Nevi'im!

It is written in the ancient Manuscript, "Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer" (1 Sam. 9:9).

The prophet is a premonition; an oracle; the living intuition of God.

The prophet is a sacred bridge between Heaven and Earth.

The prophet is your golden link from a mundane present to a dynamic future.

That is why, if and when you have met a true prophet of God, you cannot afford to break your divine connection with that prophet. For it is written, "Believe His prophets, so shall ye prosper" (2 Chron. 20:20).

It didn't say, "Believe His apostles, so shall ye prosper."

It didn't say, "Believe His pastors, so shall ye prosper."

It didn't say, "Believe His evangelists, so shall ye prosper."

It didn't say, "Believe His teachers, so shall ye prosper."

It didn't say, "Believe His bishops, so shall ye prosper."

It didn't even say, "Believe His first ladies, so shall ye prosper."

Yet, apostles, pastors, evangelists, teachers and bishops are constantly trying to make this scripture apply to themselves although it is clearly and exclusively talking about the ministry of the prophet! By this, they end up making the same blunder as King Uzziah, intruding into an particular office that God did not call them into (2 Chron. 26:16-23).

In a prophecy about the 5-Fold Ministry of the last days, given by the prophet, Joel, he prophesied, "they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one on his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded" (Joel 2:7,8).

However, this prophecy has yet to come to pass because the present-day 5-Fold Ministry constantly thrusts one another, breaking their ranks by trying to function in another's office instead simply being satisfied with doing what God called them to do, and walking in the particular "path," that is, ministerial office which God anointed them to walk in! And if they find out that another minister fell upon the sword, that is, had some kind of lapse in his/her morals, they rejoice instead of trying to nurse that minister back to a state of good spiritual health.

How soon they have forgotten the exhortation of Scripture which says, "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Gal. 6;1,2).

For some reason, the one office out of all the 5-Fold Ministry offices that those in the other offices keep intruding into more than any other office is the office of the prophet.

God smote King Uzziah with leprosy for intruding into the priest's office. Likewise, today God is smiting various ministries all over the world with a kind of spiritual leprosy because they keep intruding into the office of prophet.

If those who walk in any of the 5-Fold offices would just be content to do what God has called them to do, then the world will rise up and take notice at the new and unprecedented manifestation of the wisdom and power of God being demonstrated through "the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the Truth" (1 Tim. 3:15).

Again, the Scripture says, "Believe His prophets, so shall ye prosper" (2 Chron. 20:20).

NEWSFLASH: your prosperity in life is connected to the ministry of the prophet!

That is because prophets and prophetesses are the stockbrokers of the Kingdom of God.

But where do prophets come from? And how did they get to be the way they are? And what is their divine purpose on Earth?

Actually, it is a question of species.

In the animal kingdom, there exist different species such as fish, fowl, feline, canine and the like.

Likewise, in the angelic kingdom, there exist various species of angels such as cherubim, seraphim, ophanim, nephilim and shedim.

Notwithstanding, although prophets and prophetesses are undoubtedly members of the human race, it is not commonly known to the contemporary mind that they are a certain kind of sui generis in their own right.

In reality, prophets and prophetesses are a unique genus of homo sapiens which the ancient Hebrews called "nevi'im" (pronounced NEH-VEE-IM).

Nevi'im are a species of men and women who were born for the sole purpose of being the living oracles of God in the Earth. That is why no one can just simply decide to be a prophet or prophetess. Indeed, he or she must be born such! For a person to up and one day decide to be a prophet would be as ludicrous as a man one day deciding that he wants to be a woman. No matter how many shots of estrogen he receives or how ever many surgeries the man goes through, God says he is still a man!

Likewise can no person simply choose to be a prophet or prophetess. He or she must be born such.

Since childhood, people always told you that you were overly sensitive. They were right. The Lord made you that way while you were still in your mother's womb so that, after being twice born (i.e. of the flesh and of the Spirit), you could easily flow with the prophetic move of the Spirit of God.

For this purpose, the Almighty said to the son of Hilkiah, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations" (Jer. 1:5).

