What is the most powerful tool in the hands of the Lord? Did you know that you are a potent and powerful tool in his hands? Your purpose in life is to display the splendor and majesty of your Creator to a world that hungers for Him and is looking for Him. Considering the prophetic personalities, what are they really?
But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.” (Acts 9:15 ESV).
Taking a look at some of the prophetic tools that I believe the Lord is using in this hour, let’s take a closer look at each. In order to do that, I would like to just preface by saying that these tools are not just for those who perceive themselves to be prophets, but for the entire Body of Christ as a whole. All of us have the ability to operate in the prophetic gift or grace according to 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. My understanding is that God will use many of you in a mix of many different ways, so I pray that you will be encouraged as you discover and unearth some of the hidden gifts inside you that are preparing to be released.
The 7 tool types, operational type as well as the prophetic ministry shall be discussed below.
The 7 Prophetic Tool Personalities by Nate Johnston
The Key
It was a key that was the first tool I saw when I opened the box. Symbolized by this key are the revelators, the equippers, the trainers, the disciplers, and the imparters who equip the Body for service (see Eph. 4:12) or reveal the secrets/revelation of the Kingdom to the Body. They help the Kingdom expand its borders and push out further into the world.
And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. (Isaiah 22:22 ESV).
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19 ESV).
There will be key-givers, as I call them, who will be integral to the passing of the baton and grooming of those that God will raise up, uncovering the infinite resources of the Kingdom that are available to us right now.
This group of key-givers will be the ones who will unlock and unfold the road ahead for the Body of Christ in the days ahead. A new generation of sons and daughters will emerge from them who will clear the debris of old religious mindsets, champion the truth and lead a powerful army that will subdue the earth with an army of powerful sons and daughters.
The Hammer
The hammer symbolizes the essential role that those who are called to administer reformations in the Church should play, or as I have come to call them, refitters, because they are the ones who are repairing and restoring areas of the Church from the inside out. There are some people who come across as hammers because they challenge and confront stagnant and stale forms which do not produce fruit and need to be challenged.
A Refitter is not affiliated with any one denomination or stream of Christianity, rather they have been raised up to serve as a member of the Body of Christ. It is evident that they are going against the tide of societal norms and cultural norms to articulate Heaven’s intentions, remove the old and outdated methods, and pave the way for greater unity, connectivity, and effectiveness, moving against the flow of cultural and religious norms.
The re-fitters possess a deep understanding of the Kingdom’s infrastructure, and they work with apostles to bring new strategies to market, enabling them to grow and expand the Kingdom.
Refitters do not have the gift of finding faults but rather the gift of opening doors to the future. Rather than criticizing, they see the gold in each expression and are given a blueprint of Heaven that shows how to break out of areas of stagnation, allowing the flow of life to once again begin.
How the hammer of the whole earth s cut down andbroken! How Babylon has become a horror among the nations! 20 “You are my hammer and weapon of war: with you I break nations in pieces; with you I destroy kingdoms; 21 with you I break in pieces the horse and his rider; with you I break in pieces the chariot and the charioteer; 22 with you I break in pieces man and woman; with you I break in pieces the old man and the youth; with you I break in pieces the young man and the young woman; 23 with you I break in pieces the shepherd and his flock; with you I break in pieces the farmer and his team; with you I break in pieces wgovernors and commanders. Jeremiah 50:23; Jeremiah 51:20–23 ESV
The Pen
Those who carry the Word of the Lord through their creative or administrative gift are called scribes, songwriters, psalmists, authors, policy writers, and those who are called to speak the Word.
In my vision, I saw a pen lighting up the sky with words of fire, and at this hour, it will be those with the anointing of the scribe who will light up the sky and draw the world to Jesus with their anointed words. It will be the psalmists and songwriters who will suddenly birth songs that will be called a revolution by the world because they will expose counterfeits and ignite a desire to know God through their songs.
My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer (skillful). (Psalm 45:1 NKJV).
As the Body of Christ enters a historical season, God is raising up these prophetic pens in His hand to be messengers and articulators of the heart of the Lord, more than ever before.
The Bell
The Lord took me into a vision as I was walking around the city at night in another suburb of Australia while we were speaking at a conference where we were giving talks. It was a powerful encounter with the Lord, and I saw Him in a vision as I was walking around the city after dark. All of a sudden, the bells of the inner-city Catholic church began ringing out their beautiful melody throughout every nook and cranny of the city.
I began to hear the Lord speaking to me in this hour of the night about His bellringers. Rather than just calling the Body to worship and pray, they are calling the Body to announce a call to justice and a sound of liberty throughout the whole world.
Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near (Joel 2:1 ESV).
There has been a lot of talk in the recent past about bells in this season because heaven is saying loud and clear, “You are My instruments, My vessels of freedom and peace, to administer truth and justice throughout the lands! ” Justice carriers, arise and let your sound be heard!
