If there was ever a time in which the Church needed to hear from Heaven, it is today. Many of those who are pastoring our spiritual flocks are still preaching and teaching the same things they were preaching and teaching several years ago. They have nothing new and fresh to offer. Yet, God always has something fresh and new for us. If we will let the Spirit of God move upon us, we can bring forth a fresh word to every weary man and woman and see their lives turned around.

          In many churches, we pray only for those who have apparent needs. We invite the sinners to be saved, and many are saved. We invite the sick to be healed, and many are healed. We invite those who are hungry for God's Spirit to be filled, and many are filled.

          But once you have been saved, and healed, and filled with the Spirit, most churches have nothing more to offer you, it seems, and they rarely or never minister to the rest of the congregation.

          This is a tragedy, for every believer needs to maintain life so that they can go out and produce sheep. Every believer needs direction in his or her daily walk with God. Every believer needs encouragement at some point of severe trial. And every believer needs to be edified, exhorted and comforted.

          We need prophecy today just as much or more than God's people have needed it throughout the centuries. A single prophecy, given under the anointing of the Spirit of God, can turn a service around and give it new direction, new impetus, and new anointing and a single anointed prophecy can change the life of every believer.

          Many of us are saved or healed or filled with the Holy Ghost today because someone obeyed God and spoke forth the promise of what God had for us in a service we attended. Let us return the favor to others.

          God is looking for men and women who will get out of the rut, out of the pattern of things we have been walking in now for some time, and take a new step in the Spirit. God is looking for men and women who will be willing to be thought foolish for God in order to bring new life into existing situations.

          Being conservative is comfortable, and most churches prefer not to take chances. They feel safe with the familiar. Some churches have trained their deacons to approach anyone who does anything out of the ordinary and quietly pray for them or lead them out of the service, if necessary. They don't feel comfortable with the unusual.

           But our God is a God of variety. He delights in moving in a variety of ways. He desires to have preeminence in every service, to do things in His way and to, thus, receive all the glory for everything that is accomplished. He has many new things to offer His people in these days.

          Don't be afraid of the new. Don't be afraid of the different. If something is always the same, it may mean that it has stopped growing, and that's dangerous. Let God do a new thing in your life. Let Him use you to bring forth His prophetic promises.

          Prophecy is important to the Church today because God has greater things in store for us than we can ever imagine. He wants higher things for us than we want for ourselves. He can do far more than we can even ask or think.

          "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us"  (Ephesians 3:20)

          Let that power work in you. Let your spirit be stirred to lay aside the old habits and to take on a new challenge, to become a voice for God in this present age.

From The Power of Prophecy, by Rev. Wallace H. Heflin, The McDougal Publishing Company, 1995.