Luke 1:80

So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

The powerful prophecies concerning John the Baptist were summarized by three interesting points.

First, “the child grew and became strong in spirit”. There is a natural and a spiritual growth that should coincide. John the Baptist grew in physical stature and in spiritual stature. Too often we over emphasize our physical attributes and the spiritual gets lost in the flesh. Notice how many children today are raised in Godly homes but then they begin to mature and the spiritual seems to just fade away. This is a time that I believe that our sons and daughters are going to not only become physically mature but spiritually mature. We need the parenting skills to bring our children not only to physical but spiritual maturity. Instead of wanting to get big enough to do what the rest of their piers are doing they will be excited about doing the Heavenly Fathers business.

Second, “was in the deserts”. Desert or wilderness living is in the DNA of every prophet. John may have been forced into wilderness living because his parents were so old at his birth that they may have died when he was very young. Many believe that he dwelled among a sect called the Essenes. The Essenes were distinguished by their desire for purity. Self-denial was at the heart of their beliefs along with temperance and labor (especially agriculture). Purity and divine communion were their main objectives. Today’s prophets will be driven into the wilderness because of the same desires. These goals cannot be achieved in the self-serving churches of our day. This will force the prophets into a desert place to commune with God.

Third, “till the day of his manifestation to Israel”. There is an appointed time that God will raise up His messengers. John was preaching in the wilderness and the whole region heard him. One of the outstanding features of the Day of Pentecost was that it began with a sudden sound from heaven. I believe that we need the miraculous amplification of the prophets in this hour. We need God’s messengers to thunder His message and bring even the hardest of hearts to fear God! We need national prophets that will be enquired of by the political leaders. Not political preachers jockeying for notoriety. Today’s television preachers have had the spotlight for thirty years and no one fears them because they are false prophets. We are anxiously awaiting the prophets old and new that God has been preparing in the wilderness.

I say to the prophets, don’t be discouraged. God is preparing you for a time. Your lack of popularity is an asset not a liability. Stay true to the Word.

I say to the churches, pray that God would send the sound from heaven that would manifest the prophets in new and powerful way. That God would by-pass the television medium and cause His messengers to be heard. Finally, pray that the people will obey the prophets.