What is a prophet?

What is a Prophet?

The prophet is one who has faced the unchangeable realities of the spiritual world and who has lost his earthly values.
He sees himself, like John, as a voice in a desert world.
He is one who has caught a heavenly vision 
which renders everything of earth opaque.

His vision of God makes him acutely aware of that which is not of God -
and so he hurts and burns for the state of an apostate church which presents itself as needing nothing.
As he sees man seeking a glory which is God's alone - he burns.
As he sees man hewing a way where God's demands have been removed - he burns.
He sees a church built on the principles of secular business, numbers and influence and he burns. 

A prophet is not self-appointed, or appointed by man.
 A prophet is not self-anointed to the task - rather he is called from on High.
The prophet is not clueless regarding the true state of things around him.  -
rather he sees them from Another Perspective. 
The true prophet knows nothing of a way of easy attainment.
His ministry has been found at the cost of a total surrender of every area of his life to the Almighty.

A prophet will not lower the standard of a Holy God,
nor will he make the Way easier.

He has no need of an "echo chamber" of praise from his fellows.
He dangles no fairy-tale promises before his hearers.
He does not confuse a man made way of unending gifts and blessings,
with the high demands of the way of God's dealings.

He does not fish for "support" for his person or his ministry.
His "gift" is not for sale.
He has no need of "followers" nor of "partners."
He seeks no praise of man, nor any recognition of earth.

The prophet is one who has faced the Unchangeable Realities of the spiritual world, and who has lost his earthly values.
He is one who has caught a heavenly vision 
     which renders everything of earth opaque.
He sees himself, like John, as a voice in a  desert world. 

He has felt the Wonder, and the Beauty, and the Burning, of Reality.
He has seen Realms beyond the earthly, 
and things of earth now hold no value to him.
He walks through this world as through a foreign country -
as one who can never be satisfied with that which surrounds him.

As Moses said ... would God that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them! (Num. 11.29)

As children of Light we can all share a degree of prophetic vision.

"Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." (Jn. 16.24)