Voice of God

How to Hear and Speak Words from God

Cindy Jacobs

• Publisher: Chosen Books
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9780800796877
• eBook ISBN: 9781441229625
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Denominations

Classic Text on Prophecy Revised for a New GenerationBestselling author Cindy Jacobs, known internationally as a leading prophetic voice, brings a foundational book for the prophetic movement to the next generation of believers. In this fully revised and updated edition, Jacobs offers a practical, biblical examination of the gift of prophecy, showing how it can be the pathway for the powerful, life-giving work of God. Every reader can learn the basic protocols as well as avoid the pitfalls that come with undisciplined prophetic ministry. The Holy Spirit is looking for individuals willing to hear the voice of God and speak it with wisdom and maturity. This vital work explains how.

1

The Voice of God

In 1955, a little four-year-old girl crept up into her mother’s lap. “Mama,” she said, “I want a baby sister.” The young mother smiled, amused by the child’s request. “Sweetheart.” She chuckled. “We’re not having any more children. You are the last one!” However, the four-year-old was insistent. She just knew Mama was going to have a baby girl. And she was right!

I was that four-year-old child, and the next year my baby sister, Lucy, was born as a present for my daddy’s seminary graduation.

Of course, at the young age of four, I had no idea that this “knowing” I sensed about my little sister’s birth was a prophetic word (i.e., spontaneous, divinely given understanding or foreknowledge about a person or an event). It would be a long time before I would learn anything remotely connected with prophecy.

Does the Bible have anything to say about children prophesying? The powerful passage in Acts 2:17 refers to sons and daughters (boys and girls) giving prophetic words: “‘And it shall come to pass in the last days,’ says God, ‘that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.’”

The fact that I had foreknowledge of my sister’s birth would be “slim pickin’s” (as we say in Texas) or small substantiation of a prophetic call on my life if this were the only such occurrence I had ever had. I remember other times, however, when the phone would ring and someone had a serious message, such as concerning a death, and I would know before the phone rang what had happened. I now realize this was part of my being used of the Lord in the area of prophecy and prophetic intercession. At that time, however, I did not understand why those things happened or what to do with the knowledge I received.

What the Bible Says about Prophecy

While you may not have experienced such prophetic insight at a young age, the Holy Spirit is vitally interested in your hearing His voice. Believers of all ages should understand the various ways that God speaks to His people. This is why it is very important to have a biblical understanding of prophecy and the prophetic gift, whether or not God will use you to prophesy on a regular basis!

I hope this book will help others understand what to do with such “knowing” when it is received and how to know whether or not it is from the Lord. Much of what I describe in this chapter—and this book, for that matter—has to deal with my own introduction to what is called personal (or private) prophecy and corporate (or public) prophecy, as well as prophetic intercession. But what exactly do these terms really mean? Before we get too far into our examination of the prophetic gifts, let’s take a look at what God’s Word has to say.

Personal and Corporate Prophecy

First Corinthians 12–14 lays out much of the biblical basis for both personal and corporate prophecy. Personal prophecy is delivering a prophetic word from God to an individual. Corporate prophecy is delivering a prophetic word to a body or congregation of believers. (I will explore these definitions further in chapter 4.) Some believe that 1 Corinthians 12–14 only has in view corporate prophecy and not personal one-to-one prophecy. However, 1 Corinthians 14:24–25 clearly speaks of prophecy for an individual revealing the secrets of the heart so that the individual confesses, “God is really among you!” (v. 25 NIV).

First Corinthians 14 (especially vv. 30, 32–33) indicates that New Testament prophecy is due to the specific revelatory activity of the Holy Spirit prompting a New Testament prophet to prophesy. New Testament prophecy is to be tested to discern whether a given prophecy is from God or not (see 1 Corinthians 14:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:19–21). New Testament prophets only prophesy “in part” (1 Corinthians 13:9).

Although New Testament prophecy never has authority equal to Scripture in our lives, it can carry with it revelation for the hour about which the Holy Spirit wants the Church to know.1

Prophetic Intercession

Scripture also gives us some specific models and examples of what I will call “prophetic intercession”—the ability to pray and intercede with prophetic insight and empowering from God’s Spirit for specific issues God brings to mind at specific times.

Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:16–21 clearly say that in the Messianic Age the Lord will pour out His Spirit with a prophetic anointing on His people, the Church.

Zechariah 12:10 (NIV) . . . supplication” will also be poured out on Jerusalem and the people of God in the Messianic Age (compare Zechariah 12:10 with John 19:37; Revelation 1:7). In this sense, a spirit of supplication is an anointing of intercession, denoted by the Hebrew word takhanunim, which means “supplication, petition.” Interestingly, this word takhanunim is the same Hebrew word used for “intercession” in 2 Chronicles 6:21 (see also Daniel 9:3, 17–18, 23).

