Gifts are freely given in the Kingdom. However, they only remain with us at a low level of power.
Our spirit generates power.
Personal discipline increases power. What is true for an athlete is true for a minister. Training makes us fit to contend effectively. Gifts grow by use. The intimacy that surrounds each gift is important to understand and experience.
Prophecy requires a knowing of God’s heart. It demands an experience of his nature. We must be changed by the heart of God before we can become a representative of it.
As we discipline ourselves in the use of the gifts, the anointing on them increases. In the case of prophecy, your relational experience of God must always be out in front of your prophetic gift. Sadly, I know too many people whose prophetic ability after 20 years is still only at a minor level. The father trusts what we are manifesting of the son.
What is your spiritual gift? What is the required intimacy for moving in that gift at a higher level? What discipline does your life require for the gift and calling God has purposed over you?