Have you ever thought of yourself as a modern day prophet?
Several listeners have asked me recently about how to be a prophet or wondered if it’s possible for us to be prophets like the ones in the Bible.
So today we’re going to talk about being a prophet and what that means. Over a year ago I did an episode on this topic – Episode 88: What it Takes to Be a Prophet.
Just to be transparent here, there’s a tiny bit of overlap, between Episode 88 and today’s episode. But it’s mostly some new ideas I’ve been thinking about because of questions from listeners.
So let’s jump into this idea of being a prophet.
Have you ever thought it was even possible for you to be a prophet?
We usually think if someone is going to be a prophet, it’s going to be someone else. Not us!
And we have this stereotype of prophets in the Bible predicting the future, issuing a warning to an evil king, or performing miracles of some sort.
Modern day prophets
But to be a prophet, doesn’t necessarily mean you have to do all these things.
Basically, to be a prophet, in the Bible, or today, you have to be able to hear God talking to you, do what He tells you do, say what He tells you to say to whom He tells you to say it.
To be a prophet means you have to set aside your personal opinions and listen to God for what to say and do.
Remember when God told the great prophet Samuel to go to Jesse’s house and anoint one of his sons as the new king to replace Saul?
You can read this whole story in 1 Samuel, Chapter 16.
The prophet Samuel
God says to Samuel,
I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.” 1 Samuel 16: 3 ESV
This is crucial to remember. God will tell Samuel what to do and who to anoint.
When Samuel saw Jesse’s oldest son Eliab, he was sure this must be the one God wanted to be the new king. But God said to Samuel,
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 ESV
Samuel had to set aside his personal opinions of who he thought would be a good king. He had to do this with each of the seven oldest sons of Jesse.
But God was true to his promise that he would tell Samuel what to do and who to anoint as king. The moment David comes into the room, God says,
“Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 1 Samuel 16:12 ESV
No personal opinions
Yes, Samuel was a prophet of God. But he still had his personal opinions, which he had to set aside. He was able to do this because since he was a child, he had cultivated the ability to hear God’s voice and obey it.
What if Samuel had not heard God’s voice as to who should be anointed king? What if he had heard God’s command not to anoint Eliab but anointed him anyway, or one of the other brothers, instead of David?
The results would have been disastrous for the emerging kingdom of Israel. But as far as Samuel was concerned, it would mean he had not been acting as a prophet.
Can we be modern day prophets?
So, can you and I be prophets? Yes, I believe this is possible.
Now, you may be thinking, “James, there is no way I can be a prophet like Samuel.”
Well, you’re right in one sense. You cannot be like Samuel. Samuel was Samuel. You can only be you.
You can only be a prophet to the degree you respond to the way God calls you. You can be a prophet, because you can listen for God’s voice and do what God tells you to do.
Moses and the 70 elders
But is there anything in the Bible that says we can all be prophets? How is that even possible?
The first story that comes to mind is when God tells Moses to select 70 elders of the people to receive the Spirit of God, so they can help him deal with the children of Israel, in the wilderness.
You can read this whole story in Numbers, Chapter 11. The crux of the story is in the following verses:
So Moses went out and reported the LORD’s words to the people. He gathered the seventy elders and stationed them around the Tabernacle. And the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. Then he gave the seventy elders the same Spirit that was upon Moses. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But this never happened again.
Two men, Eldad and Medad, had stayed behind in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but they had not gone out to the Tabernacle. Yet the Spirit rested upon them as well, so they prophesied there in the camp.
A young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad [Hebrew: God has loved] and Medad [Hebrew: love, loving] are prophesying in the camp!”
Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ assistant since his youth, protested, “Moses, my master, make them stop!”
But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit upon them all!” Numbers 11:24-29 NLT
What if you had been at the Tabernacle?
Let’s look at this story of Moses and the 70 elders and see how it applies to us.
What if you were in Moses’ situation? You might be pretty glad to have someone to share the leadership responsibilities with. When the 68 elders came to the Tabernacle, it probably looked like all 70 were there. It was a holy moment when the Spirit of God came upon the elders.
What if you were one of the 68 folks who showed up at the Tabernacle? What would you have thought when you were first chosen to be one of the elders? How would this have changed the way you saw and valued yourself? It was an incredibly high honor.
When you were gathered at the Tabernacle and looked around at the others, you probably would have assumed all 70 of you were there. When the Spirit of God came upon you, you began to prophesy. This word prophesy simply means to speak inspiration. They were speaking what they heard God telling them.
What if you hadn’t been there?
Now imagine if you had been one of the two elders who stayed in the camp? How would you have felt when you first learned you had been chosen to be an elder? Pretty incredible, right? There must have been the same sense of expectation the other 68 felt. But then, on the appointed day, you did not go to the Tabernacle.
Now, the Bible doesn’t say why these two elders didn’t come to the Tabernacle. Maybe an emergency came up. Maybe they wanted to come but couldn’t. We just don’t know.
Have you ever had very important plans but at the last minute, an emergency made you miss that important event and deal with something unexpected? How did you feel when you realized you wouldn’t be there.
Imagine, again, if you had been one of those two who stayed in the camp. When you realized you wouldn’t be at the Tabernacle like you were supposed to, you might have felt you would miss out on everything.
The 68 elders had gathered at the place of worship and sacrifice and received the Spirit of God. But the two men who were not at the Tabernacle also received the Spirit of God and prophesied, just as the 68 did.
