Finding your Knower
There comes a point in your walk in the prophetic when you just know you have received the word, when you know you have delivered it, no frills, no hesitation nothing. As a prophet, it is incredibly important that you prophesy often, particularly for those still training the gift. The reason is simple: the more you train, the easier it is to identify not just how you flow, but also how you receive messages. It becomes easier to develop an inner knower. The ‘knower’ looks different for each one of us and seems to be determined by a number of factors including the type of prophet you are.
I have listed below some examples of different types of ‘knowers’ I have come across; instances when the prophet knows as they know their name that they have received the message and accurately delivered the word of the Lord.
1. The weight
You may feel a weight in your spirit, what is referred to as the massa of God. It’s a feeling that something on the inside of you needs to be released. The only way to relieve yourself of the massa is to prophesy.
2. A fire in my bones
Many can attest to having experienced this one. It’s an inner burning in your heart or in your spirit. The fire that says you must speak! In the words of our weeping prophet Jeremiah, But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. [Jeremiah 20 : 9]
3. A still small voice
The voice of God is not heard quite so much as it is discerned. Often times, the word will come to you like a thought, a quiet whisper of a thought. I personally have never heard God shout (either I my head or audibly!) Indeed some of the most impactful words I have ever delivered came to me as a very still small voice. We see this in 1 Kings 19 : 11 to 13 when God speaks to the prophet Elijah after his dramatic showdown with the prophets of Baal.
And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:
And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
4. A bubbling forth
The Hebrew word for prophet, Nabhi means “spokesman.” It comes from a verb signifying “to bubble forth” like a fountain; hence the word means one who announces or pours forth the declarations of God. Sometimes when delivering a prophetic word, the word of the Lord will bubble out of you quite unexpectedly, like hot springs. The Lord quite literally puts His word in your mouth. As a prophet though, it is the case that the word of the Lord should always be in your mouth. We see an example of this in Jeremiah 1: 9. Scripture says:
Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.”
Another example is cited in Isaiah 59 : 21
“As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit which is upon you [writing the law of God on the heart], and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouths of your [true, spiritual] children, nor from the mouth of your children’s children,” says the Lord, “from now and forever.”
5. A random, unrelated image
This happens to me every so often. Sometimes in the middle of delivering a prophetic word, an image of someone completely unrelated to the person standing in front of me pops up in my head. It could be a relative, a friend, past or present, an actress (yes, that has happened!), it could be anybody really. It’s such a random image that had I not developed my knower, I would ignore it. But many a time God has used these flashes to explain the situation the person is currently facing. Ten times out of ten this has turned out to be the case.
6. The brain hack
Another one of my favourites. In the middle of delivering a prophetic word, a most random thought will intercept your flow. This is the Holy Spirit trying to get your attention or building upon the word as you are giving it. Top tip: speak by faith.
7. Sense alert
Many prophets experience goose bumps, chills or a tingling sensation on their body as they prophesy. Some go hot and/or cold. Others get a feeling, or a sense of something which helps them decipher the message. Some prophets with heightened senses may even smell or taste something (good or bad), and yet others feel something touching them. I once heard a man of God explain that just as we have senses here on earth, the same exists in the realm of the spirit. For example, whereas on earth we say we smell something, in the spiritual realm we perceive it. This prophet was once preaching on the pulpit when he felt something tugging urgently at his shirt. This happened throughout the sermon, although physically he could see no one. In the middle of the message, he stopped and gave a prophetic word to a woman sitting outside in the overflow. It turned out she was the culprit for she had been tugging at his hem in the spirit, desperate for a word from the Lord! Once he gave her the word, the shirt pulling stopped.
8. Real time videos
All seers gather here. I’m not a seer myself, at least not in the order of Gad the seer (see 1st Chronicles 29: 29 to 30) or prophets like Ezekiel who received vivid visions and experienced incredible divine encounters. In the modern-day era, I would look to those who operate in the seer anointing such as James Goll and Jennifer LecLaire, or if you want to go deeper and regularly walk amongst the saints – literally - Prophet Sadhu Sundar Selvaraj. I have only come across one seer in prophetic training school. An extremely chatty young man, Simmi will often see, as though watching a movie, a series of videos flashing past in real time. This all happens in a matter of seconds I’m told, though sometimes the vision lasts a few minutes or even longer. It is left to him to decipher what the Holy spirit is saying. The everlasting frustration of the seer seems to be an acknowledgement of the fact that whilst they do receive many downloads in an instant, simultaneously, they need to process, understand and deliver the message. This is why most seers have to be activated in the nabhi – the ability to speak by faith, without necessarily relying on what they see.
9. Under the Influence
Another one we will all experience at some point. Have you ever stepped out of your house, strolling along on your merry way, happily minding your own business and humming lah-di-dah-di-dah! You get the drift. In short, you had no intention whatsoever of prophesying that day. Or maybe you attended a church meeting, enticed by the thought of lovely teas and coffees, perhaps some sponge cake, a good ol’ chin wag. All of a sudden out of nowhere you sense it. The feeling that God wants to speak to someone and He wants to use you as the medium! It can be so awkward, especially when you don’t even know the person from Adam! In my mind, this is what the prophets meant when they said “the word of the Lord came unto me.” It also reminds me of poor Saul when the spirit of prophecy came over him, and he lay naked prophesying all day and night in front of Samuel. See 1 Samuel 19 : 24 for that riveting saga. Could you just imagine it?!
So, what do you do? You play ball. Forget yourself in the moment and deliver our Father’s message to His child. Chances are super high you won’t remember any of what you said anyway and on the plus side, you’ll be happy that you were obedient.
10. What’s in a name?
I love this one as well. Some prophets get names when they pray for a word. I particularly love receiving a Hebrew name, as they are so heavily laden with meaning. God could also tell you a story using the meaning of the recipient’s name. Though not a name per se, some prophets receive just one word, which the Holy Spirit then builds out into a full message as they speak.
So there you have it, 10 examples of prophetic ‘knowers’ I have come across. What’s your knower? Do you have one, or a number? Are they listed here, or are you still trying to develop them? Either way, I would encourage you to muster this aspect as it will stand you in good stead when taking part in prophetic ministry.
Stay blessed!