Easter Blessing

I have written a blessing down for you to read aloud over yourself as you prepare for Easter. Just as the disciples walked to Bethany, ate with Jesus in the Upper Room, tried to stay alert all night, felt the pain of betrayal, experienced brokenness, saw dreams die, waited in the period of the unknown, confronted with forgiveness and then experienced a new season of hope and life, may you be blessed as you journey through similar periods in your life.

I encourage you to put your name in the space and say this blessing over yourself out aloud. There is power in not only reading a blessing but speaking it out aloud over you and calling your spirit to attention first. Calling your spirit to attention first just helps your spirit to stand up and take special notice. It helps grow your spirit on the inside. I am discovering tremendous power, growth, comfort, encouragement and healing coming from being blessed and saying blessings over my spirit and growing my spirit. I encourage you to do the same. I especially love to bless my children as you can almost see the visible difference in them as their spirits are encouraged and blossom in response.

Blessing at Easter:

“……(your own name)…., I call your spirit to attention and I bless you with knowing how valuable, precious, unique and beautiful you are. I bless you with knowing how important you are to God, your family and friends and to this world. I bless you….(your name)… with an increased awareness of God, Holy Spirit and Jesus in this sacred season of preparation for Easter.

I bless you ….(your own name)…. with living out a lifestyle of integrity as your internal beliefs match your external behaviour and actions. I bless you as you walk out your journey, your individual path that you are called to walk and where you intersect with others along this path. I bless you with beautifully touching everyone you relate to and leaving behind you a refreshing fragrance of Christ’s presence. I bless you as you lay down your life for Christ.

I bless you ….(your own name)…. with a gift of hospitality, generosity and acceptance of all and to all. I bless you as you give generously and extravagantly to God. I bless you with a deep connection with Jesus. I bless you as you share your life with others, with deep and intimate connections emotionally, spiritually, mentally and physically. I bless you with laughing and crying and feeling the full range of emotions.

I bless you ….(your own name)…. as you wait on Jesus and as you wait for Jesus. I bless you in the waiting time. I bless you as you try with all your might and realise that it isn’t enough. I bless you in being you, in being all you were created to be.

I bless you ….(your own name)…. when you go through betrayal and experience brokenness. I bless you when the outcome looks less than favourable that you will be able to see from heaven’s perspective. I bless you when your dreams appear to die and have no apparent future, when hope is lost, that you will get a glimmer of heaven’s view and experience hope restored and justice in the midst of injustice. I bless you as you resist peer pressure. I bless you as you choose joy over despair.

I bless you ….(your own name)…. as you deal with faith and doubt and questions and the ensuing struggle, that you feel a peace in the struggle and a willingness to be totally honest and open with the Father, Son and Comforter about your thoughts and feelings. I bless you as you journey through pain and doubt and things that appear not as they should and the ensuring heartache. I bless you with peace and comfort at this time and of experiencing true comfort through the Holy Spirit.

I bless you ….(your own name)…. as you wait in the period of the unknown, that you will experience the Father’s love afresh. I bless you with experiencing peace in the chaos of life, a moment of ‘all is well with my soul’. I bless you with ‘hanging in there’ when the going gets tough. I bless you with courage as you walk the narrow path. I bless you with being able to forgive when all is screaming out no. I bless you with experiencing the light that comes after the darkness.

I bless you ….(your own name)…. with New Life, the promise of something better. I bless you with feeling and knowing that God is romancing you and pursuing you with a relentless love.

I bless you ….(your own name)…. as you rediscover life, joy, colour and your hope being restored. I bless you in having many new beginnings, of experiencing promises fulfilled. I bless you in this new season of grace, joy and thanksgiving. I bless you as you enjoy the banquet of faith, and experience the promise that everyone who comes to the Father will not hunger or thirst.

I bless you ….(your own name)…. as you experience the resurrection power of Jesus and the impact of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and His willingness to go to the cross for you is fully realised in your life. I bless you as you live a life full of intimacy with the Holy Spirit. I bless you with living a life of pointing others to Jesus Christ.

I bless you ….(your own name)…. with spiritual eyes and spiritual ears to see and hear whom you can encourage in this season and whom to release blessings to. In Jesus’ name, Amen

 

If you have found this helpful, please take a moment to consider whom you can either contact and pray this blessing over or to email a copy of this to for their benefit and also encourage them to subscribe to my blog. Thank you.

