I thought to myself, “There must be a better way, God.”

I was referring to the struggle I had embracing that my prophetic calling could be intertwined with an entrepreneur spirit.

I’d grown up as a third-generation pastor. Pastors and business don’t seem to be on the same wavelength of thinking many times.

But then I began to discover that not only I was a pastor, I was also a prophet. Even more than that, I also had an entrepreneur edge.

Those three elements didn’t seem to fit well together—prophet, pastor, entrepreneur.

But they do. They are actually found in the life of Joseph.

Joseph was an amazing entrepreneur-prophet who loved God and heard from God, and everything he touched turned to gold.

Do you ever feel like the different aspects of your gifting don’t fit together either?

Do you sense a prophetic call on your life but wrestle with the fact that you love to work in the marketplace?

Are you good at helping others get breakthrough in business?

Do you see where things are out of order in systems, organizations and with leadership structures?

Maybe you could have a prophetic grace on your life, but it’s not to be a message-prophet. It’s to be an entrepreneur-prophet like Joseph.

Join me on Emerging Prophets on Charisma Podcast Network to learn more about this exciting revelation. {eoa}

Keith Ferrante founded and runs a movement called Emerging Prophets. The purpose of this movement is to discover, develop and deploy revival and reformer prophets into every sphere of society. Keith also founded and runs a prophetic consulting movement that helps businesspeople get breakthrough in their businesses. Keith is also an author. Prophesying Like a Prophet and 5-Fold Entrepreneur are two of his latest books. You can find his books and other info about Keith at .

How old were you the first time you heard someone share the gospel outside of church? I was in my 40s. It happened when I was in the backseat of a taxi in Beirut. My friend Caroline, a Syrian refugee, asked our Muslim taxi driver if he knew Jesus. He said, “No. Who is Jesus?”

As I sat in that backseat and listened as Caroline shared the Good News, I kept thinking, “Is this even allowed here?” And then I thought, “I could never do that in America.”

Before Caroline, it never occurred to me to share my faith. If she could do it so boldly in the Middle East, I wondered if I could do it as well. Why had I never thought to share my faith before? I’d always thought of myself as a good Christian girl just working and raising a family in the suburbs. I went to church most Sundays, volunteered in the children’s ministry, prayed and did women’s Bible studies. I supported several missionaries who went to share the gospel “over there,” wherever “there” was.

My believing friends were mostly like me. We were crazy-busy working, raising families, doing Bible studies, volunteering. We were overwhelmed and exhausted at day’s end. No one I knew had the time or energy to share the hope of Jesus with anyone who wasn’t already in our friend circles. We didn’t even talk about it.

A wise mentor taught me, “Thoughts lead to actions, and actions lead to results.” Knowing that my faith-filled friends and I were completely unaware of our need to share our faith here, how intentional do you think our actions were toward sharing the gospel? Pretty unintentional. The Lord might have been wooing people to Himself all around us, and we never noticed. We were focused on raising our families, keeping safe and pursuing the great American dream. How about you?

In my defense, when I was a kid, 93% of Americans identified as Christian. I didn’t know anyone of another faith or culture, so I never thought about sharing my faith with anyone. A lot has happened since then.

Now less than 65% of Americans identify as Christian. People from many nations live here, and our neighbors are Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or hold no faith at all. We can cross the street to be authentic Christian witnesses among the nations. Yet most Christians are not doing so.

It’s ironic. Jesus told us to go be His witnesses among the nations. Now 95% of the world’s unreached people groups live in America, and most everyday Christians are not talking about this.

I understand. I felt that same ways until I heard Caroline share the gospel in the backseat of that taxi in the Middle East. She was the catalyst who forever changed my thoughts and actions for talking about my faith. Click here now to listen to her share her inspiring story on the iHOPE Empowers on Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}

Karen Bejjani is an author, co-founder and executive director of iHOPE Ministries, a non-profit ministry that is changing the way Christians think about sharing their faith with people of other faiths. Since 2011, iHOPE has empowered tens of thousands of Christians to cross religious boundaries and extend God’s transformative love.

As a fearless, relatable visionary and empowering coach, Karen has trained, coached and mentored thousands of entrepreneurs to build successful businesses as a senior corporate executive. Now she uses those skills to lead a movement of everyday Christian women who are crossing religious boundaries to share the hope of Jesus.

Karen is writing a book called The Blue Cord to change the way everyday women think about sharing their biblical faith with women of other faiths and cultures. Her powerful stories and practical coaching have emboldened believers around the world to change lives for eternity. When she’s not empowering others to cross cultural and religious boundaries to share Jesus, Karen spends her time hiking through forests and enjoying good Lebanese food with family and friends. Connect with Karen through Instagram or .

