Eagerly Desire the Gift of Prophecy - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - September 4, 2025
“Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.” 1Corinthians 14:1
Last August, I watched a live stream of an awards ceremony hosted by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, an organization I'm part of, which takes place every year and presents book awards to its members. Although I couldn't be there in person this year, I wanted to cheer on many of my friends who were receiving awards that year. I had the privilege of working with another children's author, Crystal Bowman, two years ago on a book titled “Who God Wants Me to Be.”
We enjoyed our relationship so much that we always hoped to work together again. As soon as I heard the name of her book, which had been named an award winner, something spoke to my soul. I listened to the name of the devotional in my ears, but I also heard it as if God was talking to my soul. In that moment, I sensed God was doing something with that book.
It occurred to me that we could do a devotional based on that board book. I prayed and believed that's what God was saying. But I had to test it. I asked Crystal if we could talk by phone. She had some extra time and could immediately speak. I was nervous about approaching her about the idea.
I assumed she'd say no, but I wanted to obey what God was saying to me. As I approached her about the idea, she informed me that she felt she would be taking things slower as the years passed. However, she loved the idea so much that she warmed up by the end of the conversation. Because she had such a good relationship with the publisher of that book, she said she would ask them what they thought.
Two days later, I received a copy of a group email from the publisher, stating that they loved the idea and wanted to see samples of our work. This was outside my expertise, as I'm not accustomed to writing preschool devotionals. However, I had to practice writing in this genre to see God's word come to fruition. I sent a sample to Crystal and had her help me edit and advise them. She then sent off our work to the publishers. Within a few months, a contract had been sent, and the release date of 2027 was set.
Receiving a word from the Lord can be an exciting experience. Knowing that you're not only talking to God Almighty, but He's also speaking to you, creates an intimacy with God that cannot be explained or rationalized. There is no better feeling than to know you are hearing from God.
It may be difficult to discern whether your thought or feeling is driving the message or if it's the Holy Spirit speaking. The best way you could know this is to test it with the other person, just as I did with Crystal. I couldn’t say for certain that it was truly from the Lord unless I had asked her about the situation. My boldness in sharing that message with her resulted in a book that may impact thousands of lives.
Have you ever received a message from the Lord? What did you do when you heard it? Did you easily dismiss it, or did you wait and test it, believing that delivering that message may positively impact a person's life?
Is it amazing to know that God chooses to use us to deliver his messages to his people? At other times, when we get things wrong, delivering a message is vital not only to the spiritual growth of others but also to the encouragement of the church body. By not providing a message or ignoring its weakness, that could have dire consequences for everyone involved.
Practice hearing from the Holy Spirit by setting a timer and sitting in silence for a specified period. Start with 10 minutes, then advance to 20 or even 30 minutes. The amount of time doesn't matter. The Holy Spirit will speak to you in ways only you can understand. Hear the message, decide who it's for, and then deliver it accordingly. In so doing, you do just as the above verse suggests, you eagerly desire it may come closer to the Holy Spirit as a result.
Early desire the gift of prophecy. Let us follow your spirit by giving the messages in this way. Let us be people who heed your messages and deliver them the encouragement of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen.
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Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotional by Alistair Begg, published by The Good Book Company, thegoodbook.com. Used by Truth For Life with permission. Copyright © 2021, The Good Book Company.
