The Gift of Prophecy
by Robert Canton
Jesus, the Divine Healer – Robert Canton Ministries
In 1 Cor 12:4-11, St. Paul writes, "There are different kinds
of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms
of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but
the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each
individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some
benefit. To one is given through the Spirit the expression of
wisdom; to another the expression of knowledge according to
the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another
gifts of healing by the one Spirit; to another mighty deeds; to
another prophecy; to another discernment of spirits; to another
varieties of tongues; to another interpretation of tongues.
But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing
them individually to each person as he wishes.
Purpose of the Spiritual Gifts
These gifts, described by many as "Charisms or Charismatic
gifts," are given by the Holy Spirit to individuals for service
or ministry to edify or build up, to encourage, and to comfort
the body of Christ (see 1 Cor 14:3-5). The word "gift" in
Greek is "charismata," meaning "favor freely given to whomever
the Lord chooses." It is not something that the recipient
has earned or deserved. In the Catechism of the Catholic
Church section 799, the Church asserts, "Whether extraordinary
or simple and humble, charisms are graces of the Holy
Spirit which directly or indirectly benefit the Church, ordered
as they are to her building up, to the good of men, and to the
needs of the world." The gifts of the Spirit manifest the presence
and power of God in our midst. Jesus says in Acts 1:8,
"But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon
you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout
Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
The Greek word for this kind of power is "dunamis," meaning "dynamite."
God's power is surely more potent than all powers
in this world combined because God's power is supernatural
and un-equalled in nature. When the Lord unleashes His
power, it is always to accomplish His purpose and to establish
His Kingdom. I believe that the Holy Spirit is looking
for people whom He can count on to further God's Kingdom
and to achieve His purposes for His honor and glory. The
Documents of Vatican Council II under the Decree of the
Apostolate of Lay People, state, "From the reception of these
charisms, even the most ordinary ones, there arises of each
of the faithful the right and the duty of exercising them in the
Church and in the world for the good of men and the development
of the Church, of exercising them in the freedom of the
Holy Spirit who "breathes where He wills."
In his homily at the closing Mass of the World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia
in July 2008, Pope Benedict XVI stated, "But what is this
power of the Holy Spirit? It is the power of God's life! It is
the power of the same Spirit who hovered over the waters at
the dawn of creation, and who, in the fullness of time, raised
Jesus from the dead. It is a power which points us, and our
world, towards the coming of the Kingdom of God."
Prophetic Gift
Since the space in this newsletter is limited, let me focus
more specifically on the gift of prophecy. St. Paul says "pursue
love, but strive eagerly for the spiritual gifts, above all
that you may prophesy." 1 Cor 14:1. In Acts 2:17-18, we read
about Peter standing up with the Eleven and reiterating what
the prophet Joel had prophesied, "It will come to pass in the
last Days, God says, that I will pour out a portion of my spirit
upon all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream
dreams. Indeed, upon my servants and my handmaids I will
pour out a portion of my spirit in those days, and they shall
prophesy," To prophesy means to speak or sing a message
from God under the unction or direction of the Holy Spirit.
Simply put, to prophesy is to be a spokesperson for God.
However, not all who prophesy are prophets but all prophets
must prophesy. Some who are called into the prophetic
office by the Lord, are continually using the gift of prophecy
and other gifts of revelation such as the word of wisdom,
word of knowledge, and discernment of spirits, in their lives
and ministries.
Prophecy may forth-tell or foretell the truths
from God. A prophecy that forth-tells means a message that
doesn't necessarily pertain to the things in the future. An example
of this is when Jesus, from the Cross, told the 'good
thief'. "Amen, Amen, I say to you, today you will be with
me in Paradise." Luke 23:43. On the other hand, foretelling
relates to the things or circumstances that will come to pass in
the future. An illustration of this is found in Acts 11:28, "One
of them named Agabus stood up and predicted by the Spirit
that there would be a severe famine all over the world, and
it happened under Cladius Caesar." I was once a recipient of
this type of prophecy that foretells about the future.
After my wife, Chita and I experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit
back on November 11, 1984, we started to pray together. On
Dec. 8, 1984, while we were praying, my wife came up to me
and started prophesying, "My son, do not be afraid. My name
is Jesus and I'm talking to you through your wife. I'm going
to use you to heal millions in my Name. Believe my son that
this will happen and be humble always. You will preach the
gospel in my Name. Many will come to ask for healing. Heal
them in my Name because healing is good news. You will
travel far and wide. You may find this hard to believe, but
remember, for me nothing is impossible."
