(*The use of the male pronoun in this writing is for convenience only. We mean no partiality to our brothers, and no disrespect to our sisters.)
Accused of being aloof, cold, and distant, he is apt to hide himself from people, withdrawing into a world of his own. He never seems to be all “there”. Even if he forces himself to come down to Earth for a moment, those around him may have the sense that there is an unspoken dialogue going on somewhere inside of him, a secret communion carried on beneath the surface that never allows him to be fully “in the moment”.
How do we explain this? As a prophetic savant he sees, hears, and relates to the world differently than the rest of the population. They have not seen what he has seen; they have not heard what he has heard. And so he finds very little camaraderie, very little sympathy or understanding, no one with whom he can open his heart and share his soul, because he no longer speaks the same language, and they no longer speak his. Of course, he may have surface-level exchanges with anyone: he is approachable, not haughty, or high-minded. He may even be personable and likeable. Yet there is something so other-worldly in his demeanor that he is more often frightening than friendly, in spite of his best efforts. He is a spiritual autistic, and no matter how hard you try to know him, he is generally unknowable, and to a certain degree, he resists all attempts to know him.
If a prophet is anything, he is extra-terrestrial – above the Earth. He walks the Earth with others, but he is not of the Earth. He is from beyond; he is from above. If we trace his history we will find that he may or may not have had a normal childhood. He may or may not have come through extraordinary experiences. But at some point in his life, either as a child, or as a young adult, or as an old man, something from another realm broke through the thin membrane between Heaven and Earth and took hold of him. It may have been a burning bush, or a Voice crying out to him from beyond the veil, or a Heavenly Vision which brought him briefly into contact with something and Someone that he could not completely fathom.
However it happened, for one moment at least, the clouds parted and the veil was rent, and he saw something that is unseeable; he heard something that is unhearable; Heaven itself was opened up to him, and he saw into another world. The thing he saw and heard now burdens him like a mantle that has been draped over his shoulders. He feels its weight, for it is with him day and night, whether he is eating or drinking, working or resting. It is the impression that everything around him is a lie, and what he has seen and heard is the Truth, and this Truth is not static, but it is living, growing, and increasing within him from the day it comes to him in the form of a seed.
For a long time he struggles to find words and vocabulary to express the inexpressible. He cannot explain why he feels the need to try and express it, but for some inexplicable reason something drives him to open his mouth, or take up his pen, and make it known. Whatever it is, it will not permit him to savor it or keep it to himself, and it seems intent on coming to the surface and interrupting the normal course of his life. This process can be frustrating and painful, so much so that he may give up several times, content to simply walk in what he has seen and heard and leave it at that.
But try as he might, he cannot run away from what he has seen and heard, and he cannot deny the compulsion to bring it forth. On the one hand he cries out for a “normal” life, while on the other hand he knows he cannot deny what has been revealed to him. When he does achieve some modest success in articulating something of Heaven he is pleased for a time, but soon grows impatient with it, and eventually is dissatisfied with it altogether, because it cannot do justice to what he has seen and heard. And so the process begins again, the continual search for words to more perfectly express what he is trying to communicate (and a subtle fear in the back of his mind that he may never be able to adequately express it), which leads him to invent words which may have never before existed, or to look for Spirit-inspired words in some unknown tongue that can be translated into something others can understand.
The prophets of old correctly called it the “burden of the Lord”, for it is like a woman who must live the rest of her life being in perpetual labor, delivering the same child over and over again. What relief there is only comes in discharging the burden, but that is not to say it ever really leaves: it merely allows the prophet time to catch his breath until the next contraction doubles him over again. The burden is with him the rest of his life, and he never fully discharges it.
Even when he tries to be disobedient to the Heavenly Vision and flees from the presence of the Lord he is pursued and hunted down like some kind of a wild animal who has gotten loose, knowing it is only a matter of time before he is captured again. The Voice never leaves him, the Vision never lets him go. When he refuses to speak then the fire which is already kindled only burns hotter, until he ends up doing what he has resisted doing all along, just to relieve himself of the unbearable tension and inward pressure. He cannot extinguish or quench the fire no matter what he does, he can only be obedient and find temporary relief, until the next word comes, and then off he goes. He may beg God to send someone else, and may protest his inability to speak, or to write. But he is already ruined for anything else, and even when he denies the Lord Who called him and returns to his former occupation, it is all dull and lifeless, and he meets with nothing but frustration and failure. There is no way to escape it. He knows he is called to something Higher, even when he is clinging with everything he has to something Lower.
Like a wild horse, he resists the dealings of the Lord and must be broken before he will obey. Eventually he learns not to resist the Lord, but to cooperate with Him. He becomes pliable and bendable in order to survive. His very life now is bound up with what he has seen and heard. He cannot be disobedient to the Heavenly Vision, and if it means he dies, then he dies. If it means a renunciation of everything he once believed, then he renounces it – reluctantly at first, then cheerfully. If it means suffering the loss of all things, then he lets them go.
Over time the one who has seen and heard becomes the very essence of what he has seen and heard. The Man becomes the Message. He bears the Testimony in himself, and becomes one with it. He needs no preparation to speak; indeed, preparation does nothing to help the message he brings, and it often gets in the way. His whole life is the preparation, and since he is the Message, it is with him constantly. He can no more separate himself from the Message than he can separate his head from his body. If there is an “On/Off” switch then it was long ago turned on and then disabled so that it can never be turned off again. After many seasons of God’s dealings he finally perceives that this is what the Lord has sought for all along, not just to GIVE him a Message, but to MAKE him a Message; to gain for Himself a Messenger and capture him completely, embossing the Message into his very being.
