I've sure enjoyed getting to know Jesse and Amy Shamp... they are a powerful Millennial couple and are full of prophetic wisdom.
In Jesse Shamp's recent article, he describes detailed revelation from a dream encounter he had of the late Bob Jones.
I've held this word, locked away in my heart, for a season. This is something from my treasure box! The Bible compares revelation to precious pearls (Matthew 7:6). Some things you experience in the Lord are so sacred that you don't want to share them with anyone. Yet, I have felt the timing of the Lord to share this encounter. First, let me say this: Every prophetic encounter must bring us to a more intimate walk with the Lord and must reveal to us the revelation of the Scriptures.
I recently found myself in a very powerful encounter. It was a dream, but also an encounter, for I was in the realm of the spirit! For a season, the Lord would not permit me to share about it, but recently I've felt that it was time to release it! My desire is to bring you on the journey that led me to this encounter. I feel that it is important that I steward this revelation well. It has been a series of visions, dreams, and encounters over the past several months.
The Lord has been speaking about the heart of the Body of Christ and how we are to examine our hearts in this season. God is truly releasing another level of the prophetic anointing in this hour. However, it is vital that we have a foundation of love. Every gift mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12 should be ministered through the precious fruit of the Spirit, love!
The Pearl of Great Price
It was around Valentine's day that I had released something on social media about the late Prophet Bob Jones. I never had the chance to know Bob Jones personally, but I have spoken with many that did walk with this great prophet. I was pondering the time that I heard Bob Jones speak... it was many years ago during a conference at Jeff Jansen's church, Global Fire Ministries, in Murfreesboro, TN. I remember when Bob Jones began to speak, He spoke of a parable in the Bible: "The Pearl of Great Price."
Bob interpreted the parable to mean that the pearl of great price was
love. Bob shared an encounter that he had. On August 8, 1995, Bob Jones had died and found himself in Heaven. He stood in a line and saw to the left of him a line of people that were going to spend an eternity in Hell. Bob was in another line of people that was approaching the Lord. As those in this line approached the Lord, the Lord would ask them,
"Did you learn to love?"(Photo via Unsplash)
The Lord told Bob that he had died before his time, and that he needed to go back for souls. Then Bob urged the Lord that he didn't want to go back, but the Lord told him that he could enter into to Heaven if he would merely look at the line of people that were going to Hell. Bob then told the Lord that he would go back for just one soul! The Lord told him, "You're not going back for one soul. You're going back for a billion souls!" What Bob prophesied in reference to the billion soul harvest is that it would be the greatest awakening of all time!
Did You Learn to Love?
After Bob shared his visitation from the Lord, he then asked the audience, "Did you learn to love?" I've heard a lot of messages over the years, but it was as if those words were planted in my own heart and have, since then, been a part of me. Many that walked with Prophet Bob Jones have shared with me personally that the message of love was Bob's life message.
On Valentine's Day, I went to sleep, thinking of those words that Bob left us with. As I slept, I had a dream. In the dream, it was as if I was awake, and I saw Bob Jones come from Heaven into my bedroom. The dream was so real and so vivid, I was a bit frightened! Bob Jones was in a glorified body and the glory of God was all around him. He had piercing, dark eyes that would change to blue, and he was watching me. He was looking to see if I had prepared the soil of my heart for the agape love of God. He was watching me to see if I was one that would be willing to carry on his life message, "Did you learn to love?"
This dream, that was really an encounter, was so real that I woke up out of a dead sleep at five o'clock in the morning and looked over to where Bob Jones was standing in the dream. I could feel the atmosphere of Heaven in the room, and I could sense the cloud of witnesses that were looking in. Hebrews 12 mentions the cloud of witnesses that are cheering us on to run the race! It was a holy moment, and what I feel the Lord is saying is this:
God is not just looking for the gifted, but God is looking to those that would minister the gifts of the Spirit from a foundation of love.
