Prophetic expression is a manner in which God makes himself known to people. He can do this through any means He desires, like a movie, song, TV show, blog, or life occurrence that might seem random but really isn't. 

He also reveals himself prophetically through His children and He often does this through believers who have been called to function in prophetic ministry. He works through both the spiritual and natural gifts and talents they have.

 

Making revelation known to someone in this unique style isn't only exciting; it's very powerful and impacting. 

 

Our Heavenly Father is good at creating this expressive outlet in most unusual and amazing ways. He does this to draw attention to what He wants the person or people to know. And He attaches a part of himself and their destiny to it.

 

Did you catch that?

 

God attaches a piece of himself and the person's future to the expression. The revelation is in direct proportion to the will and purpose of God for their life. I think that's incredibly awesome and speaks of how much He loves us.

 

Why would He do that? 

To encourage us. 

To give us hope. 

To spark faith on a deeper level. 

And to reveal more of himself, and what He created us to do, in order to awaken the personal destiny we have in Christ. 

 

The expression is the actual form or medium that the prophetic revelation takes. And there are many different kinds of expression.

 

Prophetic expression flows through the spoken word. It can also flow through the visual, creative, and performing arts and in fact; that is one of God's favorite ways to communicate to people.

 

It can come through painting, sketching, sculpting, poetry, writing, photography, film, music, song, dance, weaving, and woodworking, among many other forms or artistic expressions. 

 

The amazing thing about prophetic expression is that Jesus, who is the Spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10), chooses what to express and how to express it. 

It is specific to the person or people receiving it, and it's for a specific or designated time.

 

Often, a prophetic expression can serve as confirmation to us about something we're already aware of. It's like getting verification. Still, it's also meant to reveal things to us about our future that we do not yet know or understand.

 

The Lord will speak uniquely through the gifting (spiritual and natural) a person has or operates in to express His heart to someone. It's quite beautiful and it can be life changing; it's meant to be. 

 

For instance, if He chooses to express Himself prophetically to you through a photograph, that photo will be specific to the communication. In other words, it holds the expression. 

 

We must first understand that God has His own language with which He communicates. And it is often symbolic. Much like when He gives us a dream, He wraps the revelation in symbolism. We have to interpret it. 

 

Jesus spoke in parables much. And when you read the Gospels, you see He communicated spiritual truths through allegory quite often; through symbolism, metaphor, and analogy. 

So it is with prophetic expression today. It helps define the unknown using the known. 

This also reveals to us one of the ways God likes to speak. He knows whether we're familiar with it or not, so either way, He'll get the message across. But the more we learn how He speaks, the easier it will be for us to understand. And it's always important to ask the Holy Spirit for guidance.

 

Let's say the picture He gives you is of a red rose blooming in the sunlight. 

 

What is He saying to you?

 

The kind of flower; the color of the flower; that the flower isn't fully open but is in the process of blooming with the sun shining on it - these elements are all a part of what He's revealing. And to fully understand, you must look at each element within the picture.

Remember, every detail is important to what He is conveying and actually; each detail is intentional. 

 

Whenever God uses my gift of photography to release a prophetic expression to someone, He might want a Scripture included, or a short summary of what the photo represents to give a degree of understanding. Perhaps He'll speak a more in-depth word for them. However, He always leaves a bit of mystery in place so the person will seek Him for themselves. 

Keep in mind, it is God's nature to hide revelation for us to find (Proverbs 25:2).

 

So back to the flower - What could He be expressing to you?

 

Remember, the photograph will be specific to the person it's for.

 

In this example, maybe He wants you to know you are important to Him. That He loves you very much and is passionate about you (red rose can represent you being His beloved), and through His love and light, some aspect of your life is starting to unfold (blooming in the sunlight). Maybe greater wisdom is developing in your life. Or perhaps He's saying you are going to start operating in a greater anointing (the color red can represent love, wisdom, power or anointing. and sunlight can be a play on words for SONlight or the light of the Son, Jesus).

 

OR

 

Perhaps He is saying there are layers in your heart He is beginning to open up and reveal more of His love to (red rose petals opening); that He is going to shine His light on you and cause you to flourish. Or perhaps there's a certain area in your heart He wants to shine His love and light on (sunlight shining on the rose), which in turn, will bring healing and cause you to blossom and grow more in wisdom, love, and power, or in what you're called to do (the process of blooming). 

 

OR

 

Perhaps red roses mean something in particular to you. Maybe they remind you of a certain event in your life, or a person who is very special to you. Maybe red roses are your most favorite flower in the world. Maybe sunshine and red roses bring you great warmth and joy. Maybe there's an inside joke about red roses that no one else would know or understand but you and God. He knows all this. And it could be part of the overall message, if not the whole message itself. 

 

Do you see the different ways He can communicate through one photo? Through one expression?

 

The whole meaning would change if the rose were a different color or a different type of flower altogether. 
 

The point is, whatever His specific purpose for the expression, is what He will make known to you. The Father knows how to reach each of us. He knows the precise route to take that will distinctly speak to us. 

 

Because of Jesus, we have abundant life (John 10:10). And when He speaks to us through a prophetic expression, He wants to instill and release more of His life into us. It's called zoe or the absolute fullness of life; the God life. 

 

Whatever form of expression He chooses, know it's more than just mere words, or a painting, photo, or piece of art. You are receiving an actual part of Him and your God-given destiny. It has been uniquely created from the Throne Room of Heaven just for you. And you'll feel it. 

 

Oh yes, He's that personal. And we're that special to Him. He wants to give us His tailor-made expressions. It gives Him great joy to do so.

 

Remember that true prophetic expression reveals, inspires, and encourages. It imparts life. It ignites faith and hope. And it always exposes The Father's heart and His love for us. Always.

 

Michelle Holderman

P3 Ministries 

Copyright © 2014