Although not every prophet is a "prophet unto the nations," every prophet and prophetess has been genetically prepared during the embryonic and fetal stages of development for their prophetic vocations in life.

God forms the nervous system and emotional makeup of prophets and prophetesses during the prenatal stages of life similar to the way a musician tunes the strings of a guitar or piano. The Lord does this in order to make prophets and prophetesses into "high strung" individuals, that is, extraordinarily sensitive people.

Unbeknownst to many, this hypersensitivity makes it virtually impossible for prophets and prophetesses to have what are considered "normal" relationships with other people. When they attempt this, they find themselves often reacting in a hypersensitive fashion to situations and circumstances that do not move the average person in the same way.

It would be like a tabby cat trying to run the jungle with lions, tigers, cheetahs and lynxes. Although they are all feline, tabby cats are a different kind of feline.

As observed in this classic book, The Prophets, Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, "The prophet is a person who suffers from a profound maladjustment to the spirit of society."

Undoubtedly, it would soon open a whole new realm of scientific research for anthropologists and biologists if they knew about the reality of a separate and distinct species within the human species called "nevi'im."

Jeremiah, as a result of his prenatal development as a prophet, was so hypersensitive he spent much of his time crying, earning him the distinction "the weeping prophet."

Elijah, as a result of his prenatal development as a prophet, was so hypersensitive he was quick to call down fire from Heaven to devour those who agitated him in even the slightest way.

Elisha, as a result of his prenatal development as a prophet, was so hypersensitive he constantly lost his temper, often exploding in anger.

Jonah, as result of his prenatal development as a prophet, was so hypersensitive he sulked and pouted profusely, throwing prophetic temper tantrums both before and after his mission to the Ninevites.

And so it is with all the prophets and prophetesses of the Lord.

This prenatal gift---extraordinary sensitivity---which the Lord intended to be an asset to His prophets and prophetesses can, in truth, become their handicap, even leading to their own undoing if they do not properly adjust their domestic and social environments in a way that is conducive to their genetic predisposition.

In no way does being a part of the nevi'im make one better than others; it simply makes one different.

And the divine purpose of this difference is so that prophets and prophetesses can effectively serve their generation by the dropping of prophetic oracles.

Because of the specificity of the prophetic Word of God as opposed to the generic nature of His inscripturated Word, it seems that our nefarious foe spends his time in nothing else but that he should stop prophets and prophetesses from doing what they do best---prophesying.

The books of the Bible are the written oracles of God, whereas nevi'im are His living oracles.

Be astonished by the fact that God has made prophets and prophetesses to be the Urim and Thummim of the Church Age in which you now live; indeed the "lights" and "perfections" of this Dispensation of Grace.

For too long multitudes have gazed into the crystal ball of the psychic. This is none other than the fault of the prophets and prophetesses of the Lord. Instead of making themselves available to the needs of the people through their prophetic giftings, many of them have opted to stand on the sidelines as spectators, leaving innocent lambs to the mercy of ravenous wolves.

They spend their days prophesying fluff behind the four walls of the Church instead of displaying their prophetic wares in public for all the world to see.

It is hypocritical to see prophets and prophetesses reprimand those who consult spiritualists and psychics when they themselves will not come to the public forefront with their prophetic gifts!

The Lord doesn't grant prophetic gifts for the sake of entertainment.

Prophecy is no plaything!

All over the world there are countless people whose lives will go down in ignominious defeat if they do not receive a crystal clear, prophetic word from the Almighty.

That is why it is the responsibility and privilege of today's prophets and prophetesses to be open and available channels through which God's holy Spirit can bring particular wisdom and guidance to those in need.

Scripture can tell people what kind of individual to marry but prophets can tell them exactly who they should or should not marry.

Scripture can tell businessmen what kinds of business practices are commendable but prophet can tell those businessmen where and with whom they should or should not practice business.

Brokers can tell investors where to invest their monies but prophets can tell them with unmistakable precision when it is wise to invest and when it is wise to pull out.

