"The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." - Rev. 19:10
One of the most important aspects to a spirit of prophecy is the atmosphere itself. Whether you realize it or not, everything that surrounds us is inundated with spiritual forces, both good and evil. We may not see them with our physical eye, but their influence is certainly felt. There are times we sense a weight in the spirit; heaviness and oppression. There are times we feel an unction for breakthrough, where in our hearts we know the Father wants to minister to people. How we conduct ourselves, and most importantly, how we honor the presence of God will determine to a large degree the level of anointing that can manifest to help set people free. When it comes to the anointing there is nothing that is cut and dry. There are steps of preparation we have to regard in order to secure a place in the spirit for the Holy Spirit.
Back in the early years of the Pentecostal movement, when folks were first discovering how to conduct themselves in a place where the power of God's presence was moving, they found that as they honored the Holy Spirit, by recognizing his place and learned to wait on him, that it increased the level of anointing. I remember reading about one church back in the 80's where their own worship ministry would spend at least an hour and a half before service in intense worship before God so as to create an atmosphere that was filled with the influence of heaven. When folks arrived, they stepped into a cloud of glory.
We have reached a place in the things of God where we cannot afford to rule out such preparation if we intend to reach the next level. We have the honor and privilege of creating the kind of atmosphere where the currents of heaven flash like lightning. The Father is bringing us into days when regular church services are not going to be regular at all! We have to be prepared for the unexpected.
There are four things that can help to bring about an atmosphere for the spirit of prophecy to manifest. 1) The church, as a whole, has to maintain a healthy prayer life and stay walking in the Spirit. Every one of us is a carrier of things we do and say. We bring into every service the atmosphere of what it is we have engaged ourselves in; and what has touched our spiritual garments. By keeping yourself fresh in a spirit of prayer, you allow the presence of God to wash over you so that there is nothing in you or on you that affects the way the Holy Spirit can move. 2) We have to keep ourselves stirred up for the supernatural. God can do in one moment more than 10,000 sermons can do. As much as we need to be taught and instructed in the Word, we have to learn how to pull on the anointing and believe for God to work in our midst. 3) We much live in a spirit of expectancy. We must learn to feel after God. Sometimes even the littlest things can spark a heavenly reaction. The power of God can show up in an overwhelming fashion when we begin to put a demand upon it with our faith. 4) Probably the most important thing we much learn is how to stay sensitive to the flow of the Spirit. This is not acquired any other way than by spending time in God's presence. You have to get acquainted with the ways of the Spirit by knowing him personally. For the Holy Spirit to move as he so desires, there has to be a liberty for him to move. He is never going to barge in on our services and take over. He operates by invitation only, and in order to see him move we have to discern how he wants to move.
This is so important for worship leaders to understand the place they hold in setting the stage for what the Holy Spirit wants to do. A worship service can make or break the flow of the anointing. The intensity of our worship can also impact the degree of anointing that comes with a move of God. When we prepare ourselves and welcome the Holy Spirit to do what he wants to do, the outcome can be beyond anything we can imagine.
There are three things that can come from an atmosphere that carries the spirit of prophecy. Besides the influence of a prophetic flow where things are accomplished by the spontaneous divine action of the Holy Spirit, there are things that occur within us. The first thing is separation. When you experience the level of anointing where the spirit of prophecy has saturated a service you leave with a deepened sense of living right. There is a strong urge to keep yourself surrounded by things that build you up and not tear you down. You pull away from worldly things. The second thing is consecration. You find your heart yearning for more. It takes you to a new level of commitment. Your sensitivity to the things of God is heightened. Doing the will of God becomes more and more satisfying, and what once was a sacrifice now becomes a pleasure. The third thing is penetration. Because you have allowed the Holy Spirit to raise the level of your separation and consecration, he then is able to penetrate into your heart and soul with changes that have not fully been accomplished even with your best effort. These changes are not for a day or a week or even a month. The depth of his work creates a permanent change where the seriousness of decisions in your life is now under his influence. It is no more up and down, in and out. You find your feet are not only firmly planted, but they are forever entrenched, holding on to a life of pure devotion.
