We all have a unique identity, calling and gift mix that make up the DNA of who we are in Christ. That means you yourself have a unique prophetic identity in Christ. Currently, you are living at a certain level of manifestation of your prophetic identity, but you are most likely not living in the fullness of who you are in Christ. You may not think that you will ever live in the fullness of who you are in Christ and you might think that’s impossible!
I would like to propose to you that is a lie! It is a lie that you cannot live in the fullness of who you are in Christ this side of heaven. The scripture encourages us to build each other up until we all “attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God—a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ’s full stature” (Ephesians 4:13). The context of this scripture gives no indication of this possibility being after we die in there with Jesus. The context clearly leads us to understand this is our calling now.
Jesus and Peter have a conversation about Peter’s unique prophetic identity
What you’re about to read is one of my favorite conversations in Scripture relating to our current topic. Read this conversation between Jesus and Peter and then we’ll talk about it. I have replaced the pronouns with the person being referred to for clarity.
John 21:15-19
So when they had finished breakfast
Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?”
Peter said to Jesus, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
Jesus said to Peter, “Tend My lambs.”
Jesus said to Peter again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”
Peter said to Jesus, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
Jesus said to Peter, “Shepherd My sheep.”
Jesus said to Peter the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”
Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”
And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”
Jesus said to Peter, “Tend My sheep.
Jesus: Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.”
Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.
And when Jesus had spoken this, Jesus said to Peter, “Follow Me!”
Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” So Peter, seeing John, said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?”
Jesus said to Peter, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”
“Follow Me!” – Jesus
Jesus is brilliant. He led Peter to the point in his heart where he needed Jesus to meet him. Jesus knew as Peter journeyed with God, Peter would lose focus on his own calling. In fact, we see Peter lose focus in the middle of this conversation! Peter, in mid-conversation with Jesus, literally turns around, sees John, and starts talking to Jesus about John’s calling! Jesus was trying to have an intimate conversation with Peter about Peter, not John!
Look at the conversation again and notice where Peter’s turning actually happens. Jesus had just told Peter, “Follow Me!”. Then after Peter asks Jesus his question about John’s calling, Jesus repeats himself to Peter by saying again, “’Follow Me!” This conversation wasn’t written for Peter’s or John’s sake alone, but also for our sakes. Jesus is saying the same message to each one of us when he says, “Follow me!”
God wrote a book about your and your calling
You will notice below that I have inserted part of a very well-known psalm. If you have been a Christian believer 4 sometime now, you have probably read or heard this song many times. However, I want to reframe the context into the idea of prophetic identity. Let’s go ahead and read it.
Psalm 139:13-16
13
You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.14
I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.15
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;16
Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.
Traditionally, when we read or hear this part of this song, we talked about how God has been so intimately involved in each of Our Lives since before we were born. In fact, we talked about believing that God knew us before we were even formed in our mother’s womb.
All of this is true and I don’t want to retract from that at all. But I see something else amazing in these verses. Specifically, I want to highlight art of verse 16:
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.
This psalmist had an encounter with God. In this encounter he had many amazing revelations. There are three I want to highlight:
1. God wrote a book about him and his calling!
It says, “in Your book were all written”. God took the time to write a book about you. Either that or God has a massive, gigantic “book” that has books within it containing every human being’s life in their own book. The point is God wrote a book about you!
2. God wrote all the days of his life in His book.
It says, “we’re all written the days.” God didn’t just write an autobiography about each of us but took his time and wrote down our lives in Daily detail.
3. God not only wrote all his days but ordained every single one of his days!
It says, “the days that were ordained for me.” God didn’t just right down every single one of your days, he also made them Holy by ordaining them!
4. God wrote a book about him and his calling before he was formed in his mother’s womb.
It says, “when as yet there were none of them.” So God did all the things we already talked about before you and I were even conceived in our mother’s womb!
What did God write down about you?
I believe with all my heart that God wrote a book about you. But how do you find out what he wrote? I also believe that God reveals to each one of us what he wrote about each one of us. He reveals through prophetic encounters. Any type of prophetic encounter you have with God and contain revelation about what he wrote down and ordained for you.
This is obviously one of the reasons why it’s so important to write down, document and organize your personal prophetic encounters with God.