God’s Word is full of examples of prophetic intercession when His servants prayed with prophetic insight from Him. Examples include Abraham (see Genesis 18:20–23), Moses (see Exodus 32:7–14), Asaph (see Psalm 50, 73–83; and 2 Chronicles 29:30, which mentions “Asaph the seer”), Daniel (see Daniel 9:1–4, 20–22), Anna the prophetess (see Luke 2:36–38), Jesus (see Luke 22:31; John 17), Ananias (see Acts 9:10–17) and Paul (see Acts 22:17–21). All these biblical figures prayed with insight, direction and empowering from God’s Spirit for issues that God revealed to them when they prayed.

This gives us just a taste of personal prophecy, corporate prophecy and prophetic intercession. My goal in the following chapters is to explore with you the way God uses the prophetic gifts to build, edify and expand His Church—and the role you play in His plan.

As you will see, the first few chapters stress preparation for the prophetic person, including a person’s prayer life and personal walk with God. In these chapters, you will notice an emphasis on the role of prophetic intercession. The later chapters shift focus to the application of the prophetic gifts, and the place of personal and corporate prophecy in today’s Church.

And as I mentioned earlier, an understanding of God’s ways in regard to prophecy was a slow process for me. However, even as a young girl, He gently guided me—never abandoning me along the way.

Inklings of the Prophetic Call

As years passed, the Lord began to make it clear to me in various ways that He was calling me to “something”—such as the time when I was at junior church camp in Prescott, Arizona, at nine years of age. One day our counselor encouraged each of us to find a quiet place to “talk with God.” I remember crawling up on a huge rock outside the chapel. As I was lying back on that rough granite rock, surrounded by the visible manifestations of God’s artistry of blue sky and towering trees, I began to pray, “Lord, what do You want from my life?” At first, all I heard was the sound of the wind and trees harmonizing with the birds in the woods. Then I quietly heard another sound—it was the voice of God saying, Cindy, I have something I want you to do for Me. At the sound of His voice spoken so sweetly in my soul, I responded with my heart beating a staccato along with the wind and trees, “Here am I, Lord; send me.” I can still hear the words as strongly as the day He spoke them to me.

A couple of years ago, I went back to renew that experience with God. Although that “huge rock” seemed much smaller than it had when I was nine years old, I felt a renewal of the call of God. The Lord met me there again during a time of deep discouragement. That rock became an altar of remembrance in my life of God’s call and the affirmation of His presence and anointing. I promised the Lord there that I would never turn back from His call. He planted His covenant within my heart that He would never leave me nor forsake me in the call. The mark of the Voice of God was once again planted deeply within my soul. I pray that God will give each of you who are reading this book and are discouraged a place such as my “huge rock” so you will be affirmed by and touched with the comfort of your Maker.

Why didn’t God let me know what “the call” meant when He spoke to me in Prescott? I have a theory. Absolutely nothing in my worldview could have remotely given me an idea of what a prophetic call on my life would mean. Maybe some of you can relate to this in your life. It seems God is opening up many new vistas for us in the Body of Christ. There is a hunger across denominational lines to understand personal prophecy. The revelation that God sometimes uses a prophetic word to speak to us is becoming increasingly accepted and understood.

Other inklings of the prophetic call occurred from time to time as I was growing up. At times during conversations, people would stop and say, “How did you know that?” To this day my friends say, “Cindy, it’s kind of different traveling with you; you often answer my questions before I ask them.” Of course, I cannot read people’s minds, nor do I have knowledge of everything. At times, I would like to know something specific from the Lord for a person, but He is silent. There are various possible reasons for this. Perhaps the Lord has chosen to use someone else to speak His word to that person, or perhaps He wants the person to personally seek Him for an answer. I realize this sounds strange—even downright weird to some people. How do I know it isn’t ESP or some occult counterfeit gift in operation? This is a legitimate question and one I will touch on in chapters 3 and 4.

A Call to Prophetic Intercession

This book will not give you a specific formula describing the prophetic call and the way to hear the voice of God. God’s methods are unique. However, I hope to give you some signposts to follow. One thing I have learned through the years is that not all prophetic calls are alike. Each person is unique in his or her gifts and abilities. The ways of God, kneaded into our lives through Holy Spirit–appointed visitations and circumstances, have molded each of us in a different fashion.

Many of these special kairos times (a Greek word meaning “time, season,” used to refer to strategic times of visitation) reveal the gift-mix of the person. By this I mean some are psalmists or singing prophets, seers and so forth. (I will explain these terms later.) The types of prophetic people in the Bible were widely varied, as were the ways by which God called and appointed them for service. I will amplify this theme in chapter 9.

An experience that marked me for life and revealed part of the gift-mix in which God has me function came one hot summer when I was twelve years old. Just as God spoke to Joseph in a dream, He used a series of dreams or night visions, as they are sometimes called, to indelibly etch the call to evangelism along with the prophetic call in my life. We were living in Phoenix, Arizona, when I began having a remarkable series of dreams. They were similar and dramatic. I dreamed about hell. For about a week in the middle of each night, I began to “see” people being tormented in eternal judgment. Hearing their anguished screams was terrifying, and I had a sensation of total hopelessness, loneliness and despair. No more chances to change or repent! I watched as their flesh was burned and seared with a fire that was never quenched.