And so he goes about his daily business, constantly haunted by that Voice, torn between the menial task at hand which calls for his physical and mental exertion, and the Higher Calling which seeks his undivided attention. He knows he should do all things, great and small, as “unto the Lord”. But he also knows that Heaven and Earth are locked in mortal combat over him while he stands there in the middle, torn between the two, desiring to depart the Earth altogether and be with Christ, but knowing that it is more profitable for his brethren if he remains. Heaven calls him to rise up, but Earth tells him to keep his feet firmly planted. His heart is constantly breaking and longing to go, to ascend, to rise up, to stop seeing through a dark glass, and see face to face, without the distraction of the natural, the fleshly, the temporal, because he knows the Earth is not his home. Yet he struggles with the fact that Earth is where he must live and work. This accounts for why he may sometimes seem difficult to be around.
As a savant he possesses insight and skill which others do not possess. But it is a gift, not anything of himself, nothing of which he could boast of. If you were to ask him if he considers this to be a blessing, he would probably say it is more like a curse, because it sets him apart from others even when he tries his best to be hidden and to blend in. He cannot read the Scriptures as others do, for after only a few verses the Heavens are opened up to him again and he is lost in its depths. A single passage may keep him occupied for months as Heaven unfolds it to him, and he cannot tear himself away from it.
His preaching is affected, because he cannot decide in advance what he will say, and even when he would like to bring forth something new and exciting, he usually ends up saying the same thing, like, “Repent!” He often does not say what he wants to say, and does not say it in the way he would like to say it. If he wants to be serious, he finds himself laughing. And when he wishes to be friendly, he finds himself screaming at the top of his voice to a startled congregation of people, who wonder how this fellow was ever allowed access to their inner sanctum in the first place. When he leaves a place he almost never sees the result of his labor, and only eternity can reveal the true significance of what was said. For now, it is all hidden, and he has to live with the fact that his fruitfulness will never be measured in terms that human beings, including himself, can see and appreciate.
He cannot go through the motions of religion like most mortals. It is a dead, shallow thing to him because it cannot compare to the reality of what he has already experienced. He finds it difficult to listen to another person preach when he knows they have not yet ascended to the heights nor plumbed the depths that he has already navigated. And when he tries to lead them into these heights and depths himself he is often misunderstood or rejected altogether. So either he attends the meeting and suffers in silence, or stays home and suffers in solitude; but either way, he suffers.
His seeing is affected by a sort of “spiritual dyslexia”. While others view things from a one or two dimensional viewpoint, he sees them through several dimensions at once – forward, backward, reverse, upside-down, right-side up: life and death, light and dark, Spirit and flesh, Heavenly and Earthly – which often puts him at odds with his more pragmatic and doctrinally-correct brethren. He is so at one with what he has seen that he speaks of it as having already happened, because he has, in essence, already experienced it and lived it. It is the Prophetic Tense, which calls those things that be not as though they were. In his world, the world of the Spirit, they exist already. We call it “prediction” because we cannot yet see it with our natural eyes, but he simply stands outside of Time and views Past and Future as one unbroken and continuous Present.
His hearing is affected so that he is increasingly sensitive to his surroundings, even though it seems as if he is not paying attention. He is listening, but he is listening inwardly. He no longer trusts his natural ears, because the Heavenly Voice and the inner witness are more reliable. Thus, he is able to hear God speaking, while the rest of the crowd says, “It thundered!” or “It was an angel!” He is also able to hear when God is not speaking, and does not get carried away with the multitudes who claim to speak, see, and hear things from God when they have not heard or seen anything from Heaven. He cannot bear to listen to them.
His concentration is affected in such a way as to make him appear obstinate and unyielding to others. The truth is that he is actually quite flexible and pliable before the Lord, but before man he is as solid and impenetrable as a rock. No amount of persuasion or argument from man will move him – but the slightest touch from the Lord will bring him to his knees. Having discovered the One Thing that is needed, he will tenaciously and ruthlessly shun the “many things” which crowd in to seek his attention, for he sees everything else as a distraction. Indeed, he is quite willing to sacrifice the good in favor of the holy. And when the Lord has him focused on a particular thing he is as a beam of light fastened upon a singular point until everything melts before it.
Even his praying is affected, for he can no longer pray as he wills and for what he wants. He seemingly has no will of his own. Instead the Heavenly Voice bids him to pray with a Heavenly perspective, and all too often the Heavenly perspective is at odds with the Earthly perspective. So when his brothers and sisters pray for blessing and increase, he finds himself praying for destruction and decrease; and when they are resisting and praying against something, he finds himself asking God to perform the very thing the rest of the world is against.
To the rest of the world, the autistic savant is a bit of a retarded genius, an unfortunate mixture of idiocy and brilliance, caught up in a world of its own. The prophetic savant bears a similar stigma. But if you engage him at all, you soon discover that he sees all of this as absolutely normal; the way it is supposed to be. He no longer wishes for a normal life, because the life he has now IS normal: he has lost his own life in exchange for a new life. He lives in the Heavenlies while he walks on the Earth. He does not think of himself as special, as anything other than a regular person, but often wonders aloud why others cannot see what he has seen when it is all so self-evident and plain. To him, maybe; but the rest of us are blinded by the Light he exudes without knowing it.
Wow. I’m not sure of what to say other than THANK you for writing this. Still weeping.
Chip, you did a good job articulating the things that cannot adequately be articulated. 🙂
I read this first around 2006 and sighed a deep sigh.
Just read it again 11 years later and sighed again… it is as true then as it is now. Though I have changed and morphed increasingly from messenger to message… we remain on a path and we walk it out… now and then taking some unfortunate detours; though these come less and less; mostly because we have learned over time that the further we walk on this path, the more costly the detours from the path… so, the fear of the Lord grows along with the desperation and focus of not wanting to miss anything!
I’ve shared this with several. The true friends of God nod and “get it”… the selfish and ambitious embrace it but abandon the call when persecutions and trials come- see, it’s “neat” to be counted among the prophetic until the fiery trial comes to test the things you’ve said.
As stated, the true calling of God cannot leave and you cannot run far enough away from it to lose it. You’ve made a commitment and there’s no going back.
I believe there is a contented place in The Lord where rest comes and every day has become our Sabbath rest. Though on earth… we contend for ground and to expand our garden and dominion an fruitfulness.