 

Prophetic Activations / Exercises to incorporate into your week:

The purpose of these exercises is to help us hear God’s voice in a clearer manner. They sharpen our senses to hear and recognise God’s voice and His way of communicating with us. This enables us to grow in our relationship with God and also to impart to others what God tells us for them. Feel free to use as many of these activations each week as you can. The more you practice, the sharper you become at hearing God’s voice. Enjoy! Remember that whenever you give another person a prophetic word or picture etc, please make sure that it is encouraging, edifying (strengthening) and comforting (1 Corinthians 14:3) and that it comes from a place of love.

1. Children / Families Activation: As a family, practice blessing each other. Take time after a meal to start with the adults saying a blessing over each other and over each individual child. Then ask each child to bless each other and you. Remember it can be very simple and short eg I bless you Sarah with being kind and having great friends.

2. Group Activation: Get into pairs. Spend a few minutes asking God to reveal which aspects of your partner’s life to bless and how. Then take it in turns to call your partner’s spirit to attention and bless them. When you have both blessed each other, share with your partner how it felt for you.

3. Beginner Activation: Practice calling your spirit to attention and blessing yourself. Ask God to reveal to you that which is hidden that would be great to be brought into the open and blessed eg unmet desires and dreams etc.

4. Intermediate Activation: Ask God to reveal to you someone who needs encouragement and how. Contact that person and pray a blessing over them.

5. Advanced Activation: Spend time with God asking Him what He would have you bless your country with and how. Then do it.

What do I do if I get a negative Prophetic word for someone?

Several years ago, we were involved in a ministry where my kids would get the participant’s names before the weekend of ministry and they would ask God for a prophetic word for each person and then draw and write on an A4 sheet of paper what they sensed from God for each person. The person would then receive this sheet of paper with a prophetic word/picture on it during the ministry time at the weekend. There was one occasion where both of my children (who were the about 9 & 11 at the time) said that they couldn’t get a prophetic word for a certain name. In troubleshooting this with them, my daughter flatly refused to talk about it and my son said, “I just get total black”. I replied reminding him that what you do when you get something negative is to switch the thought 180 degrees. He replied that he couldn’t flip it to a positive as it was just so black and dark. We left it and my kids didn’t end up doing a prophetic word for this person. In chatting with the team after the weekend, we realised that the person whom my kids couldn’t get a picture for, was someone who was having a psychotic episode during the weekend and was admitted to a psychiatric ward. That is an extreme when I talk about getting a negative word for someone.

I must admit that I have only ever got a negative picture/sense/word three times in all my years of prophesying. The first time was when I had an overwhelming sense that the guy before me was entrenched in pornography. I gulped, composed myself and quickly reminded myself to prophesy the opposite. Thus, I prophesied over him that he was a man of purity. As I began to say that he was a man of purity, I really didn’t believe it. I felt a fraud. But as I went on, it became real to me and I could also see him change in his countenance. He had been given hope. He left a different person. The second time I saw a negative word for a person was reality. The lady in front of me was full of fear. It was ‘written’ all over her face. I didn’t need a word of knowledge about it as I could see it on her. Asking God for how He saw her, I felt a compassion for her and could prophesy love and peace and her identity and authority as a child of God. I practically saw the fear leave her. Third time, was a lady with such low self esteem that you could also see it written all over her. I loved sharing with her how God saw her and what Her Heavenly Father thought of her.

I believe most times when we get a negative prophetic word for someone, we are actually getting a word of knowledge. It is where there are currently at. What currently is happening in their life. That is not a prophetic word. It is not who they are becoming. It is a fact about their current situation. Thus, a word of knowledge. It is important to realise the distinction as it will help you with your prophesying. I have a number of friends who always thought they were getting negative prophetic words for people and once we helped them see that what they were getting were words of knowledge, it helped them reframe to get prophetic words. A prophetic word speaks about who they are becoming, not who they are currently.

Below I have listed two questions that are helpful and insightful for people who regularly get negative words for people when prophesying.

What are you asking God?

Are you asking for a word of knowledge ie where they are at now, or are you asking God for a prophetic word which is future based? 1 Corinthians 14:3 “But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.”

What are you focusing on?

If you get a lot of negative words or images or senses about people when you go to prophesy, then the issue may be more with you than the people. You need to look at what you are focusing on. Are you focusing on what some people call the ‘second heaven’ – the earthly realm where Satan is in control. This usually comes from an inner belief system that God is not in full control and even that sometimes Satan is bigger than God. You are not living in the belief system that Jesus won at the cross and that God is in control and has the upper hand. You are not realising your position and authority that you have as a daughter or son of the most High God and heir with Jesus. Once you start believing and living from that place, you adopt a different mindset. Which spiritual realm do you live in and which does your mind operate out of?

