (John 14:17)
He will teach us all things. (John 14:26)
He will bring to our remembrance everything Jesus said. (John 14:26)
He will testify about Jesus. (John 15:26)
He will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. (John 16:8)
He will guide us into all truth. (John 16:13)
He will tell us things to come. (John 16:13)
He will glorify Jesus by taking what belongs to Him and declaring it to us. (John 16:14)
He will reveal to us all that the Father has given to Jesus. (John 16:15)
These functions and attributes of the Holy Spirit can and should serve are guides for giving and receiving words today.
Operating in the Revelatory Gifts
When we operate in the gifts of the Spirit—specifically prophecy, words of wisdom, and words of knowledge—we should emulate the ministry of the Holy Spirit as described by Jesus. Just as the Holy Spirit declares what is ours in Christ, so should prophecy affirm these truths to build others up in their identity and inheritance in Him.
Similarly, when we receive prophetic words, we must apply this principle as a filter. Not every word should be received wholesale just because the person delivering it seems accurate or credible. Instead, we should ask:
Does this word affirm what is mine in Christ?
Does it align with the New Covenant?
Does it reflect the ministry of the Holy Spirit as described by Jesus?
By doing so, we safeguard our hearts and keep prophetic ministry aligned with its New Covenant purpose.
Paul’s Teaching on Prophecy
The apostle Paul provides further clarity on the nature of prophecy in the New Covenant. He states that all prophecy should edify, exhort, and comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3). This means that prophecy should:
Build us up: Strengthening our faith and encouraging us in our walk with Christ.
Exhort us: Inspiring us to action and deeper devotion.
Comfort us: Bringing consolation and peace in times of trouble.
Prophecy that tears down, condemns, or instills fear is not operating in the spirit of the New Covenant. Instead, prophecy should reflect the heart of Jesus and the grace of the Spirit.
The Testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy
Revelation 19:10 declares, “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” This profound statement means that the spirit in which we prophesy should always point to Jesus. Prophecy can reveal the future, provide specific details, or offer insight, but it must ultimately testify of Jesus. It should affirm His finished work and what is ours in Him because of the New Covenant. This focus on Jesus brings clarity, hope, and assurance, reminding us that we are secure in His promises.
Practical Application for Today
As New Covenant believers, here are a few principles to guide us in giving and receiving prophetic words:
Focus on Jesus: Ensure that all prophecy points to Him, affirms His work, and reveals our inheritance in Christ.
Edify, Exhort, and Comfort: Use prophecy to build others up, strengthen their faith, and bring encouragement.
Filter Words Through the New Covenant: Evaluate prophetic words to ensure they align with the truths of the New Covenant and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Rely on the Holy Spirit: Remember that the gifts are manifestations of the Spirit working through us, not personal abilities we own.
By applying these principles, we keep prophecy grounded in its New Covenant purpose and reflect the heart of Jesus in our ministry. The gifts of the Spirit, including prophecy, are expressions of God’s grace, given to strengthen the Body of Christ and glorify Jesus. Let us steward them well and use them to point others to the fullness of life in Him.
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How to Consistently Hear God
Jesus promised us the Holy Spirit. When he described life with the Holy Spirit, he described a relationship. He described a relationship where his Spirit would speak with us, guide us, help us, and strengthen us. Today we’ll discuss how to hear God better from a Biblical perspective. It’s easier than you think.
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
Wow, what a great time we had in this service!! The way the body ministered together was so beautiful to me. If you were not there or you did not catch it online, I encourage you to watch. Just after 9 minutes into my message I discuss the interpretation of a tongue someone brought during worship, and then several others in the body shared the interpretation they received. It’s a little hard to hear, but you can make it out if you turn up your volume.
The interpretation of the tongue came in the form of a prayer. You can listen to the prayer and then watch the message to see how accurate it was, then watch everyone’s input about what they heard from God during the tongue, it was a beautiful thing.
Click to watch the interpretation on YouTube.
Hearing the Holy Spirit
Hearing the Holy Spirit is about developing a meaningful relationship with God, where we can hear His voice and receive knowledge, wisdom, and direction. Jesus emphasized the importance of this connection when describing the sending of the Holy Spirit in John 14-16.
