Understanding the Anointingand all may be comforted" (1 Cor. 14:31).
The simple gift of prophecy is speaking to men to
edification, exhortation, and comfort. A good testimony,
inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the simple gift of prophecy. So
you see, just prophesying doesn't make you a prophet! It's the
Spirit within you who anoints you to prophesy, yet there is also
an anointing or ministry gift to stand in the office of a prophet.
Thank God for the anointing of the prophet. Oh, I love it!
Often, sitting on the platform before I take the service to teach, I
suddenly sense that prophetic anointing—the office of the
prophet—moving upon me. I recognize what it is.
It's a different anointing. It's deeper—much deeper—than
the anointing just to prophesy. It's the same anointing, because
it's the same Spirit, but it's multiplied about a hundredfold.
I have found that the anointing can be stronger or it can be
weaker, as we will see in the story of Elisha and Elijah, the two
Old Testament prophets.
If I were controlling things, I'd prophesy in every service,
but that may not be what God wants in every service.
The first time I experienced this overwhelming anointing to
prophesy was in January 1964 in Phoenix, Arizona. I was there
to be one of the speakers at the Full Gospel Business Men's
Convention.
After the closing session, Brother and Sister Darrell Hon,
their son Barry, and my wife and I went to a nearby restaurant to
get something to eat. Before we ordered, the Spirit of God
suddenly came on me. I recognized it as the spirit of prophecy—
a better term is "the spirit of the prophet."
I said to our party, "Let's go somewhere where we can pray."
We went to our motel room, sat down, and prayed a while. The
anointing had broken a little by our getting up and leaving the
restaurant, but by praying it returned.
For two hours I sat there and prophesied. I'd never
prophesied that long in my life. Brother Hon wrote it down, for