The thing is, I am learning… God wants to be with us! He wants His dominion on earth completely restored; and He has ordained and delegated this to us. This is my burden: to disciple nations and culture and God’s people to the place where they no longer wait for the antichrist to take over and pray for escape in the rapture… rather, they recognize the nations are His inheritance! That nations are separated in the end as sheep from goats.
Time for God’s people to lift their eyes and see with His… He wants His inheritance and will resource all who align with His purposes in the earth… that none should persih and that the nations come streaming to the mountain of the Lord. That thre nations bring the glory of nations into His great City.
We speak the language of Zion and tell of another glorious realm. We don’t throw away our natural senses, rather, we sanctify them so they yield to His Spirit and see that the fields are white and ready, in every generation, for harvest.
One more thing. I’ve learned to enjoy the wilderness more. The in-between moves of God times when it seems I’m in some sort of obscurity or a fiery furnace called “waiting”… I’ve seen both and have learned that this is the very place we can fellowship with Him and learn from Him and become the message we must become when the Cloud and Pillar move again.
Thanks for sharpening your gift to the point where you could share this and… read our mail.
Bob
“he/she that is a fool for Christ, is no fool at all”
I read this earlier today and almost started crying; I felt the urge I needed to share and posted it on a group on facebook. This article answered so many questions and let me know that I am not crazy. I currently face situations where others feel the need to fix me, frustrating. How true it is that you see things through another set of eyes, thank you much for your obedience to share such eye opening message.
Wow the lord has been chasing me, build & pruning me and constantly telling me in various ways he chose me to be a prophet in the end times. zach 4 & rev 11 are the scriptures he gave my heart when i was 15 asking him if my work is in the end times am i in the bible… even after those scriptures and the 100’s of other ways the lord tryed to convince i couldnt accept it or swollow it due to who i am.. Then at 38 when i got diagnosed on the autistic spectrum last nov, i was convinced my autistic Savant syndrome had me decieved the whole time… UNTIL THE LORD SAID TO MY HEART “Google — Autistic prophet” which explained about ancient jews believing my autism was me being a human god put on earth for a purpose/special soul.. I STILL COULD NOT ACCEPT IT FULLY.. But once he told me to Google CHRISTIAN SAVANT i found this page writing about my entire life, and character and pain… Well WOW WOW WOW
Not long left until i leave this painful planet and go back home.
Yet still finding it hard to accept tbh.
In the love of Jesus
Kind Regards
Barry —–
this is weird-your article and the book prophetic mandate was verification to me that god has called me to be a prophet to tell people about the difference between epistemological concepts about god and the ontological realities of knowing god in actual living experiences-I have told god and other Christians that I do not want this calling because it makes people either avoid me or attack me but god tells me this is my calling that he has given me-I say this in all humility and not as a boastful person-I never asked to be born physically,i never asked to be born spiritually,and I never asked for this epistemological verses ontological stuff.along the way god brought me into studying-james fowler,thomas Torrance,and t Austin sparks-all who promote this kind of philosophy and now this article-oh lord whats a person to do but allow the lord to have his way.
I enjoyed reading this article. You really know how to put words to life in the Holy Spirit. So sorry that people miss understand your honest intentions. I enjoy your writings and look forward to them every day. Keep up the good work so many people need your insite. Praying all of this will work out for the glory of God.
Thank you my brother!!
Chip,
I want to thank you ever so much for writing this article. I feel like you have looked into my life and described everything I am going through right now. I had a vision a few years ago as I was praying and I haven’t been the same since. I seen and heard God’s hand (which was enormous) holding a huge double edged sword that came down and pierced through this enormous bible. I have no idea what this means and pray to go God on several occasions for Him to reveal this to me. I do not look at myself as being prophetic but I do struggle with everyday life because I don’t understand why people don’t see things the way I do and I do isolate myself because I am always finding a reason not to be around other believers because they drive me absolutely crazy. I cannot talk to other people about anything because I feel that I am very misunderstood.
Where do you suggest I go from here?
Thank you,
Denise
Chip, I remember the day I first read your article back in 2002 when I lived in Omaha Nebraska, I cried all the way through it, and it’s has been a blessing and a tool of encouragement ever since. Thanks for sharing.
Chip, thank you so much for these words that my heart hears and identifies with so dearly! I am amazed that they were written some years ago and I only found them today. Surely, I have seen my life as one who is autistic and out of touch with wanting to “fit in” yet, not able to make my heart be still when I tried to live out a superficial life in Jesus, my Lord! Bless you for all you have endured because of writing these encouraging words!
i thank you Chip for all messages you have been giving and i actually came to know the real god of my life through your beautiful revelation knowledge . and where ever i have the opportunity to share your teachings i shared because so many can come to know the real God of their life and not religion that make one to lead life in its fullness .thank you and may God use in days a head to Glorify His holy name amen.God Bless
I understand what you are saying as I have seen this in men I have walked with and ministered with in various settings. What helps them to become applicable and relevant is to have them labor with apostles who administrate well. Most prophetic people lack foundation relationally speaking. Because of this they are misunderstood seeing as their gift is irrevocable.
I appreciate the prophetic gift. It is absolutely vital and foundational. But it is most often misunderstood and not received by default because of the disjointedness that has existed between the apostolic gift and the prophetic. See Ephesians 2:20. The apostle comes first in the orderly procession of gifts and grace. See 1 Cor 12. The book of Acts consistently confirms this as well.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake!! Chip you are a BLESSING not just in my own life but many others.I dont know of Tozer,but i do know you have a wonderful,loving,caring,giving heart that brings truth.God bless you and Tozer for HIS GLORY.
Exactly! If you can relate to this, then you obviously are one of them. Thank you Lord for the remnant, the ones that you have pulled out and reserved for your work. I believe that more people had to read this piece, that is why the unnecessary controversy occurred so it would make people curious! God works in mysterious ways. I am so happy to become less everyday so His truth can take over. Blessing!
