Oftentimes people ask me what to do when they receive a prophetic word from the Lord for someone else. Do they share it with the person to whom the Lord is speaking about? Do they keep it to themselves and pray? Do they do nothing?

First, let me say that the Lord has a purpose in everything. He will not tell you something about a person, city, nation — or even yourself — just so you can be ‘in the know.’ Knowledge is never for knowledge’s sake. It is to be applied. So doing nothing is never the right response.

Second, let me say that when the Lord gives you a prophetic word, praying for the person, situation, city, nation, etc., is never the wrong move. In other words, you can’t go wrong praying. It may very well be that the Lord has called you to intercede based on your newfound knowledge from Him so that He can bring change to a situation or help a person in need. Prayer may not be the final action, but it’s a good place to start.

So how do you know if you are supposed to release the propehtic word to an individual or over a city or circumstance? I always tell people this: The same Lord that gave you the prophetic word will tell you what to do with it — if you ask. Don’t sit and wonder what to do. Remember, the Lord didn’t share His secrets with you so you could get puffed up with knowledge. He told you so you could take action. So ask the Lord.