By Andrew Williams
Series: The Year of the Prophet- Month 3: The School of the Wilderness (Preparation)
Week 10: The Purpose of Hiddenness (The “Cherith” Phase)
Anchor Scripture: “All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits.” — Proverbs 16:2 (NKJV)
The Teaching
One of the primary reasons God drags His prophets into the wilderness is to perform spiritual heart surgery. In the beginning of a prophetic calling, the thrill of revelation is intoxicating. It feels good to “see” things others don’t; it feels powerful to have people lean on your words for direction. Because of this, it is very easy for a prophet to develop “mixed motives.”
The wilderness is where God weighs the spirit. In the desert, there is no platform, no applause, and no “status.” When the audience is taken away, God asks the messenger a piercing question: “Do you want the Word for My glory, or for the feeling of importance it gives you?”
If you want to speak because you enjoy being the “person in the know,” or because you have a natural desire to correct people, or because you crave the validation of a “sharp word,” the wilderness will be a place of extreme frustration. God will starve your ego until the only reason you want to speak is because He commanded it. The School of the Wilderness turns a “prophetic performer” into a “prophetic servant.” He strips away the need to be right, the need to be seen, and the need to be “vindicated,” until all that is left is a pure love for the King and His people.
Prophetic Insight
The enemy doesn’t always try to stop a prophet from speaking; often, he just tries to corrupt the reason they speak. If he can get you to prophesy out of a need for attention or a spirit of “I told you so,” he has successfully neutralized your authority. The “Pure Motive” is the secret to spiritual power. When you truly don’t care if you get the credit, or if people even know it was you who gave the word, you become a threat to the kingdom of darkness. God is looking for mouths that are not for hire and hearts that are not for sale. The desert is where your “Why” is purified.
The Activation
Today, perform a “Motive Audit.” Ask yourself three difficult questions:
- If God told me I would never be recognized for a prophetic word again, would I still want to hear Him?
- Do I enjoy the “correction” part of prophecy more than the “comfort” part?
- Am I seeking revelation so I can be “prepared,” or so I can be “intimate” with God?
Be honest with the Lord about what you find.
Daily Prayer: Lord God, I thank You that You weigh my spirit. I repent for every time I have used Your Word to bolster my own ego or to seek the approval of men. Purify my motives in this wilderness. Burn away the desire to be seen and the need to be right. Let my only motivation be Your honor and the edification of Your Church. I want to be a clean vessel for Your glory alone. Amen.