A Foundation of Love
I've always found it interesting, as Paul writes his letter to the church of Corinthians in the twelfth chapter, that he reveals in depth the importance of the gifts of the Spirit, but he also begins to bring to light the different, unique expressions and functions of different offices. Paul states how we are all part of the Body of Christ. The hand may have a different function than they eye or the hearing, but we are all a part of that one Body.
In the fourteenth chapter Paul says, "Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy"(1 Corinthians 14:1 NASB).
In the middle of these chapters, we find the foundation which must be laid in order that we may minister the gifts of the Spirit properly. That foundation is love! It could be said that the love of God is a mighty river that flows from the heart, mingled with the gifts of the Spirit.
"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:1-2)
As disciples and ministers of Christ, we are to mature in the fruits of the Spirit, not only the gifts. It is not that the fruits of the Spirit are somehow secondary to gifts. I believe they are meant to flow together. The first fruit mentioned in the book of Galatians is love (Galatians 5:22). Love, as a fruit of the Spirit, is expected of us as disciples of Christ.
"...Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." (Matthew 22:37 KJV)
How are we to the love the Lord with all that we are? By keeping His commandments!
Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments"(John 14:15). In order to love God, it requires sacrifice. It requires us to forgive and even to love our enemies.
When we have truly encountered the love of God and have an intimate walk with Him, we can better understand the manifestation of prophecy!
(Photo via Unsplash)
Paul shares the importance of the function of prophecy, saying, "...he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort" (1 Corinthians 14:3 KJV).
Looking for a Pure River
Whenever I spend extra time with the Lord, I find that I am seeing more in the spirit. Once, I was sitting on my sofa, and suddenly, I split into a vision of a river flowing... it was a golden river, filled with God's glory! Then I saw another river that was black, filled with all kinds of pollution.
"Does a spring send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh."(James 3:11-12 AMP)
As I was seeing this vision, this Scripture, from the book of James, burned in my spirit! The Lord showed me this beautiful river of prophecy that flowed like golden oil. At the same time, I saw another river that was black, flowing into it. I had trouble accepting what the Lord was showing me—that the two rivers, unfortunately, could flow together simultaneously.
I believe the Lord is saying this: We want a pure river flowing from our hearts. John, the revelator, spoke of a pure river, pure as crystal (Revelation 22:1). He spoke of how the river was flowing out of the throne and out of the Lamb.
As I sought the Lord on this, the Lord gave me a few keys to how we may have a pure flow of prophecy.
Guard Your Heart
There are many ways that our hearts can become contaminated through bitterness, hurt, sin and so on. Think of how many opportunities Jesus had to be bitter or hurt. Yet, He graciously and willingly walked in compassion. We must seek the Lord to have this same compassion as He had during His earthly ministry.
In the midst of this vision, the Lord said to me,"If you continue to guard your heart, you will have a pure stream!" The anointing flows from the heart of man, the anointing of God flows from you like a river. Jesus even told us that rivers of living water would flow from our innermost being (John 7:38). This is why it is so important that we are careful about what we see, or hear, or meditate on as it all affects the heart.
"Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flows the springs of life." (Proverbs 4:23)
So many times, in the Word of God, we see the importance of the heart of man!
Jesus said, "Do not let not your heart be troubled..." (John 14:1).
The heart of man is the spirit and soul of man. Peter spoke of the hidden man of the heart (1 Peter 3:4).
We are truly in a season of examining our hearts before the Lord. It is a season of pruning.
"I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Every Branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." (
John 15:1-2 KJV).(To Subscribe to the Elijah List
subscribe here.)
Jesse and Amy Shamp are a powerful evangelism team based in Nashville, Tennessee, and are the founders of Spirit Word Ministries International. Their mission is to edify and equip the Body of Christ for the work of the ministry. Signs, wonders, and miracles follow their ministry, and they often receive powerful prophetic dreams from God for the Church. They are committed to crusade evangelism and are passionate about bringing in a harvest in the nations.
