Does this mean that we enter the prophetic ministry with fearful imaginations about what could happen to us during the breaking process? Not at all. Our eyes should not be fixed on a harsh world of trials and errors, accompanied by blows, humiliation, scorn, ridicule, rejection, and falling into mistakes. On the contrary, Paul gives us our direction when he exhorts the Philippians:

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8

If you enter the prophetic ministry with fear in your heart, you risk resisting the breaking process and being spoiled by the hand of the Potter. If this happens, you could miss your highest calling in the prophetic realm. Rather than fearing God’s process of shaping, we should fear missing out on His best for us. Consider this passage of Scripture:

“Then I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him” (Jeremiah 18:3-4).

The Message version expresses verse 4 like this: “Whenever the pot the potter was working on turned out badly, as sometimes happens when you’re working with clay, the potter would simply start over and use the same clay to make another pot.”

See it this way: you are the lump of clay, and God is the potter. God is actively shaping you to fulfill your prophetic destiny. He is shaping you into a vessel of honor, but you have a role to play in this shaping. Paul explains it like this:

“Now in a large house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for honorable and noble use, and some for dishonorable and ignoble use. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself [from what is ignoble and impure, who separates himself from contact with contaminating and corrupting influences], he will be a vessel set apart and useful for honorable and noble purposes, consecrated and useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.” 2 Timothy 2:20-21

Again, God is actively shaping you to fulfill your prophetic destiny. He is shaping you into a vessel of honor, but you have a role to play. Your role is to submit to the Potter’s hand. Your role is to flee from contaminating and corrupting influences. If you resist God—if you are stubborn, rebellious, or otherwise uncooperative—you could end up as a vessel of dishonor instead of being an honorable spokesperson for God. You could end up being spoiled by the Potter’s hand. God might reshape you into a different form, but you would never reach your highest prophetic calling.

God’s breaking process is nothing to fear. God is good and loving, and He has a perfect plan for your life. Certainly, it’s not fun to endure God’s discipline, go through the fire, or give up something you cherish, but if you keep in mind the things above (see Colossians 3:2), you can embrace the process and even rejoice in the breaking. As Paul said:

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11).

The Purpose of the Breaking Process

Understanding the purpose of God’s breaking process can help ease the fear that often accompanies images of blows, humiliation, scorn, ridicule, rejection, and falling into mistakes. So, what is the purpose? As its name suggests, God’s breaking process is meant to “break” ungodly character traits in order to create a more humble and honorable vessel, willing and obedient.

The breaking process aims to train prophets to walk in the Spirit, sow to the Spirit (see Galatians 6:8), and manifest the fruit of the Spirit. If you cooperate with the Holy Spirit, you will eventually become a statesman for God’s Kingdom, with the credibility and character needed to deliver a pure word from the Lord. The late Kathryn Kuhlman used to sing a song at her meetings titled “Spirit of the Living God.” The lyrics went:

“Spirit of the Living God, fall fresh on me… Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.”

This should be the cry of the prophet. Surrender to the Spirit of God as He works to shape your character, removing the issues that prevent the prophetic anointing from flowing freely. Resisting God never ends well. Yielding to the Potter’s hand and pursuing intimacy with the Father, no matter how He is moving in your life, may be uncomfortable, but it will bring you peace. This leads us to the question of what to expect and how you should respond during this shaping process. Will you really be beaten, humiliated, scorned, ridiculed, rejected, and prone to making mistakes?

This text is an excerpt from the book The Making of a Prophet by Jennifer LeClaire.

We invite you to read the following article: “Tempted to Prove Your Prophetic Gift.”

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