For me, the process varies, but when I feel the need to be influenced by the Spirit or seek guidance, I follow a general approach. I take a moment to get still, even if I'm driving or surrounded by a crowd. I consciously become fully aware of God's presence. I acknowledge different aspects of His character that feel relevant at that moment.
To fully embrace this moment, I release all stress and anxiety and might focus on a specific passage that resonates with the situation. After calming my mind and regaining peace, I pay attention to the thoughts that arise, specifically distinguishing thoughts of doubt and thoughts of faith.
Thoughts of doubt may remind me of challenges, failures, or tasks I've been avoiding, while thoughts of faith affirm my identity and salvation and lead to correction or guidance. Sometimes, these insights are accompanied by relevant scriptures or wise revelations. I then seek to apply the faith-focused impressions.
The Holy Spirit communicates with me in subtle ways, often through sentences that come to mind as memories, rather than audible messages. This aligns with what Jesus said—the Holy Spirit reminds us of who we are, bearing witness to our spirit that we are God's children, and recalls what Jesus had already taught. It's a reminder that we are joint heirs with Christ, sharing in His inheritance.
From the mix of responses within my mind and heart, I make decisions, recognizing that there can be no fruit or transformation without action steps. When impressed by the Spirit, it's essential to act in faith based on these impressions. But I’m careful to verify that the impressions are scriptural.
This process can be challenging, especially if doubts arise from the heart, as they may hinder the clarity of God's word in your heart and thoughts. Conditioning ourselves to think more in alignment with our temporary flesh or carnal aspects of identity might lead us to rationalize and miss faith opportunities.
To maintain clarity, I make it a practice to document these impressions after moments of peace. Over time, I have developed a track record of following these insights, understanding that the Holy Spirit is available to impress and guide me. Even when I don't receive a unique solution, and the impression is a generic Christian principle, such as generosity or believing the best about others, I trust the word and believe it will produce the intended transformation and guidance.
I have learned to trust the process of God’s word bearing fruit in my thinking. I’m careful to mix in wisdom as much as is available in the moment, and then move.
I do “hear” specific and unique impressions from God from time to time, but that is not the main way I try to hear God. I’d prefer to live in alignment and trust in his Word and general character, and trust that it will just work out. But I am open to direct specifics if that’s what happens.
I have seen too many people become disappointed because their decision didn’t work out they thought they had a word from God on. I have seen couples discouraged because they felt like they had a word on the gender of their baby. I have seen people sit and do nothing, waiting on God to do something because they thought they received a word.
I’m not suggesting we shouldn’t value “words,” I’m just suggesting that words should primarily confirm what you see in God’s Word. The Word will work if you live by it, and if a specific step or decision is needed, you are equipped to make a wise decision without second-guessing yourself.
Try this exercise if you desire to develop a more sensitive spiritual ear to God’s voice.
Practical Application
Based on my message about hearing the Holy Spirit from within, here’s your suggested homework.
Read John chapters 14 through 17
Make a list of all the points Jesus makes about the Holy Spirit as you read
Write a few sentences about what stands out to you the most as Jesus describes the Holy Spirit
Take a few minutes to get an inner vision of what it looks like in your daily life to hear God lead you
Practice it in as many areas of life as you can
Demystifying the Gifts of the Spirit
"The gifts of the spirit" is a loaded phrase. Think of the "gifts" as empowerments or manifestations of the spirit. The "gifts," or, to use a better word, graces of the spirit, are not individual abilities. They are expressions of manifestations of God through people. They are not to be isolated as if one person can do one thing and another person can do another thing. All the graces of the spirit are things that God does through his people. The same spirit can manifest all graces through all people.
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us”
"The Gifts of the Spirit" is a loaded phrase. Firstly, the Greek word for “gifts” is charisma. The root word of charisma is charis, which is translated as grace. So they are more accurately called “graces of the spirit.” This distinction is essential because of the nature of grace.
Grace is a divine influence in your heart that brings about ability or capacity. Grace is power and strength in your inner self. The manifestation of the Spirit of God in you or through you is grace in action, signifying God's empowering presence in and through you.
