Answering Your Questions on the Prophetic
Julian Adams • October 23, 2017
– TRANSCRIPT
I really wanted to just start talking around the prophetic. At the moment, on the internet, in churches, in books that I’d written, the prophetic always seems so mystical and out there and weird and not engage-able for many people. And I wanted to make the prophetic accessible. So, this is a series of questions and answers that we kind of put together and we hope it’s gonna serve you really well. The prophetic is super important, not because it’s a bunch of words that we’re simply communicating, but because it’s a revelation of God’s heart and His love for people. And when we understand that, it becomes a powerful tool that we get to use to love on people, to draw them into God’s perspective about them, to lift them into their destiny, and to call out the gold. And all of humanity are broken image bearers of God. There is gold in them that we need to call on so they can be reconnected to their creator and to the one who loves them. And I believe the prophetic needs to be restored in every sphere and every context of life so that we can communicate God’s perspective, God’s purpose, God’s plan, and God’s heartbeat to the broken, the hurting, the marginalized, the down and out, the up and out, the poor, the rich, so they get to get a revelation of a good, kind, happy Father who wants to bring them to be co-heirs and sharers and participators in the beautiful Kingdom that is now breaking out all over the Earth. That’s why we’re doing these videos and I hope it’s going to help you.
– TRANSCRIPT
So, for me, hearing God’s voice began when I was very little. God began to speak to me from a young age through various impressions, thoughts that would come into my head randomly that I began to recognize in terms of a pattern, that when I would dream things, think things, feel things, they would start to happen around me. I’d feel things about family members, and then it would happen. Thankfully, God was really kind. My parents are amazing and they helped recognize that as the voice of God. I then began to practice hearing God’s voice, initially with journaling. I read a great book by Mark Virkler called “Hearing the Voice of God,” and I began to journal, and I began to write some stuff down. And that really helped me gain an internal track record with God as to how to hear Him.
I think the key things for me were very simple impressions, nothing super-dramatic. It wasn’t like I was hearing Sean Connery saying, “Julian, this is the Lord speaking.” It was very simple, little thoughts, little impressions, little pictures, which then began to translate. I think the thing for me around developing this gift was actually when I started stepping out. And actually, from about the age of nine, I began to step out in prophetic words, in sharing what I was feeling and what I was seeing. And just seeing how that worked out, seeing how that impacted people, seeing how I began to interact with that, and began to recognize, “Oh, this is God.” And I think the big key around stewarding the prophetic is actually about obedience and crossing the fear factor and actually just stepping out and really believing that what you’ve got is something from God.
I think the biggest lesson I learned in the prophetic was the simplicity of encouragement. Encouragement is the simplest form of the prophetic, and it helped me to begin to realize that, no matter what I was doing, no matter what I was feeling, no matter what pictures I was getting, if I could just encourage people, that would reveal the heart of God. And I began to do that with some of the more specific words of knowledge or revelation I was getting. I would wrap it in encouragement. So even if the revelation or the word of knowledge was wrong, the encouragement was always gonna leave people feeling happy, feeling like they’re connected with their loving, kind Father. I think that’s the big one that’s really helped me in growing in the prophetic, is encouragement, stepping out, and obedience.
Is the prophetic still relevant? I’ve been thinking a lot about how to make prophetic words more accessible in a culture that often seems resistant. I got onto Instagram last week and asked my followers what questions they have on the subject. I’ll post my answers in a few VLOGs over the coming weeks. Here’s an intoduction video as well as the answer to my first question: “How did your journey in the prophetic begin?”
If you want to grow in the prophetic, it doesn’t begin with what you say. It begins with what you see. The prophetic is rooted in perception. Not just natural insight, but spiritual awareness—what Scripture calls “the eyes of your heart.” Paul prayed that the church in Ephesus would have their hearts enlightened so they could truly see what God was doing. “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you…” (Ephesians 1:18) God isn’t distant or withholding. But if we’re going to hear Him clearly, we have to see differently. We need Heaven’s perspective. And that means learning to quiet the noise, tune into His voice, and let Him train our inner vision. You don’t need to wait for a dramatic vision or audible voice. Often, God speaks through a nudge. A mental picture. A scripture that lingers. A sense of burden or joy that feels holy. These are the first signs that your spiritual eyesight is awakening. But it takes time. It takes attention. It takes trust. Just like physical muscles grow with use, your spiritual senses grow as you spend time with Him—not just talking, but listening. Not just asking for answers, but asking for His perspective. You were never meant to live according to what the world says is true. You were meant to live by every word that flows from the mouth of God. A Prayer for This Week: “Lord, open the eyes of my heart. Teach me to see what You see—not just in others, but in myself, in my circumstances, in the world around me. Give me clarity and confidence to trust Your perspective more than my own. Amen.” This week, pay attention to what you notice. The way you see is often the way He speaks.
In this live session, Sean Smith and Julian Adams share their prophetic perspectives on 2025, offering honest reflections on what they sense God is doing across the earth. With hope and expectancy, they discuss the spiritual landscape ahead and how we can prepare for what’s to come.
We are living in a world of dramatic change. The relentless pace of development often leaves us breathless and exhausted. The demand for innovative ways of communicating, inventing, and staying ahead of cultural trends can feel daunting and demoralizing. It can push us into a space where we find ourselves trying to copy rather than be authentic, to imitate rather than create. This pressure can lead us to believe that we need to be more creative, and that our individual stories do not matter. But nothing could be further from the truth. Your story, no matter how small, matters and is powerful. One of the remarkable aspects of ancient manuscripts, like the Bible, is that they tell the stories of individuals whose lives may seem small and insignificant. Yet, God chose to make their lives a memorial of what He could do with a life that the world deems insignificant. The incredible power of the gospel is that it changes lives one at a time. God is as interested in the individual story as He is in redeeming the cosmos. The aim of the gospel is not just dealing with personal sin; it is about restoring individuals to a relationship with a kind Father. In his book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis beautifully said, "The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God." Justification addresses our standing before God, but our adoption invites us into a relationship with the Father. It allows us to partake of who He is and to live in a place of deep joy from who He is. Romans 3:23 reminds us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Many of us forget that the work of salvation has turned this verse around. Through Jesus, we have been restored to the glory of God. One description of the word "glory" refers to the divine quality, the unspoken manifestation of God, and splendor. It is the revelation of God's intrinsic worth and beauty. Do you see that? We have been restored to His divine quality, splendor, and beauty. In a world where it can be easy to feel like just another face in the crowd, remember that your story is significant. Your experiences, your journey, and your voice matter. Embrace the unique narrative God has given you and let it shine. You are not just a spectator; you are a vital participant in God's grand story. Your authenticity, creativity, and individuality are valuable. As you navigate the rapid changes of our world, hold on to the truth that your story has power and purpose. God sees you, knows you, and has a plan for your life that is uniquely yours. Let us celebrate the beauty and significance of each individual story, knowing that together, we contribute to a tapestry of divine splendor and glory.