Did President Ronald Reagan---a professed Christian---consult often with a psychic astrologer for guidance because he was on a mission to defy the Word of the living God? Or, being overwhelmed by the need for supra-human guidance, did he succumb to the temptation of the Adversary because of the widespread delinquency of today's prophets and prophetesses?

King David had a court prophet named Gad whom he could consult for political oracles at any time (1 Chron. 21:9-14). Should any president, monarch or prime minister ascribing to the Judeo-Christian ethic be without the same?

If the seated president of the United States of America knew he had the moral right to access divine guidance concerning the administration of this country through the mouth of God's prophets and prophetesses, the present economic recession would be turned around, virtually overnight.

On February 1, 2003, Lt. Colonel Richard D. "Rick" Husband, age 45, and Lt. Colonel Michael P. Anderson, age 43, both died in the infamous Space Shuttle Columbia explosion.

Colonel Husband left behind his wife, Evelyn, and their son and daughter while Colonel Anderson left behind his wife, Sandra, and their two daughters.

One of the saddest things about this tragedy is not only the fact that Husband and Anderson were both Spirit-filled Christians who both attended the same church (Grace Community Church of Houston, Texas) but that this church claims to believe in the reality of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

In their Statement of Faith (which can be found on their website), Grace Community Church professes:

"We believe in the present day manifestation of all the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Church."

That's absolutely wonderful. But just believing in the reality of the gifts of the Spirit (one of which is prophecy) is not enough. If it were, Michael P. Anderson and Rick Husband would be alive today.

You see, God's people have the moral right to consult God's prophets and prophetesses at any time, anywhere, about any major decision they're going to make with their lives, so as to be sure that they are moving in "that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Rom. 12:2).

As it is written, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but that He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets" (Am. 3:7).

Indeed, the Almighty reveals secrets about the past, present and future to His bondslaves, the nevi'im.

That is because prophets and prophetesses, having been divinely equipped to stand in the intersection between Time and Eternity, have the ability to see in three tenses.

Nevi'im are the eyes of the Body of Christ! Therefore, by agency of the Spirit of God, they can inspect, prospect, retrospect and circumspect simultaneously!

Before going out to battle with the king of Moab, the kings of Israel, Judah and Edom wanted to know whether or not God considered it wise for them to do so. So they consulted with the prophet, Elisha, in order to attain the mind of God on the matter. And only after they had the green light from God to go forward did they go out and win the battle against the king of Moab (2 Kgs. 3:4-27).

Likewise, before Colonels Husband and Anderson decided to be a part of the Space Shuttle Columbia's mission into space, as children of God they had a moral right to first consult with a prophet or prophetess of the Lord so as to determine whether or not God foresaw any potential problems with Columbia's up-and-coming flight. Had they done so, they would have been warned by that prophet or prophetess not to go on that fatal flight. But being that their church was under the direct or indirect influence of Harold Horton's erroneous perspective on the ministry of the prophet, Husband and Anderson didn't know they had the moral right to consult a prophet or prophetess as to the safety of their up-and-coming mission into outer space.

The eerie thing about it all is that, when asked about how he obtained his position as commander of the Columbia, Colonel Husband said, "I think a lot of it has to do with being in the right place at the right time." Obviously, Husband's untimely death is proof positive that he definitely was not in the right place at the right time. But he could have been simply if his church would "let the prophets speak" (1 Cor. 14:29) as Scripture adjures every pastor to do, and stop minimizing the importance of the ministry of the prophet.

Weeks before going into space, the Space Shuttle Challenger accident of 1986 had to come to the minds of Husband and Anderson, even for a brief moment. And, because they were in covenant with the Father through their relationship with Jesus Christ, they had a moral right to consult a prophet or prophetess of the Lord as to whether or not God foresaw anything similar happening to the up-and-coming flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia.

Although the Space Shuttle Columbia had previously flown 27 flights, Almighty God, by His foreknowledge, knew that---while returning from space on its 28th flight---Columbia was going to disintegrate in mid-air upon its reentry into the Earth's atmosphere, killing Husband, Anderson and the rest of the seven crew members on board.

