A Letter to the Young Prophet

I often look back on my prophetic journey - I wish I could say I had a ten-step plan to share or a linear track you could take to stepping into the fullness of your prophetic calling. But, I think God is more brilliant than the step-by-step plans we often like to take or the courses we try to fit Him in for our comfort. 

Rather, stepping into my prophetic call was a faith walk; each step of the way required my belief and conviction. 

The truth is, I had an encounter with God years ago that should have seemingly changed my life overnight. As I laid in my bathtub one night Jesus walked into my bathroom and told me, “You’re a great leader. You’re going to be a prophet to kings, prime ministers, and governors.” You may think that is incredible or wish God would walk into your room and give you clarity on your calling. But the reality is, I did not see the fruit of this encounter for over 20 years. Think about it for a second, 20 years ...why would God tell me about a promise 20 years before I would ever see the fruit of it? Well it may be easier said on this side of the process, but if you are in the “wilderness” of the process do not forget it’s just as important as the promise. Looking back I see the very steps and seasons that paved the way and prepared me to step into the fullness of the call on my life.

Now, I wish I could say that even after I had been acknowledged as a prophet I immediately felt confident and prepared to step into my rightful office. But, even still it was like I was a sponge absorbing everything I could about stewarding the fullness of my calling. 

One day years after I had been acknowledged as a prophet there was a tipping point, or so it felt, that catapulted me into the calling on my life. I felt well-versed in my ability to steward a prophetic ministry within the four walls of the Church, we had been practicing prophesying in prophetic gatherings and hosting prophets in our home for over 20 years. I knew I could equip the saints for the work of service I had been called to (Ephesians 4:12). 

But, I also lived knowing that Jesus had walked into my room to inform me that I would minister to kings, queens, and presidents. I sat in the tension of not knowing how this portion of the promise would pan out in my life. Government and world leadership was territory I did not know as well as the Church. But, don’t you know that God does not always call the qualified, but qualifies the called? 

Well, just when I thought I knew what I was doing, I had gotten comfortable in my position and calling I heard the Lord ask me, “Have I called you to change the world or transform the Church?” Well, I thought, both obviously, don’t you remember what you said to me in the bathtub decades ago? So, He said, “Then you’ll need protocols for both.” 

This is when I realized that the most valuable culture wasn’t necessarily my culture or Church culture, but rather, the Kingdom of God which transcends customs and traditions and embodies honor in action and speaks and interacts in ways that honor every culture. Now, let me be clear this does not mean accepting the ways of sin and becoming enveloped in the cesspool of culture. No! Rather, you must learn the ways of culture to be effective outside the four walls of what you know as “normal.” 

Consider the life of Daniel, he learned the ways of Babylon, he learned the language and literature. He was well versed and yet held his conviction — he wouldn’t eat the king's food. 

In this week’s Cultural Catalyst episode, I share more in-depth my personal journey of stepping into the call of a prophet and the importance of equipping the saints with deployment in mind. I pray this conversation is a blessing to you and the Lord ministers to you while you watch.

If you are hungry to spearhead the way for cultural change, to step outside the four walls of the Church and be deployed into your unique prophetic calling then I want to invite you to School of the Prophets , August 7-11, 2023. 

School of the Prophets is a 4.5-day intensive training school where you will walk away with: 

• 
  Confidence in your prophetic call 
• Tools to help prepare the prophetic path for cultural change
• Deep relationships with our prophetic tribe (you’ll be assigned to a Community Group that will meet every day of the event) so you don’t have to walk alone
• Two days of specialized tracks that will target your unique prophetic calling and give you practical tools to reach your sphere of influence
• Empowerment to take the next steps in the sphere that God is calling you into