The gifts/graces, or manifestations of God’s Spirit, are not individualized abilities that one person has while another person doesn’t. Meaning the gifts are not individual abilities. They are varied forms of expression of the indwelling Spirit of God.
I emphasize this distinction because some people think they don’t have a particular gift, while others think they have a gift that no one else has. There are no individualized gifts. Every believer has the Spirit; therefore, every believer can manifest the Spirit in the form of a “gift.”
Every believer can flow in all of the gifts.
While we all have the capacity to flow in all the gifts, we should tune our hearts to God’s guidance because he will lead some to operate in one gift while he leads others to operate in different gifts. As the body of Christ jointly harmonizes with God’s leading, we become a beautiful multi-faceted expression of God’s Spirit, seeking to accomplish his will in and through his body.
The Gifts Made Easy
We know of the list of gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12, but I want to highlight a gift mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:28, the gift of “helping.”
Helping someone is a spiritual gift. Yes, you can help someone in your strength, but when you are motivated by love, you are walking in a gift of the Spirit.
Can you help someone? Then you can flow in the gifts.
For most of us, operating in the gifts is a desire, but we don’t have much confidence. We’ve done it before, or at least desired it, but for many, it feels like it doesn’t work consistently for us. So we just draw back and stop leaning into it.
Then Do It
May I make a suggestion? If you desire the gifts to be active in your life, try these two things first. Cultivate compassion in your heart for the person, then see if there’s any way you can help them.
As you’re helping them, lean in a bit. Pay attention to see if a scripture or an encouraging word comes to mind. Or a facet of Christ’s finished work is impressed upon your thinking that you can share with them. And then ask them if you can pray for them. As you’re praying, pay attention to see if any specifics arise that you might need to pray for.
The more you actively love and help people, the more you will create opportunities for the Holy Spirit to manifest in all his varied forms.
I’ll leave you with this thought from Paul. Don’t let the first part of verse 6 confuse you; remember that all believers have the Spirit. He’s making the distinction based on each person knowing which gift God would lead them to operate in. I love how he makes his point. The emphasis is mine.
Romans 12:6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
THEN DO IT!
HOMEWORK: Lean into the gifts
So far, you were to read 1 Corinthians and identify which gifts you want operating in your life. If you desire to prophesy, write a sketch based on all the aspects associated with New Covenant prophecy. See last week's message and homework video.
This week we go a step further. Based on the message, love is the greatest gift of the Spirit. We also identified "helping" as a spiritual gift. This week's homework is to read 1 Corinthians 13 and get a vision of what it looks like for the other gifts of the spirit to blend with love. You may have to spend some time thinking about it, and it may not be an obvious thing at first. There's no right answer, and it's more about reframing the gifts through love than individual acts of "doing a gift."
If it's new to you or you haven't stepped out in a while. Commit to two things, to love people and to help people. As you're helping someone motivated by love, lean in a bit more and see if a scripture comes to mind you can share with them. Ask if you can pray for them and pay attention to God's spirit within for any specific things to bring up. It's ok to ask questions.
Can You Evolve Spiritually? Demystifying the Gifts of the Spirit.
I used to sit on my roof, smoking marijuana, trying to send mental signals to UFOs to pick me up and take me on a trip to the Pleiades. I often used psychedelics to “expand my mind” and help me connect with the multiverse. I had a theory that I was more connected with other dimensions while I was on LSD. While I thought I was becoming more spiritual and increasing my awareness, it was actually leading me to a very dark place. I began to hear audible voices and had a direct, open encounter with multiple demons that lasted for months. This article isn’t about that encounter, it’s about the mindset that facilitated the encounter.
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I used to sit on my roof, smoking marijuana, trying to send mental signals to UFOs to pick me up and take me on a trip to the Pleiades. I often used psychedelics to “expand my mind” and help me connect with the multiverse. I had a theory that I was more connected with other dimensions while I was on LSD. While I thought I was becoming more spiritual and increasing my awareness, it was actually leading me to a very dark place. I began to hear audible voices and had a direct, open encounter with multiple demons that lasted for months. I wrote about it in my book Devil Walk. Click for more on my book Devil Walk.
