The Gift of Prophecy

Each of us is to exercise [our spiritual gift] accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith.
—Romans 12:6

This week we will continue to discover which of the seven gifts described in Romans 12 6–8 is yours. First Peter 4:10 says each believer only has one basic desire and empowerment: “As each one has received a special gift.” That word is singular. Let’s look at each of these seven spiritual gifts.

The first spiritual gift is mentioned in Romans 12:6. “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith.” The first gift Paul mentions is the gift of prophecy. The gift of prophecy is not foretelling the future; it is forth-telling the truth of God. The gift of prophecy is presenting God’s truth to convict people of sin and their need for a right relationship with God.

When I think about the gift of prophecy I think about the apostle Peter, who had the gift of prophecy. He preached the great sermon at Pentecost. Acts 2:37–38 says, “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brethren, what shall we do?’ Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” Peter had the ability to present God’s Word in such a powerful way that it convicted people of their sin and their need for a right relationship with God.

Now, the person who has the gift of prophecy is usually somebody who is persuasive and has an ability to speak well. To them, everything is black and white, right or wrong. They tend to prefer ministry to groups of people rather than on a one-to-one basis. They have also a unique ability to see through people—they are able to get past the facade and understand people’s real motivation. And that is important: if God has given them the ministry of convicting people of sin, they need to be able to see through people.

Now, there are some dangers to this spiritual gift, just as there are dangers with every gift. People with this gift should be careful of being prideful of their ability to speak. They also need to be careful not to depend on their own speaking skills rather than on the Holy Spirit. They need to be cautious about being insensitive to other people’s feelings. Sometimes their directness can be at times harsh. That’s the gift of prophecy.

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Today’s devotion is excerpted from “Discovering and Using Your Spiritual Gift — Message 2” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2011.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.