UPDATE – While talking to Jenny recently I suddenly realized I had forgotten to mention a key thing that happened before I had that first prophetic word! So, I’m re-publishing the post, with the addition highlighted in bold. Enjoy!!!!!!!!!

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I remember my friend Jenny asking me how I knew I was called into prophecy and deliverance. That question has been the catalyst for this series – that’s why my first post in this series was about my first demonic encounter. Now, let me tell you about my first prophetic word. (Now I was hearing God’s voice before this – go back to my Reminiscing post on my Holy Spirit Baptism - but this is the first time I was actually in a prophetic role, as in having to give a message to someone else…..)

Now, onto the story… There is a place on the Barbados Community College campus that was the home of the owner of the land on which the campus now sits. It was called Eyrie House, after the name of the owner. It was not in use by this time and was in a state of disrepair and neglect. That being said, it was a place where the UCCF would meet for “Prayer Garden“, which was a small group meeting in the middle of the day.

Ok, after that background… I went up the hill to Eyrie House to have some alone time with the Lord. I was just going to worship and to commune with him by myself. I carried my Bible, some paper and a pen up there and started to sing and worship the Lord.

I started to read Isaiah 6, where Isaiah saw the Lord… and when in verse 5 he was under a strong conviction of his humanity and sinfulness, an angel came down and touched his lips with a coal, cleansing him of sin (vs 6 -7)

Suddenly, I felt the urge to write. And I mean write. I started to write a long letter, like if I was a secretary and God was doing dictation… that’s exactly how I felt. I wrote about how this person was weak and needed to go to the Lord for strengthening, but that God was kind and he wanted to restore him. It was a long letter (a full front and back of foolscap paper) … the specifics of which I can’t remember at this moment, as it was over 10 years ago. However I remember reading it afterward and thinking, “This is harsh… ‘You are weak?’ ouch!” I even remember reacting internally to when God dictated the words, “You must listen to the prophet in your midst…” And I was like, “Who? ME??? Oh no, you must mean somebody else!” I had just read a story in the Bible where a false prophet was killed…. I didn’t want that label!

Then came the clincher. I felt as though I heard the Lord say, “Oh, by the way… I want you to give that to your pastor.” Wait …. WHAT?

“Yes. I want you to take this letter and give it to your pastor….”

I really felt like Samuel – his first word from the Lord was one of judgement and warning too… 1 Samuel 3:10-15. And just like Samuel… I was scared spitless. How would you like to have the responsibility of going to your spiritual father and tell him that GOD says he’s weak and needs to be restored?

I cried over that letter. I begged God to reconsider. I told him I didn’t want to do that – that my pastor didn’t teach me about spiritual gifts and so he wouldn’t understand this… but Father was resolute.

So… I wiped my tears and got down off that hill.

Next Sunday, I got to the pastor alone and passed on the message – gave him the paper and waited for the inevitable. He read it and asked me, “What does this mean?” So I told him the whole story. He looked unconvinced and upset. I eventually said, “Look, don’t shoot the messenger! I’m doing what God told me to!”

What was the result of that? For my pastor at the time, I don’t know. But for ME? Since that time, my prophetic gift has increased and my prophetic responsibility has deepened over the last 10+ years. At the end of this encounter, the Bible says that God did not let any of Samuel’s words fall to the ground, because, although scared, Samuel told Eli everything he was told, leaving out nothing. (1 Sam. 3:17-21)

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I remember that I talked later to my prophetic mentor, relating the whole story from beginning to end. I said, “I don’t understand what happened!” I mean, I knew God something, but I didn’t understand what … until she asked “But what was Isaiah, Robert?” I didn’t get it at first – and then it clicked. “He was a prophet….” God was calling me to the same thing! stunned silence…..