"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."

- Hebrews 10:25

            There are two particular verses of scripture that stands out in my mind.  The first one is found in First Corinthians fourteen: "Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophecy, and forbid not to speak with tongues" (1 Cor. 14:39). The other one is, "Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy" (1 Cor. 14:1). In both verses, you can see that Paul considered the importance of prophecy as a fundamental part in the life of every believer.  These words were not spoken just to the elders of the church of Corinth.  They were written to the entire congregation, and it applies to all of us as well.  In other words, we should seek to make this a daily practice. Paul defines prophecy as someone who speaks to men by divine utterance-given for the purpose of edification, exhortation, and comfort (1 Cor. 14:3).  Much of what occurred in the Old Testament concerning prophecy was for the purpose of foretelling the future.  While those who stand in the office of a prophet may very well still speak by revelation, concerning things to come, it is this simple gift of prophecy that is essentially what Paul is addressing.   You do not have to be a prophet to operate on this level of prophecy.  What you do have to be is someone who knows how to draw near to the Holy Spirit where he can live his life through you.

            Not all prophecy requires divine revelation. However, all prophecy does require divine utterance.  Each one of us has been given the Holy Spirit to enable us to do things beyond ourselves.  It is our responsibility to hear from heaven and say only what God says. Sometimes we may not even realize that we are speaking by the Spirit, but the more acquainted we become to the unction, the more we will be able to recognize that we are being prompted to say things we say.  God wants every one of us to learn how to prophesy.  We are living in a time when it is vital that we speak by the divine unction of the Holy Spirit to edify, exhort, and comfort the body of Christ. 

            God has a blueprint for us to follow for these last days.  The closer we come to the return of the Lord, the more necessary it is for us to make this the most productive time of our life.  We cannot afford to be idle.  We must be about our Father's business!  That is why I think it is essential that we become more focused, that we stay hungry for the things of God, that we use our faith, and endeavor to do more to run our spiritual race with our eyes riveted upon the finish line. If there is anything I have learned about living in a prophetic time period it is that we must learn how to take prophetic measures to carrying out the will of God-in every area of our life.  We must become sensitive to the quickenings of the Holy Spirit.  We must learn to obey him even in the minor details of life. When we sense his prompting, we must learn how to act quickly and decisively.  We must never let our reasoning dismiss what our heart is trying to direct us to do.  If you feel like calling a brother or sister to encourage them, don't hesitate-just do it!  If it is to do something for someone, then make plans to carry it through.  The more you give yourself to being directed to the spontaneous actions of the Holy Spirit, the deeper the river of God will run in you and through you.

Paul told the Hebrew Christians, "...to exhort one another daily, while it is called Today" (Heb 3:13).  In our opening scripture, he says, "exhorting one another, and so much the more, as you see the day approaching" (Heb 10:25).  How much clearer can it be!  We must take it to heart to flow in the prophetic by edifying, exhorting, and comforting one another, because the times demand it!

Here are four prophetic measures we must become acquainted with, if we are going to be people that know how to flow with the Holy Spirit.  Number one, is staying fresh in our relationship with God. We must keep ourselves on the cutting edge of end-time transitions.  Just like Israel had to learn how to pick up and move when the cloud moved, we must learn to flow with changes as it is given to us by the Holy Spirit.  You cannot maintain a fresh relationship with God if you allow yourself to be confined to repeating the past. Stay connected...stay fresh and alive! Number two, is learning how to be accurate.  In other words, stay with the flow.  How many times have we seen folk start out in the Spirit and end up in the flesh?  Don't go beyond the anointing.  Give only what you have been given-no more, no less!  Number three, is keep yourself stirred up with the power of the Holy Spirit.  When you speak, you want it to have an impact.  When you minister, you want it to be stimulating, penetrating, and life-changing.  You can only achieve that by maintaining a flow generated by the power of the Holy Ghost.  And lastly, number four, is learning to look within for the unction.  It is the anointing that propels the prophetic.  Every word you speak, every deed you do, must be by the unction.  When the anointing is operating it will produce life.  It will lift and inspire.  It will feed and nourish.  It will remove the burden and destroy the yoke!  It will bring God on the scene, and isn't that what we want?  The more we see times changing around us and becoming increasingly prophetic, the more it will demand of us to take prophetic measures to carry out our end-time assignments.