However, there are still other types of prophecy. Prophecy is always used over someone to encourage and exhort their gifts, but sometimes, prophecy can be used to encourage and exhort more than one person. Also, sometimes prophecies include what we, in our community, call Words of Knowledge. A Word of Knowledge is when God gives specific information to a person that they could have never known otherwise. This gift seems a little scary and spooky to some people at first, but it is just verification that God is speaking directly to them. There is absolutely no feeling as serious as the feeling you get when someone starts reading your mail! The first time I experienced this was at Training Camp, when former World Racer and current AIM Staff Member, Jake Rodriguez, spoke into me. He had NEVER met me, not read any of my applications, and generally, didn’t know anything about me. He didn’t even know my name! He walked up to me and began to speak out the deepest things I struggled with in my life. I felt like my eyes were about to pop out of my head, because he was so specific, so outright, that I KNEW that God was speaking through Jake.
The first time was in a prophecy exercise, I was paired up with another squadmate. He began pouring out life into me, vividly telling me that Satan was going to use things from my past to attack me this year, but that God has redeemed me, and that I had to speak the Word of God, OUT LOUD, over my life when Satan attacked (Incidentally, I have spoken the Word of God, OUT LOUD, over my life since then, and it changes everything. This was one of the most important prophecies I received this year, because speaking God’s Word, OUT LOUD, over myself has helped me win victories I couldn’t win before).
I just want to say that the person who spoke over me is someone I consider to be a TRUE Man of God. He has spoken so much into me and over me since we first met, that I was a little intimidated to even speak anything into him. I wanted to tell him something that would truly mean something to him. I bowed my head and asked, “God, I want to tell him something important from you to bless him as he has blessed me. Can you please help me tell him something that would be meaningful to him?”
All of a sudden, I received a flash in my mind. I saw a little girl sitting on a chair. She was young and had long, blonde hair. I automatically knew how he felt about her, that she was very important to him, and several other things that I couldn’t have known. I looked at my friend and said,
“There’s a little girl, isn’t there?”
He looked at me and his expression suddenly changed. It was as if he was holding a shield of some kind over his eyes before this, and it dropped.
“Yes, yes there is.” He said seriously.
“She’s back in Texas. It was very hard for you to leave simply because of this little girl. You love her very much and you feel like you need to protect her and keep her safe. God brought you here to make you into the Man of God he created you to be, but He wants you to know He is taking care of this little girl while you are away. Seeds are being planted in her heart and she is going to grow up to be a strong Woman of God.”
By this time, my friend had tears streaming down his face. I was blown away by how God had just used my incompetent self to speak a specific word that my friend desperately needed to hear. He never said a word to me, but hugged me tightly. I knew that God had just done something beautiful in his heart, given him a peace he deeply needed.
Months later, my friend told me about who this little girl was. Even though I never specified who she was (I didn’t know, honestly) she turned out to be someone in his own family. He told me he had shared the prophecy with his sister and that it was a blessing to their family. While waiting on the train to Bulgaria, I asked him a little bit about this girl. He pulled out a picture he had of her, and I was amazed at God once again. I had never told him that I had seen her in my mind, and I had never told him what color her hair was or what she looked like. I smiled at him and said, “She has long, blonde hair.” He obviously had no idea what I was talking about, but God knew. This beautiful little girl was the SAME beautiful little girl I had seen that day in that Irish hotel, long blonde hair and all.
Another time, God spoke a Word of Knowledge through me was when we were working at Abundant Life Church in Galway, Ireland. We had an hour of prayer time each night, petitioning God to save the lost and empower the believers in Galway with signs and wonders and miracles to bring others to salvation. One night, they placed four specific prayer requests on the altar of the church. These were requests for healing.
“I am working in Jonathan’s life, and soon I will come to save and restore him.”
When I got up after that long hour of heartbreak, I realized the sheet was soggy with tears. I wiped my face clean and turned to welcome the group of people that were entering the church for the Wednesday night service.
“That’s Jonathan’s mother. Go tell her what I said to you at the altar.”
Now, I wish I could honestly tell you I ran right up to her and told her everything God had said. However, I began doubting myself (Even though my heart KNEW it was true) and I waited to the absolute last second. I began talking to her, moments before we were leaving the church, and I asked her if she had any children. She said, “Yes, I have a son named Rowland that will be at the youth service tomorrow night. You can meet him then.”
I just stood there. With a lump in my throat, I said, “You also have another son.”
She looked at me in a quizzical way and smiled. “Yes, I do have a son, named Jonathan.”
Right then, I launched out into everything that happened at the altar. I told her God was working in Jonathan’s life, and that He was going to save and restore him. She looked at me, in an overwhelmed way, and I knew that there was something deep happening in her heart.
“God is working in his heart, I said it just today.” She said in her deep Irish accent, “How did you know that I was his mother?”
I smiled and said, “God told me.” She hugged me tightly, and I knew that, once again, God used unworthy little me to bring hope and peace to someone’s life.
In my next blog, I’ll wrap up this series on prophecy with a word that one of my squadmates spoke over me. It has been the most powerful prophecy I’ve receieved to date, and I know it will edify my church and my own family.
