Because the preparation process involves so much pain and heartache, the prophet must understand that it is a sovereign God who is orchestrating the events of our lives - sovereignly keeping watch over the processes of temptation, sin, and failure. Though God does not tempt us, nor cause us to sin, He allows the devil to tempt us in order to sift us and shake us.

"Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:"
James 1:13

"And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life."
Job 2:3-6

"And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:"
Luke 22:31

Even though God wants His prophets to discern right from wrong, He wants grace and compassion to flow from our hearts and our words. When God determines that His prophet has been brought to a place of surrender, the prophet is deemed ready for service.

What happens when someone with a prophetic gift and calling is still suffering from hurt or rejection and has not yet chosen to forgive? Their keen "prophetic" insights are often displayed in sarcasm or cutting remarks. Somehow the words seem right when they first come out, but later, they grow to become bitter bile in the mouth.

A church desiring prophetic ministry must be extremely cautious not to anoint or lay hands on any one too quickly (I Tim 5:22). To do so may abort God's training process and short circuit the long-term effectiveness of a budding prophet's ministry.

How about you? Have you been hurt by others? Do you carry feelings of resentment and bitterness in your soul? Do these areas of unforgiveness taint God's word spoken through you? When the word of the Lord comes out of your mouth, is it pure and undefiled? Have you relinquished your hurt to God, surrendered ownership of your life to Him? Or is the word spoken through you still colored by your personal soul pain? Send us your thoughts and comments.

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Next week, we will look at another "coloring factor" when we examine The Prophet's Theological Filter.

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GroundWorks is an imprint of Reconciliation Press. The name has been chosen to reflect the biblical idea of roots and foundations in Christian life and culture. As you read these weekly articles, look for words and imagery in the text that illustrate these themes.

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