Dear Chip, well when i read this article so many years ago i was astounded and cried . So much to understand instantly. Its to me one of the best articles. Iam very sorry you encountered all the problems aboutTozer. Sadly how it things can be manipulated. But God knows your heart and truth but it does hurt. Bless both of you.
Sounds like the testimony of an “overcomer”!
This has always been one of my favourite articles by you.
Well “Bro Tozer”, it’s a good article. I remember passing it along to friends and family. Thanks for the reminder.
Thank you Chip. there is nothing left to say except, I understand.
For Christ,
Meema
Hello Chip,
I am yet another who wept all the way through the reading of your article.
I’ve never been normal, I’ve never been accepted, I’ve been tolerated my whole life.
Then in 2005 it got worse. I had dreams showing me my life from then until the end. I saw the sky turn black and I saw the bodies spread around like dung upon the ground. I’ve already lived the tribulation.
But getting anyone to see what is coming is like a curse, for they don’t want to see. Everyone seems to prefer blissful ignorance.
I’ve suffered every day of my life but never as much as the last 8 years. It is a constant torment knowing what is about to take place. It is more of a torment knowing what will happen to the unsuspecting. So much of the church is lost and they have no idea. I cannot keep silent about it.
I cannot do anything else. Delivering the message of what I’ve seen consumes me so that I have become the message. Every where I go, every person I speak to gets the same thing.
And every week, when I send out my sermons online, I hope and desire to encourage and bless, yet they always end up saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of G-d is at hand.” No matter what I do they always end up this way.
And I spend most of my time alone with the Father. He is the only one who gets it. At least that’s what I thought. Now I know there are others and even one who understands this blessing/curse. Ultimately it is a blessing and I would not have it any other way.
Thank you Chip, for listening to the voice of our Most High Father. I pray that He will bless you for what you’ve done.
In Meshiach and His Love,
Anciano
Thank you Chip! It explains to me so much about my own walk with the LORD, and the “Why?”s that have agonized my heart so much over the years……the misunderstanding, hostility, anger, resentment that has been aimed at me when I have spoken what God has laid on my heart. The only real comfort to me is that the LORD keeps reminding me of what He went through, and what He foretold that would happen to us – BLESSED are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake! BLESSED are those who are persecuted for MY name’s sake! BLESSED! REJOICE! We are NOT of this world but of the Kingdom of Heaven! Jesus WILL increase until He fills ALL things! Blessed be the name of the LORD!
Thank you for that sir. You and I have never met, but I can assure you that you basically wrote my life story word for word here. Amazing! You had me laughing and crying all the way through saying FINALLY! Someone gets it!
I am in awe….
AW TOZER wrote the Prophetic Savant. Give credit to whom credit is due. Im sure it was an oversight, but this writing showed up on another blog I read , giving Chip the credit as the author….which simply is not true. Blessings!
Scott, I am the original author of this piece. I first published it over ten years ago. I quoted AW Tozer in the beginning, and someone posted it to their blog and listed him as the author by mistake. I also quoted Webster and Hosea, but no one thinks Webster or Hosea wrote the article. I guess people see what they expect to see. In any event, if you look at everything else on the website you’ll see that I don’t post other people’s writings.
My brother…just read your labor of love on a prophet’s life. Few men have seen what you see, even fewer are able to articulate it so well. I have sent it to many who are aware of their calling but not what it requires to experience it. I believe this article will assist many who just thought they were crazy…like me. Continue to be the message you share and let no one or thing hinder that. Thank you for expressing Christ to so many brokenhearted and slightly confused brothers and sisters who are called daily to walk as you so beautifully described only by the faith and Life of another.
Thank You So Much, a friend posted to her FB page and I wept upon reading. I was actually diagnosed (By man’s label) as A.D.H.D. with a savant disposition. I never knew exactly what they meant by that. Yet I still for years hid (or tried to) behind some sort of sense of normal. Awhile back the Lord told me in a very firm manner, “I created you to be who you are so you need to quit hiding”. I just now saw this, and it brought me such relief. Thank You for the post
Hi Chip,
I keep returning to this article to keep my sanity, if I have any left. I am always deeply moved and end up sobbing and sobbing. I don’t want to relate, and yet I do. Being female makes it all the harder because if it’s not bad enough being so off center with the rest of the world, it’s politically incorrect- a woman not seen in a man’s world. Where is she to speak? Under the bed?
I don’t like rocking the religious boats and making waves, but I can’t help what I see and hear that apparently no one else does. If I see trouble coming no one wants to know. It’s my “imagination” or “negativity”.– Female hysteria.– Yet, the trouble comes still, and no preparations made.
It’s so clear to me, and I am bewildered as to why everyone cannot see what is plainly before them, So I learn to quench the fire of His presence for no room is made for Him. And I weep.
How can I “fit” Him into the meeting when I didn’t even fit? So I shut in with Him again and “waste”myself alone with Him in worship, and sing songs only for His ears. Here I fit; here I fit perfectly.
I have found “whom my soul loves”! I am my Beloved’s and He is Mine! O, that all could taste the sweetness of His fellowship…of His intimate Presence. What beautiful Words He speaks! Are they only for me? So it seems….
I am to Him what He desires and needs me to be. Who He is is enough for me. I need no gifts; He is my Gift. Any needs I may have are swallowed up by Heaven as I rest in Him, complete and refreshed. I hang on His every Word for they are Life to me!
–Misunderstood, rejected, silenced and abused. He understands me perfectly; he relates to my pain. He
has so much to say! Who will listen? Who will hear?
I feel His grief, and I weep.
I see His eyes filled with Love and Fire! There’s fire in His Hands, and Power in His touch. There’s Fire in His hands, but, Oh, what hands of Love! I’ve learned to trust the Fire in His hands….
A fire that’s sometimes painful
Yet it brings no harm.
A fire full of His Spirit!
So fierce! So safe! So warm!
He is captivated by His Bride and longs to lavish His love upon Her! Flesh of His flesh; bone of His bone…
Is She watching? Is she waiting? Is she listening?
He would speak to her…..