Remember whenever we prophesy, to keep in mind 1 Corinthians 14:3 “But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort.”

Prophetic Activations / Exercises to incorporate into your week:

The purpose of these exercises is to help us hear God’s voice in a clearer manner. They sharpen our senses to hear and recognise God’s voice and His way of communicating with us. This enables us to grow in our relationship with God and also to impart to others what God tells us for them. Feel free to use as many of these activations each week as you can. The more you practice, the sharper you become at hearing God’s voice. Enjoy! Remember that whenever you give another person a prophetic word or picture etc, please make sure that it is encouraging, edifying (strengthening) and comforting (1 Corinthians 14:3) and that it comes from a place of love.

1. Children / Families Activation: Buy some cheap plain white pillowcases, one for each person, and fabric markers. Put on some relaxing Christian music and ask each family member to ask God to show or tell them how they are known in heaven. Let each person draw and write on their own pillowcase the words and images that they receive. Remind them that there are two sides to the pillowcase. Wash the pillowcases according to the instructions with the fabric markers. Then let each family member put their pillowcase on their pillow so that their head rests all night on the words and pictures that describe how they are know in heaven.

2. Group Activation: Get 26 cards and write one letter of the alphabet on each card. Place these on a table and divide the group into groups of 3. Ask each person to select one letter, thus each group will have three letters. Then get every group to take it in turns prophesying only three words over each member using those three letters ie each word must begin with one of the three letters.

3. Beginner Activation: Ask God for an image or word of a drink. Then ask God for something about the drink, the flavour, effervescence, warmth, size, refreshment etc. and then ask God to show you how it applies to yourself.

4. Intermediate Activation: Next time you go shopping, ask God to remind you of someone who needs encouragement and buy them a prophetic present ie a present that speaks of a prophetic word. (eg my son has a lot of prophetic words about him having a shepherd’s heart so I bought him a miniature statue of a shepherd.)

5. Advanced Activation: Ask God to show you this week someone who is connected with a prison, either staff, prisoner, family of a prisoner, prison chaplain, or a volunteer at a prison. Ask God for a prophetic word for them. Find a creative way to deliver it to them. If you truly do not have any contact at all with a prison, then ask God to give you a Prophetic word for the prison head and write him/her a letter of encouragement and support. Find the address and mail it to them.

When I have trouble getting a prophetic word for someone

key to person's heart hiddenHas your mind ever gone blank when you have been faced with having to immediately give a prophetic word to someone? Mine has. Numerous times. I am on our church’s prophetic team and we are often involved in a prophetic presbytery. Our church sets it up with teams of 2 people who prophesy over a person for a maximum of 6-7 minutes. We have a line of people waiting to receive a prophetic word. As soon as you & your partner have finished prophesying over a person, that person leaves and the next person in line moves forward to come to an available team. We begin by introducing our names and ask if they have a recording device if they don’t already have it in front of them ready to go. I usually get a sense of something from God immediately for the person and, as I speak it out, more comes. I am also learning to wait for a minute before I speak so as to try to get more of the detail and a greater depth to it. There are some occasions where I don’t get anything and my mind is blank.

Usually I am teemed up with different people who don’t speak first but like to wait several minutes before they speak to more fully understand what they are seeing, especially if they are a seer. I may also be teemed up with a person who is relatively new to giving prophetic words and wants to hear what I have to say first or who is not 100% confident in giving prophetic words to people. Unfortunately, we are usually limited to 6-7 minutes so we don’t have the luxury of having a long pause before we start speaking the prophetic word. What do I do in those circumstances if my mind is blank and I don’t have ‘anything’ for them? How do I go about finding the ‘key’ from God to unlock something from God for this person standing in front of me?

The first thing I do is to turn my heart and affections to Jesus. I silently worship God. I then ask God how He sees this person and how He wants to show love to them right now? If I’m still finding it hard to connect, I ask God how He sees this person dressed, what their strengths are, if the person was a tree what sort of tree they would be and what sort of fruit they would be producing etc. I also ask God what this person’s identity in Heaven is ie how is this person known in Heaven?

If I’m still finding it hard to get a prophetic word for this person, I then picture them standing under a Holy Spirit waterfall. I imagine them standing there with the Holy Spirit flowing down over them and I ask the Holy Spirit what it is that the Holy Spirit is showering upon them.

Bear in mind, this usually occurs within 10-30 seconds. If I was at home writing a prophetic word out for someone, I take a lot longer. Thus, in situations like the Prophetic Presbytery’s, I find it invaluable to have a list of questions to ask God in my mind, ready to ‘pull on’ and get God’s perspective for the person.

