What is a Prophet?
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:15 (NIV)
There are many ideas out there as to what a prophet actually is.
Some say a prophet is a person that can tell the future (like a fortune teller). Some say prophets must never be wrong (using old testament scripture as the basis). Some say everything a prophet says is conditional (maybe never correct). And still others simply shrug their shoulders.
So – what is a prophet?
Its actually very simple. Prophets (or Prophetess in the case of females) are people that God has called from before birth (Jeremiah 1:5) to walk with Him as a close friend (John 15:15).
Yes, God has called all people to be His children and His friends, but prophets are those people that God set apart to know the masters business and share it. Just as a Pastor has a special heart for shepherding God’s people, or an Evangelist a special heart for telling others of God’s grace, prophets have a special heart for hearing what God has to say for specific situations.
God would tell anyone, but prophets have an inborn, strong desire to simply walk and talk with God on a personal level. And this sharing that occurs gives them a deeper insight which they can then share.
Prophets are no different than anyone else. They are not perfect. They sin, they do things they should not do. But like everyone else, they live and breath within God’s grace as well.
Prophets are often times very difficult (especially in their younger growing years in the spirit). Prophets often know exactly hat God says or thinks, but don’t always understand God’s grace. Just as the prophets clearly told Paul what would happen (Acts 21), those same folks did not understand God’s grace AND God’s calling upon Paul. In essence, Paul disobeyed the prophets!
But prophets must learn to walk and to minister in God’s grace. They must learn that He is not as demanding as we humans often times think He is.
One last though on what a prophet is (actually isn’t):
A prophet is not a fortune teller, palm reader, tea reader, etc. etc. These people may have been called by God from before birth (which would give them an uncanny ability to see into the spirit realm), but unless and until they accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, they can not and never will fulfill that call. They may appear to be spiritual, and to tell you some truths. But any gift that steers a person from Christ, is a gift of God not working with God. It is in essence a counterfeit gift until the Holy Spirit is the one that gives the true unction. And He can not do that without Christ’s salvation in their heart.