There seems to be two different camps within the prophetic circles of the Body of Christ today. One camp believes in prophesying purely by faith. The other prophetic camp seeks to prophesy from the anointing of God or from the Presence of God. Let’s look at both of these things.
Prophesying by Faith alone
You might ask me, “Justin, what do you mean when you say prophesying by faith?” What I mean is that these people believe that the prophet or the person who has the gift of prophecy can purely prophesy by “stirring up” or by just “activating” the prophetic gift that’s inside of them. The people who believe and operate in this way usually quote from two particular Scripture verses to use as a foundation or justification for this kind of ministry. The verses they use are Romans 12:6 and 2 Timothy 1:6. Let’s look at both verses now.
Romans 12:6 says, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gifts is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith.”
2 Timothy 1:6 says “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”
Between the two verses; Romans 12:6 would be the only verse that could support an operation/belief like this one because the verse in 2 Timothy 1:6 is not about prophecy whatsoever. The context of 2 Timothy 1:6 is about the Apostle Paul exhorting his spiritual son Timothy to remember to stir up the gift of teaching or the gift of leadership that he carried. Timothy was a shy personality; one who was timid and needed the encouragement from his spiritual mentor and father. There is no suggestion whatsoever that Timothy ever prophesied or had the gift of prophecy.
Prophesying by the Anointing
In 2 Peter 1:20-21 declares, “Knowing this first that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
Prophecy from the Holy Spirit was never spoken “by the will of man” or in other words initiated by the human will. This reveals to us a secret that tells us that if prophets or people with a prophetic gift prophesy by faith only or without an anointing then they will prophesy out of their own human will and not from the heart of God.
According to Pastor Jonas Clark, “Prophesying is not something that is done solely by faith. Prophecy is not by the prophet’s faith and will alone. Faith alone does not make the Holy Spirit speak. Faith is involved, yes, but the prophet is not making the prophetic utterance come by faith alone.”
Prophesying from the Presence of God or from the anointing of God carries a greater level of power and authority than merely prophesying by faith alone. The voice of God coming from the Presence of God is what we should be desiring to release. In order to function in the realm of prophesying from the anointing we need to learn how to wait upon the Lord until He gives us permission to prophesy. His Presence is a signal just like a green light is a signal for a car to go.
The Problem with Prophesying by Faith alone
If we prophesy by only faith we can easily fall into the trap of divination without even realizing it. If we prophesy by faith without unction, outside God’s permission, we are in danger of tapping into a spirit of divination. What is divination? Divination is foretelling the future by occult means. When we wait upon the Lord for His anointing we can be sure that we won’t fall prey to familiar spirits.
Conclusion
In conclusion, when we prophesy from the anointing of God we will prophesy with greater accuracy and authority. We will stay away from the trap of presumption and divination. God will take us from glory to glory in the prophetic.