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

When Dr. Stella Immanuel stepped to the microphone in Anaheim, California, in mid-July at the ReAwaken America rally, the atmosphere changed from political rally to church service. Already the crowd of enthusiastic conservatives brought together by Clay Clark cheered in anticipation of speakers such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, Dr. Sherry Tenpenny, Julie Mikovits and others.

Immanuel, originally from Cameroon but practicing in Houston, Texas, is one of the Frontline doctors who believe alternative treatments actually help COVID-19 patients get well; they also question the vaccine’s effectiveness. For this they have been consistently canceled by the medical establishment and the secular media. I included a chapter in my new book, God and Cancel Culture, called “Controlling People Through COVID-19,” and one of my main sources was my May podcast interview with Immanuel.

Not only is Immanuel a successful physician with an active practice, but she is also a Spirit-filled Christian, a prophet and the founder of Fire Power Ministries in Katy, Texas. She devotes her life and resources to teaching believers to identify sources of spiritual weakness, deception and defeat to learn strategies of warfare to enable them to get and maintain their freedom. In Anaheim, Dr. Immanuel moved into spiritual warfare. “The church is the only entity that can fight this battle, and we have been missing in action,” she said, in full preacher mode. She added a spiritual dimension to the ReAwaken America tour.

At the rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which took place in mid-August when this issue was mailed, I joined the tour to speak on cancel culture. I also hosted my first meet and greet, and I look forward to future events in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Sept. 24-25, and San Antonio, Texas, Nov. 11-13.

I watched the eight-hour Anaheim event online, and I thought Immanuel was the most exciting speaker there. As I did further study on the truth behind the cancel culture’s lies, I became persuaded she had a message to get out. So when she approached me about publishing her new book, Let America Live: Exposing the Hidden Agenda Behind the 2020 Pandemic: My Journey, I was excited to do so—even though no other publisher would touch it.

Even some of my staff said publishing the book was too risky because we might get in the crosshairs of the cancel culture crowd. But I read the manuscript and realized it’s a carefully researched book and will open many people’s eyes to the cancel culture. Charisma will cover it more extensively next month and online after her book releases Oct. 5.

Immanuel has treated more than 7,000 corona-virus-infected or symptomatic patients at her Houston clinic and online via telemedicine, and of that number only eight have died—all of whom were in advanced stages of the disease.

In her book, she writes: “These results beg the question, why have the United States government and the Centers for Disease Control made a concerted effort to conceal the truth about hydroxychloroquine, arguably COVID-19’s most effective treatment? Not only have government-sponsored and political organizations been trying to pull the wool over our nation’s collective eyes concerning hydroxychloroquine, going so far as to mock, discredit and even villainize those who, like me, have become vocal advocates of it, but I am now fully convinced that there exists an evil, diabolical conspiracy of widespread cover-up and misinformation to mislead Americans—and people around the world—concerning the truth about COVID-19, including where it came from and how to treat it.”

I hope you will want to read this important book and plan to attend one of Clark’s ReAwaken America tours. Register to obtain your tickets at this link, , and receive special pricing and the opportunity to attend a meet and greet with me when a member of Clark’s team calls you. I’d love to meet you and give you a copy of my new book, God and Cancel Culture.

Stephen E. Strang is the founding editor of Charisma. His new book, God and Cancel Culture, releases Sept. 7.

This article was excerpted from the August issue of Charisma magazine. If you don’t subscribe to Charisma, click here to get every issue delivered to your mailbox. During this time of change, your subscription is a vote of confidence for the kind of Spirit-filled content we offer. In the same way you would support a ministry with a donation, subscribing is your way to support Charisma. Also, we encourage you to give gift subscriptions at , and share our articles on social media.

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52, NKJV).

Wisdom is one of the primary qualities of God’s Holy Spirit—in Isaiah 11:1-3, the spirit of wisdom is listed as one of the seven Spirits of God. He is wisdom personified: “God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself” (1 Cor. 1:30, NLT). I would say wisdom is even more vital to prophetic people than the divine revelation they receive because only through God-sent wisdom can they know how to handle the word of the Lord in the right way.

What Is Wisdom?

God values wisdom so much that altogether the words “wisdom” or “wise” are used more than 456 times in the Bible. Clearly, wisdom is a valuable commodity! Yet do we truly understand what wisdom is? Or do we simply presume to know? In the New Testament, the wise apostle James provides clarity regarding the nature of God’s wisdom:

“The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure and full of quiet gentleness. Then it is peace-loving and courteous. It allows discussion and is willing to yield to others; it is full of mercy and good deeds. It is wholehearted and straightforward and sincere” (James 3:17, TLB).

