Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. ² For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. ³ But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. ⁴ Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. ⁵ I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified. (1 Corinthians 14th chapter NIV, my emphases)

Thus, Apostle Paul instructed the early Church in the importance of this endowment of God’s grace to born-again believers. That is, to those who have received the Spirit that bears witness to the truth of Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God. This enables them to attest that “Jesus is Lord”.  Paul had divulged what he’d personally been told by Jesus about the Passover meal celebrated immediately before His crucifixion and resurrection back to life from the dead. Then Paul wrote how Holy Spirit gives individual giftings to each believer for the common good.  But above all of them is ‘the most excellent way – love’.  (For a fuller understanding of this letter read 1st Corinthians chapters 11 to 13 in the Amplified Bible.)  In chapter 14 he provides a protocol for receiving prophetic words.:

²⁹ Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. ³⁰ And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. ³¹ For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. ³² The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. ³³ For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.

(Also see brief outline at Prophecies & Visions.)

UK PROPHETIC COUNCIL – WORD FOR 2013

In keeping with these scriptures one of the many groups of UK prophets has released insights which may be regarded as ‘a guide for prayer, teaching and alignment’.  (Four contributors are known to me personally and I bear witness to their gifting.)

These words include and are extra to those transcribed earlier from Sharon Stone (as here), and some were shared at the November mentoring day. They constitute perhaps the most exciting and encouraging promises I’ve read in many years. As stated,

‘2013 promises to be a significant year…a season when we are being drawn to a new glory of the Kingdom of God’, which promises to feature.:

• A season of distinct contradictions
• God still releasing us into Reformation
• The ‘pause’ button is now off
• See the Kingdom of God present with power
• Rearranging winds changing the course of nations
• Storm of heaven
• A season until 2020 to be known as ‘The Days of Wonder’
• A national appetite for wholesome things in arts and entertainment
• Leadership, and Josephs in leadership
• Natural disruptions and economic opportunities
• Provision will shift from ‘ravens to camels’
• Sweeping financial changes in the nations
• Spiritual warfare – God is a warrior
• Vision, unity and revival
• other revelatory topics.

To read the group’s Word click for Glasgow’s easy-to-read onscreen version or, if you’d like a concise printable version, click for CIE’s useful 4-page hardcopy.

Before reading that Word, please note the photo below of HMS Warrior taken during a tour of Portsmouth naval dockyard (a birthday gift) as it is referred to in that Word. In a later post I will make a few comments and outline a couple of connections.