The prophetic gift is not a water faucet you turn on and off at your pleasure. There will be times when you do not have a word to share.  It is important for your integrity and for the safety of those to whom you minister that you do not put yourself in a place where you always have to produce a word. This is where a danger lurks that can have you prophesying out of human imagination with words fueled by fear and pride. The fear of not being heard and a pride that will push you to always need to speak in order to validate your gift.

Waiting until the Lord speaks can be a challenge when you have someone standing before you in desperate need of hope.  Hope can be delivered in different ways, not just through prophetic ministry.  When God is silent you can still speak over a life with words of destiny and hope that apply to all believers. The scripture is filled with these words. Learn them – they are powerful.

When you begin to minister to someone and you do not immediately have something to share, pray. Ask the Lord to reveal what He wants you to do.  Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing.  This is our model in all aspects of ministry. Over the course of your life, as you learn when to speak and when to remain silent, you will develop a deeper acuity to the Spirit’s voice that only comes with discernment, not assumption.