The Modern Day Desert Ministry Prophets

After a few weekends out in the desert with us he soon enough started to prophesy at a higher level.

Over the many years I have walked with the Lord I have noticed a very interesting thing.

Men of God who came out into the desert with us to wait upon the Lord, where there are no distractions of daily life, would begin to prophesy with us when they have not done as such before.

The prophetic anointing would come upon them while they were in our midst.

 They were overwhelmed by the Spirit of God who came on them and caused them to “act like prophets.”

The longer they stayed with us the ability to prophesy would increase even more.

Another interesting thing that I have observed is when they no longer gathered with us, the ability to prophesy at a higher level lifted off of them.

And the ability to rightly discern a matter lessened greatly for them.

One fellow who had come out to the desert with us, originally felt that we were going to boil him and eat him for some very odd reason when he first came with us.

He had come originally from the Philippines.

After a few weekends out in the desert with us he soon enough started to prophesy at a higher level.

His spiritual gifts increased tremendously.

One time while we were gassing up the trucks he walked over to a man nearby and told him that he knew that the man had just been released from prison and that the man's mother had been praying for him.

All of this came to him prophetically by revelation from the Holy Spirit, he never saw the man before in his life and in the natural knew nothing about the man. 

The man broke down in tears and told him he was 100% correct.

After hearing the gospel message the man accepted Christ.

When the Philippine left our midst he no longer walked in the level of gifting in the Lord that he had when he was with us.

There are a few others who have experienced heightened ability in the gifts of the Holy Spirit while with us.

When they are not with us they no longer experience that ability.

One fellow in particular amazes me at how little he walks in the gifts when he is away from us.

He no longer can discern anything at all it seems to me.

Now i know your going to think cynical thoughts about all of this.

 Men scorn what they can't grasp.

"How can you be so egotistical," etc...

My prophetic calling in the Lord is nothing more than a mere job I have been called to in the Lord.

It is not some kind of badge of superiority or of deeper spirituality.

It is something i am to be a faithful servant in.

It is just like anyone of us Christians, we are called by God and gifted by God to fulfill a certain function in the Body of Christ.

Here is a Biblical example of what I have been trying to convey here.

 When Samuel anointed Saul as the first king of Israel, he predicted that Saul would prophesy, saying, “The Spirit of the LORD will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person” (1 Samuel 10:6).

 This prediction came true on that same day.

We read in verses 10–12, “When [Saul] and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying. 

When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, ‘What is this that has happened to the son of Kish?

 Is Saul also among the prophets?’ A man who lived there answered, ‘And who is their father?’ 

So it became a saying: ‘Is Saul also among the prophets?’”

Years later, as king, Saul sent three different groups of servants who prophesied to David.

 When Saul personally traveled to this location, he again prophesied: “Saul went to Naioth at Ramah.

 But the Spirit of God came even on him, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth. He stripped off his garments, and he too prophesied in Samuel’s presence. 

He lay naked all that day and all that night. This is why people say, ‘Is Saul also among the prophets?’” (1 Samuel 19:23–24). 

Who were these other prophets?

Though a group called “the sons of the prophets” existed much later in the time of Elijah and Elisha (1 Kings 20:35; 2:3–15; 4:1, 38; 5:22; 6:1), little is known about “the prophets” mentioned in Saul’s time. 

 We don't know much about them except that Elisha and Elijah both interacted with them and never condemned them as false prophets.

 Note this is all speculation as so little is known about the sons of the prophets.

 It's possible that these men were part of the group that became the "sons of the prophets" a couple of centuries later.

It's also possible that this group is the first gathering of the sons of the prophets.

 Now fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance, while the two of them [Elisha and Elijah] stood by the Jordan (2 Kin 2:7, NASB).

During these times, prophets were often associated with musicians who sang praise to God.

 In Samuel’s original prediction of the event, he mentioned “a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, timbrels, pipes and harps being played before them” (1 Samuel 10:5). 

It is likely this was group of musicians from Gibeah who prophesied before the Lord. 

The tabernacle may have been at that location, though it is uncertain.

 If so, however, it is likely this group of musicians consisted of Levite men ages 20 to 50 who were permitted to serve in the tabernacle.

Beyond this, little is known. 

The facts that Saul prophesied among them and it was considered odd suggest these prophets were not from his tribe or area (and perhaps that Saul was not a musician, though this is uncertain). 

The most likely scenario is that these Levite musicians were together worshiping and prophesying with music and that Saul, by the inspiration of the Spirit, was caught up in their activity.

 This behavior was a confirming sign of Saul’s anointing as king.

It is also interesting to note that Saul would later ask for a person who played the harp to be brought before him (1 Samuel 16:22–23). 

God raised up David for this role, the man who would follow Saul as the next king.

If you want to keep the Holy Spirit present in your midst worship God.

We have found in our ministering that worship ushers in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

And He manifests God Almighty to us.

We then are drawn to Christ and the gifts of the Holy Spirit begin to manifest in a far greater capacity.

We used to sing a wonderful song at Shekinah Fellowship:

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus.

Look full in His wonderful face.

And soon the cares of this earth will grow strangely dim in the light and glory of His grace." 

 When ever we sang this song the Holy Spirit would manifest in the meetings with a heaviness of Shekinah Glory.

This is what drew people to Shekinah Fellowship.

This is what will draw people to Christ!

Worship Jesus Christ.

Lift Him up! 

We give You all our praise Jesus!