Recording prophecy is an important discipline to get into. A large percentage of scripture is recorded prophecy, written down as it was delivered. The priesthood had secretaries, the army had recorders who faithfully wrote accounts of orders and battles, and kings and prophets had scribes working with them as normal practice. The New Testament continued their tradition, as evidenced by the entire Book of Revelation, and many prophetic insights recorded in the gospels, acts, and epistles.
Isaiah was told on several occasions to write things on a tablet and scroll.
Isaah 8: 1 moreover the Lord said to me, take a large scroll, and write on it with a man’s pen concerning Maher-shalal-hash-baz
Isaiah 30: 8 now go, write it before them on a tablet, and note it on the scroll, then it may be for a time to come, forever and ever.
Jeremiah had an assistant named Baruch helping record all of his prophetic words to Israel and Judah Jeremiah 36. These records played an important role decades later as the prophet Daniel meditated on them.
Scribes are everywhere in scripture. Hazara was a gifted scribe, so recognized by the secular king Artaxerxes ( Ezra 7) and by the godly leader Nehemiah (Nehemiah 8) Ezra the priest, expert in the words of the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes to Israel (Ezra 7: 11). First chronicles 27: 32 notes that King David’s scribe was his uncle Jehonathan, a counselor, wise man, and a scribe. In exodus 34, God told Moses to write down the tenor of the covenant between him and his people.
It’s good to carry a portable tape recorder and a supply of tapes wherever you go. You also can record prophecies in your journals. If a recording is not practical when I’m praying for someone, I want a third person to be present to record the word and act as a witness. This not only increases accountability, but it allows the receiver to relax and engage God’s spirit in the word.
If you are not presently journaling the insights you are receiving from God, I strongly encourage you to begin to do so. The self-discipline shows that you are serious and taking care of God’s word. It places a high value on them, communicating to the Holy Spirit that you are listening carefully. It also enables you to further develop the revelation, as God can and will illuminate new pieces of it.
Journals do not have to be an elaborate or expensive exercise. Any type of book, format, and process is workable, as long as you commit to keeping it up. Some scribble, others type their thoughts. Some draw, others write poems. The form is not important; It is the content that matters. When God speaks to you about something, write it down. When he shows you a picture highlight the scripture, record it.
Weeks, months, and even years later, you will be encouraged to see how far God is taking you in the spirit, how many things he has shared with you have come to pass.
We are all on a journey into the heart of God, and it is a trip that should be enjoyed. We should love the way God speaks to us, and the way he speaks to others. There’s nothing like giving a gracious word that opens another human being to suddenly seeing God for themselves in a new, or improved, way. Having a burden for people is about sharing God’s burden for them.
Some days, we will have words of incredible power and rich significance, and we’ll thank: this is what it’s like to really prophecy. Other days, we wonder if we can even spell the word prophecy! Some days will get bizarre and outrageous things that we will have absolute faith for. Other days, we’ll get similar (out there) things that we won’t have the faith to buy into. Our confidence will have wavered.
The gift of privacy doesn’t change, but our level of faith does. Some days, our faith is present in huge proportions, and other days, it is the size of a mustard seed.
My mentor was on an airplane with an individual who was absolutely disparaging Christianity. He told him that it was stupid to be a Christian. He spoke so loudly to him that the entire plane could hear him. His flesh wanted to slap him, but he tried to retreat into his spirit instead.
God, he prayed, give me something to shut him up. The man babbled on: religion is a crutch, there is no God, there is no supernatural. Give me something, lord, he prayed. Show me something.
All the Lord showed him was a picture of a small dog with three legs. It was a Jack Russell terrier, white, except for a black ear. Its name was Jack.
Oh no, he groaned in his spirit. Give me something better than that.
As the other guy reeled on about Christianity, he prayed for him. Finally, the guy stopped and my mentor attempted to strike up a more normal conversation. Eventually steered the conversation around to his life, job, family and finally pets.
What’s your favorite animal? My Mentor asked. Horses, cats, dogs?
The man said oh I like dogs very much.
Do you like big dogs or small dogs? The mentor asks.
I hate big dogs, but I like small dogs. Like a Jack Russell? My mentor inquired.
Yeah, he said.
With each question, my mentor’s faith was building in the word God had given him. He likes small dogs; he likes Jack Russell terriers; he decided to just launch the word and go for broke.
When you were six years old, you had a Jack Russell terrier named Jack, my mentor said. It was totally white, except for one ear that was completely black. When you were six, the dog was involved in a traffic accident, and it had its left, hind lake taken off. You said, dear God if you save Jack, I’ll serve you.
They looked at each other as steers streamed down his face.
James, please don’t tell me God doesn’t exist, the mentor said. The same God that saved your dog has been looking out for you, maybe right now is your chance to meet up with who he is.
On days where our faith isn’t present, we need to ask questions. Every question we ask builds up a little more faith until we can go for it all. The Holy Spirit loves questions; we just have to be creative in asking them. On the days when our faith is diminished, we can still dialogue with him. The Holy Spirit isn’t bothered by a little faith because he knows that just a mustard seed is enough to move mountains. Joy comes when we start small in faith and grow into fullness. My mentor had little faith when he received that picture of Jack, but it grew as he asked a few questions.
God allows life to be tough on us on certain days, it’s for a reason. He wants to develop our gift and teach us how to be confident in him.