From the desk of Steve Shultz:
To be His oracle – His mouth piece and hear His heartbeat for others... This is a great word by Ben Peters to encourage you to be one who shares the heart of God. Who wouldn't want to hear God's heart over their lives? Let's sign up for the job.
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Ben Peters:
Wanted: Hearers of His Heartbeat
While on my annual trip with a team to Mozambique in July, I was privileged to minister to a conference attended by about twenty-five African pastors and their wives in the capital city of Maputo. Although I was under the influence of pneumonia (which was only diagnosed after a long trip home), I felt nothing but a strong anointing of the Holy Spirit to speak a strong blessing to these amazing men and women of God.
I didn't know each one's personal story, but the Holy Spirit did. I prophesied to them as a group and to a few individually. What I felt God was saying was that it was time for them to "rise and shine, for their light had come." They had been empowered to do exploits and to see signs and wonders and miracles to help them bring in the great African harvest.
Most importantly, I shared that although Westerners still had a lot to offer them in the realm of Bible teaching, etc., God was saying that they also have a lot to offer to the Western Church. I told them we need them to pray for us and even to send missionaries back to us. This message touched them so deeply, they were greatly moved and opened their hearts to receive all that God was saying, and they also came from various religious backgrounds. I then shared the Boaz Blessing, as Boaz spoke it over Ruth in Ruth 2:11-12. This message, which is now in book form, was published by the Elijah List in December 2011. I prophesied it over them first corporately, and then individually, speaking whatever the Holy Spirit revealed as I ministered to them. Tears flowed and they responded with very grateful hearts.
God Speaks to Me!
When I returned to the house of Felito and Anna Utuie, our host pastor of the Iris Ministries' Maputo congregation, I was meditating on what had taken place in that Saturday morning service. Suddenly, I heard the voice of the Lord in my spirit. He spoke to me in a way I had never heard before. It was like when Jesus spoke to Peter, "Blessed are you, Simon, Son of Jonah…" (Matthew 16:17).
God was actually complimenting or thanking me. What He said was, "Thank you for speaking to My servants today the things I have been wanting to say to them for some time."
I was deeply touched and humbled by the voice of God, but quickly realized that God was also speaking something that He wanted me to share with His people. He wanted to communicate that He has many things to say to His most beloved created beings, but has very few people who will be His oracle or mouthpiece.
1 Peter 4:11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Peter makes it clear in 1 Peter 4:11, that if we speak at all, we should speak as His oracle. But in our Western Church culture, we have relegated that calling to just a few super-Christians, the speakers we see on TV or at prophetic conferences. However, I'm pretty sure that "If anyone speaks..." does not refer to just well-known speakers. It actually means "anyone".
Becoming His Oracles
Prophesying isn't that difficult for most people, but doing it as the oracle of God is more than just giving them information. My wife and I have ministered prophetically to thousands over the last dozen years or so. We can always hear something to encourage a hungry heart, but when we can actually feel God's heart for the person, it can make a huge difference.
In other words, we can receive words of knowledge or see little visions to show the people that God knows them and loves them. However, when we ourselves can feel the heartbeat of the Father for them, the information we share takes on a new level of impact. We become an oracle of both His knowledge and His emotions for them.
My wife, Brenda, is such a beautiful example of this. People love to receive from her, not just because she gives detailed prophetic words, but because of what they feel when she ministers to them. She can actually feel their pain and the compassion of the Father for them.
The impact of the combination or God's mind and heart being imparted simultaneously is often very life-changing to the person receiving it. This is when we really become the oracle of God. But feeling His emotions may be much more rare or difficult than just receiving factual information for them. This is what God, by His grace, enabled me to do with the pastors of Mozambique last July.
As I spoke to them, it was as if God was transferring His emotions through me. I didn't just give them information, but I felt God's heart for them, and they, in turn, felt His heart for them coming through the words I spoke, my voice and countenance.
Conveying God's Emotions As Well As His Knowledge
I remember sharing at one of our Worship Encounter meetings. As I was sharing a nugget of revelation God had given me, I was suddenly moved emotionally and began to break down unexpectedly. Later, alone with God, I asked Him why I had gotten so emotional about that particular point. He answered me, "Because I get emotional about that point."
All I could think was, "WOW! God gets emotional too, and He let me feel His own heart for His people." The particular point that brought on the emotions was the fact that in our Western Churches, so many people with spiritual gifts are not encouraged to use their gifts. It wasn't just a sad thing for the people – it was a very sad thing for the Father's heart. He had given the gifts from a heart of love, and had to watch His children leave them in their packages, not opened or used. He let me know that it broke His heart.
What is God Really Looking For?
God is clearly saying that He is longing for His saints to be like John, the Beloved, who loved to spend time in intimacy, leaning on His chest and listening to His heartbeat. In God's immense heart of love and passion, He has many burdens and desires for the multitudes of people in every tribe and nation of the world. It's interesting that this same disciple, who heard the heartbeat of Jesus, had one main theme – LOVE.
So many people want a "ministry", but so few want to take the time to be His "oracle." Jesus is looking for some "John's" and some "Mary's". Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, was the one who sat at Jesus' feet, listening to every word He spoke.
The good news is that the Holy Spirit is drawing millions of worshippers into the Father's heart. He is raising up lovers of Jesus in every tribe and nation of the world. They are becoming the vibrant, passionate and powerful oracles of God, sharing His love and wisdom in high-impact ways, bringing God's glorious presence with them wherever they go.
It won't be long until every committed servant of God hears some oracle of God telling them that God has seen every big and little sacrifice they have made for Him and His kids. They will hear about God's love for them and feel it flowing through a human vessel who is being moved by the passion of the Father's heart for His beloved servants on the front lines.
It will be like if the Commander-in-Chief sent one of His Ambassadors to the battle front to tell each individual soldier that he had heard of that soldier's bravery and loyal service. He now wanted to let the soldier know that he would be shown some very special favor and would be given great promotions and many bountiful blessings in the days ahead.
Think of the impact on the moral of the soldier if that occurred. The same thing happens when we speak as God's oracle to one of His soldiers on the front lines. We truly are His ambassadors and we have been sent by the King of kings to speak His blessings over His faithful servants.
The "HELP WANTED" ad is hereby published. Will you apply for the job? The wages may be "out of this world," but you couldn't ask for a more generous employer. I, for my part, want the job. How about you?
Ben Peters
Kingdom Sending Center
Email: ohmint@gmail.com
Ben Peters is the co-founder of Open Heart Ministries and Kingdom Sending Center, along with his wife, Brenda. He has authored eighteen books to date, including Prophetic Ministry: Strategic Key to the Harvest, Kings and Kingdoms; and Finding Your Place on Your Kingdom Mountain. His books are available in most outlets, including e-readers, such as Kindle, Nook, I-Readers, etc. He and Brenda have ministered in many nations with a passion for equipping and sending abandoned lovers of Jesus into the harvest fields of the world, including the seven mountains of society. The Peters live in northern Illinois.