To summarise and put it in a list format, the questions I have ready to ask God include:

  • How does God see this person?
  • How does God want to show love to them right now?
  • How does God see this person dressed?
  • What are their strengths?
  • If the person was a tree what sort of tree they would be and what sort of fruit they would be producing?
  • What this person’s identity is in Heaven ie how is this person known in Heaven?
  • If this person was standing under a Holy Spirit waterfall, what is it Holy Spirit that you are pouring over them and filling them with and why?

Upon reflection, the times I find hard, I need to take a further moment to not rush things. I also need to look at my preparation. How have I prepared and what have I done in the preparation for giving prophetic words? These questions challenge me and help me be ‘switched on’ immediately to release God’s word out of my mouth for these folk.

What do you find helps you when you have a ‘blank’ mind when you go to give someone a prophetic word? I would love to hear what you do that enables you to find the key to giving a prophetic word to others when your mind goes blank.

Prophetic Activations / Exercises to incorporate into your week:

The purpose of these exercises is to help us hear God’s voice in a clearer manner. They sharpen our senses to hear and recognise God’s voice and His way of communicating with us. This enables us to grow in our relationship with God and also to impart to others what God tells us for them. Feel free to use as many of these activations each week as you can. The more you practice, the sharper you become at hearing God’s voice. Enjoy! Remember that whenever you give another person a prophetic word or picture etc, please make sure that it is encouraging, edifying (strengthening) and comforting (1 Corinthians 14:3) and that it comes from a place of love.

1. Children / Families Activation: Find up a lot of matchbox cars/vehicles and place in the centre of you all. Get everyone to ask God which sort of car/vehicle the person on your left is. Take it in turn and pick up that particular car and give it to that person and explain why that vehicle.

2. Group Activation: Have a selection of fruit and nuts on a table. Get everyone to pair up. Ask God to highlight to you which fruit or nut represents your partner. Pick up 2 pieces of that particular fruit or nut for your partner that you feel speaks of them. Smell the fruit/nut. Feel the fruit/nut. Put one piece in your mouth and taste it. Really lean into the flavour and savour everything about the fruit or nut. Let the smell, taste, feel add to the substance and weightiness of your prophetic word for your partner. Give them the item plus share with them why that fruit or nut represents them and the prophetic word concerning them and the fruit/nut.

3. Beginner Activation: Turn on the radio and the first person you hear, practice writing a prophetic word for. You don’t have to send this prophetic word to that person, just practice hearing from God for something for that person.

4. Intermediate Activation: Find a magazine. Open it and find 3 pictures that stand out to you. Ask God to bring a suitable person to mind. Craft/write a prophetic word for this person using those 3 pictures as a starting point.

5. Advanced Activation: Choose a local community group. Ask God for a prophetic word for this group. Write them a letter, using non christian language, to encourage them and spur this group on for the best of the community.

I can’t hear God for myself – is that a lie?

Have you ever had trouble hearing God for yourself? I have. It can be hard work. Usually at the same time, I think, “It isn’t fair. It is so easy to hear God for others and get a Prophetic word for them, but it is so hard to hear God’s voice for myself.” Has this thought ever crossed your mind?

Lately I have been musing over the fact that ‘Is it a lie that I can’t hear God for myself but I can hear God for others?’ I would love to hear your thoughts. Sometimes I believe that is true. Other times I believe that there are several things we can do so that we open up the communication lines between God and ourselves for ourselves.

Listed below are a few ideas, that I have found helpful, to implement when you feel a blockage in hearing God for yourself.

  1. Lean in to God. Change things up a bit. Do something different. Perhaps put on different worship music. Try spending time with God in nature or a different place than normal. I love going to the beach on a stormy day and ‘feeling’ God in the storm.
  2. Have I been obedient in doing what God has asked of me? This is a question I ask of myself. If I haven’t been obedient in following through on what God has already asked me to do, how can I expect Him to then tell me the next step?
  3. Is there any sin in my life that I am aware of? Sin has an amazing way of blocking the relationship between God and myself.
  4. What am I asking God? Can I reframe my question? Am I asking God the wrong question? Am I wanting to hear a specific answer ie treating God like Santa Claus, thus not hearing God because I’m not hearing what I’m wanting.
  5. Am I prepared to really lean in to God – fast, meditate, pray over a period of time, enjoy being with God, spend time listening.
  6. Facilitate an encounter with God. Find a comfortable, quiet place where you can spend some time alone with God. In your imagination, go to a place where you feel close to God, a place where you hear God’s voice easily. Imagine yourself there. What is it like? What does it feel like, look like, smell like, taste like, sound like? Imagine that Jesus walks to where you are in that place. Look for Jesus in your imagination and imagine that He has a present in His hands for you. Watch Him place it down next to you or place it in your hands. You have a choice what you do next. Do you want to open it? Go ahead and open it. What has Jesus just given you? (Usually something like this can open up those lines of communication between God and ourselves again.) Another encounter to try is to imagine yourself under a waterfall. Look around and feel, hear, smell, see what it is like under that waterfall. Imagine next that that waterfall is God pouring out good stuff over you. What is He pouring over you? Revel in what is being poured over you. Enjoy. Splash around in it. When you finish imaging this, try spending some time just enjoying God for who He is.

