” ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ What goes through your mind when you read Peter quoting Joel in Acts 2:17-21?  Two questions should come to mind: 1) Are these the last days? And 2) Has God poured His Spirit on all people? More specifically, has He poured out His Spirit on this generation? Now, if you believe that God has poured out His Spirit on all peoples and believe that this generation is included in this pouring, than you should then also believe that we are living in the last days where all peoples will have the potential to be a prophetic voice to the world for the Kingdom of God.

If you spend anytime on the Internet than you know that there are so many people out there who have something to say. Whenever I go to “You Tube” I get bombarded by video after video of people speaking up and speaking out about anything and everything. Blogging is also gaining even greater popularity. Not to mention Twitter and Facebook which are the king and queen of social networking. People in this generation have a lot to say. Now, to be honest a lot of what’s out there is just people seeking to be funny or inventive or shocking, but there are those who are genuinely sharing the passions and convictions that they hold in their hearts. If I take a step back and take a broad view of what’s going on, what all this says to me is that there are so many people out there who are or have the potential to be a prophetic voice for this generation. But, in order to be a prophetic voice to the world our focus needs to begin to change from being on ourselves to towards the world around you. This means, taking the time in discerning the times that we live in.

If we look to the Old Testament, there are two references that point to the importance of seeking those out who had insight into the times. In 1 Chronicles 12:32 we read that among those listed to join David’s army after he became King over all of Israel were 200 men of Issachar, “who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” We also read in Esther 1:13 that King Xerxes consulted with “experts of the law and justice, and he spoke with the wise men who understood the times” before making important decisions. In both examples, we see the value set on those who understood the times and how kings sought them out for counsel. Though it’s not directly stated, we can safely assume that the men of Issachar were a key component of those whom David sought counsel from.

In the New Testament, we see that Jesus also addressed the importance of discerning the times when He accused the Pharisees of not being able to interpret the signs of the times. In Matthew 16:1-4, we read that “the Pharisees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.” But, Jesus said to them, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away. We all need to hear and receive this same rebuke that Jesus gave the Pharisees and Sadducees and begin to “interpret the sign of our times.”

Have you ever really sat down and taken a closer look at the times that we live in? As I spent some time really thinking and praying about the times that we live in, these are some observations that has God impressed upon me. We live in a time where there is the decline of the Church and the rise of humanism. We live in a time where there is the rise of a pornographic culture and the decline of the family. We live in a time where there is the rise of tolerance, but the decline of a genuine love. We live in a time where there is the rise of greater avenues of communication, but the decline of real connectedness between people. We live in a time where there is the rise of technological advances, but the decline of personal meaning. We live in a time where there is a rise of medical advances, but also a rise of more psychological and physical dysfunction. We live in a time where there is the rise of information availability, but the decline in the ability to process information.

God gifts and anoints people unconditionally. Meaning, He blesses people with gifts and talents and then allows us to use them at our discretion. This is seen throughout the Old Testament, Samson the judge or King Jeroboam I are good examples of this. They were both called and anointed by God (His Spirit was upon both judges and kings), but they used their gifting and authority abusively and selfishly. Fast forward to today, we also see this sort of abuse going on all over the Church at large. (I will refrain from naming any names here). So, the question may not be about having the ability to be a prophetic voice to this generation. But, more so about how well are you being a steward of God’s anointing on your life in being a prophetic voice to this generation?