Soon after, I asked her what had prompted her to say those words to me. She said,
"I only repeated what I heard the Lord was saying in my 'inner
being'. To date, I have been to 39 countries, preaching and
proclaiming the gospel and healing the sick in the Name of
Jesus, in spite of my many limitations. The Lord had opened
the doors for me to start traveling and ministering internationally
in the year 1991, exactly seven years after I received the
prophecy about the works that the Lord wanted me to do for
Him and for His Kingdom.
A prophecy may also come forth through someone who
speaks in "tongues." In 1 Cor 14:5, St. Paul says, "Now, I
should like all of you to speak in tongues, but even more to
prophesy. One who prophesies is greater than one who speaks
in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be
built up”. When someone speaks in tongues in a prayer meeting,
for instance, the gift of interpretation of tongues should
also be operative to make the message in tongues understandable
to the hearers. The person who is speaking in tongues
may give the interpretation under the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit or somebody else in the congregation may be prompted
to do it. It should be noted that interpretation is not necessarily
a translation of the message delivered through speaking
in tongues.
How To Hear the Voice of God
The Lord wants to talk to us and He is always speaking to
us! In the book of Genesis, we read these words many times,
"Then God said…" In John 10:27, Jesus says, "My sheep hear
my voice; I know them and they follow me." Jesus also says,
"Amen, Amen, I say to you, many prophets longed to see
what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but
did not hear it" (Mat 13:17).
Our God wants to have fellowship with us. Jesus died on the
Cross for us not only to set us free from the bondage of sin
and death, but also to bring us to a personal relationship and
fellowship with Him. The Lord is more delighted to speak to
us than we are to hear from Him. Most of the time, the Lord
communicates with us through a still small voice from within
our spirit. A person may perceive it as a sudden impression,
or a "sense" of something that God is saying, or a passing
thought. If we open ourselves, our hearts, our senses, and our
minds to God, and be obedient to Him, we will surely hear
His voice. The Lord can give us an impression, or a vision, or
a thought. He can also communicate with us through dreams,
through scriptures, through our circumstances, through other
people, and even through His audible voice which is very
rare indeed. He is sovereign and He has no limitations.
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to conduct a Parish Mission
in Sarasota, Florida. While giving a talk on "Repentance and
Forgiveness," the Lord "spoke" into my heart that there was
a person in the congregation who tried to commit suicide and
that the Lord was setting him free from the feelings of guilt
and self-condemnation. When I received the words, there was
a deep conviction in my heart that they came from the Lord.
I announced what the Lord had said, and a man named John
came up to the altar, with tears in his eyes, to acknowledge everything
that I said. I "sensed," that John tried to do it not only
once but twice, and he admitted it when I asked him about it.
That day, he received an emotional and spiritual healing and
an assurance that the Lord, in His mercy and love, had not
condemned but rather had forgiven him. Recently, John told
me that his life had been changing rapidly for the better since
that time because he had become closer to the Lord.
Discernings of Spirits
There are four sources of voices that we hear in the spiritual
realm, namely, the Holy Spirit, the human spirit, the evil
spirits and holy Angels. In 1 John 4:1, the word of God says,
"Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see
whether they belong to God, because many false prophets
have gone into the world." In 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21, St.
Paul says, "Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic
utterances. Test everything; retain what is good." Both
the "giver" of the prophecy and the "receiver" or the hearer
should discern the words. A very careful and thorough discernment
must be undertaken especially in cases of directive
prophecies to make sure that they are from God and not from
false prophets. To discern rightly and accurately, we need the
wisdom and assistance of the Holy Spirit who "guides us to
all truths."
The following are some of the practical guidelines
in judging or discerning a prophecy:
- 1. It must edify or build up and give comfort. If a prophecy
is negative and condemnatory, it is a sure sign that it is not
from God.
2. It must bear good fruit. "Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits, you will know them" (Mat 7:19-20).
3. It must be scriptural. Jesus says, "My words, they are Spirit and they are life" (John 6:63).
4. It must conform to the teachings of the magesterium of the Catholic Church. The magesterium is the teaching authority of the Church.
5. It must produce peace. St.Paul says, "God is not the author of confusion but of peace" (1 Cor 14:33).
6. It must ultimately bring glory and honor to God. St. Paul states, "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God" (1 Cor 10:31).
7. It must strengthen the faith of both the "giver" of the prophecy and the "hearer or hearers." "Faith comes from what is heard and what is heard comes through the words of Christ" (Rom 10:17).
The gift of prophecy, if properly used, has the power to change people's lives. I believe that the Lord has chosen and appointed us, in spite of ourselves, to be His instruments. The world is waiting to experience the life-changing and life-giving power of the Holy Spirit. Are you willing to say "Yes" to the Lord and be His vessel to change the world around you?