Sometimes when we are finding it hard to hear God for ourselves, we can chase after ‘shortcuts’ in our relationship with God and chase prophetic words from others. I really believe a prophetic word usually confirms what God is already revealing to me from the time I have spent with God. I encourage you in this season to really lean into God and go deeper.

Prophetic Activations / Exercises to incorporate into your week:

The purpose of these exercises is to help us hear God’s voice in a clearer manner. They sharpen our senses to hear and recognise God’s voice and His way of communicating with us. This enables us to grow in our relationship with God and also to impart to others what God tells us for them. Feel free to use as many of these activations each week as you can. The more you practice, the sharper you become at hearing God’s voice. Enjoy! Remember that whenever you give another person a prophetic word or picture etc, please make sure that it is encouraging, edifying (strengthening) and comforting (1 Corinthians 14:3) and that it comes from a place of love.

1. Children / Families Activation: Brainstorm an activity that people do at a park near you eg shoot basketballs, swing on the swings etc. Ask God how He sees them and what He feels about them. Then go to the park and find someone doing that activity and share what you feel God’s heart is for them.

2. Group Activation: Have sheets of paper available for people to write on. Encourage everyone to ask God for a make, model and colour of a car. Then ask God to give them a prophetic word for that person. Then encourage everyone to go out to the parking lot to find the car and place on their windscreen for them.

3. Beginner Activation: Next time you buy a drink, ask God for a prophetic word for the person either in front of you or behind you in line or else sitting at a table already. Share what God says or shows you with that person.

4. Intermediate Activation: Seek God for His heart for your hairdresser. Next time you visit him/her, share it with them in an appropriate manner and using appropriate language.

5. Advanced Activation: Write down the names of three missionaries you know. Seek God for His heart for each of them and then share it with them.

What to do with your Prophetic Word (handout)

What to do with your prophetic word

Please click on the above link to get the pamphlet on “what to do with your prophetic word”. This is an A4 double sided handout that is great to give to people after they have been given a prophecy. It outlines the steps to help them apply the prophecy to their life. Feel free to print it out and give it to people you have prophesied over. If you have any trouble downloading it, please contact me at [email protected] and I can email you a copy.

Prophetic Activations / Exercises to incorporate into your week:

The purpose of these exercises is to help us hear God’s voice in a clearer manner. They sharpen our senses to hear and recognise God’s voice and His way of communicating with us. This enables us to grow in our relationship with God and also to impart to others what God tells us for them. Feel free to use as many of these activations each week as you can. The more you practice, the sharper you become at hearing God’s voice. Enjoy! Remember that whenever you give another person a prophetic word or picture etc, please make sure that it is encouraging, edifying (strengthening) and comforting (1 Corinthians 14:3) and that it comes from a place of love.

1. Children / Families Activation: Brainstorm someone you know who is sad or perhaps struggling or having a rough time or someone you don’t see much but am missing. See if you can all draw a picture for this person that will speak prophetically to the person and give them hope.

2. Group Activation: Get everyone who has had a birthday in the last 2 months to stand up. Blind fold them. Then ask every other group member to choose one of these people to stand in front of. Have each person standing in front of the blindfolded person to prophecy over them one at a time. After everyone has finished, release the blindfolds and ask each birthday person to comment on which prophetic word resonated the most with them and why.

3. Beginner Activation: Think of someone having a birthday in the near future. Write a prophetic word for them on the birthday card.

4. Intermediate Activation: Find a couple who are getting engaged or getting married. Write a prophetic word for them as a couple. Give this to them in an appropriate manner.

5. Advanced Activation: Find someone who is pregnant or just had a baby. Write a prophetic word for the baby. Give this to the parents. Also try and find a gift to give to them that matches the prophetic word ie a prophetic gift.