By His grace “I am what I am”. Whatever that is.
Brenda, You sound like such a beautiful person. I understand how you feel completely. There are more of us. You are not alone. I know you make God very happy.
God Bless you much!!!
Brenda,
What you have shared is so beautifully written. I know that you know HIM whom we serve in such an intimate way. I wish I knew you for I am certain we are sisters. Thank you for posting your response to Chip’s piece on the Prophetic Savant. I could not have expressed myself so well. I no longer feel so alone.
Blessings,
Eileen
I read “The Prophetic Savant” several years ago. And like many, many others, it was as if i was reading my own autobiography. This helped me stay “sanely insane”. 🙂 Peace and blessings!
I thank and praise our Father for inspiring you to put things into perspective, Chip!
As I read this article I found myself seeing Paul after his VISION- and as I neared the end I saw that being a prophetic savant is meant for every one of His children if we really are decreased and He is increased! this is profound! I am humbled and awed!
——Thank you for walking and SPEAKING in the vision His Holy Spirit gives you, Chip!
I just passed this on to my grandson…Years ago it put me on the floor…I wept for hours…now it is time to pass it on…
What can one say after reading this except WOW. Just minutes before coming into this forum, I had waded through a few lines of Isaac Newton’s hand written newly digitized notes on “Corruption in Religion”, etc. [considered the genius of all time], read excerpts from the 25 top savant minds, when I remembered Chip’s essay, and wanted to read it again. He certainly puts everything into Perspective.
My heart is in tears.
Glory to God!
Gloooory to God!!!
o/
God bless you Chip. Wow. God bless you.
This article was a breath of fresh air. I feel the same way.
I KNEW that the Christian norm is STILL John the Baptist, Paul, Peter, Jesus Christ Himself, John, and Mary at Jesus’ feet!!!.
Thank you Chip and wife for being courageous and honest with seekers.
Hello Family who understands!!!
Praise be to God for All He is!!!
Ali
Thank you Brother for your ministry to all the Saints. Many years ago when I left denomina-tionalism I left behind two things, names that divide and the pastoral system and all that implies. Much opposition followed from brethren who preferred to only embrace men’s ideas, men’s teachings and men’s philosophies. Though I continued to keep an open hand, true fellowship around Christ Jesus became almost nonexistent. The Lord became dearer as a consequence and I gained a better understanding of the Cross in my life. And too, I acquired a greater desire to pray for my brothers and sisters that they would be the expre-ssion of Christ as He desires, His testimony here on earth,for His glory and honour. Pray for me that I will know Him all the more. Thank you, Greg
I just wanted to say thank you for your article. I find my self with visions that come true, people do not seem to care or understand, or they just think I am crazy. I find myself praying Psalm 119:37 all the time. I would sell everything and wander looking to do only the work of the Father. The Lord allows me to teach a Bible study, a youth group and Sunday School. I cannot prepare. It seems pointless to me. If I prepare I feel that I am not allowing the Spirit to speak. I will take no credit for His glorious work. I do wish I was at home with the Lord, but I know the work here is too great. I do feel torn in two. I want only to serve the Lord, yet my stinking rotten flesh is a burden, But I know now what Paul must have felt when the Lord told him His grace is sufficient for him. I know how Paul also must have felt when he said he was the cheapest of sinners.
My own pastors I feel, do not understand me, I find myself challenging them, not disrespectfully, just matter-of-factly and to the point. I have no regard for politics in the body, those are the same politics which pinned our Christos to the cross. I often say that I refuse to make any excuses for the Bible. I want to puke because the homosexuals have taken the very promise of our Father and use it as a symbol to parade themselves around, and slap Him in the face. I make no apologies for wanting justice, for wanting judgement in this “Sodom and Gomorrah” day and age. I want my brothers to rise and understand we are under attack, sink our heels in and seek for the Lord’s Day. As I write this I feel pain,my stomach hurts, and yet I want love for all my brothers. I want them to understand without love it is all pointless, it is for nothing. I do hear the Lord whisper in my ear. I hear Him in the wind, and in the roaring waters. When the Bible speaks of the prophecy of John the Baptist in saying, a voice of one who cries out in the wilderness, that strikes a cord inside me that I cannot explain.
I have prayed that I may be allowed to come with Him to crush Satan’s head in the final battle, I know He doesn’t need my help, I just am tired of the pain he has caused this world which started out as beauty.
I know this probably doesn’t make much sense, but thank you for letting me speak. I will continue to preach only what the Bible says, and nothing else. No doctrines, no theologies, and surely no labels. Only God and His Only begotten Son who is seated at the Father’s right hand now as we speak.
I’m not sure just yet how to take this but I was put into amazement at how accurately this writing described the unexplainable in me. It is as if God is responding to almost every frustration and question I have had in this one article. The pattern set forth in this article is the pattern I have been following down to the “T”. I have no doubt in my mind this came to me by happenstance.
Thanks for being sensitive to the spirit of the Lord.
Hello Brother Chip B.
I really appreciate this message.
You really need to see the relief
that i felt after i finished reading
this article of TRUTH.
I AM NOW A NEW PERSON.AM LEAVING IN A NEW WORLD NOW.
Truly knowledge is power.
Ever since i subscribed to your daily
infinite supply Life have not been the same.
YOU ARE BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE.
Emma Daniels Snr.
If you also identify with much of what Chip has written in this article, you may also miss a very important point that he is actually stressing:-
YOU ARE HARD TO UNDERSTAND AND TO GET ON WITH!!
You may also have suffered from huge rejection issues all your life. Now that you know the cause you must put aside the hurt and rejected mindset and reach out to others with the understanding that they WILL sometimes struggle to understand and accept you. Don’t be like me and retreat into your shell whenever your “rejection-radar” picks up hostile vibes…
Remember: The Kingdom Of God is EVERYTHING! Nothing else matters! Use your gifts to bless and encourage with every ounce of strength in your body.
