God’s assignment to a prophet
“See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant.” Jeremiah 1:10
God’s words through the prophet’s mouth are going to bring about a change in the atmosphere! God uses a prophet to stir things up in the spirit realm.
Assignment #1: To Root out
First and foremost, a prophet will root out, pull down, destroy, and throw down what is not of God.
“What injustice have your fathers found in Me, that they have gone far from Me, have followed idols, and have become idolaters? Jeremiah 2:5
The first prophetic word that God gave Jeremiah was an indictment against His people. The Lord began by reminding them of their love towards Him in the wilderness, but now they have followed idols and walked away from Him. God used Jeremiah to root out and pull down the weeds growing in the spiritual fabric of His nation. It was important for His people to know how far they had walked away from their God.
People have a tendency over time to get comfortable and careless in their lives, and God uses a prophet to deliver a word in order to awaken people from dullness and stupor. He uses a prophet for recalibration purposes!
The first prophetic word delivered by Samuel was an indictment of Eli’s family of their wickedness. He was hesitant but obedient to deliver the word! Sometimes we have a tendency to think that we need to have a few positive prophesies under our belt before we are qualified to speak a rebuking word. God decides what we should prophesy. If we are new or unsure, we can always get help from those who are more seasoned to confirm the word. If we belong to a church that understands and operates in prophesy we should have the safety net not to shy away from delivering a tough word.
The Lord identifies the issues of hindrance in a believer’s life and uses a prophet to speak on those areas. This is not going to be directed by the prophet’s preferences or timing but by God’s initiation.
Assignment #2: To Build
Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. Amos 3:7
While God uses a prophet to uproot things out of the life of a believer, the primary work of prophet is to cast vision, establish, and build in God’s kingdom.
God reveals His heart to a prophet and shows him what needs to be built. Prophets become His mouthpiece and architect to pave the way by sharing the blueprint with His people. Nehemiah is a great example of a prophet whom God used by giving him vision and strategy on how to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
Jeremiah was sent to God’s people to tell them that they were going to go into captivity while the false prophets were telling them otherwise. However, Jeremiah also gave them great encouragement that if they sought after God, God was going to do a restoration in their lives because ultimately His plans for them were for good not for evil!
The purpose of prophetic gifting is not to gain popularity with people neither is it to create unnecessary enemies by delivering bad news. The purpose of the prophetic is to exhort and encourage as God instructs and directs. Whether it is received or not, we rejoice because we have obeyed God. If we desire to be popular, then the prophetic realm is not the place to be!
What truly is a blessing is that most prophets including Jeremiah had a heart for God and for His people! They did not enjoy delivering bad news or rebuking the people. Many times they were before the Father crying, praying, and interceding on behalf of the people. Their desire was to see the people of God prosper by responding to the Lord’s message.
Do we have a heart to root out and build up as God desires regardless of the person we are sent to?