You Need To Desire The Gift of Prophecy | Prophecy A Superior Gift

-       To prophesy is to foretell the future, to speak a new message from God to the people/individual

-       It is to be noted that prophecy must be judged by the hearers and must not contradict what the written (logos) word of God says or what you are sure God had told/revealed (rhema) to you

-       The place of time also matters for prophecy. Do not be quick to dismiss it except you are certain that it is against the word of God

-       Prophecy is not to replace the written word of God and should not stop you from praying to God continuously for clarity and confirmation

-       You do not need to have a church title or be ordained before you desire to prophesy

-       You need to be a follower of Jesus Christ and His Word, and also spend time regularly to know God, this can aid the gift of prophecy

-       You can desire the gift of prophecy. God gives this gift freely to His children as He wishes. Thus, you do not need to pay for this special gift.

SIX BENEFITS WHY YOU SHOULD DESIRE THE GIFT OF PROPHECY

1) You will be helping others to grow in the Lord by upholding and advising them concerning the matters of God

"But one who prophesies, preaching the messages of God, is helping others grow in the Lord, encouraging and comforting them (1 Corinthians 14:3 TLB version, Living Bible)"

2) You will be helping the entire church or group to grow in Godly wisdom, to be dedicated to God, in holiness and joy

 "One who prophesies, preaching messages from God, helps the entire church grow in holiness and joy (1 Corinthians 14:4b TLB version, Living Bible)"

3) Other people will understand what you are telling them, thus, they will be strengthened. You will also understand what you are saying

"Now I wish that all of you spoke in unknown tongues, but even more [I wish] that you would prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater [and more useful] than the one who speaks in tongues, unless he translates or explains [what he says], so that the church may [b]be edified [instructed, improved, strengthened] - 1 Corinthians 14:5 Amplified Version]

4) You will be able to comfort others

Prophet Isaiah was instructed by God to speak comforting words to His people in Jerusalem:

"Comfort, yes, comfort my people,” says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and tell her that her sad days are gone. Her sins are pardoned, and I have punished her in full for all her sins.” (Isaiah 40:1-2 TLB Version, Living Bible)."

5) You will be able to learn about God's plan for individuals, nations and church and it will help you to follow God's instructions accordingly 

Check out how God used Agabus to prophesy:

"During our stay of several days, a man named Agabus, who also had the gift of prophecy, arrived from Judea and visited us. He took Paul’s belt, bound his own feet and hands with it, and said, “The Holy Spirit declares, ‘So shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jews in Jerusalem and turned over to the Romans.’” Hearing this, all of us—the local believers and his travelling companions—begged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. (Acts 21:10-12 TLB Version, Living Bible)"

"During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch, and one of them, named Agabus, stood up in one of the meetings to predict by the Spirit that a great famine was coming upon the land of Israel.[c] (This was fulfilled during the reign of Claudius.) So the believers decided to send relief to the Christians in Judea, each giving as much as he could. This they did, consigning their gifts to Barnabas and Paul to take to the elders of the church in Jerusalem. (Acts 11:27-29 TLB Version, Living Bible)"

6) To convict others of their wrongdoings 

Check out how God used Prophet Nathan to convict David of his sin:

"1-2: So the Lord sent the prophet Nathan to tell David this story:

“There were two men in a certain city, one very rich, owning many flocks of sheep and herds of goats; 3 and the other very poor, owning nothing but a little lamb he had managed to buy. It was his children’s pet, and he fed it from his own plate and let it drink from his own cup; he cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter. 4 Recently a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing a lamb from his own flocks for food for the traveller, he took the poor man’s lamb and roasted it and served it.”

5 David was furious. “I swear by the living God,” he vowed, “any man who would do a thing like that should be put to death; 6 he shall repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity.”

7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are that rich man! The Lord God of Israel says, ‘I made you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. 8 I gave you his palace and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah; and if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. 9 Why, then, have you despised the laws of God and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah and stolen his wife. 

10 Therefore murder shall be a constant threat in your family from this time on because you have insulted me by taking Uriah’s wife. 11 I vow that because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man, and he will go to bed with them in public view.[a]

 12 You did it secretly, but I will do this to you openly, in the sight of all Israel.’”

13 “I have sinned against the Lord,” David confessed to Nathan.

Then Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin." (2 Samuel 12:1-14 TLB Version, Living Bible)”

Picture reference: http://www.enlivenpublishing.com