Learning to be Led by the Holy Spirit - Part III
by Dr. John Tetsola

The Holy Spirit guides us in many ways, and one such way is through prophetic revelation. The Spirit of God is like radio waves which carry vital information from heaven to the receiving antenna of believers which come as prophetic transmissions from God, which are then translated into different forms such as visions, dreams, impressions, perceptions, mental pictures or images, etc. Let’s look at the characteristics of the prophetic as we examine a source of prophetic revelation.

Sources of Prophetic Revelation: Characteristics of the Prophetic

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

John 14:16

As the Comforter, the Holy Spirit speaks, leads, and guides us. It would be foolish to stereotype the way Christians hear and receive from God since we receive in different ways which vary according to our callings, the uniqueness of our personality, emotions, and spiritual make-up. Don’t expect others to operate exclusively on your particular frequency or to completely understand the way God communicates with you. You must find the operation or mode of communication that God uses to speak to you individually.

The way we receive prophetic guidance is not the standard for everyone. While the prophetic anointing is one that places the characteristics of the ministry gift of the prophet on the people of God, having the potential to be used prophetically does not necessarily make you a “prophet.” Anytime you receive a word from God in the form of a vision, a dream, or even a rhema word from the Word of God, you are simply being moved into the prophetic. Let’s observe a source of prophetic revelation through which the Holy Spirit may choose to guide His prophetic people.

Sources of Prophetic Revelation: Mental Pictures

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Romans 8:14

God has many means of guiding His children and providing us with prophetic revelation. One such way is through mental pictures. Many Christians have experienced mental pictures at one time or another. In some cases, these pictures pertain to the every day, ordinary matters of life. In other instances, they are a bit less common. For instance, people have mental pictures of unexpected guests ringing their doorbells prior to their actual arrival. They have also seen in their mind’s eye a telephone ringing only seconds before it actually occurs. Others experience mental flashes relating to matters of greater importance such as imminent danger, political and social changes, or even devastating weather patterns. These pictures are much like the images seen in the subconscious mind while dreaming, yet they come while we are awake. They are clearer than dreams, but not as vivid as visions, lying somewhere between the realm of natural eyesight and conscious thought. They are often referred to as seeing with the mind’s eye. Many times mental pictures come without warning or forethought. In the same way that a camera’s eye momentarily captures a particular scene, the mind’s eye gives us snapshots of past, present, and future images. In a split second, things can be perceived that are unrelated to one’s present state of mind. These pictures can come in technicolor, black and white, in clear form, or in abstract images.

While the Holy Spirit may choose this means of prophetic revelation to guide us, there are many dangers associated with the process of receiving and interpreting the meaning and source of mental pictures. Not every mental picture is from God. Discerning the source of the mental picture depends upon your spiritual position in Christ and upon your spiritual state of mind. If we truly believe that we have the mind of Christ, then we need to confidently explore the possibility that these images may have actually been given to us by God. If we are uncertain about the spiritual state of our mind, then we must disregard these images.
 

by Dr. John A. Tetsola