One of the most powerful prophecies in Scripture is made by Balaam, the medium (Numbers 23). We see how God gives a true prophecy to a reluctant man who did not wish to receive it. Balaam was a spiritist medium who delivered his (demonic) messages while in a trance state and with closed eyes. The Lord spoke to him when he was not in trance and while his eyes were still open (hence he calls himself “one whose eye sees clearly”).
If the Lord will give a true Word to anybody then the “prophetic gift” is a nonsense. Every prophecy or Word of insight from the Lord is a Gift, but there is no such thing as a “gift of prophecy”, It is as meaningless as a “gift of healing”.
As chip says: “The messenger becomes the message.”
The role of the prophet is to build, renew and encourage the church to walk closer to God. Flee from every “prophecy” of doom and destruction (or peace and utopia) but consider everything carefully to see if it is a diamond.
Thank you Chip for the message on the Prophetic Savant. I felt like i was looking in the mirror as i read it. Only the Holy Spirit of God could have given you this insight.
I am nearing 70, having been a Christian since i was 13yrs & have always struggled to find my place in this crazy world of ours, never really fitting anywhere but with God,Himself.
I struggle with keeping my mouth shut especially when it comes to my sisters & brothers in Christ & seeing them struggle so when it is so easy to let go & let God work in & through them to take them on to greater heights in Him’
God bless you & keep you in His care as you continue to hear from Him & share with those who have ears to hear.
I heard the voice of God very distinctly several years ago and began to try to tell my family that God loves us personally and wants to make his home in our heart and communicate with us. We were promptly excommunicated from the church we grew up in, but I have never stopped trying to convey the msg that God does not want us worshipping him (or trying to that is), within a bunch of rules and regulations of a certain church building or fellowship. My family has been separated and set apart from my entire family (except for my twin sister) because we will not conform to their set of rules. I cannot. Thanks for an explanation of why I cannot and for letting me know that I am not alone.
dear chip that is incredible how you describe me and many others. iso often get comments about the way i am . you have put it very well on paper and it is comforting to know there are many others. thanks for writing it so well. i wondered if its a new book. thanks very much
Chip, I sat a the computer and wept as I read this about the prophet. I understand so much of what has been going on with me over the past few years. Sometimes I feel like I am going to die because what is going on with me. It is that extravagant at times. So thank you very much for sharing this with me.
A friend sent this to me. I am always amazed at how one with the gift of being able to express themselves in writing or words can use many paragraphs to explain what can be said in just a few words.The reason a prophet does not make a good pastor is it is not his gifting. Ephesians 4 makes it clear that the Lord gives prophets and pastors to the ekklesia. They are different giftings to His body. As one who has heard the Lord I can say that the word comes from the Holy Spirit within and the word to the ekklesia, or church if preferred, can be heard by every son of God from the Spirit within them, not just the prophets. The church, like Israel of old, would rather stand in line and ask a prophet to hear God for them and “give them a word”.
I also can find nothing about prophetic “savants”. We are simply normal sons of God who He has given ears to hear what the Spirit is saying. And what He is saying is, “Listen and I will speak to YOU as well”.
I can see from what others have written that this well written article has touched many hearts and awoken many of those that have been rejected to the realisation that they are a significant part of the Church of Jesus.
You mention about prophets who rebel against the calling on their lives; but something that you didn’t mention is another danger that those with this calling have – and that is the temptation to take a ‘Me against the rest of the (Christian) world’ attitude. I know that it is a pit that I have fallen into sometimes.
After being rejected by many Christian groups, a natural human tendency is to become stubborn and feel that the message is more important than the people – this is not the case, the only reason that the message is important, is the people (after all Jesus didn’t die for a message – He died to save us!)
I was asked to preach yesterday – and yes I normally preach exactly the way that you described in this article, (very observant!) However, I remember that bit in Matthew where it said that He taught in parables – and indeed never said anything without it being a parable. So instead of preaching I told stories about people who had shown deep repentance and what happened afterwards. It produced an interesting response – the stories challenged people because they thought, ‘Hey I would like to know that kind of walk with Him’ – where the traditional cry of ‘Repent’; which seems perfectly reasonable to those with a heart already burning for Him, is a little less palatable to those who are struggling to come to terms with unfamiliar spiritual concepts.
Be blessing
S
did Chip write the article or did Tozer? I’m finding it on other sites that Chip wrote it. What part did Tozer write?
I wrote the article. I quoted A.W. Tozer at the beginning.
the article read was written by A. W. Tozer, not Chip. Just sayin’.
Thank you Chip, this article blessed me and it looks like there are quite a few others who felt the same way.
It is good to have friends on this sojourner road.
Maggie
I just read this and now read the comments. I broke down as well. This describes my life and experience of walking with the Lord. Always thought myself as alone.
After reading this, I had to contact a friend to tell him how much I appreciate him. He is easily the oddest, most unconventional person I know, but, as you may guess, a prophet to his very marrow. Thank you for this window into what it is like to live as a prophet.
I often remember that Jesus, during His sojourn on earth, attended synagogue meetings. Each time he did, he probably sat on the “pew” in silence. Other men got up and expounded their unenlightened thoughts while He, the Word of God Himself, sat and listened to them. He did not chafe nor feel sorry for Himself in any way. God’s timing would come!
Chip. Wow! Man that seems to be all I can say. Wow! Such a description. Thanks for taking the time to share. This helps me understand what is going on.
Hi Chip,
I am not a prophet and I dont think that I will ever be one.
OOh but how you desribed my life in your article.
Dear Mr. Brogden:
As a person who has experienced many of the things you have written about in this message, and also as the mother of an autistic child, I want to thank you for sharing so eloquently.
I’m still running, in so many ways, but I’m hoping that eventually I will become the message that our Lord longs to share.
Again, thank you. Please pray for us, and as always, you are in our prayers. Thanks for being the message our Lord desires for you to be.
Thank you Chip. Your article covers it all so well. You speak from experience to have such insight and understanding. It is a comfort to read all the other responses to your article seeing the reality of Christ in His Holy Spirit as testified to in His word.
