Understanding the Role of a Prophet

Earthquakes and floods are creating new prophets.

As a new believer, God asked me a question. He said: “Femi, would you like to be a prophet?”

I did not answer. I had no desire to be a prophet. I saw it as a path filled with problems.

Later, I responded indirectly. I told God I did not want to be like Isaiah. I found Isaiah’s role frustrating. He preached to people who would not accept his message.

God said: “Go and speak this message to the people: ‘You will listen and listen, but never understand. You will look and look, but never see. Make these people stubborn! Make them stop up their ears, cover their eyes, and fail to understand. Don’t let them turn to Me and be healed.’” (Isaiah 6:9-10).

I did not realize that Isaiah’s experience is common for preachers.

No Formal Training

Becoming a prophet is not about getting advice from a career counselor. The wise men asked, “Where is He that is born king of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2). Jesus was not just born. He is born every day in the hearts of His followers.

A prophet is born, not made. God told Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5).

False prophets often come from schools of prophecy. They have degrees in Divinity. They are welcomed in Aso Rock. They tell leaders what they want to hear.

True prophets are different. They lack earthly credentials. They learn directly from God in the School of the Holy Spirit. This often puts them at odds with authority who question their right to speak. (Matthew 21:23).

Amos said: “I was no prophet, nor was I a prophet’s son. But I was a herdsman and a gatherer from sycamore trees. And Jehovah took me from behind the flock, and Jehovah said to me, Go, prophesy to My people Israel.” (Amos 7:14-15).

Preparing to Serve

Not everyone who claims to be a prophet is one. Many today are self-made. Jesus warned: “Watch out for false prophets! They dress up like sheep, but inside they are wolves who have come to attack you. You can tell what they are by what they do.” (Matthew 7:15-16).

A true prophet is emptied of personal desires. Moses spent forty years in the wilderness. God takes us through tough times to show us we can endure. He takes us through storms to show we will not drown.

Earthquakes and floods create many prophets. A thousand may fall beside us and ten thousand at our right hand, but we are kept for a special purpose in God.

The true prophet has no personal agenda. They cannot have a normal life. God told Hosea to marry a prostitute to show Israel’s unfaithfulness. Jeremiah was not allowed to marry.

Ezekiel lost his beloved wife as a sign to Israel. Isaiah’s life was also a message. He said: “Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel.” (Isaiah 8:18).

Lessons from Jonah

One night, after reading about the prophets, I told God I was going to sleep. But I asked Him about Jonah. I said: “Father, how did you keep a man alive in the belly of a fish? Your ways are truly unsearchable.”

I went to bed. As soon as I lay down, I found myself under the sea, in an air bubble. I saw a parade of colorful fish swim by, all shining with a bright light.

I was like Jonah in the fish’s belly. The lesson was clear, even if I was slow to get it. When God calls you to preach to Nineveh, you cannot run to Tarshish instead.

The Burden of a Prophet

A prophet’s life is their ministry. God wants them to be one and the same. He told me: “Femi, nothing that will ever happen to you will be coincidental. Nothing will happen without a reason.”

So if a woman is called to healing, ask her what major sickness she has faced. A miracle must have happened in her life. If a man claims to deliver others, ask how many demons he has faced.

A prophet's messages come from their own life experiences. They reflect the difficult ways God shapes our lives.

More than anything, a true prophet carries burdens. We feel heavy with the sins we speak against; we are frustrated knowing few will accept our message.

Isaiah wrote: “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4-5).

This verse speaks of the Messiah. But it also describes the prophetic life. I used to think these scriptures were only about Christ. Until one day, God spoke to me directly. I thought: “But this is about Jesus.” But God said: “Femi, it is also about you.”

I thought this meant I would travel the world as a preacher, but that was not His plan. Fifteen years later, the internet grew, and I began writing articles of faith. I found I could preach from my bedroom.

If you are reading this, the word God spoke into my life is also for you:

“Listen, O coastlands, to me, and take heed, you peoples from afar! The LORD has called me from the womb; from the matrix of my mother He has made mention of my name. And He has made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand He has hidden me, and made me a polished shaft; in His quiver He has hidden me. And He said to me, ‘You are My servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified’” (Isaiah 49:1-3).