Before one uses a microphone a.k.a Mic, it is customary that a Mic-Check be done. Mic-Checks are done to ensure that the desired sound of the speaker is amplified without any audio distortions or background sounds.
The vocalizations of the speaker must be communicated audibly and clearly through the microphone device and if any interference is detected, it must be diagnosed and remedied until the Mic has been perfectly configured.
We understand the need for a Mic-Check in the physical realm but did you know that God also engineers Mic-Checks on His believers?
Since the beginning of time, God in his absolute splendour created human beings with an organ whereby they would amplify God’s voice on earth. That organ is called our “mouth” and within it lays our tongue which wields the power for life and death.
In Jesus’ earthly ministry, we saw where He spoke only that which His Father commanded Him to speak. As believers, we have also been given that same mantle as God is also eager to speak through us. God is searching for available vessels that can be divinely tailored to bring forth His Word.
Speaking on God’s behalf is of such great importance that in 1 Corinthians 14, Paul wrote about why the gift of prophecy should be held in high regard to the edification of the church. Paul admonished that we should especially desire and request the spiritual gift of prophecy.
1 Corinthians 14:1
“Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.”
Prophecy is the special ability to speak forth the message of God as God’s spokesman. This gift lays the foundation for every other gift of the spirit because one must first possess the ability to hear from God before they are able to manifest any other gift of God.
Many people interpret the gift of prophecy as one of foretelling the future alone, however, prophecy is far more than that. Foretelling the future is simply one aspect of prophecy. Prophecy is also a gift of proclamation as believers are called to proclaim what God has revealed in His Word. The Word of God is what holds “prophets” accountable because prophecy cannot add or take away from it. Prophecy is tested by the Scripture and it cannot be used apart from the Holy Spirit.
It is important to note that while we all can prophesy, we are all not prophets. Paul says many can prophesy by the in-working and up-building of the Holy Spirit but only some are embedded with the gifted call to be a prophet.
While we may not all be called to the office of a prophet, we should, as believers, take advantage of our ability to know God’s revealed truth. The word “ability” means “dunamis” in Greek and it means power. By God’s divine power, we have been endowed to proclaim the truth of God’s Word by way of the leading and prompting of the Holy Spirit.
This week’s blog is a Call-to-Action. It’s a spiritual MIC-CHECK for all those who regard themselves as Christians or Disciples of Christ.
1 Peter 4:10-11
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God.”
God wants us to position ourselves to hear from Him so that we can recite, repeat and speak forth all that He has spoken in His Word by faith. In order to do this, we must partner with God in spirit and in truth.
Before we can speak on God’s behalf, we must engage in His Mic-Check. Why? Because God’s voice must never be riddled with the interferences of sin. Many of us are guilty of holding God’s microphone in our dirty hands.
Psalm 24:3-4
“Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.”
God is attempting to speak through many of us but He is met by the distortion of loud and proud screeches of sin. Many Christians are attempting to vocalize what God is saying but their Mics are terribly garbled by the noise of gossip, confusion, false teachings and even worldly doctrines and lifestyles.
If we are to be true spokesmen for God, our lives must embody the full reign of Christ. When we speak, our words must be spoken through the most important spiritual gift – love. Our words must never be vocalized by the puffed up spirit of pride or self-righteousness.
If we are to act as God’s microphones on earth by vocalizing His written and spoken words, we must be especially mindful of what He is saying to us here and now. Prophecy makes room for God to not only speak and predict but also to direct, build up, disclose and admonish.
In today’s modern landscape, our microphones are not just limited to our mouths. We all have the capacity to declare, proclaim and prophesy via our written words. Social media has been a major catalyst for written and verbal communication and our posts are also reflective microphones of our prophecy, testimony and witness.
Be mindful therefore, of what you declare vocally through your voice or any device meant to communicate and/or amplify your voice on behalf of you. Everything you declare and proclaim as a believer should be tested against scripture and should be founded on God’s spirit and truth. As a believer, you do not represent yourself, rather you are continually and wholeheartedly to be a representation of the Most High God who resides within you. It has never been about you, but surely about God and what He wants to declare.
In the beginning, God declared “Let there be light!” I believe God intended for His light to not only exist in nature, but also in YOU.
Mic-Check! Mic-Check! 1-2-3
Reflect on this Question:
Can God trust you to speak on His behalf?