The Timepiece
In a vision earlier in the year, I saw a timepiece that looked similar to what I saw in my toolbox, but this watch had hands that moved forward and backward unpredictable manners. I was reminded of the sons of Issachar from 1 Chronicles 12:32, who understood the times. My inability to understand what this watch was telling me as I looked at it could be interpreted differently by those who have been given the gift of knowing the times by God.
The gift of knowing the times and seasons is valuable to prophetic timekeepers because they are able to detect changes and shifts in certain epoch cycles and are able to predict when God is doing certain things at specific times. There is no doubt that timekeepers provide a roadmap and clarity for those who are walking blindly through uncertain or blind periods, as well as connecting the dots for those who feel lost and hopeless during these times.
As the name Issachar indicates, there is a recompense, and just like the name implies, God’s watchmen are able to see the promise arise from the ashes of the wilderness and speak restoration even in the midst of disaster.
The Telescope
It wasn’t until months after I asked the Lord about the telescope that He showed me anything about it. I had a vision one night while I was in worship, in which I saw Jesus handing me a long, old, wooden box. A navy blue silk bag was lying inside the box when I opened it, and inside I found an old brass telescope. My interest was piqued when I took out the telescope from the box, extended it to my eye, and as I was looking through it, I was able to see some specific events for a country that were years from taking place, which I had no way of knowing in advance.
The Lord was highlighting to me at that time the gift of foresight and long-term vision that he had given me -the gift of being able to foretell in order to warn and guide the Body of Christ. It immediately brought to mind the late prophet Kim Clement who worked in this gift with such accuracy and purity, and in my opinion I believe that it is going to become more common in the future than it has ever been before.
It is through these prophetic eyes that specific plots and plans will be revealed ahead of time so that they can be foiled, disarmed, prayed into, and thwarted. The Bible contains many references to this gift, which can be seen in many places. Throughout history, there have been many instances of prophets foretelling the birth of Jesus. One of the most prominent examples is Isa. 9:6, for example.
It is also possible to perceive what is hidden through this gifting.
“And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” (2 Kings 6:12).
Seers of prophecy, arise!
The Lightning Rod
It seems like for the entire week, I had dreams of lightning strikes every night. During one of my dreams, I witnessed a scene that reminded me much of the scene from the movie Back to the Future, when the lightning struck the clock and sent Marty back in time before sending him back into the present. Upon waking up the next morning, the Lord began to show me that He is raising up lightning rods all over the world. As His power and glory are transmitted through these priests and evangelists, they are to be conduits of God’s power and glory, and they will be able to transport the Church from the past to the future through the lightning of heaven.
I was also reminded of the fact that, when lightning strikes, it is common for it to short the power system, shutting down power for whole cities and regions as a result. As such, these lightning rods will short the system and will be capable of taking back territory from the oppressive, long-standing principalities that have controlled regions and cities for such a long time.
The lightning rods are always in a high altitude and are able to detect and sense things that many others are not able to. In the upcoming days and weeks, many of these heavenly conductors are going to strike and recover, and we will see many of them restore the rights and ownership of many stolen and usurped regions and places around the globe.
Operational Prophetic Personalities
In the context of the operational prophetic personality, there are four distinct types: knower, hearer, seer, and feeler.
knower
- The knower is intuitive; There was an instinctive bond between Paul and Timothy that led him to become a mentor to him. It could be that you just know you are supposed to do something or go somewhere, but haven’t received a word or encounter that would confirm the impression.
hearer
- When the hearer listens to God, he or she is likely to hear God saying specific things. Perhaps you just have a verse or a phrase that just pops into your head. As far as I am concerned, this is what I would call the classic play-by-play.
seer
- It is often said that the Seer is a visionary, that God gives them a vision for life, but they sometimes struggle with the details of life because of their big vision which could take a lifetime to achieve.
feeler
- Feelers are often given an emotion by God usually so that they may partner with Him in interceding for people, the people in their family, etc.
11 Prophetic Ministries
1. The Realm of Mysteries
In many cases, the Holy Spirit communicates with us through mysterious means, such as dreams, visions, prophetic parables, and symbolic pictures. As a matter of fact, for some, this is the primary method of receiving and ministering prophetic insights. In order to understand a mystery, interpretation is required, and its meaning is not always immediately apparent.
As we journey with God, we discover He is the one who reveals mysteries to us (Dan 2:28), a gift we should be thankful for.
In the realm of mystery, the prophet Ezekiel received prophecy and communicated it to the people. A number of visions, such as the valley of dry bones in Ezekiel 37, were symbolic in nature. Other mysteries were Heavenly realities, such as visions of the cherubims and the throne of God, which were impossible for the natural mind to comprehend. (Ezek 1, 10,11)
2. The Realm of Knowledge
As part of the prophetic ministry, there is a sphere of knowledge in which some prophets operate. In the context of knowledge, one can refer to actual events in the past, present, or future-knowledge of the future being referred to as “foretelling”. In 1 Corinthians 12:8, Paul refers to the ‘word of knowledge’ as one of the gifts of the Spirit in his list of the gifts of the Spirit.