If you had been Eldad or Medad, how would you have felt when you realized you did not miss out on the promise of receiving the Spirit of God?
Don’t be like Joshua
Now, think of the young man who ran to tell Moses that the two elders in the camp were prophesying. There was not judgement on his part. He was just relaying information.
But look at how Joshua responded. He tried to squash the prophetic spirit of the two guys that stayed in the camp.
Have you ever known someone like that who tries to put a damper on someone else’s inspiration because it doesn’t go along with their preconceptions?
Unfortunately it happens all the time. When someone at church has a new idea about how to approach a situation, has anyone, ever said, “That’s not the way we do it.”? That actually may be the right response on a few rare occasions, but all too often when someone says that, they are just not being open to fresh inspiration.
But the Spirit of God, the spirit of prophecy, doesn’t follow human rules and regulations and traditions, or go along with our opinions and preconceptions.
Are all modern day prophets true?
A lot of people call themselves prophets today. They even use the title prophet in their Social media. How many of them are self-appointed and how many are truly called by God to be a prophet is not my place to say. But just because they call themselves a prophet doesn’t mean they actually are one of God’s prophets.
If you’re really a prophet, you don’t need to tell anyone. People will figure it out because of the way you live your life.
Samuel didn’t have to tell anyone he was a prophet. Neither did Elijah or Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, or any of the others. People knew they were prophets because of the way they obeyed God.
So, can we all be prophets today?
Is it really possible for everyone to be a prophet or is it just for a select few?
I always come back to what Moses said to Joshua, “I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit upon them all!” Numbers 11:29 NLT
And God says to the prophet Joel,
I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your old men will dream dreams,
and your young men will see visions.
In those days I will pour out my Spirit
even on servants—men and women alike. Joel 2:28 NLT
God says there is no gender barrier, no age barrier, and no social status barrier to who receives the spirit of prophecy.
You can be a prophet
Never assume that you are not capable of being a prophet of the Lord. Never start with the premise that you’re not good enough to be a prophet.
It’s so easy to think that someone else should fill this role of prophet. I encourage you to cherish your innate ability to hear God’s voice, to see what He reveals to you, and follow His guidance. God has created you capable of this.
When you dedicate your life to God, in whatever way that may be, it’s about humility and letting go of your personal opinions and perspectives and only doing and saying what God tells you to.
This will begin with a moment here and a moment there of listening to and obeying God. That’s fine. Cherish these moments and let them multiply in your life.
Jesus explains how to be a prophet
What does it really mean to be a prophet?
Well, it’s no surprise. Jesus sets the standard for what prophecy is all about.
Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment. John 7:24 NKJV
That sounds almost like he’s quoting what God told Samuel about how people judge according to the outward appearance of things, but God looks on the heart.
This is true prophecy, to judge righteous judgment instead of looking at the outward appearance of things. Jesus followed his own advice. He always listened for what God was telling him instead of believing what was on the surface or outward appearance of things.
Every time you do this, you are being a prophet.
Follow Jesus’s example
As in all things, Jesus wants us to follow his example. Listen to God. Pray for God to open your spiritual eyes so you can see what He reveals. Be humble. But be bold as well.
Take a moment and think of a particular situation or challenge in your life right now. It could be something personal, something at church, at work, in your family, your community, or even the world.
Set aside your personal opinions and perspectives on what you think is right or wrong in this situation.
Ask God what He sees
Ask God what He thinks instead of trying to justify what you think. Ask God what He sees. Ask God what He’s doing. Ask God how He is loving everyone involved.
Stick with what God says to you, even if it doesn’t make much sense at the time. He knows what He’s doing. And you never know how much good you may do when you put yourself in God’s hands and go where He leads.
The world needs your spiritual vision, this spirit of true prophecy that you have and can bring to bear in a given situation.
Human opinions will never bring healing to the world, but your prophetic spirit will.
You are a prophet of the Lord. You are an answer to Moses’ prayer “that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit upon them all!” (Numbers 11:29 NLT)
Whenever you are filled with the Holy Spirit, even if it’s just for a minute, whenever you hear God, whenever say and do what God impels you to, you are a modern day prophet.
Photo Credit: Joshua Earle on unsplash.com
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and podcaster. He conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life. Contact him here.
Subscribe to the podcast Support the show
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Bible References
1 Samuel 16: 3 ESV
3 I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.”
1 Samuel 16:7 ESV
7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:12 ESV
12 “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.”
Numbers 11:24-29 NLT
24 So Moses went out and reported the LORD’s words to the people. He gathered the seventy elders and stationed them around the Tabernacle.
25 And the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. Then he gave the seventy elders the same Spirit that was upon Moses. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But this never happened again.
26 Two men, Eldad and Medad, had stayed behind in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but they had not gone out to the Tabernacle. Yet the Spirit rested upon them as well, so they prophesied there in the camp.
27 A young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad [Hebrew: God has loved] and Medad [Hebrew: love, loving] are prophesying in the camp!”
28 Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ assistant since his youth, protested, “Moses, my master, make them stop!”
29 But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit upon them all!”
Joel 2:28 NLT
28 Then, after doing all those things,
I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your old men will dream dreams,
and your young men will see visions.
29 In those days I will pour out my Spirit
even on servants—men and women alike.
John 7:24 NKJV
24 Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.