This article isn’t about that encounter, it’s about the mindset that facilitated the encounter. I believed that I could become more spiritual through the knowledge of secrets. I believed that I could ascend the “human condition” through expanded consciousness. The agent of expansion was psychedelics. I believed we were evolving into more spiritual beings. I believed aliens were more advanced humans, and could help me learn to become more evolved. I believed there were secrets I could learn in that altered state that would teach me to live in a higher plane.
Charismatics Are Like New Agers
The New Age community predominantly believes in evolution. They believe that the next phases of human evolution are not physical but spiritual in nature. In other words, we’re not evolving a better body, we’re developing a more spiritual mind or consciousness. This evolved consciousness will be able to interact with higher dimensions of existence that are free from illness, disease, government, religion, war, and a host of other worldly constructs. Many new agers believe you can tap into that realm through drugs.
Why am I making this point? Because many Christians believe the same thing, although they use different terms.
Spiritual Evolution
Spiritual evolution is actually a very common mindset in some circles of Christianity. Charismatic Christians are not necessarily using drugs to try to become more evolved spiritually, but they’re trying to become more spiritual, none the less. The truth is that we are complete in Christ, we have God’s spirit within us and we are as spiritual as we’ll ever be. We can become more confident in the power that is within us, but we can never gain more anointing or power. Most folks would actually agree with that but when the rubber meets the road, many Christians still believe things like this…
There are different kinds of anointings (healing, prophetic, etc…)
You can receive different anointings or gifts through impartation
You can carry someone else’s mantle (anointing)
You can gain more power over higher levels of demons through fasting
There are keys to receive more anointing/power
You can walk in the gifts more as you live more holy
The list goes on. When the Apostle Paul outlines the 9 Gifts or Graces of the Holy Spirit that God will empower within believers, he is very intentional to say there’s one spirit, one baptism of that spirit, one Lord, one body and it’s the same spirit who works all those graces in different people. All the gifts/graces are in all believers but God will lead different people to walk in the gifts/graces in different ways at different times.
Impartation
I make the point because too many believers have been taught that they are not as far along as they should be because they’re not performing miracles or giving prophecies. These kinds of teachers often offer the opportunity for an impartation so you can receive something you didn’t have before or walk in a power they’re walking in. It’s just simply not the way it works.
Many pull their beliefs about impartation from 2 Timothy 1:6 where Paul instructs Timothy to “fan into flame the gift that’s in him through the laying on of my hands.” Remember from my last two articles (here and here) that to have the spirit of God is to be anointed, and that anointing abides.
Paul is referring to Timothy’s ordination at Lystra, when Paul formally placed him as a shepherd in the church. He’s reminding Timothy that his assignment is to not be ashamed and preach the Gospel. If you read the whole chapter, the context is being placed in the body of Christ as an apostle and teacher, not receiving a power he didn’t already have.
How To Operate In The Gifts
Ok, now that you understand that you don’t need another anointing, more power or to grow spiritually, let’s talk about the actual gifts. The graces/gifts of the spirit are simply empowerments that God works through you for the benefit of all.
If you want to operate in the gifts/graces of God’s spirit within you, here are the ingredients.
Love people, see the person you’re praying for through the eyes of God’s love for them
Be at peace within your own heart, mind and soul
Acknowledge God within
Act on the inspiration that arises
Act On Inspiration
Love never fails! If you want to see God move through you and touch people’s lives with his power, love them. Don’t lead with the gift, don’t worry about trying to give a word or get them healed, just love them. Allow’s God’s love for that person to come alive within you to the point that you’re not even thinking about their need or any gift you want to operate in.
Then…
TRUST GOD!! The Holy Spirit will teach you what to do. Yes, really, that’s it! I promise you God is speaking to you and influencing your heart on what action to take next. No one can activate you into it, no one can impart something to you to make you do it, God won’t give you secret knowledge to help you understand it, but God will influence you and will teach you what to do and say.
How do you hear from him, how do you know what he’s saying? You tell me. You’ll never know if you don’t act.
I am not offering you a course in miracles, an outline of how to get words of knowledge or any information that will give you understanding, I’m simply telling you to love people and trust that God will lead you. You can do it. You hear and follow God better than you think you do. Get over the fear, the shame, the confusion, and act on love.
