In a world where everyone wants to be a modern-day prophet, there are many who take up this powerful mantle without realizing what they are getting themselves into.
In an interview with Jeremiah Johnson, apostle Alexander Pagani shared the reasons he says leaders fall in this realm of ministry.
- Caring more about what other people think than doing what God asks.
While those who are new and zealous to ministry may think they will never get caught up with what other people want, it can happen to anyone at any time.
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From his own personal experience, Pagani says that he started off in ministry with the boldness to confront any and all ungodliness. However, as he became connected to more people in ministry positions, he also saw how he did not want to hurt or offend alliances he had created.
“Then I got on television and then I got in the big boys and then I got into the good ol’ boys club and I started feeling muzzled. Or my hands tied or me tying my own hands because I was thinking, ‘well I don’t want to lose this,’” Pagani says.
Instead of staying on his post as a prophetic watchman, Pagani says he started to feel the anointing lifting off as he gravitated more toward good news messages alone. It is when the world starts to become a sweet invitation, an appealing source, that prophets should feel concerned about their heart posture.
- It’s not about you or your gifting.
One of the reasons why prophets can end up failing is because they allow people to make it about them and their gifts. However, it is through the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit alone that we are ever able to minister to God’s people.
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“Many people have passed the test of obscurity and have failed miserably the path of notoriety,” Johnson says. “Just because you succeed in obscurity doesn’t mean you’re going to pass notoriety…prophetic people, please you know find people, invite people into your life. We need the fear of the Lord in the prophetic ministry again.”
Having a prophetic gift does not mean that everything is about you or the gift. That’s the whole point of a gift. With this prophetic gifting comes a great responsibility, and therefore accountability is key for a prophet.
- Prophets need prayer just as much as any other person.
Prophets are people as well, and therefore they need prayer. Just as prophets can have the enemy attack them like any other person, they need to be prayed over just as much as those who go to them for prayer and prophetic words.
Pagani says this is something that he and Johnson do for one another. They’ve prayed for each other for deliverance and in the middle of life’s struggles.
“You called me for deliverance,” Pagani says to Johnson. “I’ve reached out to and I’ve told you, ‘man, I need you to pray for me; I’m really struggling right now.’”
Those who operate in the prophetic are people who need prayer in the same way the rest of us need prayer. In fact, it could even be argued that they need it even more than some of us because they are constantly dealing with battles in the spirit.
Whether you find yourself in the position of a prophet or not, these lessons are valuable to hold onto because they are reminders that humility and fear of the Lord is necessary for those who want to be humble servants of God.
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Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.