Of course, the Father wanted to forewarn them about the disaster but He could not simply because Husband and Anderson (due to their ignorance of their moral right to access God's foreknowledge through prophetic consultation) made no consultation with any of the Lord's prophets.

Grace Community Church even has what they call a "School of Leadership Development" where they train men and women to operate in Bible teaching, evangelism and pastoral care. Yet they provide no training for men and women to operate in the prophetic. If they did, it is highly likely that Michael P. Anderson and Rick Husband---two precious followers of Jesus Christ---would be alive today.

Indeed, in the Day of Accountability the Lord will blame these two astronauts' pastor for their premature death!

And why is that?

"For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at His mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts" (Mal. 2:7).

A pastor, by divine design, is the presiding priest of his local church. Wherefore, it is imperative that he be full of the knowledge of God.

And why is that?

Because it is written, "For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:27).

It is a pastor's responsibility to keep His church current with "all the counsel of God," not just bits and pieces of it. This is so that the fullness of God's blessings can operate at that local house. If a pastor is not doing this, he is in delinquency of his God-given mandate in life.

For this purpose, the son of Buzi thundered, "Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?" (Ezek. 34:2)!

Yes, it is many of today's pastors who are the number one hindrance to the rise and demonstration of the fullness of the ministry of the prophet!

That is why, if you are divinely called to the office of prophet or prophetess, I ask you:

Do the sands of time find you, at this moment, entrapped "in the fell clutch of circumstance," immobilized in a sort of prophetic gridlock because of pastoral rubbernecking? Then shout at everyone of those passersby, one by one, with true Petrine disdain, "Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God" (Acts 8:21)!

Disregard the myriad of sanctimonious platitudes which they belch and flatulate in the name of "maintaining a balance" and "protecting the flock." They lie! Truth be told, they envy the prophetic mantle upon you, given you by the Father, for it is your "coat of many colours" (Gen. 37:3).

Pay attention and you'll readily recognize that hardly a one of these pastors (so-called) seem content to "abide in the same calling wherein he was called" (1 Cor. 7:20). That is why you constantly see them trying to silence the voices of God's prophets all the while endeavoring to act the role of a prophet themselves, constantly giving out over-generalized and sophomoric "prophecies."

They are more concerned with preventing you from outshining them with the luster of your prophetic giftings than they are with joining together with you (as the Lord would have it) in actuating the redemption of the human species!

Indeed, many of today's pastors have become extraordinarily adept at hiding their controlling tendencies under the outward veneer of a humble piety. Notwithstanding, like Diotrephes of old, you will often find them behind the scenes "prating against us with malicious words" (3 Jn. 9, 10).

Ignore, then, these unprincipled opportunists and don your coat of many colors with dignity and authority for, unlike Joseph, there is no pit for them to throw you into!

At the moment of conception, you were inculcated into a magnificent succession of history's greatest mystics. Then, some time after your entrance into this world, at a moment deemed appropriate to Providence, you were infused with the Spirit of the living God, thus beginning an epic adventure in prophethood.

What, then, pray tell, could possibly distract you from abandoning yourself to so great an honor?

You are not a "Madea" or a "Ragin' Cajun." Be it far from you! The salvation of the human species is far too grave a thing for you to be engaged in such juvenile behavior.

You are God's prophet, God's prophetess---a redeemer, a benefactor, indeed a savior of sorts, clothed upon with the same mantle of power that long ago parted the waters of Jordan hither and thither, and animated the Tishbite to inaugurate the ultimate overthrow of the Omrite dynasty!

Wherefore you march to the sound of a different drummer!

Stop kowtowing to spiritual narcissists who open churches (so-called), not because they genuinely care anything about Kingdom values or the eternal themes of righteousness and redemption, but in order to make a name for themselves!

It is high time for you to buckle down, in the Spirit, and (along with other nevi'im) take upon yourself the regeneration of the world!

So nevermind this, that and the other! Simply step back, take a deep breath, pause for a moment, then with all thy might prophesy to the four winds of Eternity until humanity's blighted condition gives way to the genesis of "a new Earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" (2 Pet. 2:13).

Nevi'im!