“JUST AS HE PLEASED” by Karen A Roth
God authorized His Prophets, saying, “You must speak My words…” (EZ 2:7) Each prophet is given a distinct measure of rule, authority, and responsibility. Abraham spoke to his descendants and blessed nations, Ezra spoke to the remnant, John the Baptist spoke repentance, preparing a nation for Jesus, Peter spoke to the Jews, Paul to the Gentiles, etc.
By unction of the Holy Spirit, the Prophet proclaimed an Oracle given to them for their specific area, field, or territory of ministry. Some Prophets spoke to leaders. Nathan rebuked David for his adulterous relationship (with Bathsheba) and for causing the murder of her husband; John the Baptist rebuked Herod for marrying his brother’s wife, etc. Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and predicted the years of blessing/famine coming to Egypt and ‘how’ they could prevail.
A Prophet spoke the revealed purpose/will of God in an Oracle as prediction, forewarning, guidance, and encouragement. Even when God threatened destruction to the wayward in the House of Israel, He would give hope for a restoration to those who repented.
Paul wrote, “But now God sets the members, each one of them, in the Body just as He pleased.” (1 CO 12:18) Prophets are assigned a measure of rule. It could be to a nation, president, government, locality, denomination, local church, the lost, etc. or to a specific group—addicts, prisons, homeless, teens, moms, businesses, schools, etc.
GOD IS IN CONTROL
“…so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please. And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” ~IS 55:11 NKJV
The scripture says, “The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and He let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground.” (1 SM 3:19) Samuel had a track record—EVERY word he prophesied had effect and influence.
God called Jeremiah to be a Prophet “over nations and kingdoms…to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant…Then the Lord said to (Jeremiah), “You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform (‘asah’—to create or accomplish) it.” God is in control of the outcome of His Word of prophecy. He told Jeremiah not to be dismayed because the people would resist and fight against God’s Oracle.
Sometimes the Oracle is ‘conditional.’ The prophet Jonah spoke God’s intention to destroy Nineveh, but because the people of Nineveh repented, God changed His intention and His mercy prevailed. It upset Jonah until God explained: “And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and the left?”
GOD SPOKE TO ISRAEL THROUGH MOSES
“Surely the LORD our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire. We have seen this day that God speaks with man; yet he still lives. Now therefore, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the LORD our God anymore, then we shall die.” ~DT 5:24-25
God planned to personally speak to the children of Israel. But the sound of God’s Voice shook the mountain like an earthquake. They saw fire and it scared them so much, they couldn’t listen for fear of dying. God agreed to speak only to Moses—and indirectly Israel heard God through Moses’ testimony.
Joshua consulted Moses about two elders prophesying in the camp. Moses again affirmed God’s intention saying, “Oh, that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and the Lord would put His Spirit upon them.” (NU 11:28-29)
Jeremiah wrote of a new covenant that God would one day make with His people—speaking to all of them like He did to Moses. “…not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt… but this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” says the LORD: “I will put My law in their minds and write it on their heart; and I will be their God and they shall be My people.
“No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” says the LORD. “For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (JR 31:31-34)
“ALL CAN PROPHESY”
For you can all prophesy in turn and in an environment where all present can be instructed, encouraged, and strengthened. ~ 1 CO 14:31
In the New Testament, Paul defined the operation of the prophetic in the Body of Christ. He understood God’s desire to communicate with His children and wrote, “For you can all prophesy…” The ministry of those filled with His Spirit perceive God and speak His inspiration or understanding. ‘How’ God communicates to us is our prophetic gifting.
If we ‘share’ what we heard or speak the essence of what God communicated within us, we are ‘prophesying.’ “For the substance (essence) of the truth revealed by Jesus is the spirit of all prophecy—the vital breath, the inspiration of all inspired preaching and interpretation of the divine will and purpose (including both mine and yours.)” (RV 19:10 AMP)
When we share what God communicates with us to instruct, encourage, and strengthen others—it is prophecy. God’s Word is our greatest weapon because when we speak His Word on Earth—He backs it up from heaven. Our prayers can make a stand for the destiny of our nations.
OPERATION OF THE PROPHETIC
“From here on, worshiping the Father will not be a matter of the right place but with the right heart. For God is a Spirit, and He longs to have sincere worshipers who worship and adore Him in the realm of the Spirit and in truth.” ~JN 5:23-24 TPT
There is a difference between the Role of Prophet and the operation of the prophetic. Operating in the prophetic means we sense Divine Activity and testify/prophesy about what we know God communicated to us. Everyone has the prophetic in operation if they are sensitive to God. The more we practice sensing the Presence of God and searching for ‘how’ or ‘what’ way He chooses to communicate with us, the stronger the prophetic becomes in our life.
Our prayer time, worship, and intercession are our ‘schoolhouse’ for learning and developing a more meaningful prophetic ministry. Being prophetic means: we speak what we learned in our communication with God (during our time with Him). When we speak what God revealed to us, our testimony is inspirational and prophetic.
We oftentimes speak prophecy “on the battlefield” of our ministry when we care for those hurting or broken. We mend hearts and encourage the wounded. We share prophecy as a testimony of what God showed us. This type of prophetic operation is meant to encourage and strengthen the Body of Christ.
“JUST AS HE PLEASED”
“They conquered (the accuser of the brethren) completely through the blood of the Lamb and the powerful word of His Testimony.” RV 12:11 TPT—footnote: “It is the faithful testimony of Jesus that has the power to destroy the works of the devil.” When we share the prophetic word—our testimony, it encourages the brethren not to just hang in there, but to thrive during their struggles.
“God sets the members” means He “carefully designed each member and placed it in the body to function as He desires.” According to Brian Simmons, “Every believer should be content with the place within the Body God has placed them. And God is pleased when we serve Him with joy in every activity or ministry that we engage in for the sake of the body.”
Paul wrote, “I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. … this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are as ‘part’ of it.” 1 CO 12 MSG
“We have become His poetry, a re-created people that will fulfill the destiny He has given each of us, for we are joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. Even before we were born, God planned in advance our destiny and the good works we would do to fulfill it! (EP 2:10 TPT) God placed each of us in the Body of His Christ ‘JUST AS HE PLEASED.’
______________________________________________________________________
Karen Roth is the wife of Dr. Roger Roth Sr., and a ministry son of Dr. Mark Hanby. They are the set ministry of a local church in Northeastern Wisconsin, and oversee the Bloodline Network Newsletter. They consider it an honor to work with Dr. Hanby for many years, helping to oversee the ministry of Papa Mark’s extended family—”The Father’s Heart.”
Any questions or comments please contact them at rogerandkaren@live.com
Leave a Reply