Pastor Joshua Reyes says he noticed a time in his life where he wasn’t prophesying over people as much as he used to. When he reflected on why that was so, he realized it was because he wasn’t being as intentional with going to God and leaning on Him; he was relying on his own strength instead.
“I got so caught up in the practical wisdom and counseling side of ministry, that I forgot to intentionally seek to flow in the gift of prophecy,” Reyes says. “Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians to earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. I know my authority. I know what I carry. I know that I have a prophetic anointing on my life.
“I wasn’t operating in the prophetic, not because God wasn’t speaking, or because I was in a different season—but because I wasn’t intentionally looking to my Father for a word. I’ve taken the class, read the books, received impartation and done the ministry before. The problem wasn’t God; it was me.”
So, what does it look like to rely on God for the strength to prophesy? It’s about staying in tune with the promptings of the Holy Spirit, but also explicitly asking Him for a word for someone, Reyes says on the Legacy Podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network.
“Ask God to give you a word for your cashier or a stranger in line,” Reyes says. “Make the decision to listen to God with the intention of blessing and edifying someone. If you give God your ear on purpose, He will speak. There’s a whole world of people out there waiting to hear a word from God and that word can be in your heart, but you have to listen and then be obedient and give it to them.”
To listen to the entire episode titled “Intentionally Pursuing the Prophetic,” click here.