The prophet Samuel worked within the field of knowledge and was a prophet of God. He tells Saul in 1 Samuel 9 that the donkeys that he lost three days earlier have been found (knowledge of the past). During the conversation, he tells Saul that he will meet a group of people who will inform him that his father is now concerned about him (present and future knowledge). Saul is then instructed by him as to the nature of his kingship and what it entails. (See 1 Samuel 10)
It is important to note before I begin to share about other types of mysteries that a mystery is not less significant than knowledge in terms of how God communicates with us. Quite different. Prophecy is communicated both through mysteries and knowledge.
3. Prophetic Writing
The Bible contains many writing prophets. Because some prophets have been used by God to write Scripture, we know that this is true.
There were some of them who were poets, such as Habakkuk, who were part of this group. Some prophets, however, did not record their words in writing. It is recorded in 2 Kings 22:14-20 that the Prophet(ess) Huldah gave verbal prophetic counsel to the people.
4. Prophetic Arts and Creative
A creative and dramatic prophetic act was performed by Ezekiel under the influence of the Holy Spirit that was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Throughout Ezekiel 4 and 5, he uses prophetic sculpture, art, and drama to convey the message of Jerusalem’s impending judgment by utilizing prophetic sculpture and art.
5. Prophetic Worship and Music
Psalms are a collection of prophecies which were originally set to music in order to illustrate them. The Psalms of King David were prophetic and he was also a musician. We read, ‘David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals.’ (1 Chron 25:1)
A prophet(ess) by the name of Deborah wrote a song (recorded in Judges 5)
In Exodus 15:20 we read, ‘When Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand, all the women came out after her with timbrels in their hands and with dances and songs.’ (Exodus 15:20, NKJV)’
6. Prophetic Speaking (Utterance)
A prophetic voice was given to the prophet Jeremiah by the Lord: “…Behold, I will make My words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them” (Jer 5:14, NKJV). There was a time when the prophetic utterances of Haggai and Zechariah were timely exhortations that encouraged the Jewish leaders to rebuild the temple (Ezra 5:1-2).
7. Prophetic Prayer and Intercession
Prayer was a major focus for some prophets. A prominent feature of Daniel’s life was his dedication to prayer, fasting, and intercession over a long period of time. (Dan 6:10, Chapter 9). Throughout the New Testament, we find the story of Anna, a prophetic intercessor who sees the answer to her prayer in the child Jesus (Luke 2:36-38).
8. Prophetic Dreams and Interpretation
The gift of understanding and interpreting dreams and visions was one of God’s gifts to Daniel. ‘…because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.” (Dan 5:12, ESV, see also Dan 1:17). Daniel was not only able to interpret dreams of others, but he also received personal dreams and visions from God regarding the future, along with the interpretation of those dreams. An example of one of Daniel’s dreams is given in chapter 7 of the Book of Daniel.
9. Signs and Wonders Prophets
Moses, like Elijah and Elisha, were prophets who were used by God to perform signs and wonders in their lives. Through their ministry, they were able to perform healings and miracles, and they overcame the laws of nature in the process.
10. Prophetic Visionaries / Seers
The early prophetic insights of Jeremiah (chapter 1) contain a number of simple images that depict a branch of an almond tree, as well as a boiling pot that are very visually appealing. Throughout the course of his prophetic ministry, he was very visual in the way in which he presented what he was saying. In Revelation, God gives the apostle John prophecies through images that he sees in his visions, according to what is said in the book. It is also characteristic of the ministry of Ezekiel that visions are very much present in his ministry.
11. Prophetic Teaching and Preaching
The prophet Moses served both as a teacher and as a prophet. (Deut 18:15, 34:10) He wrote, ‘Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; And hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew…’ (Deut 32:1-2a, NKJV) Silas in the New Testament was a prophet who, along with Judas strengthened and encouraged the church ‘with many words.’ (Acts 15:32) When Paul was out on a mission, Silas preached beside him (Acts 15:40, 17:14)
Which Are You?
Did any of those resonate with you in your spirit at all? Are there any that have given you clarity about the expression God has been nurturing inside you? It may have been that you knew that God was doing something, but you weren’t sure what or why.
It is no secret that many prophetic people have felt disorientated or confused, as well as rejected and confused in many cases, but you must know that your greatest hour has arrived! You have been prepared for your assignment by God and He has moved you into a more effective position for your most effective season of impact as you move into your assignment. As you release the confusion of your past, God will be able to move you into a position where you will be God’s mighty warrior in this world!