Future events prove past purpose – “Prophecy” is traditionally associated with predictions of specific future events with dates, and it’s usually in the context of what God will sovereignly do (usually false). The real Spirit of prophecy is a reflection of the Father’s purpose, not a timeline. The theological concept of sovereignty was understood to mean, “God controls everything.” He doesn’t! God could eliminate Satan and his demonic hoard in a nanosecond – He hasn’t. He has the power to control anything He wants to, but He has purposed to build His Kingdom through His Sons – Jesus is the firstborn.
The Father’s purpose can be fulfilled in more than one way. God has given His sons room to be creative and the authority to exercise initiative. The will of God is seldom a recipe; its nearly always a purpose. We may not recognize the fulfillment until after it happens. That’s okay. What’s important is that we see His purpose and co-labor with Him to make it happen. The Kingdom is an all-volunteer army. Free will and personal initiative are the hallmarks of God’s family. Prophetic purpose is the language of the Spirit of prophecy. It expresses the heart of the Father.
The real prophetic question is not, “What is God about to do?” It is what are you and I going to do in cooperation with our Father’s purpose now? When we are seated in heaven seeing what the Father is doing, we see His purpose, and that is what we bring to earth. God’s purpose is the most fundamental part of prophecy. If you love people and pick up something about their purpose, it will be a tremendous prophetic encouragement when you share it. Prophetic purpose does touch the future because when we implement our books, we are shaping the future for His Kingdom purpose. It is the Father’s purpose to bless nations and awaken His people to another reformation.
Purpose is alive – Jesus is the Word of life and the bread of life. In this information age, we are prone to believe that if we understand something intellectually, we have it. But we don’t. All we have is principles, sermons, and theology. Done correctly, teaching and preaching always lead to an experience of the heart. God’s Word is always prophetic concerning purpose and alive regarding our hearts. We experience God’s presence; we don’t just watch it, analyze it, and discuss it like a bible study.
Ps. 39:3 – My heart grew hot within me, and as I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue: NIV
Luke 24:32 – They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” NIV
John 10:10 – I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. NIV
Heb. 4:12 – For the Word of God is living and active. NIV
How to raise the bar – It’s very easy to discern the difference between a casual intellectual discussion among friends and a prophetic conversation with the Father. One is alive, and the other isn’t. One informs our minds, and the other touches our hearts. Sound and biblical doctrine should always lead to an experience in our hearts. It should never be just information. In the old covenant, the Father said, “Let there be light.” But in the new covenant, He sent His Son with this purpose, “Let there be life.” Truly prophetic words, and people are never just the light of revelation . . . they always include the spirit of wisdom to experience the revelation.
John 6:63-64 – It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. NASU
Eph. 1:17-19 – I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength NIV
Two secrets – Our tribe has been consistently going to the council on zoom and using what we see as a trumpet to pray for the nation(s) between Easter and Pentecost. Somewhere in that amazing 50 day process these two things have been imparted to us:
#1 Experience comes first – I am a recovering intellectual, not a natural mystic. I love to explain things first as a logical foundation for the experience. I had it backwards. Hearts need the experience first and then the explanation. If you try to explain something that hasn’t been experienced, you’re talking to a post. It doesn’t reach the heart. Plus, people want the experience. They don’t want your running commentary on the details. That comes later when they ask. None of us got saved from a rational explanation. The experience of meeting Jesus came first, and the details came second.
First the Person, then the purpose – We all hunger for our purpose and meaning. We can feel lost, adrift, alone, ignored, and left behind by God. Doing good works can make us feel even more neglected. Recovering our purpose always starts via an experience with the person of Jesus: first we experience the person, then we experience the purpose. Our Joy is first in Him, and then in His purpose. That reality is in His council, our seat in heavenly places. First, we see, then we do. Experience comes first.
Ps. 16:11 – You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. NIV
#2 It starts in the council – There is a world-wide awakening happening right now. Our Father’s strategy is to move from revival in our hearts, to renaissance in our cultures, to reformation of our nations. Sons are being invited into the Father’s council to see His purpose. That’s the birthplace of the Spirit of prophecy in our lives. The trumpet we blow on earth is the purpose we saw in heaven. It’s practical, necessary, theologically correct, and more fun than you can imagine. Release your seer gift and put it to work! We can show you how via the experience.
John 5:19-21 – Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. NIV
We think you will enjoy our free blog and the books and online courses that go together. Our latest book gives an overview of God’s strategy for reformation, Intentional Reformation. The ‘invitation’ to the courses below is here.
- Releasing Kings book > OnlineHeartPlan.com course to find your purpose, vocation
- Seers and Doers book > Seers-and-Doers.com course to pray with results in business
Cutting room floor
John 6:27 – “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, NASU
John 6:33 – “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” NASU
John 6:35, 48 – I am the bread of life; NASU
John 6:51 – “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”NASU
John 6:51 – “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.” NASU
John 6:53 – “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. NASU
John 6:57-58 – “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. 58 “This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.” NASU
John 6:63-64 – It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. NASU
John 6:68 – “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. NASU
John 10:10 – I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. NIV
1 John 1:1-2 – That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. NIV