You can imagine the effect of such dreams. Night after night I would awaken, weep and walk back and forth across the floor, crying out to God to use me to win the lost for His Kingdom. Dear readers, hell is a very real place. One such experience marks you with a passion to stop people from going there eternally. Little did I understand the call of the prophetic that stirs revival praying—the kind that pours from your spirit and says, “Lord, give me direction and lead me today to some person who does not know You. Lord, give me the harvest for Your Kingdom.”

The coming worldwide revival is causing more and more people to pray in this manner to see salvation come to their neighbors, cities and the unreached people groups of the earth. Many are being called into prophetic intercession who have never been used in that way before.

The specific call to prophetic intercession was made clear to me when I was twenty years old. (I will write more about this in the next chapter.) At the time, I did not fully understand what had happened to me, but the gift of prophecy was definitely stirred up, amplified and poured out in a greater measure during a deep time of seeking the Lord.

The only glimpse of the future assignment the Lord had for me to travel and prophesy in the nations came one day when my husband, Mike, and I were newlyweds and living in California. The Lord didn’t speak to me because I was feeling super-spiritual or because I was attending church. I was sitting in our car, waiting for Mike to pick up some of the best Mexican food in the world. While I waited, I pulled my little red Bible out of my purse and flipped it open to read. My eyes fell on the passage in Psalm 2:8: “Ask of Me, . . . the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.”

I remember thinking, Well, it says to ask and so I will! Lord, I am asking You for the nations for my inheritance. Something stirred within my heart. Tears sprang into my eyes. The nations, Lord? Would You ever send me to the nations? The possibility seemed as remote as the moon.

It would be many years before I understood that the stirring in my heart that day was a small indicator of the ministry the Lord would someday give to me. Every time I ventured to question what the Lord had meant when He said to me as a nine-year-old girl, “I have something I want you to do,” I ended up with the same four-letter word, Wait. Nothing else, just w-a-i-t. Finally, in time, I stopped asking.

Have you ever noticed how God sometimes seems to take forever to answer? You pray and pray, and the heavens seem like brass—He is simply not talking to you about that certain subject. Of course, it took me years to understand that I needed to focus on what I was to be doing at that particular point in time. When I finished that specific step, He would then tell me what the next step was to be. I know He is always on time and never late, but He sure seems to miss a lot of wonderful opportunities to be early!

Ten more years passed in my life; I was then thirty years old. Mike and I had two children, Mary and Daniel, and lived in El Paso, Texas. I began to study intercession—what I would call Abraham-type prayer, when a person “stands in the gap” for another person or group of people (such as a city or nation). At this point in time, I started regularly waking up in the middle of the night to intercede, as I describe in my book Possessing the Gates of the Enemy (Chosen Books).

One night, when Mike was out of town on business, I took the children and went to our midweek church service. As I slipped into the back of the church and sat down, I noticed a tender presence of the Holy Spirit. After a short time, the power of the Holy Spirit enveloped me, and I quietly put my head down. Something was happening to me, but I wasn’t sure what it was. After a few minutes, one of the leaders asked if we would pray for the people who were attending the meeting. When it was my turn to pray, the prayer became a prophecy! The person I prayed for started to weep and weep. “You don’t know what a confirmation your prayer was to me!” he exclaimed. Confirmation? Why, I had just prayed a simple prayer. Later, after I picked up my children, people stopped to give me their prayer requests, and when we prayed together, the same thing happened. I now understand that the Lord was releasing the gift of prophecy in me.

The prophetic gift had actually been there all along, but the touch of the Holy Spirit upon me stirred it up and loosed it. Dr. Bill Hamon, a respected prophet in the United States, calls this “activating the gift.” Even after this incident happened, I still did not have a clue that God would use me to prophesy. I certainly never thought I would eventually travel around the world and teach about prophecy!

“Here Am I, Lord. Send Someone Else!”

The next year, our family moved to Weatherford, Texas. Suddenly, God decided it was time to let me know what He had meant when He said, “I ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Endorsements
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword by Jack W. Hayford
• Foreword by Bill Johnson
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1. The Voice of God
• 2. “But I Didn’t Mean to Prophesy”: The Role of Prophetic Intercession
• 3. Camel’s Hair and Wild Locusts: Preparation for the Prophetic Gift
• 4. Is That You, God?: Learning to Hear God’s Voice
• 5. Redemptive Prophecy
• 6. Mentoring the Prophetic Gift
• 7. Spiritual Protocol
• 8. Releasing the Prophetic Gift
• 9. Dreams, Visions, Prophetic Styles and Gifts
• Notes
• Index
• About the Author
• Books by Cindy Jacobs
• Back Ads
• Back Cover