Synonyms for the word “wisdom” help flesh out its meaning. They include: understanding, knowledge, good sense, insight, perception, astuteness, acumen, prudence, sagacity, good judgment and more. I want and need multiplied quantities of every one of those qualities. How about you?

In every generation, some believers exemplify wisdom to a high degree. In everything they say and do, you can recognize the mind and heart of God. Their sterling character shines beautifully. They care about others more than themselves. They humbly seek God before they give advice or take action. Like anybody, they can veer off the narrow way (as Solomon did), but the good fruit of their lives far outweighs the bad.

How Do We Obtain Wisdom?

How can we best lay hold of God’s wisdom? We already know we must surrender ourselves to His lordship and lean on Him continually, but does that guarantee that His wisdom will flow into our lives? What should we expect? How can we recognize God’s wisdom when it comes?

How does His wisdom come to us? Is it a sovereign gift from God? Is it a spiritual presence? Is our personal wisdom assembled from extensive reading and studying? Or does it come mostly from experience—spending years in the “school of hard knocks”?

There is no one answer because wisdom comes in all of the manners listed above. We can see this when we search for the word “wisdom” in Scripture. Consider the following:

Wisdom as a gift. “For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:8, NKJV).

Wisdom as a spirit. “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and of might, the spirit of the knowledge and the fear of the Lord” (Isa. 11:2, NIV).

Wisdom from studying. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15, KJV).

Wisdom arising from life experience. “For the righteous falls seven times, and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity” (Prov. 24:16, ESV).

“Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent” (Prov. 17:28, NLT).

Since our dear Lord Jesus “increased” and grew in wisdom, stature and favor with God (see Luke 2:52), then we should expect to do so as well. I think that it is remarkable that Jesus, who was God in the flesh, kept increasing in His wisdom throughout His life on earth.

Our increase in wisdom will not happen automatically, though. Like me, you surely have met people you knew many years before, whom you have been dismayed to see that they never matured much at all. They still act like teenagers who are “wet behind the ears,” even though they may have a diploma, a career, a family and a nice car. They don’t even realize they lack the mature wisdom their years could have won for them.

Scripture says that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10); humble surrender to God must be the first step. We need all the wisdom we can get, and we always need more wisdom as long as we are alive on this earth. The apostle James clearly stated that we must ask for more wisdom—and that if you do, God will grant it to you: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5, NKJV). Even King Solomon, who was famous for his unsurpassed wisdom, asked God for it:

“So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” It was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. God said to him, “Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice, behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you” (1 Kings 3:9-12).

Wisdom Comes by Prayer

How should we make our requests to God for wisdom? Well, in the simplest of terms, we must admit, “God, I lack wisdom.” And then we acknowledge, “But You have a limitless supply of wisdom, and You have shown Your desire to share it with the people You have created. You have come to us as Jesus, who is wisdom itself. I ask You to release Your wisdom to me concerning the problem in front of me.” And then expect God’s wisdom to rise up in you.

Ask with complete faith that God wants to answer your prayer, and He will. That is what the apostle James wrote:

“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:5-6).

Wisdom is invaluable for any believer alongside any of the gifts of the Spirit. As you already know, we need all the wisdom we can get, particularly when we are handling a word of revelation and increasing pressure as the end times unfold. Since my youth, my prayer for wisdom has been one of the three guiding prayers for my life. Many of you know this.

These are my three guiding prayers since childhood:

me a heart of purity to keep me from the evil way.

2. Give me the Spirit of counsel like you did to Joseph for those in authority.

3. Give me wisdom beyond my years to solve complex problems like Solomon.

I have prayed various versions of these three prayers since my preteen years and continue to do so to this day.

Closing Word of Wisdom

Do not let your quest for wisdom become an excuse for perfectionism to keep you in the seat of the observer. Life and ministry do not work that way. If perfection is your goal, you will never get married, start that new career or take that leap of faith. If you mistake wisdom with a fear of stepping out, then you will be an observer and scoffer to the moves of God.

Wisdom comes by jumping in the middle of life. Wisdom comes from participating. Wisdom comes from stepping out of the boat and reaching out to Jesus. Never let your quest for wisdom become misplaced fear. Let your wisdom always be filled with faith that leads you into an adventure with the Holy Spirit. That’s the Jesus I know.

This article originally appeared at . {eoa}