There is no need to explain yourself to others. Just preach Christ crucified. All else is rubbish.
This is a prophetic post…written by an empath. I can identify with portions of this writing, which tells me that there are degrees or levels of the prophetic. The savant being an outlier. It has been my experience that the more spiritual and knowledgeable you become in the Lord, the more separate and misunderstood by the world you life becomes. Life becomes a search for “my people” who see the world & heaven like I do.
Thank you for your insight.
This message is so on target!!! It’s a classic and a keeper. Thanks so much for sharing it.
To be able to put these things in words and make sense is extraordinary,remarkable.
Blessings
Right on the money! Keep hearing and sharing for you encourage many with your words. Thank you, the Lord has used you in my life many times to keep me going.
Dear Brother Chip,
Thank-you for describing my life, yours and many others as well. I have been sitting out of church for five years now and have been feeling I have been left behind. God Bless you for the validation and the insight to what this is all about for me. If you don’t mind I would like to call you Dr. Chip, because in the spirit you are like a spiritual doctor! Thank-you.
Thank you for sharing this article. I already understood this life I live as this best decribes it. Yet one thing I did not understand. I never understood until now why when I read the bible and just a sentence or two, it became so rhema word to me that I could go no further and could not seem to ever explain this to anyone.The word becomes so alive in me when I read it, I can not move except at an exceptionally slow pace. Thank you again, now I understand that as well.So rich, so real.
Wow, someone sent this to me that knows me and I am crying so much because this whole thing was me as well as obviously others who are on here too. For me, the words poured in my heart. It was so much how I have felt all my life and now I myself have understanding and don’t feel I am alone. It reminded me of the verse in the Holy Bible that states there is another man(woman) going through the same thing you are so take comfort. I have much comfort in knowing and being reminded there are others who understand just like me. Thank you! God bless you beloved. Deborah
A prophet is God’s particular possession – restrained from giving himself to others at will and expecting from others at point of need. As someone said, “He is forced to cast himself upon the Lord and the Lord must take him up.”
Weakness V Strength
Christ was left alone, in the cold kept at a distance and crucified. Stephen was left alone, in the cold and kept at a distance and stoned to death. James was left alone, in the cold and kept at a distance and was beheaded in Jerusalem.Acts12:2. Peter was left alone in the cold and kept at a distance and was crucified upside down in Rome. Andrew was left alone, in the cold kept at a distance in Bulgaria and was hanged in Georgia. Mathew was left alone, in the cold,kept at a distance and was nailed to the ground and beheaded.Thomas was left alone, in the cold, kept at a distance and was in Iraq and then was speared to death in India.John was left alone, in the cold, kept at a distance at Patmos, where he wrote Revelation.Philip was left alone, in the cold kept at distance and was crucified in Turkey.Bartholomew was alone,in the cold,kept at distance crucified in Armenia.Other James was left alone,in the cold and kept at distance and was stoned to death.Simon the zealot was left alone, in the cold and was kept at a distance and was crucified in Syria. Mathias(who repalced Judas Iscariot) was left alone, in the cold was kept at a distance and was stoned to death in Ethiopia. Judas(Also called Thaddaeus)was left alone in Iraq and Syria and was beaten to death with sticks in Beirut. Whe you are walking with Christ, in Christ ( Tragically)you be aloof, cold and distant. I am not jockng.
Hi Chip,
I am not saying that you are like this, for I have never met you, so I really don’t know what you are like, but you seem very personable in your responses and on your webnars.
I was rereading this article and I was struck by the beginning, where you talk of the prophet being accused of being “aloof, cold, and distant”.
I went through a season many years ago of going to conferences. I noticed that no matter what message the speaker brought forth, that afterwards when they were approached, they would either be approachable and friendly, or “aloof, cold, and distant”.
Maybe I was wrong, but those that were “aloof, cold, and distant” always left a bad taste in my mouth, and it was hard to believe their message was from God, when their personal demeanor was so unChrist-like.
We all have different personalities and weaknesses. But I do feel that those ways of being “aloof, cold, and distant” are sin, and need to be repented of.
Unfortunately, they are not only traits of a prophet, but we all to varying degrees are at times guilty of being “aloof, cold, and distant”.
May God help us!
No matter what revelation we have received, being “aloof, cold, and distant” is not really an option for those who would be a follower of our Lord Jesus. God is love, and God said the world would know us by the love that we have towards one another.
Please don’t take this response as a rebuke, as that is not how it is intended. You yourself seem to be just the opposite of “aloof, cold, and distant”. And even though I believe much of this article does reflect you, I do not feel that this portion does.
Yes, I would agree that many prophets do come across as this. But that is their weakness, not their strength.
Hi Sharon. You wrote a very good response to The Prophetic Savant. I personally feel that what was being said was that a savant is in the crowd but not of the crowd so-to-speak. They seem cold, distant and aloof, not because they are not walking in love but because their ear is so tuned to God that it is hard for them to, get-in-the-mix. As a matter of fact these people love so hard and deep that they can literally feel the pain of others all around them. I can remember many times, and it still happens, when I would hug someone and break within to the point of weeping for days or even weeks for them. Then find out through others that this person had a major breakthrough concerning something very tragic they were going through. To me that is the love of God, when you carry the burdens of others to the point of brokenness and perhaps we should lay down our lives the way Christ laid His down, love our neighbors as we love our selves. We are commanded to carry one another burdens, without recognition from any one. Let our prayers be in secret and our Father will reward us openly.
This really spoke to my heart, and makes a Whole lot of sense to me. Thank you for presenting this.
Dear, dear Mr. Chip Brogden!
You have given us a peek into the window of your soul!
I want to tell you about an experience I had 2 or 3 months ago.
I was walking around the lake, and as I turned a corner, the devastation shocked me. It was as if a hurricane had come through. Trees down everywhere. Those in the path were cut up and thrown to the side. Then I came across this huge tree laying straight across the path. What they had done was cut a wedge out of the tree, to make a step, then laid logs as steps going up to the wedge, and then going down on the other side.
