A prophecy is a message from God, brought through a Christian who is filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:17-18) The spiritual gift of prophecy is a special ability given to some Spirit-filled Christians to receive and share a message from God that will bring people closer to Jesus and help move them towards His future purpose for them. Prophecy is one of the gifts God uses to help build and grow the church (1 Cor 14:4).
Signs You May Have A Gift Of Prophecy
So—if you believe that you may have a prophetic gift, but are not sure, what are some signs that will help you identify it and move forward? You may not identify with all of the following points, but if you do have a prophetic gift, you will recognize many of them in your life:
1. Desire to Help People Through Prophecy (1 Cor 14:3)
- You have a desire for God to use you to bring a message from Him that will encourage your leaders or church
- If a person is in trouble, needs guidance, or to connect with God, you find yourself wanting to pass on an encouraging message from God
2. You Pray in a Prophetic Way
- After praying for people, they comment that you “prayed the right thing,” or they ask, “How did you know that?”
- When praying for a person, group, geographical area, or for your church, you sense that the Holy Spirit is directing your prayers about God’s purpose for the situation.
- You seem to know what Bible verses apply to a situation that you are praying for; symbolic pictures or words may come to mind when you pray.
3. Attraction To Prophetic Ministry (1 Cor 14:1)
- You have a keen interest in prophetic ministry
- Prayer meetings or any meetings where people are operating in prophetic gifts, are where you want to be! You find yourself drawn to prophetic people.
- You may feel that you have a call from God to prophetic ministry but sometimes experience doubts.
4. Motivation to Learn How to Prophesy (2 Tim 1:6)
- You are motivated to learn about how to use the prophetic gift or further your understanding of personal prophecy.
- Prophetic people tend to actively seek out teaching or training through reading books, attending training sessions, or learning from people who are experienced in prophecy
- You’ve been searching online and are reading this blog!
5. Other Signs… That may Indicate you Have a Prophetic Gift
- You may get discouraged when things you believe God has promised don’t come to pass as quickly as you would like
- Perhaps, you have an affinity with symbolic pictures, stories, or actions
- You may have had unusual or supernatural experiences that point you to having a prophetic gift—however, note this is not a prerequisite
- Many prophetic people have a keen sense of justice—however, remember that human personality is not an indicator of whether a person has a prophetic gift from the Holy Spirit.
Tips for Moving Forward in Developing Your Prophetic Gift
If you do recognize any of the above signs and would like to grow in your prophetic gift, here are some ideas to help you:
- Find a healthy Christian church where prophetic ministry is encouraged, and where you can grow in your gifts
- Focus on developing your general Bible knowledge; resist the temptation to take verses or Bible stories out of context
- Learn the principles of hearing God’s voice and how to filter out what is not of God
- Practice hearing messages from God to yourself and others in your own times of prayer. Use a journal to keep track of and check what you believe God is saying to you.
- Ask for feedback when you bring a prophetic message and be open to both encouragement and correction
- Choose your mentors carefully. Looks for people who are enthusiastic and supportive members of a church where they are accountable to church leadership
- Find good sources of training and teaching to help you grow in understanding and using the gift of prophecy
Would you like to develop your prophetic gift?
Here are 2 things that can help you:
1. Prophetic Teaching:
Enter your email address in the subscribe box to receive regular blog articles containing teaching that will help you grow in your gift of prophecy, as well as prophetic encouragement and teaching.
2. The Enliven School of Prophecy and Discernment:
Find information about my online courses including the Prophetic School here. I have created the Prophetic School to help you develop your prophetic gift through gaining foundational wisdom and Biblical insight to take your gift to the next level.
Related Posts:
‘How To Develop Your Prophetic Gift’
11 Signs that your Prophetic Gift is Being Held Back
Can I Prophesy if I do not Have a Spiritual Gift of Prophecy?
© Helen Calder Enliven Blog – Prophetic Teaching
Enliven Ministries—in the David McCracken Ministries family.
Helen Calder is a prophetic minister and writer, and founder of Enliven Ministries. Helen has a unique gift of equipping in prophetic ministry and prayer. She is known for Enliven Blog (est. 2009), an online resource that reaches thousands of people globally.

GOD BLESS US ALL!
THIS IS AWESOME !!!!!
I would like to hear from your blog as often as possible! In the meantime, I will start writing down when I hear the Lord speak to me.
Este ultimo blog,creo que ha sido de mucha bendicion ,no solo por las recomendaciones de lo que debo hacer para crecer en mi don profetico,tambien por las recomendaciones de libros electronicos que coadyubaran para el desarrollo de dicho ministeriomsus consejos practicos son de mucha valia para mi.
Tener un mentor,o asistir a charlas o conferencias acerca del tema,es muy esporadico,y hubo cursos y conferencias acerca del Oficio del Profeta…pero para mi como que algo falta.Yo creo que deberian de haber iniciado las charlas con enseñanzas,despues entrenamiento,y esto deberia ser por largo tiempo,y por ultimo la motivacion.Supe de algunos que tienen dones profeticos,y que asistieron a dichas charlas,y que al salir de dichas platicas,andaban practicando en las callles y hubo un desorden total,pues estaban practicando con personas incredulas,y con algunos cristianos.Uno de los hermanos a quienes tomaron estos nuevos profetas,me dijo:USTED CREE ,ME DIJERON COSAS QUE NO SON NADA CIERTAS RESPECTO A MI VIDA…este hermano dejo de asistir a la congregacion.Y esto me preocupa,pues en lugar de ser bendicion y edificar el Cuerpo de Cristo,lo contristamos…Yo se que vamos a equivocarnos en ocasiones,pero si hay alguien maduro en el tema,el nos ayudara y enmendar dichos errores y eso nos ayudara para depender a caminar con el E.S.,y la situacion de nuestro desarrollo sin duda sera mejor.Pero en mi pais,escasamente sucede estas charlas o conferencias profeticas que abarquen la ENSEÑANZA,ENTRENAMIENTO Y ACTIVACION…Oramos porque esta situacion cambie,y podamos tener mentores dignos siervos del Señor,honestos,afectuosos,y sobre todo pacientes con todos aquellos que apenas se inician .Muchas gracias por toda su yuda,sus recomendaciones y libros que leer…Muchas gracias.
Hi there Jose, I am glad you are finding the blog helpful. One of my desires through Enliven Blog is to provide teaching materials for people who do not have easy access to the courses and mentoring that we have in Australia. Which country are you from?
How abt dreams
Thank you – yes, having regular prophetic dreams can certainly be one sign of having a prophetic gift (usually in combination with other signs).