Historically, the biggest failure in the prophetic has been a lack of love in prophet’s hearts. The apostle Paul addressed that very shortcoming:
1 Corinthians 14:1- pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophecy. For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he prophecies edifies the church. I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; For he who prophecies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.
Pursue love, Paul said. That’s the best piece of advice I can give anyone seeking to move into the prophetic: pursue love. Most people, when they’re learning about prophecy, jump into the Old Testament first, looking at how the great prophets prophesied. However, a huge difference exists between the Old Testament and New Testament styles.
In New Testament prophesy, it is vital that we pursue God for all we’re worth. God is love; therefore, we cannot pursue God if we do not pursue love. 1 John 4: 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; And everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. When we pursue God with all our heart, one thing should be happening-we should become more and more loving to the people around us.
Our heart will be changed to accept everyone, even people we previously couldn’t stand being around. Luke 6: 27- love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. Even more astonishing than his teaching was the fact that Jesus did just that: he loved people who hated him. As the men crucifying him cast lots for his clothing, Jesus prayed father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do (Luke 23: 34). If we are pursuing God, everybody around us is a potential target for God’s love. No one is safe from the love of God.
The reason God put us in the circle of people were with in our workplace, neighborhood, and church, is so that he can pour out his love through us. And the nastier they are, the more God wants us to love them.
In the prophetic, love needs to be our foundation. There’s nothing worse than being in a room full of people, of whom are waiting for a prophetic word, and you haven’t got any love in your heart. It is a lonely, awful place to be. Most of the prophets who have had nervous breakdowns have done so because they had no real depth of love for people in their heart.
The only pressure we ought to be under is the pressure to be loved by God, and to love others. I have found that to be the safest place to be in ministry. When surrounded by the expectancy of hundreds of people, and you have nothing to say, and you don’t know what God wants to do next, being loved by him creates a peace inside us. It is a safe environment because all we can do is stand there and let God love us.
To be successful long term in ministry, we must understand how to be loved by God. When God’s love touches the human being, it changes things on the inside. We can only pursue what Has apprehended us. God made love his first commandment because it is his biggest value. He commands us to love because he commands it of himself. He demands what he most wants to give. It takes God to love God. Only God can love God well. He gives us first the very thing he most wants from us. We love him because he first loved us (1 John 4: 19). Our chief delight is to respond to the love of God and to return it to him.
Everything originates in God (John 3: 27) therefore everything comes from him; goes through him and goes back to him (Romans 11: 35, 36). What God commands, he is first to bestow. His initiative draws our response. Love is always available.
Everyone aspiring to move in the prophetic must have their hearts conditioned by love. Learning to be loved on a daily basis is our biggest lesson. Accepting and allowing the love of God to penetrate our heart, soul, mind and physical strength is a lifelong pleasure. To be still in his love. To rest in his love. To find joy and delight in God’s loving nature. To be wrapped in his love and the majesty of his grace. To be free to give love to anyone, regardless of circumstances.
To speak from the platform of God’s love is an awesome pleasure and a very real responsibility. The chief role of a prophet is to make God radiant in his people. As prophetic people, our experience of God’s love makes us aware of what he is doing in the hearts of those we minister to you. God puts us between his heart and someone else’s. And we can become a conduit for God’s love to flow to someone. Love teaches us to see what God is seeing, to feel what God is feeling, to bless what God is blessing, and to do what God is doing.