I was thinking that this is how it is in the spiritual.
That morning, I had received an email with an exerpt from an A.T. Sparks book. I wanted to order a book of his. I had to go through 5 pages of books on this site to find a book from him.
I was thinking that time tells the story. Most of those books in the 5 pages will be like the logs cut up and thrown aside.
But then, there will be those “logs”, that when they fall, will completely alter and change the nature of the path. In fact, they will actually become a stairway in the path, helping those that come after them to ascend.
There is a certain quality to their writings, “otherness” would be appropriate.
I believe God has these voices in every age.
And on my walk, I was thinking, you Chip, are one of these voices.
Thank you very much for being who you are. For being true to the Lord. For helping us to come up, to ascend the holy hill of the Lord.
wow i see in your words a lot of what a real christain shoed be like .
Thanks Chip, for understanding and putting it in words. It becomes yet another confirmation. You are right, it is a heavy mantle, but not to heavy. The difference to me is that we follow Him for Who He Is…most folks follow Him for what He can do for them, and most pesters (intended) teach this broad road of what He can do for you. Just like the 5000 fed flesh food, or the folks who cried hosanna one day as they looked for what He would do for them, then a couple of days later crucify Him when they saw no use for Him.
It was no different for the disciples then, for which of them had a better flesh life after they followed Jesus….And it is no different for us. Most folks “fallowsheep” (intended) with us for what we can do, not who we are (in Christ Jesus)then they quickly abandon us when we are of no use to them.
Continue on in the Faith brother, you are my undershepherd, and I appreciate you. Lord willing, one day (here or there) we will meet.
Mickey
I am so blown away at this article that this is all I can say. It has touched me in every faucet of my being. We never know how God is going to comfort, correct, encourage, or edify us.
Thank God for your obedience to Him, Chip by writing what he gives to you. Peace, joy, hope and strength be for you and your family in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I have read this very carefully, joyfully and in doing so, began to highlight the things that struck me, as me. I have been brought to tears to realize that someone else actually knows me. The very thing that has taken me to captivity has set me free. I have been afraid all along my life to actually let this be the real me. The world around me now pales and I am willing to throw myself “off the cliff” to really let go and live in this process. Words and mere English fail me now. Thanks be to God who leads and is with and will not fail nor forsake. Oh my God and strengh, to take me thru this torn and darkened curtain.
Dear Chip,
I can’t ignore what you have written here….for you have literally written about my life on virtually every line….without exaggeration. I dont think I’ve ever written before on your website, and if I have its so long ago!
You truly have summed up my life in this article and its been such a relief to know someone exactly understands and has stood in these shoes. If I tried to quote you….I’d only end up repeating the entire article in fragments.
But there is somewhere where this all is leading, and I believe (for me anyway) that I understand and have some blessed certainty of this.
You have this awesome (and sometimes lonely) sense that both truth….and reality are much more than they are represented (or more to the point, ‘misrepresented’) to be. And I’m going to stick my neck out and say that the article….truly describes the character and life of the seer. Please understand…this is in no way some self-recomendation; its merely an observation, and a conviction that wont leave me alone.
There is so, so much more I’d like to say on this point, but like you Chip, and others around you….I’ve been spending a very long time in my own wilderness, and this tends to occupy much of your daily life, and underpin much of one’s weariness on the journey.
I’d love to comment here again, if thats ok.
Blessings, and much of God’s vindication to both you and your family as you continue to serve Him.
Ken
This article was comforting and disturbing at the same time. I and my husband very much see me in the description. I know things are in His time and way; I do not question or doubt that. Where my struggle is knowing/seeing how God wants me to use what I sense in others. Am I to pray as an intercessor, do I approach someone with what is perceive, etc.? My son and I both have this gift and have both asked the same question within three days time. What do I do with what I sense/feel?
God lead me to the wilderness about three years ago. It has been a much needed cleansing of religion and institution. I know my time here is coming to an end but I still struggle with what do I do with what I know?
Your feedback (insight) would be greatly appreciated.
In just a few, short paragraphs, you have summed of my entire life! I’ve always known that I was different, and after having read this, I now feel a sense of normalcy as I read the post of others who share the same gift as I.
Thank you for your obedience to God in writing this.
It’s been only a few weeks since I was drawn to your website. This article was one of the first to captivate my attention. For the first time, I felt that someone understood. I still read the article periodically as comfort food; but today it hit me; I think Mr. Brogden has given us a glimpse into himself. If so, thank you for sharing a part of yourself with us and giving us comfort. To God is the glory.
Thank you for pressing in and writing what seems to be unwritable, for pulling back the veil and communicating what is longing to be said, but the words just don’t seem quite capable of describing what happens, where it happens and why.
But these words do.
Once again thank you.
This makes so much sense to me. In the past five months, I’ve lost two friends because I spoke what I believe to be the Word of the Lord. Both of these people were “believers”, but I’ve learned that not everyone who claims to follow the Lord will really follow Him where He leads. I also witnessed the breakdown of our “house church”, and to some extent, it was for the same reasons. I have felt like I was in the desert, alone, depressed, disillusioned, rejected, etc. for five months, and I kept thinking of Jeremiah. My repeated message has been “His ways are higher than our ways.” But I really feel like the majority of people around me want the “easy” way, not His Way. Thanks for putting words to my feelings and providing me with encouragement.
Great post. There are advantages and consequences for becoming a prophet of God…I would have it no other way. Thanks for writing.
I broke down reading this. Quite remarkable and revealing of the unexplainable that I have been living and feeling. I really thought I going
crazy. Thank you for this anointed revelation that came just in time.
Thank you Chip for posting “The Prophetic Savant” on the internet. I had to stop a few times to wipe away my tears. I asked my wife to read some of it to understand better what I am going through. I usually do not read books about the Bible ; just the Bible. I am compelled to look into your writings given that you can at least understand where I am coming from. Your excerpt has helped me today. I know that I am so blessed to suffer this way and can only hope to help anyone else come to follow Christ.