Prophetic lifeine

Tomorrow is a very important date for me. While transitioning out of my previous role without knowing where the Lord would send us next, two people close to us shared identical prophetic words concerning the timing of my next assignment. The first was one of my Church leaders in Blackburn, the other a long-time friend from my home-church in Italy. What made it all the more incredible was the fact that these two men did not know each other and spoke to us a year apart from each other – the former in March 2023, the latter in March 2024. Their message was "The Lord will open the right door 3 months after you work a secular job." This prophetic message provided us with a lifeline – especially when waiting had become unsustainable.  

On the 25^th of March 2023, after turning down a very lucrative job opportunity that I knew would have derailed God's plan for us, I started to work for Amazon as a delivery driver. The job sucked and barely paid the bills but allowed me to stay ready to move. Well, on the 25^th of June 2023, exactly 3 months since then, Pastor Alan called me to invite me to preach at TGBC for the first time and explore the opportunity to become your new pastor. Initially, TGBC was in conversation with another candidate, Stephen Kerry. Stephen (an Elim minister himself) is a good friend of mine, and whereas he loved TGBC, both he and his wife heard from God that this assignment was not for them but for me. Hence why Stephen asked pastor Alan if he would consider inviting me to preach at TGBC in his stead. The rest, as they say, is history.

Sadly, there are many people out there who do not believe in prophecy or anything supernatural. True, there is a lot of "counterfeits" out there, but it would be utterly foolish to throw the baby out with the bath water – rejecting the original because of the knockoffs! The truth is – our God speaks! How could he not when he is called "The Word"?! Firstly, he speaks through the timeless pages of Scripture. But he also speaks through his Spirit – to us, and through us! This means two things:

1. While heaven may be silent at times, when we don't hear the voice of God it's often because we are not listening! If you need to hear from him, position yourself to listen:

   1. Pick up the Bible and read – make it a habit. For it is a living word and while we read it – it reads us! Not only that, it speaks to us.

   2. Pray – that is, talk to Jesus! Prayer is a conversation. This means that the talking happens both ways. Just as we speak to him, he speaks back to us. Sometimes directly through his Spirit, some other times through events and circumstances, sometimes through others. So, if you ask, expect an answer.

      
      

2. Prophecy is one of many gifts of God's Spirit. If we are filled with his Spirit, any one of us can receive prophetic words and become God's "mouthpiece" to others at very critical moments. We don't need to deserve gifts, only ask for them. So, why not ask God to use you to bless others in this way? As Paul put it to the Corinthian believers, "You should desire the spiritual gifts the Spirit gives – especially the ability to prophesy… So, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy" (1Cor 14:1, 39)

Make yourself available, and you too can become somebody else's lifeline.